‘Nosferatu’ - a symphony of horror

Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST

By Jesse Burchill Staff Writer Released on Dec. 25, “Nosferatu” is a gothic horror film directed by Robert Eggers and starring Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe. A remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film, Eggers’ version follows the same general plot: a realtor named Thomas Hutter sells a house to one Count Orlok, but learns that the Count is a vampire with malevolent intentions towards his wife Ellen and gets involved in the effort to slay the Count once and for all. Nicholas Hoult is our leading man as Thomas Hutter. Hoult plays the role perfectly, portraying Hutter as a loving husband and normal guy who gets thrust into a deeply unfamiliar and horrifying situation. It’s through Thomas that we first learn of the true terror of Orlok when he goes to sell the Count a house in an effort to secure Ellen and himself financial security. Hoult’s expressions as his stay at Orlok’s goes further south are on point as he realizes both how out of depth he is and, more implicitly, the true kind of monster he’s stuck with - much sooner than he did in the 1922 original, something I think is an improvement. Hoult perfectly sells every beat of his character’s arc, from the horror of Orlok’s true nature to his dedication in protecting Ellen from Orlok’s grasp after escaping the vampire’s grip himself, and takes a far more proactive role in defeating the Count than he did in the original film. Lily-Rose Depp appears as Thomas’s wife Ellen Hutter, who’s been the target of Count Orlok’s obsessions ever since her childhood. After her mother died and her father grew negligent, she desperately called out for any sort of companionship and unwittingly contacted Orlok, and ever since has found herself haunted by chilling nightmares of marrying death despite now being happily married to Thomas. Throughout the film, Depp delivers an intense emotional and physical performance as a loving wife and tortured yet defiant soul trapped in the obsessions of a monster, and can easily be called the film’s standout performance. She is utterly convincing in portraying both Ellen’s desire to free herself forever of Orlok and her efforts in taking a front and center role in defeating the Count for good. Bill Skarsgård appears as main villain Count Orlok. Skarsgård is no stranger to the horror genre - his star-making role was Pennywise the Dancing Clown, so he knows a thing or two about playing human-shaped monsters. Sure enough, from his very first line, it’s clear that Skarsgård’s take on the Count will be a memorable one. He maintains this capacity throughout the film with a deep and gravelly voice, an incredibly creepy, corpse-like appearance, and a manipulative streak bar none. Equal to the performances is the writing and direction of Robert Eggers, which truly sets this movie apart. He creates a setting defined by 19th-century values and well-developed characters, and expertly balances these elements to create that rare sort of remake that’s just as good - if not better - than the original work. Perhaps the scariest aspect of Eggers’ reimagining is Orlok’s relationship with Ellen, which has heavy undertones of domestic abuse. The Count forced Ellen to swear herself to him years before she married Thomas, when she was much too young to understand any of what that entails. As a result, Orlok sees himself as the only one who deserves Ellen - Thomas and everyone else be damned in his mad pursuit. This new dimension to Orlok - combined with Skarsgård’s chilling performance - makes the character far more monstrous beyond his supernatural nature, and he’s all the more memorable and terrifying for it. It’s clear that Eggers had a specific, concrete vision for what he wanted for his final product, and this shows spectacularly in every corner and character of the film. The end result is an atmospheric, gruesome, and beautifully-acted period piece that will give you chills long after you leave the theater. Rating: A+ This is how you make a remake