Nosferatu (2025 UK Release) - Dead on Arrival or Resurrection of a Classic?
- Keziah Hyde Media
- Jan 7
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 16
"For there is a Devil in this world, and I have met him".
Director: Robert Eggers
Studio: Universal, Focus Features, Maiden Voyage Pictures & Studio 8
Review by Christopher Hyde
Something different for this film review. As Robbie has covered this for his Fright Night Flix channel on YouTube (link here), I have taken up the task of covering Robert Eggers latest feature on KHM.
On his latest venture into the Horror genre, Eggers looks back at the past and his long lasting love for F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) which was controversial for its blatant plagiarism of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Being so controversial that copies of the film were ordered to be destroyed but alas one remained, adding to the idea that immortal creatures such as Nosferatu are more difficult to kill than one would expect.
What a feature this is. A feast for the eyes. The cinematography is gorgeous, making use of static shots with tracking and panning movements that heighten the effects of the images on screen and adds to the creeping dread. I don't know whether this was everyone's experience, but I felt as if the camera was flickering in the same way a camera from the 1920's would operate. It became noticeable from the beginning for me and as the film progressed it felt even more apparent.
Eggers films have a tendency to feel colourless and cold, you can definitely feel the chill of this film with its use of icy blue tones and the occasional orange when fire is introduced. The Costumes were fantastic, giving an authentic real feel to them and making use of colours to separate the characters. I especially like Lily-Rose Depp's wardrobe and the gowns that she wears throughout.
I loved the production design, with every set and location feeling as though I was in the 1830's. It felt eerily similar to a TV Series I like set within the same time frame called Taboo starring Tom Hardy.
The use of SFX makeup was again another great element to the film. Seeing the victims of plague with lesions that didn't go too far into the realm of fantasy (unlike HBO's Chernobyl). The titular Nosferatu looking decrepit and almost alien in some scenes.
I will address the elephant in the room and say that to moustache the Count was an interesting choice. To many it may have seemed a step too far, a laughable edition. I can understand the criticism but I felt that the only realistic way to remake the iconic image was to go for something different. This interpretation of the Count felt like it's own and not a homage or reference to its predecessors.
The jumps are truly terrifying and completely unexpected. You genuinely can't tell what is around the corner and what you'll be confronted with. It's themes of the occult and the supernatural are more present here than they are in any of his previous films, which is a good thing considering the subject matter.
There's also more of a romantic and erotic plot to this film, having the Vampyre (original spelling) be more of a demonic force that possesses and lingers with the two main protagonists.
There was a moment towards the end of the film where Ellen (played by Lily-Rose Depp) and Nosferatu (played by Bill Skarsgård) confront each other and I genuinely said "f*** me" under my breath, somewhat unironically.
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Now onto the performers themselves. Firstly let me praise the main three members of the cast Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult (who plays Thomas, Ellen's husband) and Bill Skarsgård. They absolutely blew me away with their performances. The standout of course is Lily-Rose Depp who genuinely frightens you at points with her Regan-like contortionist movements when she is possessed, her speech going from normal to downright evil and full of dread.
Her performance is so intense and unlike anything I've seen in a horror in the last few years. Nicholas' character Thomas feels much more rounded and thought out than the original silent film, obviously it is difficult and ridiculous to compare the two seeing how 103 years separates the productions with technology and techniques developing greatly in that time. For an actress with the baggage of having to be compared to her father it's a shame people can't always see Lily-Rose for her own talents. Yes she does have a resting b**** face but I feel that actually adds to her performance as Ellen in this adaptation.
Bill also puts in another great performance as Count Orlok/Nosferatu capturing the spirit of Max Schreck's performance but making it entirely his own. Confirming that he hadn't lost his talent with the soulless remake of The Crow (2024) which by all accounts was one of the worst films of the previous year.
Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson give equally strong performances, Willem just as good as ever and Ralph securing himself as a legendary British actor.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has saved himself. From his fall from grace being the awful Sony disaster Kraven: The Hunter (2024) at least this time you see him at his best, no franchise, no silly accent and a more rounded character who you can't help but sympathise with. His character's name inspired by F. W. Murnau.
Emma Corrin is in this too, which was a surprise for me as I didn't realise at first, just goes to show how much thought I put into the people I see on screen. They do a better performance in this than their last on screen appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).
I think you can tell they're wigged up in this, or at least they had to be given their previous performance but Emma does play the role of Anna well, supporting Ellen throughout the film only to meet a gruesome fate.
The servant Herr Knock (played by Simon McBurney) feels lacking in this adaptation, feeling as though he doesn't really play a major role to the story and just coming across as a "mad man". It would've been nice to see maybe a change in personality for his character to show that Nosferatu can infect anyone's mind much like a plague can.
You can clearly tell that this was Robert's passion project, every frame is exquisite and the silent film origin still remaining a present inspiration. This has already passed it's $50,000,000 budget and quickly becoming one of the highest grossing films of the year. Universal have definitely been forgiven for their misdeeds on The Northman (2022).
All in all I would give this film a 5 star rating and a 9.5 out of 10. It's definitely a resurrection of a classic and proves that the silent film era needs a modern comeback, hopefully someone will urge Christopher Nolan to take on Metropolis (1927) my favourite silent film.
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