Move over “Twilight,” Team Edward is dead; it’s Team Nosferatu’s time to shine.
Robert Eggers, the director of “Nosferatu” has revived the interest into vampiric horror films with this remake of the 1922 film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors.”
“Nosferatu” is a gothic movie that surrounds the life of a young woman who is progressively possessed by a vampire who is obsessed with her, according to the film’s IMDb page.
Personally, my interest in this film would not have been piqued if not for the cast that truly embodied their individual characters.
Famous for playing characters in horror films, Bill Skarsgård's portrayal of Count Orlok in “Nosferatu” really delivered in embodying an ancient vampire that would bring chills to whoever would encounter him.
An essence of intense intimacy was felt during the scenes between Orlok and Ellen Hutter to a point where it felt like I, as an audience member was intruding when watching Hutter in scenes of sensual pleasure.
Lily-Rose Depp, who played Ellen Hutter, truly went above and beyond in her performance of this character.
Depp was truly unrecognizable in “Nosferatu.” Prior to the film, she had not stood out to me as an artist to follow and had rather known her through her previous relationship with actor Timothée Chalamet and being the daughter of Johnny Depp.
Although Lily-Rose Depp's specific participation in the show “The Idol” starring The Weeknd was praised for her portrayal of an emotionally devastated pop star, the show as a whole, was not the biggest hit, with critics delivering a 19% satisfaction score and general audiences giving it 41%, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
However, Depp delivers a nuanced performance as Hutter, capturing the character's vulnerability and strength.
The movie follows her fear of Orlok actively seeking her out while simultaneously remaining strong to protect her loved ones. However, the one she fears the most is her husband, Thomas Hutter.
Thomas Hutter, played by Nicholas Hoult, is put in a predicament where he is sent off by a real estate agency to do business with Orlok.
The count is interested in purchasing property where Ellen and Thomas Hutter reside to get closer to Ellen Hutter and fulfill a promise she had made to Orlok when she was younger and had possessed her.
The interactions between Thomas Hutter and Orlok continued the trend of eeriness. A feeling of hollowness and dread followed me when I would see the man’s desperation to escape Orlok’s castle while enduring the pain that the count would inflict.
While those three were the main characters that the movie follows, the beautiful performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Willem Dafoe. cannot go unmentioned.
It was my first time seeing Johnson in a gothic period piece and was a nice change as I mostly see him in super action movies.
The second part of the movie follows Hoult, Johnson, and Dafoe’s characters in figuring out a strategy to stop the Orlok from getting to Ellen Hutter and bringing a plague to the village.
Without spoiling the movie, the ending was one that I did not expect. Nevertheless, I was happy with the ending and wouldn't want it any other way.
“Nosferatu” was not only successful in my eyes, but fellow audience members seem to agree. Earning 85% out of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is safe to say that many may return to rewatch this film.
Not only did it score well in reviews, but it turned out to be a success financially, with the film earning $40.8 million since its debut, according to a Variety article.
Maybe this movie hasn’t made a large enough impact as the “Twilight” saga yet, but it has definitely made me more interested in watching other films of this genre.
