Nosferatu (2024)

“The Witch” (2015) tells the story of a family condemned by the father’s pride. He believes he is better than his community, and that only he understands the true faith. So, he isolates the family and makes them vulnerable to the evil in the world represented by the titular witch. Thomasin, the daughter in the story, ends up embracing the evil and becoming a witch herself. The story ends with her vowing to follow Black Phillip, the family’s goat who is the embodiment of Satan:

Thomasin: Black Phillip, I conjure thee to speak to me. Speak as thou dost speak to Jonas and Mercy. Dost thou understand my English tongue? Answer me.
Black Phillip: What dost thou want?
Thomasin: What canst thou give?
Black Phillip: Wouldst thou like the taste of butter? A pretty dress? Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?
Thomasin: Yes.
Black Phillip: Wouldst thou like to see the world?
Thomasin: What will you from me?
Black Phillip: Dost thou see a book before thee?... Remove thy shift.
Thomasin: I cannot write my name.
Black Phillip: I will guide thy hand.

For some, this ending might have seemed like a liberation for Thomasin. However, everything that has led up to this moment points to a much more ominous outcome. The story has not been shy about exposing the evil and horror that is in the world. We do not get to see the outcome.

Until now, perhaps. Eggers 2024 film, “Nosferatu” does serve as a bit of a spiritual sequel to “The Witch.” The story begins with a young woman, Ellen, in desperation, praying to any spirit to come to her.

“Come to me. Come to me. A guardian angel. A spirit of comfort. Spirit of any celestial sphere. Anything. Hear my call.”

A spirit does answer, and she embraces it. From that point on, Ellen’s life is on a crash course with devastation.

“Nosferatu” is a reimagining of the 1922 film, which is itself a reimagining of the novel Dracula. The source materials and this current film are unambiguous about the reality, nature, danger, and horror of evil. It promises good things and to fulfill all our desires, but it delivers only damnation and death.

In addition to this positive stance, the film is astounding in its visuals. At times it looks like a romantic painting by Caspar David Friedrick. Other scenes look like the Dutch Masters with the way it uses light and shadow… particularly candlelight. The direction is deft. Eggers is in complete control, although sometimes he draws attention to himself with too much camera play that risks taking the viewer out of the story. A constant sense of dread pervades the film, which is appropriate considering the message.

That said, there is one unfortunate element that makes this the third (or possibly fourth, if one counts 2000’s “Shadow of a Vampire”) best Nosferatu interpretation. The nosferatu himself. The voice work done by Sarsgard is great, but he is never really allowed to act. He is covered by so much latex, it could have been anyone in the suit, and the character is more of a prop. (In some scenes, literally.) Unfortunately, the visual of the nosferatu, Count Orlok, is a key aspect of this vampire story. 2024’s Orlok is more silly than scary. All of the fear and dread in this film is in the atmosphere, not the monster. This and one particular scene between Ellen and her husband, don’t quite ruin the movie for me, but they do knock it down below 1922’s, 1979’s, and 2000’s films.