Movie Review: NOSFERATU Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe

There’s no doubt in my mind, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is not only the best horror film of the year, but one of the best ever made.

The director’s immense attention to detail and lavish costume design stand out in a film loaded with great performances and haunting scenes. Eggers remake of the F.W. Murray 1922 film is so realistic, viewers find themselves immersed in the 19th-century Gothic tale. Set in 1800s Victorian society, Eggers crafts not only a gothic, horror masterpiece, but it is a film that needs to be seen multiple times to truly unwrap and comprehend everything going on.

Lily-Rose Depp’s career-defining performance will make everyone forget the nightmare that was The Idol that Depp starred in with The Weekend on HBO. For as big of a catastrophe the series was, Depp’s performance as Ellen Hunter is nothing short of haunting. Ellen has been tormented by visions and shameful compulsions for most of her life. While she has kept them hidden away, her petrifying nightmares have resulted in her thrashing and convulsing in her sleep. Haunted by Count Orlock, who is not just a vampire, but death itself, Ellen knows that the grotesque visions from her dreams will soon become reality. Depp’s performance should not only bring her name to the forefront come awards season, it will perhaps end moviegoers from referring to her at ‘Johnny Depp’s Daughter.’

Ellen’s husband, Thomas, played by Nicholas Hoult, has quieted her thoughts for some time, but with a huge business trip looming, they have come back with a vengeance. Despite begging and pleading from Ellen, as well as warnings from local town folk, Thomas ventures on to his business meeting with the mysterious, creepy and quite hideous Count Orlock. Orlock is played by Bill Skarsgard, who famously reprised the role of Pennywise in the recent IT films. Skarsgard tries hard to make us forget the shit show that was this year’s The Crow remake. He has never been better as Count Orlock and he’s unrecognizable. There is so much depth to Skarsgard’s character, as Orlock is more than just a vampire, he is death itself, bringing a plague of diseased rats to infect and destroy the city in his quest to reunite with Ellen.

I cannot forget to mention the performance of Willem Dafoe. Anytime Dafoe plays a character, you know you will be seeing something outlandish, unforgettable and he will likely overpower any other performance on the screen. In Nosferatu, he dominates the second half of the 2-hour-plus film. Dafoe’s performance as Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz is nothing short of magnificent. Dafoe comes in at the perfect time, as the film’s overpowering bleakness had started to weigh the audience down. Dafoe’s performance gave new life to the film, bringing a much-needed energy to the screen. Even though he is questioned by his fellow scholars, Von Franz believes Ellen is being afflicted by the vampire. One character questioning Von Franz is Friedrich Harding, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. While Taylor-Johnson’s role is small compared to others, it’s unforgettable. The Kick-Ass actor, who just bombed with Kraven the Hunter, shows he has the acting chops to hang with the likes of Dafoe and Depp in the film.

Following up the hugely underrated The Northman (2022) with his bone chilling take on Nosferatu couldn’t have been a better choice for Eggers, who is renowned for his gothic horror movies The Witch and The Lighthouse. Eggers not only breathes new life into a classic tale, he fully embraces the sexual, yet terrifying undertones of the story, bringing them front and center on the big screen. From the wonderful performances to the haunting cinematography, Eggers has never been better. Working with long-time cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who knew Eggers’ vision and nailed it, using lighting and visual storytelling to add another layer to the impressive film. The slow and methodical use of camera techniques by Blaschke not only gives off a feel of confinement throughout the film, it gives an even more sinister feel to Nosferatu using slow-paced camera techniques and mastering the effectiveness of jump scares.

I would also be remised if I didn’t mention the score of the film. Robin Carolan’s score should also be a lock for an Oscar this season. The dreary melody begins as a lullaby, but quickly becomes unsettling, growing as the plot progresses, eventually climaxing as the terror and suspense comes to a terrifying conclusion. Quite simply, it’s perfect.

The one criticism I’ve heard of Nosferatu is the release date. Why Christmas? The film is definitely not a light-hearted, holiday-themed story, in fact, walking out of the theatre, I was at a loss for words. I had not seen a film so dark and terrifying, yet period-accurate, well acted and beautifully directed in quite some time. It was only a couple days after seeing the film that I was able to comprehend the horror and beauty that Eggers’ had crafted. Nosferatu is one of those films that needs to be seen in a dark theatre. Being in a huge, dark theatre definitely gives the film an extra creepy layer, as you’re engulfed by score and sound effects of the film. The release of the film probably should have come a few weeks earlier, as it seems to have been overlooked by some critics when it comes to top films of the year. While it’s not exactly a film for those who are looking for something to lift their spirits, Nosferatu is exactly what the movie-going experience is all about. The film grabs you from the opening scene and doesn’t let go until the horrifying end. It looks like I did save the best for last, as Nosferatu will go down as my top film of 2024.

Nosferatu gets an A+.