“Creepy” and “seductive” are two adjectives that rarely pair together, but somehow a certain gothic romance captures both hand in hand.
Robert Eggers’s “Nosferatu,” released on December 25 last year, is a remake of “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” (1922), which is itself an adaptation of 1897 novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. The 2024 remake closely follows the original, following Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult of “The Menu”) who is tasked with traveling to a client, Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgård of “It”), to sell an estate. Orlock, having previously heard Hutter’s wife, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp of “Tusk”), call out for a supernatural being to alleviate her loneliness and is met with Orlock’s obsession towards her in return.
The obsession leads the Eastern European Orlock (the film’s title also refers to the antagonist as “Nosferatu” translates to “the offensive one” in Romanian) to seek property near and travel to Ellen in Germany, telling her that she has three nights to willingly submit herself to him, otherwise he will kill those she loves. Nominated for two Academy Awards this year, including one for director of photography Jarin Blaschke, the film is adorned with arresting imagery from start to finish.
“[The movie had] very artsy cinematography,” Columbia Heights resident Jason Riffenburg said. “It’s a great update to a classic movie.”
Unlike other conventionally attractive vampire characters in the past (talking about you, Edward Cullen of “Twilight”), Count Orlock’s appearance was deliberately made to be a horrifying and repulsive depiction. At one point, Orlock is barely more than decaying flesh sitting on bones—a drastic contrast to the romanticized vampires often seen in pop culture.
“I am usually not one for horror movies, [as] I tend to get scared easily, and honestly, a lot of horror films today miss the mark on storytelling,” Columbia Heights Public Schools Communications Coordinator Emma Bute said. “What I appreciated about the film was how each character played a role that contributed to the overall plot, making it feel intentional. The sound design was impressive too; Robert Eggers took a unique approach instead of relying on the usual horror movie sound tropes.”
Although the movie has a 7.3/10 rating on IMDb in addition to its Oscar nods, there are still quite a few criticisms regarding the script’s characterizations. Some argue that the movie lacked depth and development, especially with Ellen Hutter, which may have resulted in a similar critique that critics and audience members didn’t feel a strong connection to the characters. It’s understandable that many fans of other popular Dracula and gothic vampire films would be disappointed with this film, but as somebody who went into theaters blindly, I thought it was a beautiful film.
“Going into the movie I thought ‘Nosferatu’ was just about vampires, but it was a lot more than that and I was pleasantly surprised,” Finn Knoke Borris (11) said. “I saw it on opening night with my family and would definitely say that was a questionable choice, [as] there were quite a bit of…mature scenes.”
From the buildup between Ellen and Count Orlock to the heartbreak and betrayal of Thomas, the movie succeeds as a dark and melodramatic romance. The much-anticipated reveal of Count Orlock is executed in a way that leaves audiences rightfully creeped out but allured at the same time. It is refreshing to see a vampire depicted as disgusting and rotted yet still so seductively captivating. Thrillful and charming, it’s one of my top movies of 2024 along with “Kinds of Kindness” and “Anora”.
“Nosferatu” offers viewers either an entertaining homage to previous vampire films or just an aesthetically pleasing film to watch, depending on your background and expectations going into it. Although some critique the film for its lack of character development or depth in its retelling of the infamous story, most can agree it was at the very least, an interesting addition to the gothic horror genre.
