Filmmaker Robert Eggers hit the horror scene in 2016 with his chillingly atmospheric film “The VVitch,” making a crater-sized impact on the genre. While his follow-up films “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman” did have rather unsettling scenes, neither were considered straight-up horror. But his fourth feature, a highly-anticipated remake of “Nosferatu” promises to be a return to the genre.
“Nosferatu” was first directed by F. W. Murnau in 1922, starring Max Schreck. Despite being sued almost into oblivion for being a blatant rip-off of Bram Stoker‘s novel “Dracula,” the film had a colossal influence on the horror genre. It was remade by the always-unique Werner Herzog in 1979 as “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” starring Klaus Kinski. Both films tell the story of the vampire Count Orlok/Dracula expressing interest in purchasing a new residence, but instead becoming obsessed with the real estate agent’s wife.
This classic tale of gothic horror provides the perfect return to terror for Eggers. “Yeah, it’s a scary film. It’s a horror movie. It’s a Gothic horror movie,” he said. “And I do think that there hasn’t been an old-school Gothic movie that’s actually scary in a while. And I think that the majority of audiences will find this one to be the case.”
In Eggers’ interpretation of “Nosferatu,” real estate agent Thomas Hutter will be portrayed by Nicholas Hoult. Lily-Rose Depp will play his wife Ellen, the object of Count Orlok’s (Bill Skarsgård) infatuation. “It’s even more Ellen’s story than previous versions,” the director teases. “And Lily-Rose is absolutely phenomenal.”
“I’ll say that Bill has so transformed, I’m fearful that he might not get the credit that he deserves because he’s just… he’s not there,” Eggers said. While Skarsgård has put his chameleon-like spin on the Orlok, there are still touches of Schreck and Kinski’s interpretations.
“He felt like honouring who had come before him. It’s all very subtle,” Eggers explains. “But I think the main thing is that he’s even more a folk vampire. In my opinion he looks like a dead Transylvanian nobleman, and in a way that we’ve never actually seen what an actual dead Transylvanian nobleman would look like and be dressed like.”
“Nosferatu” is expected to hit theaters sometime in 2024. We’ll keep you posted on updates as they become available.
