Cover Bill Skarsgård stars as Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in director Robert Eggers’s ’Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
Bill Skarsgård stars as Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in director Robert Eggers’s ’Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
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Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ re-establishes the vampire myth, delivering a compelling gothic horror for the 21st century
Set in 1830s Baltic Germany, in the eerie coastal city called Wisborg, Nosferatu is Robert Eggers’s tactful reimagining of FW Murnau’s 1922 silent classic. Eggers stays true to the gothic and romantic sensibilities of the original while injecting his signature brand of historical realism, dread, and visceral horror. The result is nothing short of as timeless and deeply unsettling as its predecessor.
The film tells the story of a newlywed husband who is summoned to a mysterious castle deep in the Carpathian mountains. As he embarks on his journey, his innocent wife falls under the spell of a terrifying undead creature from her childhood. Here, the vampire is not your caricatured, smooth-talking Count von Count, nor is he a tree-climbing immortal teenager sparkling in the sunlight. He is the ‘Other’ personified—the walking incarnate of a thousand years of old wives’ tales.
Bill Skarsgård is unrecognisable as the villainous Count Orlok, embodying a half-decayed corpse draped in centuries-old furs. Eggers avoids providing an origin story for Orlok, heightening the film’s nightmarish gaze by forcing the audience to experience his horrors alongside the characters.
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Above Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in director Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
Above Nicholas Hoult stars as Thomas Hutter in director Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in director Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
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In Nosferatu, horror is synonymous with the human—and the human condition. Viscera, madness, and malady propel the plot rather than overzealous jump scares. Its use of gore is never overbearing—still potent and impactful enough to convey the extent of Orlok’s power. The undead Count in question resembles a folkloric vampire rather than the more romanticised versions such as Anne Rice’s Lestat or the Cullen siblings of Twilight fame. One can witness this as Thomas Hutter, played by Nicholas Hoult, lifts the lid off Orlok’s coffin and discovers an army of maggots feasting on a cadaver.
The film’s depiction of fear and the supernatural is amplified in Hoult, who serves as the audience’s perspective. His performance is particularly affecting, eyes darting back and forth in fear, confusion, and hopelessness as he realises the depths of the terror he has stumbled into.
Lily-Rose Depp is both terrifying and hypnotic as the fairy-like Ellen, Hutter’s young wife, plagued by nightmares and sleepwalking episodes. Her childhood wish for a “guardian angel” leads to sinister consequences, drawing her deeper and deeper into Orlok’s grasp. Her contortions and possessions, performed without the aid of CGI or a body double, were an eerie highlight. She is both a victim and a participant in the unfolding nightmare.
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Above A carriage approaches Orlok’s castle in director Robert Eggers’ director Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
Above Willem Dafoe stars as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz and Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen Hutter in director Robert Eggers’s ’Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
A carriage approaches Orlok’s castle in director Robert Eggers’ director Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
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Willem Dafoe, Hollywood’s master of the uncanny, takes on the role of Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz, a mad scientist figure whose obsession with the arcane adds yet another layer of menace. His chilling and humorous performance provides a strange counterbalance to the film’s overwhelming darkness. Simon McBurney plays Herr Knock, whose ostensibly friendly persona is thwarted as he reveals himself to be Orlok’s mortal thrall. His scenes of madness, from devouring a live pigeon to hastily sketching devilish archaic symbols, prove a masterclass in dichotomous acting.
Nods to Murnau’s landmark German expressionist film are woven throughout. The movement, which stemmed from the societal anxieties of post-World War I Germany, finds a new form in Eggers’s vision. Stark contrasts between darkness and light, exaggerated shadows, and surreal perspective lend the film a painterly quality.
Characters move like subjects in an oil painting, hurried and frantic amidst a haunting, sombre landscape. Sex and vampire media have been intertwined centuries, a dynamic that can be credited to society’s curiosity towards the taboo. The film does not shy away from the trope but rather embraces it.
Above Willem Dafoe stars as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz in director Robert Eggers’s ’Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
Above A still from Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
Willem Dafoe stars as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz in director Robert Eggers’s ’Nosferatu’ (Photo: Focus Features)
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Ultimately, Nosferatu thrives as a haunting and immersive experience. Terror is balanced with poignancy, which allows for moments of quiet beauty to coexist with its creeping dread. Every performance was deeply felt, every moment was crafted with intention—unfolding with the patience of a nightmare one cannot wake from. Eggers’s commitment to historical and cinematic authenticity shines through, proving that he is indeed a filmmaker who not only knows how to respect the past but knows how to reimagine it for a new audience.
Nosferatu is coming to Philippine cinemas on February 26.
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About
Julianna has been interested in leading a literary life since she first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess at eight. Before working with Tatler, she was an archive intern at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. She is a textbook Pisces who devotes most of her spare time to her crochet projects, watching classic films, and going through her never-ending pile of unread books. She studied creative writing, global literature and art history at Sarah Lawrence College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022. Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Clarice Lispector and Jia Tolentino are among her all-time favourite writers.
Work
Julianna writes about fashion, beauty, sustainability, and the arts. She is always keen on conducting interviews with talented women who are changing the game in their respective fields.
For event invites and story leads, hit her up at julianna.cabili@tatlerasia.com
