A great classic of silent cinema, “Nosferatu” is entitled to a new adaptation by Robert Eggers on December 25, 2024. We saw it before its release, here is our opinion.
102 years later, Nosferatu returns to cinemas. Director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Northman, The Witch…) reveals his vision of the vampire inspired by Dracula in a film in theaters this Wednesday, December 25. Ideal for anyone looking to escape the comforting atmosphere of Christmas and looking to discover a new horrific work.
Let us remember that Nosferatu the vampire is first a German silent film by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. Released in 1922, it is an unauthorized adaptation of the novel Dracula by Bram Stocker, which explains the immense similarities between the two works. The plot takes place in the 19th century, when a young notary clerk, happily married to Ellen, goes to Transylvania to sell a property in town to Count Orlock. But the latter, fascinated by his host’s wife, decides to make her his own, spreading the plague in his wake. In the cast of the 2024 version, Robert Eggers brings together Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, William DafoeEmma Corrin and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the casting.
Murnau’s feature film is one of the first horror films in cinema history. Even today, it remains considered one of the great masterpieces of cinema, German Expressionist in particular. Robert Eggers’ task of bringing this work up to date was therefore not an easy task.
Visually, the bet is more than successful: with its NosferatuRobert Eggers plunges the viewer into a gothic nightmare that is as terrifying as it is captivating. Jarin Blaschke, director of photography, offers sumptuous shots combining the macabre and poetry and plunges the viewer into a sticky and disturbing atmosphere. Makeup, costumes, visual effects, music… Everything comes together for a dark, strange and terrifying film which will not fail to have an effect in cinemas, despite a last act which suffers from length and does not take up all the time. dimension of what the character of Nosferatu represents (the spread of the plague and its metaphor, reflections addressed in Murnau, are unfortunately relegated to the background).
This Nosferatu above all (finally) reveals the impressive actress that Lily-Rose Depp can be. The daughter of Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp delivers an astonishing and stunning score. Literally possessed, she steals the show from the other stars of the film, who are not small names in Hollywood. It is also when Nosferatu is interested in her character and places her at the heart of the plot (rather than making her a terrified and useless victim) that the interest of this 2024-style remake takes on its full meaning.
Thanks to the writing of this character, Robert Eggers offers a new reading of the original work. A victim of control, Ellen is also a woman who wants to be free and whose desire and sexuality are constrained by patriarchal society. Robert Eggers definitely delivers a distressing and captivating work, several shots of which leave an indelible mark on people’s minds.
Synopsis – A gothic story of obsession between a haunted young woman in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks her, bringing with him unspeakable horrors.