"Nosferatu" isn't quite the same as "Dracula," despite a copyright lawsuit that nearly removed F.W. Murnau's silent film version from existence in 1922. Count Orlock is a less human kind of vampire than Count Dracula, a long-fingered folkloric creature who brings the plague with him when he comes to take up residence in the German town of Wisburg. The female lead, Ellen Hutter, is a much stronger, more proactive character than her counterpart, and willing to sacrifice herself to stop Orlock's evil. The climax is primarily framed as a spiritual battle between the two of them, though the usual vampire hunters are still very much in the story. Only three filmed versions of "Nosferatu" have been made over the past century, the most recent one by Robert Eggers.
I like this new version of Nosferatu," though it's not my favorite. I absolutely respect Eggers' commitment to making this a horror film first and foremost, and it's an effective one. The slow, creeping, dread is evoked with chilly nightmare visuals, and the screen is kept so dark and oppressive that what you don't see is often as important as what you do. Orlock is played by Bill Skasgaard under an array of prosthetics. He's in equal parts transfixing and repulsive, a palpable threat and a potent symbol of death. He doesn't seem remotely human or pitiable the way his predecessors sometimes did - the guttural, ghastly vocals are particularly impressive - and it's quite a thing to behold. This is a very distinct Orlock from both the Max Shreck and Klaus Kinski versions.
The first part of the film where Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) journeys to Transylvania to meet the strange nobleman who wants to buy property in Germany, is a slow burn, easing us into the film's rhythms and visual language. The disjointed narrative here follows a lot of dream logic, with occasional glimpses of shocking things. It's great for the horror, but not so much for the characters or plot. I've never liked this section of the original story much, and that didn't change this time. "Nosferatu" is much more fun when Orlock arrives in Germany, and all the rest of the characters come into play. In addition to our leading lady Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), we also meet the family friends she's staying with, Friederich and Anna Harding (Aaron Taylor Johnson, Emma Corrin), plus our primary vampire hunter, Professor von Franz (Willem Dafoe). I like Hoult and Depp as our protagonists, but I was happiest to see Willem Dafoe when he showed up around the midpoint. The film seems to snap into focus when he appears, finally offering some helpful answers and a tension-breaking comedic energy.
Most of the attention from critics, however, has rightly gone to Lily-Rose Depp, who replaced Anya Taylor-Joy as Ellen. This is easily her most high profile role to date, and she makes a good case for staying in the spotlight. Visually she's a perfect scream queen, and is excellent at playing someone who is living in perpetual fear and uncertainty. Ellen is a very physical role, as Nosferatu's influence manifests in sleepwalking, illness, bad dreams, and an increasing paranoia. In this version of the story, she is also a very sexual presence, representing life and love. Depp doesn't have the magnetism of Isabelle Adjani, who played the corresponding female lead in Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu the Vampyre," but she has no trouble at all taking charge of the screen, even when Ellen is at her weakest and most vulnerable.
The filmmaking is what I've come to expect from Robert Eggers - monochrome, visceral, venal, and very visual. There are, as expected, little homages to the F.W. Murnau silent film everywhere, from character names to a few fabulously creepy shots of Count Orlock's invading shadow gliding across the frame. The pacing, however, is what kept me from fully embracing Eggers' "Nosferatu." The film runs well over two hours, and unfortunately drags in some places. I also wish I could have seen it in a theater setting, which might have ameliorated some of the technical issues I had with low light and volume levels. I enjoyed "Nosferatu" in the end, but I have to conclude that it really isn't to my tastes. I prefer my vampires a little more tragic, and my mise en scene a little less bleak. The film is a significant achievement, and I recommend it wholeheartedly, but personally I'll stick to the older "Nosferatu" films.
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