I, among many others who grew up watching Nickelodeon, were introduced to the character of Nosferatu from a single episode of Spongebob Squarepants,” where he spooks the employees of the Krusty Krab. During my middle and high school years, I started to get really into movies, and I saw the original “Nosferatu” from 1922, the first vampire film ever made. It was the first full-length silent film I’ve seen. The abstract techniques of the 1920s German expressionist film movement, with exaggerated and artistically skewed setting designs (think inspiration for director Tim Burton) gives films from this era a fantastical air about them. Needless to say, I was impressed by the stylistic and thematic choices of the original “Nosferatu,” and I have a great respect for the film as an inspiration to the horror genre and vampire media as a whole.

I later saw filmmaker Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu The Vampyre” (1979). This brought color and audio-dialogue to the story of Nosferatu, as well as the wonderful acting of Isabelle Adjani as Ellen. The reinterpretation of the themes displayed in the original film were wonderful, but seemed just a bit too bright and oversaturated to be quite as creepy and stylistic as the black-and-white original. 

I’ve enjoyed vampire media since I was a kid – so I was extremely excited for a remake of one of the most formative films of the genre, especially because the remake is directed by one of my favorite horror directors, Robert Eggers.

Eggers has worked within the realm of folk-horror exclusively so far, where he takes legend, isolation, and scrutinously researched history, and creates supernatural horrors. His film “The Witch” (2016) was about early American settlers encountering witchery in rural New England, and “The Lighthouse” (2019) starring actors Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson was about lighthouse keepers driven mad by isolation. His use of time accurate language, costumes, sets, and natural/candle lighting is so incredibly detailed, it transports the viewer into the past. 

Needless to say, I had high expectations when going into “Nosferatu” (2024). I saw it on opening day in a sold out theater, and it was an awe-inspiring experience. 

One of the first things I want to mention about the film is its visual darkness. There are many horror movies these days that lean on dark, impossible to see scenes to attempt to make it seem creepier. And I have to say, though all of Eggers’ films are quite dark, this is his darkest. However, his movies are never by any means hard to see. Despite his lighting techniques not being particularly mainstream, I’ve always been able to see everything on the screen, while it still gives an air of darkness and an authenticity that is often lost in studio lighting. 

The use of lighting is masterful, and “Nosferatu” is the best lit film of his so far. Because it’s obviously about a vampire, around three-quarters of the film is nighttime, but it has a wonderful high contrast – I get the feeling that it was most likely filmed during the day and edited into the blues and greyscales of night. No detail or depth is lost to the darkness, yet it looks just like the light of a full moon to the untrained eye. 

Another part of the lighting I really loved was the candlelit interiors. There was such a warm glow to indoor scenes, and that glow always seemed to be catching plumes of dust in the air, making the sets seem all the more accurate and old. 

Many of the candlelit sets were reminiscent of Vanitas’ art, the towering piles of books, lit candles, skulls and various humanistic clutter all about the interiors of the film. The decoration was meticulous and different in every location. Orlok’s castle was sparse, stony and cold, but where there was decor, it looked almost medieval, but extremely ornate. The house of the Harding’s, who are the family friends of the main characters, Ellen and Thomas Hutter, was brighter and warmer, with gilded decor and creamy colored walls. It looked like a brand new, beautiful, wealthy home from 1830s Germany. I was so impressed by the set design, as it varied so much from location to location, despite all of them being harmonious to each other and period-accurate. 

The costumes seemed extremely Victorian and gothic, with Ellen (played by Lily-Rose Depp) wearing giant poofy sleeves and bonnets that exude the silhouettes of the Gothic period. And the waistcoats of the mens fashion seemed to be pulled right from fashion illustrations of the time. 

The appearance of this film is grand, and Eggers has outdone himself once again. Unlike his other films, which have more dirt under their nails so to speak, ‘Nosferatu” exudes high life and opulence alongside the horrors of the vampire that consumes their comfortable world. It’s almost a costume film, and is just as accurate if not more accurate than many historical films that don’t incorporate horror. It has such a wide array of focus, and no aspect is left that one might think is neglected to bring emphasis to the most important points– everything is emphasized in the visuals. 

The dialogue and themes are also superb and period accurate. Though many aspects of the classic gothic horror are not easily digestible, like the parallels between desire and fear, the horror and the “romantic” aspects are blended to create that uneasy feeling. This is a huge recurring theme in Gothic literature that’s meant to disturb audiences, and it’s done very well. I heard some giggles and complaints about these parts of the film, but that is exactly the way it is meant to be, to make people feel strangely, to confuse their own feelings. It really leaned into the reasons and allegories of the original meaning of the vampire, not just as a monster, but as a symbol of disease, overindulgence, and desire. 

The way the vampire Count Orlok (portrayed by Bill Skarsgård) is shown may be seen as different from the classic vampire, and different even from the rat-toothed design of the original “Nosferatu.” This Count’s regalia is more along the lines of Vlad the Impaler – fluffy fur hats and cloaks that look like they’re decomposing, yet still seeming rich and noble, just like the character. Skarsgård does an amazing job speaking partially in an old, Latin-sounding Romanian-esque language that made the age of the character apparent. His delivery of dialogue was also quite disturbing and effective, with long, drawling breaths and raspy, deep words that sound like he hadn’t used his voice in a long time. He was quite scary and effectively conveyed the age of the vampire, though some of the language made me yearn for subtitles. 

Depp had a powerhouse performance in the role of Ellen. I’ve only seen her in a few things here and there, so I was wholeheartedly surprised by her talent. Her character is a disturbed, haunted woman who has a sensitivity to the supernatural, and Depp showed these things very expressively, her looks of terror and heartbreak were astounding. She had to portray some fits of convulsions  and breakdowns, which were aggressive, realistic and a feat in her acting career. 

Dafoe also portrayed a Van Helsing-type character with wonderful line delivery, an “old sage’ character that furthered and explained many plot points through witty and timely language that fit Dafoe wonderfully. 

In whole, the film and events were effective at portraying the themes of gothic literature and the motifs of the vampire. With extremely disturbing scenes of plague and disgusting acts, the film brings a dramatic flare of horrors that had a certain realism which made it all the more horrific. It also wonderfully portrays the parallels between the disturbed Ellen and the influencing Orlok, and the strange “romantic” theme that is also quite disturbing. The events of the film are expertly portrayed– no rock is left unturned, as the acting, writing, set design and cinematography all complement each other and gothic themes that are period accurate and continuously disturbing and thought-evoking.