Nosferatu (2024) Review

 Nosferatu (2024) Review

Nosferatu 2024 poster, 

Nosferatu 1922 Ad

Ellen, Greta Schröder, Nosferatu, 1922

Ellen, Lily Rose Depp, Nosferatu 2024

Count Orlok, Max Schreck, Nosferatu 1922

Count Orlok, Bill Skarsgard, Nosferatu 2024

It's refreshing to see a scary vampire again. It's also fascinating how the story is essentially the novel Dracula, but overtime Orlok became a completely different character than Dracula. Dracula is too cool to be scary. The Twilight Kid was infamously glittery. Orlok however possesses a cruel inhumane danger with his mere presence. Though the 20s version is iconic, its so cool to see a horror classic brought from the silent movie era to a new.... and darker... generation.

Director Robert Eggers says he has always loved Dracula and vampires, but this movie is really about Ellen. Even without Orlok she suffers from sleep walking and seizures. There's nothing the doctors can do. They tie her up, drug her, drain her blood. Nothing works because the first Psychology labratory didn't exist yet, so they turn to sorcery. The movie takes place in Germany, where the school of psychology began.  

The Witch, Eggers other historical period horror, is the Puritan Nightmare. In Nosferatu he takes another dark period of history set in the mid 1800s. Men and women in the 1800s are nicely dressed, but besieged by things that want to kill them. Even without a vampire, they still had disease outbreaks, leaving your family for long periods of time just to get a signature, loved ones striken by metal illnesses for which science knows little about, and the untimely deaths of their children. Ellen is one such character terrorized by what we now call Epilepsy. They had important jobs too. Killing vampires and healing cursed.

This version of Count Orlok does not try to mimic the appearance of the 1922 version. Many scenes themselves are reimagining of classic moments and fan favorites of the original, but the vampire in this has a voice, he has flesh, a body, and an accent. In many regards at no point is he seductive or glittery Nor at any point is his love of a young maiden welcomed. He is impatient, tyrannical, commanding, abusive, brutal, morbid. He is undead, there is no mistake from the unveilings of his naked corpse.

There is a fair amount of sex in this film, but it's not going to make your date horny. It's going to traumatize you into never thinking a vampire is sexy ever again. Well done! Vampires aren't sexy, they're corpses. Their flesh is rotten and you can see their bones through the folds of decomposing muscles. They will rip your head off and eat your baby. That's how they stay alive.

The one thing I was wondering ever since Nosferatu 2024 was unvieled was why come out at Christmas time? Maybe some people would prefer to see sonic 3 or Mufasa. Those people are either kids or people with autism. Think you're not a kid? Think your don't have autism? Then I DARE you to go see Nosferatu 2024! Robert Eggers is one of the best horror directors of our lifetime.