Reviews

Bram Stoker’s Dracula has inspired hundreds of vampire films over the years and the latest, a new version of Nosferatu, is now hitting the big screen.

Robert Eggers’s new film, a remake of the 1922 silent movie of the same name, is set in 1830s Germany and tells the story of Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), a tortured woman who has a psychic connection with the vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard).

One day, Orlok invites her estate agent husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) to his castle in Transylvania, Romania to help with the sale of a decrepit mansion, but that turns out to be the first play in his plan to be with Ellen once and for all.

With period horrors such as The Witch and The Lighthouse under his belt, Eggers was clearly the right director for this job.

It’s rare for a filmmaker and a piece of source material to be so well suited. He has been working on this remake for 10 years and you can see that passion for the story and his meticulous preparation on screen.

Nosferatu is a staggering technical achievement. It is stunning to look at, with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke creating jaw-dropping shots that play with light, dark and shadow.

The costume design, production design and hair and make-up work are also impressive.

Thankfully, there is enough substance underneath to stop it from being hollow. Eggers slowly escalates the horror as he goes, creating an atmosphere of dread and impending doom alongside shocking imagery and Exorcist-style demonic possession scenes.

Eggers also presents one of the most repulsive and horrifying depictions of Count Dracula (or Count Orlok) yet – Skarsgard is unrecognisable under layers of gruesome prosthetics and his otherworldly vocal performance has to be heard to be believed.

Depp cements herself as a serious actress with her portrayal of Ellen thanks to her accurate English accent and the exhausting physical demands of her role.

They are supported by a star-studded line-up which includes Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson.

Those expecting realism might not enjoy these performances – they all speak in an unnatural, theatrical way, as if they’re on stage. It’s an odd choice but it kind of works for the old-school horror feature.

Nosferatu is a weird, creepy and unsettling film and the best movie by Eggers so far.

In cinemas from Wednesday 1st January.

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