Robert Eggers has a true affinity for the 1922 version of Nosferatu. Egger’s modernizes FW Murnau’s vision visually and narratively to accentuate the brutish, limp Romania Count that possesses incredible supernatural powers. In terms of atmospherics, it has to be Eggers’s most impressive, as Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) has an omnipresent feeling in the booming sound design that impressively captures Orlok’s reach, the long reach of his arm in Jarin Blaschke’s wicked cinematography paints heavy contrast and cold shadows.
Peer at the deep grays that paint the soul of a town doomed by a monstrous spirit. A spirit brought to life by Lily Rose-Depp and her masterfully committed performance. She sells the spell Orlok cast on her with her body, eyes, and cursed delivery. A top notch horror heroine that doesn’t undersell the erotic element to her connection to Count Orlok. Nicholas Hoult sells the fear of Orlok while Bill Skarsgard, who has become the preeminent monster prosthetic actor in Hollywood, has such a presence of dooming inevitability. The film does rely too heavily on jump scares, and Aaron Taylor Johnson and Emma Corin were miscast, but that’s an oversight in a movie with the Orlok mansion scene that blends dream and reality with a trapped nightmare. Brilliantly delirious filmmaking with death painted on the walls of the frame.
My favorite from Eggers and a great adaptation of the original work of Stoker and more importantly, the FW Murnau 1922 version — down to the shadow shot from outside the window. An homage that needed to happen. This time with a Nosferatu that has a mustache.
In closing, Robert Eggers felt destined to make and complete this film. A project so clearly tailored to his sensibilities and love of folklore. It ties all his strengths into one centralized story allowing him to focus heavily on tone and atmosphere. Despite many roadblocks to production, Eggers persevered through it all to complete his dream — and it’s a winner.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Weird Verdict
Weird Cinema 