“Nosferatu” Movie Review: Was the Wait Worth It?

Robert Eggers directed this new version of FW Murnau's 1922 classic, which stars Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe.

The first images of Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp unfortunately seems to confirm that she is not a good actress), inhabited by a menacing entity, impress with their polished minimalist aesthetic and precise lighting, Robert Eggers' camera playing with mastery over the shadows of the actress's angular face. We had already seen these contrasts of shadows and colors in The North Man (2022), his previous feature film, of which the visual universe was the only quality.

A few years later, Ellen is married to Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult, who we remember for his performance as a vampire's butler in Renfield), employee of a real estate agency in Wisborg, an imaginary German town. When wealthy Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard in a ton of makeup and prosthetics) buys a property, Hutter's boss Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) asks him to go get his client to sign the papers in the Carpathians, and more precisely in Transylvania.

Left in the care of Anna (Emma Corrin, always impeccable) and Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, this time dressed, unlike Kraven the Hunter), friends of the couple, Ellen is wasting away without Thomas and is increasingly controlled by this frightening creature who calls to her every night in her sleep. Meanwhile, Thomas becomes the victim of Orlok who now wants to join Ellen and therefore boards a ship heading to Wisborg.

Meanwhile, the Hardings call on Dr. Sievers (Ralph Ineson), who brings in von France (Willem Dafoe, a clever nod to his role as Orlok in The vampire's shadow of 2000), in order to free Ellen from what must be called possession. And the sequel is known to all movie fans who love Dracula and its derivatives, including Orlok.

Can we tackle the subject without the implacable shadow of Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola (1992) looms over all levels? Unfortunately, no. Despite all the prowess of the production team – sets, lighting, costumes, makeup – the comparison arises almost instantly… which is all the more unfortunate as it Nosferatu does not lack qualities. Suffocating atmosphere and heavy music are the major assets of this production which will leave those in search of sensuality, visual richness and acting unsatisfied.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Nosferatu will arrive in cinemas on December 25.