FILM REVIEW: ‘Nosferatu’ remake is gothic horror done right

A remake of the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu leaves viewers on the edge of their seat in anticipation of what’s next. 

By Michael Doyle

WARNING: SPOILERS  

A modern remake of a silent film over 100 years old poses a difficult task to successfully portray today, but Director Robert Eggers successfully translates the inspiration for a modern audience, based on the 1922 silent film of the same name.  

The original was inspired by the 1897 novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. Nosferatu’ is a late addition to the year’s best films. It achieved Director Eggers’ goal of bringing a modern-day version of the classic to the newer generations. 

It opens with a flashback to a young Ellen, played by actress Lily-Rose Depp, praying for any spirit to love her before she suffers a gruesome vision that causes a seizure. In 1838 in the fictional town of Wisborg, Germany, Ellen is married to her husband Thomas Hutter, played by actor Nicholas Hoult. 

Hutter is an estate agent who accepts a commission to sell a decrepit property in hopes that his boss, Herr Knock, played by actor Simon McBurney, will reward him and Ellen with financial security. In the horror genre where characters frequently make foolish decisions, Nosferatu’s opening starts off strong with a reasonable premise that is refreshing but still honors the original horror source material. 

The movie follows a similar plot and maintains the characteristics of the three main characters, Thomas, Ellen and Orlok. 

Ellen’s fears take ahold of her as she tells Thomas that before their wedding, she dreamed she married Death, begging Thomas to not leave across Europe to meet the “reclusive and eccentric” Court Orlok, played by actor Bill Skarsgård at his castle in Transylvania. 

Despite her resistance, Thomas persists and leaves. Once he arrives in Transylvania, he finds Romani locals desecrating a supposed vampire’s corpse with an iron stake, sickening both Thomas and myself as the viewer. That night he struggles to sleep after what he saw, which is a logical feeling after the grotesque scene he witnessed.  

As Thomas walks through the foggy woods, a driverless carriage appears to drive him to Orlok’s castle. The editing and scenery show the end of this journey as if Thomas is meeting Death himself as he traverses through the River Styx or through Dante’s Inferno. 

He arrives at the wicked castle where he and the viewer meet Orlok, a menacing and haunting creature who manipulates and overpowers Thomas, feeding off of his weakness. Thomas is forced to stay overnight at Orlok’s castle where he suffers gruesome nightmares of Orlok drinking his blood out of his chest. I absolutely love all the sinister nightmare sequences in the film, where the victim suffers sleep paralysis and remains as helpless as the viewer. 

Thomas attempts to kill the Count but fails, fleeing the castle as both him and Orlok race to Wisborg for Ellen. Orlok boards a ship in a crate of plague rats and grave dirt, killing the entire crew along the way. The not-so-subtle analogy of Orlok being plagued fits the film well, with Orlok meant to consume and destroy everything he touches. 

As Ellen’s terrors worsen, Thomas’ wealthy friend Friedrich Harding played by actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, takes her to Doctor Wilhelm Sievers played by Ralph Ineson. I appreciated Harding and Wilhelm’s strong foils to Ellen as they don’t believe in the Nosferatu and attempt to cure Ellen with modern medicine to no avail. 

Growing desperate, Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, characterized by actor Willem Dafoe, is introduced due to his expertise in the occult. Dafoe marvels in his role as a borderline crazy but intelligent scientist. Does that sound familiar, Spider-Man fans? 

Following Thomas’ boss Knock being institutionalized for Maniac Syndrome, Sievers and Von Franz discover that Knock knew Orlok is the Nosferatu, while searching his office for clues on Thomas’ whereabouts. He learns that Thomas’ work-trip was a set up. This caught me by surprise despite an early tease that Knock was a follower of the Nosferatu and represented a shift in Thomas and Ellen’s fate being sealed at the beginning of the film. 

Both Thomas and Orlok arrive in Wisborg as a plague tears the town apart, killing hundreds of people. Knock escapes from custody and leads Orlok to his new castle where he taunts Ellen about manipulating Thomas into signing divorce papers. Orlok warns that she must approve them and reaffirm the vow she made as a little girl to him or else he will murder Thomas and let the plague consume the town. 

This scene was powerful, as both the viewer and Ellen learn that there is no good ending for our main characters as Orlok is too cunning and powerful. 

As a warning, Orlok kills Friedrich’s two daughters and wife, with Friedrich dying of the plague shortly thereafter. The grief and anger of Friedrich turns him mad, as he initially didn’t believe in the Nosferatu, but has now had his and his family’s lives end at the Nosferatu’s hand. Friedrich’s character arc is tragic, as he didn’t believe in folklore and wound up losing everything he loved. Taylor-Johnson does an excellent job portraying the grief of his character in a way that truly makes the viewer feel remorse for him as they watch his life crumble. 

Von Franz theorizes the Nosferatu can only be defeated by a fair maiden’s willing sacrifice and convinces Thomas and Sievers to go to Orlok’s resting place to destroy it. This allows Ellen to get Orlok into her room where she allows him to feast on her blood and sexually assault her until sunrise, with the sunlight killing Orlok. Thomas returns to the room holding Ellen’s hand as she dies due to a lack of blood and her sacrifice ends the plague, marking the end of the film. 

Overall, my favorite aspect of the film was the directing. The choice to rarely show Orlok’s full body mythicizes him more as an abstract being rather than a physical entity. Scenes such as the driverless carriage and Orlok’s hand casting a shadow across Wisborg gives Orlok a Voldemort-esque presence as Death itself.  

Eggers’ decision at the end of the film to depict Orlok’s dead body as a frail skeleton left a haunting visual and was inspired by old vampire novels. Eggers expressed desire to include many older European pieces that the original Nosferatu didn’t include, such as the Death and the Maiden motif seen with Orlok and Ellen. 

I was very impressed with the emotional acting throughout the film. The last film I saw Skarsgård in was the newest “The Crow” remake, where I left not wanting to see him on a screen again. His acting as Count Orlok hooked me back in, specifically his deep voice and obscure cadence. The other cast members excelled as well, their portrayals of people in the 1800s didn’t feel like a caricature of a period and felt authentic. 

This was the first film of Depp’s I have watched and I ultimately enjoyed her acting. Her portrayals of her manic episodes were evocative, as were her calmer moments, but the in-between moments felt out-of-character in my opinion. Regardless, her character development was excellent and I thoroughly believe her career will soar after this role. 

One final part of the film I loved was the dream sequences. Dream sequences are easy to rely on and overuse, though while Nosferatu has plenty, they are all tormenting in the best way possible. The fear of Orlok and the display of the characters as helpless in their battle versus the inevitable Death shows how tormented they are once he has plagued their mind. 

As a fan of both gothic and horror genres, Nosferatu combines the two in the most creative way that makes you forget that it’s a remake. Eggers’ directing turns the film into a haunting visual that pays homage to the past while adding new aspects to the source material.