NOSFERATU (2024)

 

Providing indisputable proof that some crypts should remain sealed, and some coffins should be permanently nailed shut, we have yet another version of NOSFERATU currently keeping audiences enthralled in theaters. This remake has been given to us by director Robert Eggers, the undeniably talented, creative gentleman who directed THE WITCH (2015), THE LIGHTHOUSE (2019, and THE NORTHMEN (2022). I haven't seen the latter film, but I was greatly impressed by THE WITCH when I saw it during its big screen release. Eggers' slow-burn approach with THE WITCH is also present in this new film, although at 132 minutes, one might say that approach was overdone.

I already had mixed feelings about this film before going to see it. After reading several reviews and listening to commentaries on Youtube, my expectations were rather low. But I also wasn't that enthusiastic about seeing a remake of a classic silent film, F. W. Murnau's 1922 masterpiece, which had already been brilliantly updated by Werner Herzog in1979. What did we need with this remake, which Eggers himself described as a "passion project"? How could this man, talented as he was, hope to improve on the two previous efforts?

Having survived all 132 minutes of the movie without missing a single scene (although my beleaguered body was crying out for a bathroom break), my overall impression is negative. There are some good sequences and some very good performances. But there is a pervading feeling of frenetic desperation about the production, as if Eggers was so determined to outdo his predecessors that he threw in as much action, gore and Gothic overkill as he possibly could.

There's no need to describe the plot, since anyone reading this blog post is already familiar with the saga of Count Orlock, who is based on Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. The 2024 screenplay, written by Eggers, follows the original storyline, but with one major difference. Eggers chose to alter the character of Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), the wife of Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), the real estate agent who journeys to Count Orlock's castle, thereby setting all of the evil events into motion. Eggers' vision makes Ellen the central character, establishing a dark, spiritual connection between her and the Count, which is not, in my opinion, satisfactorily explained. Apparently, the very young Ellen, lonely and afraid, prays for a guardian angel to come and protect her. Because of some cosmic glitch in the human-to-angel communication lines, she got in touch with Count Orlock, the darkest angel of them all. (Let's meditate for a moment on the power of prayer.) So then, all of the evil that befalls Thomas, his family, and his village has been preordained. Got it. Sort of.

I have to hand it to Miss Depp, the second generation of the Johnny Depp cinematic dynasty. She works hard in this movie. Not only is she playing a traditional Gothic horror film heroine/victim, which consists of wandering through dark rooms looking frightened in a series of lush facial closeups, but she is also asked to perform all manner of bizarre physical stunts. You see, Ellen isn't just spiritually connected to Count Orlock; she's also possessed by him as one would be possessed by a demon. And when Ellen feels the demonic thing coming on, she suddenly starts performing an exhausting combination of cleverly choreographed contortions, fits of shaking, screaming, and some really ugly facial expressions, all of which are meant to show us her evil side and frighten us out of our wits. Personally, I didn't find these acrobatics all that scary, but I must give credit to Miss Depp for her obvious dedication to the character. By the way, I didn't stay for the end credits, but I strongly suspect that Linda Blair was listed as technical consultant for demonic demonstrations.

In my opinion, the changes made to the Ellen character added nothing to the story besides distractions and opportunities for the director to inject ugliness and morbidity into an already dark-themed story. They also add unnecessary screen time. I also have to wonder if Eggers was bowing to modern-day gender sensibilities by adding more aggression to Ellen, perhaps to satisfy those who prefer more of a dominant, girl-boss heroine. Perhaps Eggers felt that Ellen's act of self-sacrifice in offering her life to Orlock to save her village, as depicted in the two earlier films, was outdated.

The look of the film is exceedingly dark, as I suppose it should be. However, it's not clear if all of the darkness was intentional, or because someone simply neglected to pay the electric bill on several shooting days. There are some incredible visual sequences from cinematographer Jaron Blaschke, who worked on Eggers' previous film, as well as KNOCK AT THE CABIN (2023). Many scenes, however, are framed in such a way that it was like watching a widescreen movie on my 27" Sony Trinitron, pan and scanned to fit the small screen. The combination of a roving camera, darkness and the overuse of soft focus was unpleasing to my eyes. I was reminded of a recent film, A HAUNTING IN VENICE (2023), a film I detested, which was photographed in the same way. Compare the look of this film to the works of Mario Bava, who knew how to make practically every scene in a film look like a still picture. The same can be said of the horror films of Roger Corman and the best efforts from England's Hammer Studio.

I found the performances to be quite good, notwithstanding Miss Depp's orgiastic gymnastics. Nicholas Hoult is beautifully restrained as the ill-fated Thomas, making his portrayal a slow burn in itself, and his increasing fear and suffering is completely believable. Simon McBurney as Herr Knock, the slave of Count Orlock, plays crazy quite well, and is called upon to give a physical performance nearly as taxing as Miss Depp's. I will be happy to forget the scene where he bites the head off of a dove. Willem Dafoe is somewhat verbose and irritating much of the time as Professor Von Franz, the Van Helsing-inspired character. However, his final scene more than makes up for it. 

Then there is Bill Skarsgard as Orlock/Nosferatu, the most troublesome characterization in the film. Granted, I can't help but compare this incarnation of Count Orlock to the truly unique and terrifying image of Max Schreck from the silent film. Klaus Kinski's effective portrayal in the Herzog film paid homage to the uncanny Schreck, and justifiably so. Eggers obviously decided some serious updating was necessary, again, no doubt, to impress modern audiences who have been spoiled by CGI monstrosities in the franchise universe. So, Orlock is remade into a sort of demonic sexual predator with superpowers, rather than a once-human creature filled with a desperate need for blood in order to survive until the next sundown. I will give Skarsgard credit for his commanding presence and use of movement. He wears all of that makeup well. I just don't think the character is the least bit mysterious or frightening. But hey, what do I know?

Eggers does get credit form me for showing some restraint and not making the film as graphically violent as it certainly could have been. I'm also quite surprised that he only spent $50,000,000 on the film. When I last checked, the box office returns have nearly reached that amount, so it looks as though the film will be a hit. And I hereby predict a few Oscar and Golden Globes nominations for the movie. You heard it here first, folks. 

Perhaps after this most recent, and definitely most ambitious, cinematic resurrection, Count Orlock, or what's left of him, will be allowed to decay in eternal repose. Of course, the ending of the film is somewhat ambiguous regarding Ellen's fate. Is she really dead, or just the next Nosferatu in the making? Could a sequel happen? If so, then Miss Depp needs to keep up those Pilates classes.