IMBD
The story of Count Dracula has been told countless times on the silver screen: a young Jonathan Harker unwittingly becomes enveloped in the schemes of a bloodthirsty vampire and races to save his wife from the monster’s clutches. It’s a tale as old as time — or at least as old as 1897. If Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is the older brother who shines in the spotlight, then “Nosferatu,” directed by Robert Eggers, acts as the overlooked yet equally competent younger brother who lurks in the shadows. Based on the 1922 movie of the same name, which took much of its source material from the 1897 novel, “Nosferatu” offers a deeply disturbing vampire story that will ensure you sleep with the lights on.
“Nosferatu” starts with Thomas and Ellen Hutter, newlyweds in 19th-century Wisborg, Germany. Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), hoping to secure a better financial position, embarks on a journey to Transylvania to help close an account with a mysterious man looking to buy an old mansion in Wisborg. Thomas, not heeding the pleas of Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), who has been having ghastly premonitions (rookie mistake), travels to the castle of Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) to finalize the deal. Things take an entirely expected dark turn once Thomas arrives at the castle, setting off a bloody chain of events that threatens Ellen’s life. Thomas escapes the count’s clutches and races home to try and save Ellen, who has been experiencing unexplainable and rather terrifying fits in her sleep. Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Thomas’ good friend, seeks the help of Doctor Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) and disgraced Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz ( Willem Dafoe). As Count Orlok descends on Wisborg, bringing plague and death with him, they race to stop him from killing Ellen and the rest of the city.
The movie’s main star is Count Orlok, portrayed hauntingly well by Skarsgård. His appearance bears an uncanny resemblance to Vlad the Impaler, a prince from what is now Romania who was the original inspiration for “Dracula.” Everything from the heavy Transylvanian accent to the mustache and his grotesque physical appearance invokes tension within the audience when he is on the screen. The Count’s decaying, repulsive figure amplifies the atrocities he commits — he is not some sickly and strange vampire but a truly terrifying abomination. The special effects, most notably the gallons of blood used throughout the movie, were a true marvel.
Dafoe returns to his typical typecast of “crazed old man” and gives us a determined yet slightly whimsical Professor von Franz, alienated from academia for his fascination with the occult. It is the professor’s love of the occult that ultimately saves the day, as he is the one who spearheads the charge against the vile Count, putting him in the same “hero” category as the well-known vampire-slayer Van Helsing in “Dracula.” Taylor-Johnson’s portrayal of Friedrich, a good man caught up in the havoc of his friends’ problems, is solid but leaves something to be desired. Still, the anxiety in his stressful conversations with Sievers and von Franz is truly palpable to the audience.
Depp does a great job depicting the tormented Ellen, a woman plagued by awful premonitions since childhood. Her revelation to Thomas in the latter half feels a bit forced and could have used further explanation, but her character’s central role in the story was a refreshing change of pace from the typical damsel-in-distress narrative. Instead of merely being rescued by her husband, she is ultimately the one who must face the Count and save everyone she loves.
The horrors of this movie are in full force through truly spectacular cinematography. A wide and refreshing range of camera angles helps communicate the sheer dread of being stalked by a vampire. The movie blends beautifully scenic shots of Wisborg and Transylvania with up-close and personal images of the characters as they witness horrors beyond their comprehension.
“Nosferatu” is a wonderfully horrifying entry into the vampire movie genre. The top-notch and deliberate cinematography will make you squirm in your seat, if not jump out of it altogether. The story deviates enough from its source material to make it a refreshing watch while remaining true to the elements that make Count Dracula such a pop culture icon. While some of the characters leave something to be desired, the acting as a whole is extremely convincing and amplifies the scare factor of this movie. Just as every vampire needs blood to survive, you need to go see this movie (unless you faint at the sight of blood, then definitely go check out “Moana 2” instead).