Nosferatu (2024), Dir Robert Eggers, Focus Features, mac Birmingham, Fri 24 to Thu 30 Jan. 4☆☆☆☆. Review: Dan Auluk.
Nosferatu (2024), Dir Robert Eggers, Focus Features, mac Birmingham, Fri 24 to Thu 30 Jan.
4☆☆☆☆. Review: Dan Auluk.
Running Time: 132 minutes
https://macbirmingham.co.uk/cinema/nosferatu
“An immersive world of terror.”
Robert Eggers (Writer/Director) Nosferatu (2024) is a remake and homage to the classic film Nosferatu: A symphony of horror (1922), just over a 100 years later. This is a disturbing gothic tale of obsession, infatuation and power, between a possessed young woman played by Lily-Rose Depp and the terrifying, other worldly vampire creature played by Bill Skarsgård, set in Germany. Eggers is showing us the true nature of a demonic creature arisen from its ancient slumber, that wants to devour love itself – no resurrections of vampire creations here; the blood comes straight from the heart, of darkness.
Eggers and his team combine forces again, after making remarkable visual films such as, The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019) and The Northman (2022), to create haunting and violent nightmare worlds of the past, which are terrifying, unsettling, absurd, bold and believable which allow audiences to immerse themselves fully, away from the present. The attention to detail of Nosferatu by seeing elements of village life and plague sickness, shows the level of dedication needed to create a horror masterpiece without it being just an IMAX spectacle. If you don’t like rats, and there are hundreds, this may not be the film for you. I found some of the accents and dialogues distracting and disconnected to the setting, at times. Also I would have preferred a near silent vampire creature too, to create a further dissociation from our humanity or from being human-like; I am thinking of the vampire creature in Salems Lot (1979) who does not utter a word – it is all in the physical performance, in the eyes and sound the creature utters. The subtitles for Orlok’s voice, as a story telling technique and need, became distracting. Skarsgård is unrecognisable as a truly terrifying creature like we have not seen before and Eggers brings in some fresh darker aspect that extend the vampire lore and realism and progressively puts the power of a woman central to the film, beyond the fragility of men.
The cinematography, the set design, the soundtrack, the costume, the casting and acting is all top notch and authentic; the moustaches are impressive and unfortunately tonsorially comedic. The whole film is almost devoid of any colour which added to the grim believability and the darkness of Orlok is present in every scene but the darker red of blood is always threatening. I would have preferred to have seen more time in Count Orlok’s castle dwelling for an intimate and personal self-portrait, a sense of dread through the quietness. The production design by Craig Lathrop is masterpiece of achievement as is the cinematography of Jarin Blaschke. Both give the richness and darkness needed for this film to breathe. Eggers is again on top form here, with brilliant imagery and homage in equal sophisticated balance and feels like a departure from the experimental and magical realism, and chaos, of his previous films. The focus is tight and serious in this film; even the attention to detail of Orlok’s breathing is unsettling and sickening. The nightmare sequences of the coming of Orlok visit were visually evocative and the demonic manifestations are disturbing, because they feel so real.
The storytelling and the linear structure of the film felt lesser than the whole look of the film and sometimes the style versus storytelling was imbalanced and affected pace. Perhaps on a second watch, and I am looking forward to watching this again, I may discover more in the detail of storytelling and structure. I cannot wait to watch this again!
The casting worked very well in this film. I felt the main character Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), in the middle of demonic possessions and melancholy was impressive, balanced with the ferocity and embodiment of the creature (Bill Skarsgård) was intense. Let’s not also forget a strong, manic, performance of madness by Simon McBurney playing Herr Knock the owner of the Knock brokerage firm and Count Orlok's devoted servant who has made a secret pact with evil itself. McBurney suffers from delusions that force him to eat living beings and revel in the blood that ensues. Was also great to see Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers but the character is underused but certainly brings a dignity to the film. I would have loved to have seen a greater insight and gradual character development of Knock and Ellen leading up to the madness and melancholy. I also didn’t feel sold about how the creature emerged from his ancient slumber from a psychic connection by Ellen, who is the heroine of this film, and carries the responsibility of carnage of plague in her village, to the final dramatic scene reveal of the film where the addiction of lust can be the ultimate sacrifice. I was also impressed with the portrayal of sheer terror from Emma Corin playing Anna Harding, the best friend of Ellen. In fact, everyone (including the despair of Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding) in this film looks terrified and they all play terrified well. Was also great to see Willem Dafoe as the Van Helsing type character offer a serious and manic balance to this film, playing a quirky Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz who is an expert in the occult. I enjoyed this performance, but it is also added an unusual borderline quirkiness comedic quality, which breaks the horror tension, slightly.
There are some disturbing scenes in Nosferatu so be aware, certain images can stay with us long after the film, but the sound design in the film is remarkably unsettling and startling. Enjoy the jump scares that bizarrely don’t offer any release (you know the giggles we usually expect) that keep us firmly stuck in our seats and add to the unexpected terror that unfolds before you.
Watching Nosferatu at the mac cinema was a perfectly intimate setting to watch this masterpiece, but I am looking forward to watching this in a darker setting, which is what is needed, at least for me. I have never seen audiences so quiet at a cinema before. Some scenes in Nosferatu were very disturbing, grim and full of unending sickness and dread. Eggers certainly goes for the jugular or should I say the heart.
Cast
Bill Skarsgård as the creature
Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter
Simon McBurney as Herr Knock
Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding
Emma Corrin Anna Harding
Willem Dafoe as Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz
Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers
Creatives
Directed by Robert Eggers
Screenplay by Robert Eggers
Based onNosferatu: A Symphony of Horror by Henrik Galeen, Dracula by Bram Stoker
Produced by Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Robert Eggers
Cinematography by Jarin Blaschke
Edited by Louise Ford
Music by Robin Carolan