Following The Northman (2022), writer-director Robert Eggers has made a swift return with his bone-chilling take on Nosferatu, an inspired reimagining of one of cinema’s earliest horror stories. Renowned for his period-focused, gothic horror movies The Witch and The Lighthouse, Eggers brings the classic vampire story to life in a new staggering masterpiece that fully embraces the psychosexual terrors and corrupted romance of both original texts: F.W. Murnau‘s 1922 silent German Expressionist film and Bram Stroker’s Dracula novel. It’s a superbly crafted gothic horror that echoes Eggers’ past works but ultimately transcends them in all aspects.
Set in the 1800s, Nosferatu begins with Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), a deeply troubled young woman who calls upon any spirit, malevolent or not, as she searches for tender company. Ellen’s cries of longing and desire are answered by the long-dead Transylvanian nobleman Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), freshly awake from his slumber. The two become intimate as Ellen enters another plane of existence, being pleased by the vampire’s touch — a warped sense of gratification that will soon become her curse.
Flash forward a few years, and everything changes as Ellen’s memories are clouded. She eventually finds love again, marrying the successful real estate salesman Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult). The obsessed Count Orlok orchestrates a plan to free himself of his ancient tomb and harm those surrounding the newly married Ellen Hutter. Similar to the structure of the well-known Dracula narrative, Thomas is not-so-coincidentally tasked with traveling to the wealthy Count’s barbaric castle in Wallachia (modern-day Romania) to secure his new residence back in their small German town. But the Count is more than just a blood-sucking vampire. Nosferatu is death itself, leaving a black plague of diseased rats in his path.
Nosferatu is both beautifully haunting and viciously disturbing, told through Jarin Blaschke’s beguiling cinematography that boxes the viewer in with a 1:66:1 aspect ratio. As Eggers’ long-time cinematographer, Blaschke realizes his precise vision with a painterly touch. Most of Nosferatu is lit in a heavenly, silver-ish moonlight, similar to The Northman. The opening scene is caked in this mesmerizing moonlight as Lily-Rose Depp’s haunted lead walks in a trance on the grounds of an old mansion while Nosferatu bellows his demands inside her head. Nosferatu’s dark powers and influence are explored purely through lighting and visual storytelling, one of the film’s many impressive feats.
Jarin Blaschke’s camera wanders, often panning horizontally to guide the audience’s attention in a slow, methodical manner rather than simply cutting to a different shot. It’s small details like these that add to the movie’s nightmarish atmosphere, as the camera almost plays along with Nosferatu’s cruel actions. Additionally, the boxed-in aspect ratio emphasizes the confinement felt by Ellen Hutter as she struggles to be rid of the vampire’s ever-lasting grasp.
Robert Eggers and Jarin Blaschke have finally fully embraced the jump scare, which they expertly utilize throughout Nosferatu. Multiple scares with slow-rising tension will surely shake up an audience, along with sharp flashes of horrifying images that get under one’s skin. Another enormous part of Nosferatu’s dreary atmosphere is Robin Carolan’s score, which begins with a lullaby-like melody that perfectly introduces the viewer to Eggers’ twisted, fairytale-like reality. Haunting strings then build to a furious crescendo as Ellen embraces the vampire’s touch for the first time. The score is unsettling from the start and continues to grow more immense and terrifying as the plot progresses, along with the sumptuous visuals.
Count Orlok is introduced as a shadowy figure with a deep, raspy voice that is also brought to life with a twinge of an Eastern European accent. Bill Skarsgård’s voice is instantly imposing and demonic to the point of total unrecognition. Nosferatu keeps the audience on edge as the titular evil figure is cleverly framed and kept in darkness throughout over half of the film. Skarsgård delivers a new career-highlight performance as Count Orlok, whose corpse-like design is inspired by period-accurate vampiric folklore. Orlok’s skin (that isn’t peeling off) is a deathly grey; his posture is that of an undead man, but he is physically imposing as an unrecognizable Skarsgård towers over the rest of the cast.
Lily-Rose Depp’s breathtaking performance is the film’s beating heart. The fear on her face as she comes face to face with Nosferatu is unshakable. Depp goes above and beyond as she contorts her body in freakish ways during moments when Ellen succumbs to Nosferatu’s influence, making way for a more visceral and unforgettable viewing experience. Undoubtedly, Depp delivers the latest addition to the hall of greatest modern horror performances. Ellen and Count Orlok share a psychosexual bond that is as eerie as it is fascinating, with the two having the power to rewrite each other’s destiny. Their fight for control plays out in multiple planes of existence, breaking the usual physical boundaries of intimacy.
Ellen doesn’t fit into Victorian society, despite looking the part, as she knows her nightmares to be true, which is where Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) comes in. Dafoe’s version of the Van Helsing/vampire hunter role from the source material is a disgraced professor obsessed with the supernatural, having studied such demonic encounters before. Dafoe breathes some much-needed lively energy into the bleakness of it all, as he truly believes everything is real, despite constant questioning from Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s vampire skeptic Friedrich Harding. Although Taylor-Johnson just starred in the box office bomb Kraven the Hunter, his stern yet admirable turnout in Nosferatu is a nice reminder of his astute acting talents.
Finally, Nicholas Hoult, who will soon make his mark as DC’s new Lex Luthor, is tremendous as Thomas, Ellen’s loving husband who’s forced to challenge Nosferatu face-on. The utter dread on Hoult’s face as he meets Count Orlok for the first time is painful to watch, as one already knows what the vampire has in store for him. With no weak link in the cast, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is the unlikely Christmas gift that keeps on giving. It’s a beautifully enchanting gothic tale that is exquisitely made with the utmost precision, respectfully setting itself apart from previous remakes like Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979). Like Egger’s past horror films, Nosferatu will demand to be revisited as time passes.
There is so much depth to the world and characters that Robert Eggers and his cast have created that each subsequent rewatch of Nosferatu (2024) will unravel something new. That’s the mark of a true masterpiece.
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu hits theaters on December 25!
Release Date: December 25, 2025.
Directed by Robert Eggers.
Screenplay by Robert Eggers.
Based on Nosferatu (1922) written by Henrik Galeen & Dracula written by Bram Stoker.
Produced by Robert Eggers, Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Jeff Robinov, & John Graham.
Executive Producer: Bernard Bellew.
Main Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson, & Simon McBurney.
Cinematographer: Jarin Blaschke.
Composer: Robin Carolan.
Production Companies: Maiden Voyage Pictures, Studio 8, & Birch Hill Road Entertainment.
Distributors: Focus Features (U.S.) & Universal Pictures (International).
Runtime: 132 minutes.
Rated R.
