Nosferatu (2024) Review: Haunting Piece of Cinema

Nosferatu (2024) is a chilling horror masterpiece from Robert Eggers featuring incredible sets, costumes, prosthetics and a stellar performance from Lily-Rose Depp.

Successfully bringing this narrative to the modern age is one of Robert Eggers’ biggest triumphs. Nosferatu (2024)’s screenplay differs from the original while retaining what made this a groundbreaking story. Eggers’ ability to make something that you may be vaguely familiar with ultimately feel like new is impressive. You still have Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult, The Menu) playing a central role, with Eggers managing to not only fleshes out the character more, but make his relationship with Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp, of Wolf) stronger in the process. While Ellen and Count Orlok possessed strong arcs in the original, everyone else is used in service of the duo. 

In Nosferatu (2024), audiences are given a Thomas Hutter with his own goals and motivations including providing a better life for himself and Ellen, which then inspire his actions throughout the film. This makes the couple’s relationship stronger and allows it to serve as a stark contrast to Count Orlok’s depiction of love, which is in reality a mix of lust and obsession for Ellen. We are also given better characters around our central trio, such as Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, The Fall Guy) and his wife, Anna (Emma Corrin, The Crown), who take Ellen in while Thomas is away handling the real estate job assigned to him by Herr Knock (Simon McBurney). Eggers lets viewers know that the stakes of this narrative go beyond Thomas and Emma by including the Harding family. Having multiple characters in potential peril means that the audience can never quite let their guard down. 

Eggers’ biggest improvement and difference from the original film is with Ellen. She and Thomas are on equal footing, in a story which flips back and forth between the two as they engage in a twisted dance with  Skarsgård’s Count Orlok. Ellen wrestles with her desire and whatever meaning there is behind it. She also fears how much she will let it consume her very being. Orlok simply is tapping into what darkness lurks inside her, but is in a constant battle with her purity and heart, represented by the love she feels for Thomas. 

The original story depicts Ellen as someone who is innocent and that is essentially why Orlok is drawn to her. Eggers makes the character so much more here and turns this narrative into a terrifying gothic tale of humanity, obsession, and seduction. What will really make audiences uncomfortable is naturally the constant looming threat that Orlok manages to pose from the shadows.

However, what is worse is the fact that no one in this story is willing to hear Ellen out. Throughout the film she tells anyone and everyone around her that she needs help, and that her thoughts are beginning to impact her in very negative ways. Even if those close to Ellen witness physical manifestations of her pain through spasms, or if she describes gruesome nightmares, it does not seem to matter to them. Even Thomas, the love of her life, shrugs her feelings off as some sort of childhood trauma manifestation. While it is a very common horror trope not to listen to victims, especially women, when they tell you exactly what is going on, Lily-Rose Depp’s performance makes Ellen’s pleas all the more heartbreaking. 

All she needs is one person in her life to listen and help, and yet, they do everything but that (with the exception of Anna Harding, who listens but can not offer everything Ellen needs), which naturally leads Ellen to Orlok. She is desperate for relief, for someone to hear what she has to say, and tell her that they still love her in spite of her darkness. So much so that Ellen turns to the worst person. It is a situation that plenty of people, but especially women, are familiar with, being forced to shove their deepest desires down for better or worse. 

Orlok’s obsession is of course frightening; however, much like Ellen, viewers cannot help but wonder if they like it. Eggers masterfully has us pondering our own darkness throughout and questioning whether to give in, which makes this screenplay all the more compelling.

One of the things I love most about this screenplay is that Robert Eggers has crafted something that could work silently. It is fitting, considering the 1922 film is silent. While I am unaware of whether that was intentional or not, I think it is interesting. He does such a great job with visual storytelling from the director’s chair that viewers will be able to pick up on the key moments when they happen. They will shock and leave you in awe because Eggers knows exactly how to convey them to get the proper reaction. 

Lily-Rose Depp gives a career defining performance as Ellen Hutter, one that captivates audiences from the opening scene. Her portrayal of the many layers of emotions, along with the conflict and torment within Ellen, is sensational. The pain, dread, and desire are written all over her face and pierce the deepest parts of the audience’s soul. I am utterly convinced that she gave every bit of herself to this performance and give credit to Depp and Robert Eggers for bringing that out. The physical element to her work took me by surprise, even though I have seen both trailers. Watching Depp’s body contort in ways that should not be possible is both fascinating and horrifying to look at. 

Speaking of great performances and horrifying to look at: Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok is one of the most grotesque and alluring things you will see on screen this year. For all the talk about Nicolas Cage in Longlegs, that transformation cannot even hold a candle to Nosferatu (2024)’s depiction of Count Orlok. Skarsgård is completely unrecognizable in every aspect. His final look, beneath some tremendous prosthetic makeup, turns him into a monster that you will fear even as a silhouette. His vocal performance is astounding and that kind of commitment only makes the film better. It adds to the mystery and terror of Orlok.

These sets, costumes, and score add so much not only to the narrative, but to the gothic atmosphere as well. Ellen’s costumes, more than anyone else’s, are breathtaking. Each outfit feels of the period but honestly I could see someone wearing them today if the circumstances were right. 

Thanks to excellent production design, things feel lived in but have the vintage look needed for the period. The most ambitious set is Orlok’s castle, because you have to maintain a sense of mystery but at the same time, it has to be large and imposing. You see every bit of that on screen, things are old, like Orlok himself, but also seem larger than life, especially compared to Thomas Hutter’s home. 

When it comes to the score, one could liken it to a dream where you are floating on a cloud one minute and a total nightmare the next. Robin Carolan really crafts a collection of beautifully frightening music that not only fits the atmosphere that Eggers is trying to capture, but never truly gives viewers a release. “Ellen’s Dream” is a perfect example, as the track starts off with a cool breeze-like feel before devolving into this haunting melody. This is quite the collection of songs from top to bottom and I did not expect the score to be such a massive takeaway. 

Nosferatu (2024) is the finest piece of horror that we have seen in the 2020s. Robert Eggers has carefully crafted each element to ensure that he does this classic story justice while also adding his own wrinkles. This film is startling, engaging, and features unbelievable performances from Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård. You should sink your teeth into this one; you will not regret it. 

Nosferatu (2024) will be released in US theaters by Focus Features on December 25, 2024, in UK & Irish and European cinemas by Universal Pictures on January 1, 2025, and globally in theaters on January 1-10, 2025. Read our review of Nosferatu (1922)!