Jonathan Bruce
READING TIME: 8 MINUTES
Vampires in fiction have been around for more than a century. The first vampire story was
published in an 1872 novella titled Carmilla, but the genre really exploded in popularity with
the release of Bram Stoker’s gothic novel Dracula in 1897. Over the next several decades,
vampires became a common trope in literature, stage, and in film. Perhaps the most famous
onscreen vampire is that of Dracula, who’s been portrayed by the likes of actors such as Bela
Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman, Gerard Butler, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Luke Evans, and
Nicolas Cage. Yet there is one adaptation of Dracula that stands out from all the other versions.

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In 1922, a German production company called Prana Film made a silent movie titled Nosferatu:
A Symphony of Horror. Directed by F.W. Murnau, the film was an unauthorized adaptation of
Dracula, and German actor Max Schreck portrayed a vampire named Count Orlok (due to legal
reasons). While there were noticeable differences, the plot and various characters were clearly based on those from Stoker’s novel. Not helping the production company’s case was the fact that the film’s inter titles cited Dracula as being the inspiration. Stoker’s estate filed and won a lawsuit for plagiarism and breach of copyright, and all prints of Nosferatu were to be destroyed. Ultimately, a number of prints were spared, and the film came to be re-released when Dracula entered the public domain in subsequent decades. Now, director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse) is spinning a new, fresh take on Nosferatu with his latest movie.
Set in Germany during 1938, Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is a young lawyer working in the
city of Wisburg. He’s aiming to become a partner in his legal firm while trying to settle down
with his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp). While the couple are in a loving marriage, Ellen finds
herself plagued by bad dreams from her childhood. She tends to have a recurring one of a
mysterious being who demands that she pledge her soul for all eternity. Exactly who or what
this being is is unknown, but his large form can be seen in shadow and silhouette. While
Thomas is convinced these are nothing more than nightmares, Ellen remains haunted by the
creature and the dream of marrying Death, which she oddly finds pleasing.
Thomas’ firm has acquired a new client in one Count Orlok, who wishes to purchase a
residence in the city, one crumbling property called Grunwald Manor. Before the deal can go
through, senior partner Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) sends Thomas to Transylvania, because the count is currently ill and unable to travel from his castle in the Carpathian Mountains. Despite not wanting to leave Ellen, he agrees to undertake the journey to advance his standing, and Ellen is sent to live with their friends Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna Harding (Emma Corrin). Upon landing in Transylvania, however, Thomas finds the country to be grim, rustic, and sinister. The local populace seem on edge, visibly uncomfortable around newcomers, and partake in Romani rituals meant to ward off evil spirits. When Thomas mentions Count Orlok, the people are frightened and urge him to leave Transylvania before it’s too late, but their warnings go unheeded.

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When Thomas arrives at the castle via an unmanned carriage, it becomes apparent from the
outset that something is definitely off about Orlok. He appears to vanish and appear at
intervals, and mirrors shatter if he is around. Orlok speaks with a deep, discordant voice and
can barely restrain himself when Thomas accidentally cuts his finger. Thomas passes out and
later awakens in a weakened state with a number of flesh wounds on his body. Orlok steals
Thomas’ locket containing Ellen’s picture and a lock of her hair, which he seems fixated on.
He makes Thomas sign a legal document written in an unfamiliar language, to which the latter
is unable to read but assumes is the deed to Orlon’s new residence. Determined to uncover the truth about his host, Thomas discovers Orlok lying in a coffin, which confirms that he is indeed a vampire. He manages to escape the castle and Orlok’s pet wolves that prowl the castle grounds. As Thomas finds sanctuary at an Orthodox Church, Orlok leaves Transylvania via ship, whose crew he kills systemically with his assortment of plague-carrying rats.
Back in Wisburg, Ellen finds herself becoming increasingly ill. She has bouts of sleepwalking
and suffers from extreme seizures that last several minutes. Friedrich and Anna are at a loss to
help her, and Doctor Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) is unable to do much for her. Sievers
sends for his mentor Ablin Ebert Von Franz (Willem Dafoe), a disgraced scientist who believes
in the occult and supernatural. Von Franz comes to the realization that Ellen is being held under the spell of an ancient demon known as “the Nosferatu.” In a similar fashion, Herr Knock
begins having violent spells and erratic outbursts, which seem to imply that he himself is under control. While others in the medical community dismiss his theory, Von Fanz is convinced that killing the vampire can free Ellen from the curse.

