Eggers just brought the century-old vampiric property to life again. So far, we’ve all fallen in love… or could that be traces of lust? I can’t say I saw that bit coming.
Legacy reboots, remakes, and re-hashes make us all a little nervous, I get it. Besides choosing the perfect theater seat, viewers have nothing to worry about. Just blink twice and you’ll find yourself lost in Wisborg, Germany, an ultra-romantic fictional city that houses a tale as old as all hell, now sporting a vintage fur-lined coat from the archive.
The closest I can confidently identify this, is a “complimentary retelling” of its source material in the most respectful manner possible. I’m lucky enough to have Murnau’s 1922 original fresh on my mind, and it’s clear that this story is one that Eggers and his team respect deeply. It honors its predecessors, and never vows to “elevate” or mess with that essence.
I’m not an Eggers ride-or-die, but after The VVitch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman, we know to expect complete sensory immersion. It’s hard to explain, but this film smells like last week’s forest fire after three days of rain. The layers on top should hip you to what I’m sayin’. Gothic romance is a tricky one that leans heavily on creative tone, performance, and visuals, the pillars of aesthetic. The assignment is thoroughly understood. The goths are already outside, stunting their new personality.
The first thing you might notice is color, and the lack thereof. Color grading switch-ups often reinforce the story, much like a complimentary score should. In tandem with musical queues and mint dialogue delivery, bouncing from black and grey, to warm sepia, and back again gives the audience an additional outlet to connect to the stress levels of the film’s ensemble. Everything is more intense in black and grey, right? Let the drainage of color help you get that heart rate going.
“Polished” is a good word to describe the gothic romance subgenre. Between cinematography, costume, and set design, Nosferatu is without cinematic blemishes. If you could pause it at any random timestamp, you’ll get a perfect frame or portrait. I can’t imagine that any visual aspect of the film was presented unintentionally. The shadow plays are gorgeous and haunting, and definitely say more than the average viewer can digest in just one screening.
I’m trying to be mindful of how often I use “perfect”, but that ensemble, though! I know y’all didn’t come here to read me trash talk Willem Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Ineson, or Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Lily Rose on the other hand… I’ve seen some of you praying for her downfall. Shame on y’all- you cinephile nerds are wrong! Miss Depp brings the beauty and the pain like yin-yang. She’s soft and desirable one moment, and the next she’s sucking the oxygen out of the air, grasping for whatever else the cruel atmosphere has left to offer. The horror fandom can’t forget how important body acting is, especially in the world of the occult. Mastering the art of wiggin’ out earns her a spot in the scream queen directory. No shade, but praise Dracula for Anya Taylor Joy’s recast.
Lust and repressed sexual desire bleeds all over this tale, man. Why is Orlok caressing the back of my brain like this?! Skarsgard’s direction is slow and uncomfortable, but kind of nice. It’s like needles against the skin in your first acupuncture session. Not hard enough to draw blood, but just enough to make you wonder how much more it would take. His character against Hoult’s slightly manic, slightly pathetic Thomas Hutter helps the viewer understand how much of a jacked-up love triangle Nosferatu’s story really is. Kinky, but there, I said it. I meant it too.
This is mesmerizing filmmaking across the board. Eggers loves to take it slow, which I normally don’t love, but to keep it a buck, I was entirely too enchanted to care about a 132 minute runtime. Even if gothic romance ain’t your bag, you won’t be able to lie on the amount of beauty and care. Happy holidays, and fear the Count.
Nosferatu releases on December 25, 2024.
