![Photo from IMDb](https://comenian.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/unnamed-2.jpg)
I am a relatively meek guy when it comes to watching horror films, but the actual work put into making them has led to my development of an appreciation for the behind-the-scenes of the genre itself.
I love prominent horror directors like Wes Craven or Robert Englund, but you’d be hard-pressed to find me legitimately sitting through the several films of plucky teens facing off against Freddy Krueger hacking and slashing on the big screen — I’m a simple person! I lived my life peacefully for 18 years of ups and downs until December 25th, 2024 gave us a welcome film, Nosferatu, based on the 1922 film, which itself was an adaptation of Dracula. I had to see it — especially when I heard that it wasn’t particularly gory.
Right off the bat (hehe) this had me hooked, especially after The Last Voyage of the Demeter was released to a lackluster response, despite the premise initially being something that had potential. This movie leaned more towards adapting the source material directly. A favorite thing of mine was how a lot of Count Orlok’s dialogue was the same as the original film’s subtitle cards (“You are late! The hour of midnight has passed, and all the servants have retired”).
Speaking of our vampiric villain, the performance for him by Bill Skarsgård was nothing short of chilling.
I loved that they made Orlok resemble a shambling corpse rather than the rat-like imagery usually used for the character. While it was bold to not lean on such an iconic design (though there were nods to the classic look), Skarsgård’s intensity mixed with suspenseful cinematography made it worthwhile. If I had a nickel for every time this dude played a terrifying monster in a remake of a classic film, I’d have two nickels. It’s not much, but it’s weird he doesn’t have more opportunities for it, right?
That’s not to discredit the other cast members, mind you. From Lily-Rose Depp as the maidenly Ellen Hutter, or even Willem Dafoe (personal fave) as the enigmatic Professor Von Franz, everyone has an opportunity to shine in various facets throughout the film.
However, this film likely wouldn’t strike everyone’s fancy.
At times, I felt that the film’s pacing needed some work, considering the hefty amount of content they’d have to cram into something in a little over two hours. A few scenes stuck out to me: one where Ellen and her husband Tom (Nicholas Hoult) are arguing, only for the camera to cut in a way that implies she’s going with him to Romania, but they just go to his friend’s house, which impacts the narrative overall.
It more than makes up for it in the third act, however!
All in all, it was a privilege to experience this, including a beautifully dynamic Dolby Atmos soundtrack mix within a dead silent audience, and while I don’t think Nosferatu is perfect, there was a pretty nice payoff, and some intentionally funny scenes kept it from being a slog fest.
Truly a macabre work of art.