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Meanwhile, Thomas manages to recover and makes his way back to Germany. By this time,
Orlok has arrived in Wisburg and is infecting several people. It soon transpires the papers he
previously made Thomas sign were actually legal documents to annul his marriage to Ellen.
More townspeople are becoming infected with the plague, which Orlok is spreading via his
rats. Orlok makes his presence known to Ellen and explains his desire for her has made him
long to be with her. It seems the vow she was coerced to make years ago has only
strengthened Orlon’s resolve. Ellen is told that she must willingly submit to him within three
nights - or else the consequences will be dire. Von Fanz, however, knows there is a surefire
way that the vampire can be destroyed, but it will be a very dangerous path for one particular
individual to take. What is weighing down on everyone’s mind is the following: can Orlok be
stopped? And who will be the individual to do the deed?
Bill Skarsgard is equally terrifying and captivating in the role of Count Orlok. Unlike previous
depictions of vampires, his take is somewhere caught between being human and the undead.
Rather than having a long and lanky build, this Count Orlok is quite large and bulky in size. No,
he does not have a widow’s peak like Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, and he does not have elongated
bat-like ears in the vein of Max Schreck’s Orlok. Instead, Skarsgard resembles a European
nobleman from the Middle Ages complete with Hungarian attire and a fur-trimmed kolpak/
ushanka hat. He even sports a prominent moustache in the vein of Vlad Tapes “The Impaler”
Dracula, who was the real-life historical inspiration for the character. There are some allusions
and references to other vampire films, such as Nosferatu’s long, spidery fingers and his
shadow’s movements acting differently than those of his body. Special note should be given to
his deep, guttural voice; the sound is like something otherworldly and complete different than
his previously role as the childlike yet malevolent Pennywise the Dancing Clown from IT. The
sense that Skarsgard’s Orlok is an ancient being rings true, and it is unsettling to both see and
hear the character in his movements and body language. But what is most troubling is his
fixation on Ellen, whom he has been watching from afar since she was a teenager. Some
viewers might find Orlok’s obsession with her to be creepy and unsettling.

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Nicholas Hoult proves himself capable of leading man status as Thomas Hutter. Having shot to
fame in the 2002 comedy-drama About a Boy, the English actor manages to make Thomas a
convincing attorney and husband. In some ways, Hoult is the audience surrogate in feeling a
sense of dread and terror as he uncovers the truth about Orlok. His being held captive in the
vampire’s castle and trying to flee back to Germany makes Hoult’s Hutter considerably different from typical male protagonists.

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Lily-Rose Depp stands out as the vulnerable Ellen. She comes across as a lonely, pure-hearted woman who longs to connect with someone yet slowly comes to realize the voice she’s been hearing is something inhuman. Depp proves she is capable of handling an emotionally-heavy role, and the actress holds her own opposite Skarsgard and Hoult. She is a major focus of the film’s second and third acts, and the result is quite compelling.

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Willem Dafoe brings a sense of frustrated edge to Von Franz. The veteran actor has specialized in playing deranged maniacs and flawed well-meaning types, but it is in this film where he plays a reluctant mentor. Dafoe manages to make the Van Helsing-type character of Von Franz believable and worn down by his long years of vampire hunting. It would appear that he has now entered a new phase of his career: playing weary, hardened mentors and grizzled experts. Curiously enough, he previously portrayed the original Nosferatu actor Max Schreck in a fictionalized docudrama, Shadow of the Vampire, back in 2000. Maybe his casting in this movie is a sly callback or in-joke to that film.

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The rest of the cast does well with what material they’re given to work with. Aaron Taylor
Johnson performs the role of Friedrich Harding, but he doesn’t get much to do within the
context of the film. While he leads the charge in trying to help Ellen, Taylor-Johnson is mostly
reacting to the horrific sights happening around him. Emma Corrin provides a welcome, friendly presence as Anna, and it is tragic to see her become traumatized and changed by the film’s events. Indeed, Corrin’s Anna is the film’s equivalent of Lucy Western from Dracula. Ralph Ineson brings a level-headed seriousness to Dr. Sievers, and one can’t help but see his reasoning when he scoffs at the idea of vampires. Yet it is his desire to believe in science and logic that shows a sense of fear is brooding underneath the surface. Simon McBruney plays the possessed Renfield-type character of Herr Knock, but he’s merely reduced to babbling and speaking in tongues during scenes in which he’s taken over by Orlok.
Perhaps one area where Nosferatu succeeds is by not over-explaining or going deep into
backstories. The use of exposition in films can either be successful or come off as tedious and
irritating to viewers. Eggers chooses to focus on the plot and characters without explaining its
antagonist in too much detail. For this reason, the film gives cryptic hints that Orlok was once a human man who embraced the dark arts too deeply. Another scene offers the idea that he
made a deal with the devil in a question to become immortal. However, the movie does not
elaborate or include flashbacks to Orlok’s time as a man, which is a wise choice.
The look and feel of the film are quite breathtaking to behold. Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography
is well-light and highly kinetic in its camera work. Editor Louise Ford keeps the movie moving
at a swift pace clocking in at 132 minutes, but the narrative does not feel overlong or self
indulgent. Finally, composer Robin Carolina’s musical score is a chilling, symphonic feel. To
that end, Carolan uses a full orchestra of string, woodwind, brass, and percussion players-
including a vocal choir and a harpist to round things out. Instead of relying on typical horror film tropes, the music has both period and contemporary instrumentation, as well as using
historical pipes and horns.

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Overall, Nosferatu is an excellent movie. It definitely ranks up there among the top selections in the vampire genre. Hoult, Depp, Skarsgard and Dafoe deliver great performances. Eggers has found a niche for himself in horror films. The score, production values, and cinematography are beautiful. Four out of four stars.