It might be February, but I’m still on a Christmas movie kick, even if the connection is rather tenuous, but the day pops up and the movie was released during the holidays so I’ll allow it. I didn’t get to see it in theaters so once it hit streaming, I had to give it a whirl. Anyway, on with the review.
The story of NOSFERATU is one you know by now. It’s Dracula with the serial numbers filed off, but the players are the same. You have a real estate agent travelling to a castle owned by a vampiric count and you have his wife, who the vampire wants. That doesn’t change in this iteration as Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) goes to Carpathia at the behest of his employer to seal the deal with the strange Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). Meanwhile, his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) when she was young summoned a darkness to keep her company that might just be said Count and he wants to take her as his bride. What ensues is a symphony of horrors as all three, plus a Swiss specialist in the occult (Willem Dafoe), battle for the soul of Ellen and the lives of everyone in London.
However, this time around we are doing it all Robert Eggers-style, as the writer/director puts his indelible stamp on it.
The original movie was a study in German expressionism, and Werner Herzog’s was a beautiful, gothic adaptation that was beautiful and haunting. Eggers film is a darker movie, still beautiful, moving from muted blues and greys of night and corpses to the vibrant oranges of flames and fire. It’s a film that is both gorgeous at times and horrifying, particularly when dealing with Count Orlok, who eschews the classic makeup and outfit in favor of a moustache and a fur cape. He might look normal, but he is no less monstrous than Max Schreck was when he really gets going. It’s an interesting take on him, making him look more like a Romanian count would from that time period.
That extends to the Romania around him, which looks appropriately rural and haunted. One scene in particular helps drive home that it pays to have a strong belief in the supernatural as there are things in the woods there that will get the unwary. Which is fun, as it means that Orlok isn’t the only thing out there that the people have to worry about.
The cast is great. Hoult always shines in whatever he’s in and as the vexed Thomas, he is great, trying to save the woman he loves from a monster. I haven’t seen Depp in much outside of YOGA HOSERS but she’s great as Ellen, a woman haunted by a darkness she summoned and knowing that she might be the only one who can deal with it. Skarsgård is almost unrecognizable as the count as she growls and menaces his way across Europe.
The movie takes its time getting to where it wants to go, but the ride is worth it. Even though you might know the story, there are enough twists and turns along the way to keep it interesting. Check it out.
