Real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) travels to Transylvania to meet with reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who he hopes to sell Grünewald Manor to. After arriving at Orlok’s castle, Thomas finds himself plunged into a strange world he can’t understand, unaware that his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) is being seduced by Count Orlok, aka Nosferatu, who is a vampire. As Ellen seeks help from Professor Albun Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe), Thomas attempts to return home to save his wife and stop Count Orlok.
‘Nosferatu’ by director Robert Eggers is based on the 1922 film ‘Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror’, which itself was based on Bram Stoker’s iconic gothic novel ‘Dracula’. A long-time in the making, ‘Nosferatu’ will feel familiar to anyone who knows the story of ‘Dracula’ and/or has seen the original ‘Nosferatu’ film. Shot predominantly at Barrandov Studios in Prague, ‘Nosferatu’ definitely has an eerie aesthetic and the film is beautifully shot. The gothic tale is brought masterfully to life and in 4K it looks absolutely stunning. The opening sequence, which sees Ellen encounter Nosferatu for the first time, is suitably unsettling and sets the tone for what’s to come.
The first hour of the film is fantastic. It establishes Thomas and Ellen’s relationship well, while introducing their friends Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna Harding (Emma Corrin), who look after Ellen when Thomas travels to Transylvania. Once in Transylvania, Eggers has a lot of fun with jump scares and cranks up the film’s intensity, weaving dream-like sequences together to disorient the viewer. You feel, as Thomas does, that you don’t know what’s real and what isn’t.
After the first hour though, the film starts to lose momentum. At over 2 hours in length, it’s far too long, stretching a thin story too far. With Thomas somewhat trapped in Orlok’s castle and Ellen succumbing further to Nosferatu, the pace oddly slows down and becomes glacial. This makes the film feel a tad meandering, which is a real shame as the first hour is so good. The film isn’t particularly scary, with loud music often standing in for real scares, but there are moments that are grotesque and hard to watch. Count Orlok/Nosferatu himself is a nightmarish vision to see, and it’s hard to recognise Bill Skarsgård underneath all the make-up and prosthetics.
The cast is uniformly good. Nicholas Hoult and Lily Rose-Depp drive the film, and both impress with their range. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin are largely wasted as supporting characters, while Willem Dafoe gives a superb turn but seems to be acting in a totally different film to everyone else. The biggest surprise though is the lack of impact Bill Skarsgård makes. An actor well-known for his ability to terrify thanks to playing Pennywise in the ‘IT’ films, he’s not given much material to work with here. His lowered voice is a bit odd and the part doesn’t require anything more than being scary and intimidating. It feels like Count Orlok is under-developed and that’s a disservice to Skarsgård.
The 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release of the film features an extended cut of the film, which only clocks in at 3 minutes longer in length. The bonus features on the release include a selection of deleted scenes, a featurette exploring the making of the film – ‘Nosferatu: A Modern Masterpiece’ – and a feature commentary with writer/director Robert Eggers. The extras clock in at 46 minutes in total.
‘Nosferatu’ isn’t quite the masterpiece I’d been hoping it would be. The first hour led me to believe that the film would defy my expectations but a laggy second hour and a bit, took the film down a few stars. Eggers delivers atmosphere in spades and he knows his way around making an eerie film, but what he hasn’t managed here is to create compelling characters. By the film’s shocking, and a baffling climax, you’re left feeling that the film doesn’t quite hang together the way it should and dare I say, I was a little disappointed. ‘Nosferatu’ is sadly a case of style over substance.
Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Defoe Director: Robert Eggers Writers: Robert Eggers, Henrik Galeen (novel), Bram Stoker (novel) Certificate: 15 Duration: 132 mins Released by: Universal Pictures Release date: 7th April 2025 Buy ‘Nosferatu’ now
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