Nosferatu is a stunningly realized retelling of one of cinema’s most iconic horror tales!

Review by Rob Hinkal

It should come as no surprise by this point to learn that Eggers’ film is one of the most beautiful and tightly crafted features to debut this year given the immaculate attention to detail and high visual quality of his previous releases. This retelling of the vampire’s story feels truly authentic to its time. Its production design, dialogue, everything, feels plucked straight from the 1800’s.

And while there is much to be celebrated about the film’s production, the performances are, across the board, stellar. Bill Skarsgard is incredible as the titular vampire, creating a new version of the character that feels instantly iconic. If I hadn’t known it was him in the role beforehand, I never would have guessed it. Lily-Rose Depp also turns in a fantastic lead performance as the victim of Nosferatu’s desires. Torn between her visions of darkness and the love of her husband (played by an equally fantastic Nicholas Hoult), she gives her everything in a role that demands a huge amount of her and she more than rises to the challenge.

Where the film stumbles for me, is in its pacing. Yes, it is beautiful. It deserves every Oscar nomination it has received and deserves to be seen by the widest audience possible, but at a certain point, it feels as though the craft does get in the way of the storytelling. The best sequence in the film is, without a doubt, our introduction to Count Orlock. A dream-like sequence of immersive sound design, surreal visuals, and just DAMN good filmmaking. It feels like Eggers and his team are truly having a blast during these 15 minutes or so of the film, whereas afterward, things slow down quite a bit.

It is hard to stay as interested in the story once it feels like it has reached its emotional climax with a scene in Orlock’s castle that is, honest to God, probably the best thing I saw all last year in a movie theater. The movie starts to feel like it is slowly wading through beats and plot points that could be covered much more quickly. It takes time, and while I appreciate a film not rushing itself, I wish they would have hurried up a bit more with the advancement of the plot.

The final scene, however, is fantastic. It’s brutal, gross, and electrifying. It is horrific to behold in the best ways possible. Does it make up for the second half of the film dragging as much as it does? I wouldn’t say so. But is it, nonetheless, a satisfying conclusion? Absolutely.

Nosferatu delivers the visual and aesthetic wonder Robert Eggers has come to be known for but lacks a certain depth to its characters and moves along at what is, at times, a rather plodding pace.

A beautiful film and an impressive feat from a production point of view, it is undoubtedly worth a watch. The highs of Nosferatu are among some of the finest scenes in a film from all of 2024.