Nosferatu (2024) - Fresh Take on a Classic Horror That Actually Works - REVIEW

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Well it finally happen, it went out to digital and I got to watch Robert Eggers' Nosferatu and I've been thinking about it since it release on theaters and knew it was going to be good movie from trailers. This movie is a gothic horror remake but one of the greatest I would say, probably never been before, that gives you chills and feeling like caring about characters in ways only a few horror movies ever do that, almost like you don't know who to root for. The way Egger visually develop this movie bringing some of the positives aspects from The Witch and The Lighthouse, but takes it to new level. The movie also has you hooked from the beginning with such amazing shots that make you feel like you’re actually in Germany’s 1830s, complete with all that creepy, creepy stuff. The way this movie was shot reminds me of Dune, instead of the orange and sand colors this time is the blacks and grey that makes you immerse into it and thinking at the same time how is this so beautiful, I watch it on HD so I could only guess on 4k must be if not three times better.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5040012/
• Platform: AppleTV+

Rottentomatoes Rating

Source It’s different how they handle the vampire story we have all heard, but in a way that feels both fresh and scary, it's deeper, darker and definitely a whole lot more complex than that. The whole thing is shot in Prague, and you can tell that every scene could be a painting in some fancy museum, but not in that fake, forced way. When it comes to how much the gothic buildings and dark corners of the city contribute to the creepy vibe and then the shadows and the lighting and the way that they did it, it is so creeping you feel on edge the whole time, there is like always something watching over from a dark corner.

It’s the way that the movie treats Ellen’s character that really got me, rather than make her just another victim, they did this whole thing where she actually called out to Nosferatu first. It’s like a toxic relationship, but with a vampire and it’s somehow scarier, Ellen for Orlok was both his desire and ultimate weakness, not only for blood, it was meant to be as it was written that he could only be destroy by a "maiden fair. Another element I really enjoyed is the way they used the horror aspect of the film; they don’t resource to cheap jump scares, but rather build this infinite feeling of dread that just piles on as the movie develops.

Source Source The main focus of the movie is the story of Ellen Hutter, living in a normal life with her husband Thomas who is sent on a business trip to close some real estate deal for Count Orlok, potentially looking to get a raise so they can have a better life together. Things start getting weird now and you feel something bad is coming, when Ellen starts having these increasingly intense visions. And it turns out that The Count isn’t merely an ancient vampire with a general desire for blood, but instead a creature with an unhealthy fixation on Ellen. Then all of a sudden as Orlok approaches Wisborg, Ellen's town, the whole thing spirals into this nightmare where Orlok brings plague and death to their town and when not pursuing Ellen, she is often seen during the movie as both good and evil, a mix of conflict with impulses and motivations, what I mean by this is that sometimes it felt like since the beginning she knew she had to be the one to bring Orlok down but it would require a very high price from her.

Ellen was nothing new to Orlok, she actually contacted him years ago when she was lonely and somehow this weird connection comes back to bite her back. The movie really does a good job of not not only showing how this past decision has impacted everything that happens latter on but also how Ellen is dealing with the result of quite literally welcoming evil into her life, its never the same to call the devil that see him coming to you, mostly how the plague spreading through the town, rats everywhere and people dying, really highlights how everything is falling apart because of these choices.

Lily Rose Depp really nail her role as Ellen, She has to play this character who is seeing visions, having seizures and it’s this normal life and this supernatural evil, and she hit every single scene she is in. I think it does a good job of showing Ellen's inner struggle between her connection to Orlok and her love for Thomas, their relationship feels real and painful. You barely recognize Bill Skarsgard underneath all that makeup, I personally not his greatest fan but do respect his job since I saw him on "The Devil All The Time (2020)", but he does a good job of transforming completely into Count Orlok and makes him terrifying and somehow tragic at the same time. Nicholas Hoult plays Thomas with the exact right balance of looking and acting so naive but does have a lot of determination, and sells the entire idea of a guy who is totally out of power over the situation but trying to save his wife.

Source Source Willem Dafoe takes over the role as Professor Von Franz and the movie definitely picks up with his arrival bringing this kind of madness. This is the energy he brings in when the story starts to drag a bit, you can tell Dafoe is having fun with the role every time he’s on screen, but he is taking it seriously enough, keeping it in the tone of the movie not going over the top. I got to say the cast as a whole work really well together and really selling this dark world they created.

At the end of the movie there are no secrets and what started as a long distance call for attention in a moment of desperation, it was meant to be. Ellen had this final confrontation with Orlok that can be consider both beautiful and horrifying, she had to offered herself as bait, in a scene where she is not only sacrificing herself but taking control of Orlok, its like you got me but I got you first. Orlok as in any other vampire movie has this fixation and obsession for Ellen that keeps him distracted long enough for sunrise. During this scene you can tell there is a mix of horror and romance that might make it weird but is also why the movie is special, is that kind of movie that even those who don't like horror movies find the entertainment they seeking that goes over the horror side of the movie, its the good kind of weird watching Ellen almost dancing with death.

I'm really impressed by this movie, since the beginning I already though it was going to be a theatrical spectacle rather than a vampire horror movie kill everyone left and right, what Egger did here as a director is just awesome, a movie that deserve to be in my 4k collection over time. The dialogue is a bit draggy at times but once Dafoe jumps in it starts to keep up the pace. I would say that the main topic of the movie rather than horror is how we deal with the consequences of our actions, also the dark evil that we may let into our life when we are at our lowest as a call of desperation. The ending of the movie is more about Ellen taking responsibility for bringing this evil that is Count Orlok into her town, the last scene is similar to the warrior who gets stab in the heart and just pull his enemy closer enough to then take a knife to his neck with both going down but only one in control. The entire movie is impressive to me and is much more than a horror movie, I would say its something bigger than that, its just that it has to be put in a certain category for the genre but it goes way farther, for me this is a solid 8/10.

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