A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Newlyweds Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and Thomas Hutter’s (Nicholas Hoult) marriage is in peril once he travels on behalf of his new job to Count Orlok’s (Bill Skarsgård) castle. This mysterious figure haunts both Hutters, and his presence puts their town in turmoil.
I am a big vampire lover. I was obsessed with the ‘Twilight’ books in middle school and have been hooked ever since. I remember watching the silent film “Nosferatu” in college in one of my film classes. It is deservedly iconic, and I know that Robert Eggers, the director of this remake, has wanted to adapt the film for ages. Now, he has finally done so.
If you are looking for a stereotypical horror film with jump scares and final girls, this is not that film. Eggers is a director who is very period-specific in dialogue, production design, costuming, etc., and that is the same case here. I also wouldn’t necessarily call this film scary, but it is creepy.
Depp is much more physical than I imagined she’d have to be. She contorts her face and body at odd angles, which is disturbing to watch. She is very committed to the role, and it shows. However, it is unclear why she is drawn to Orlok. There is a connection there, and the film only explains that she has darkness within her.
However, the audience never sees her do anything “evil” or bad. Everyone has darkness within them, so that explanation felt a bit flimsy to me. Clearly, there is something “wrong” with her, but no one, including the audience, understands why.
Hoult also impressed me. He plays terrified throughout the film’s first half and does so exceptionally well. His fear is palpable to the audience, and you know to be weary of Orlok, especially as his powers are exposed. Unfortunately, his role in the film’s second half is not as interesting. He is determined to kill Orlok, especially since he is after his wife.
Skarsgård is entirely unrecognizable in this role. Not only because he is under heavy makeup and prosthetics but because of his voice. I love how the film keeps you in suspense about his appearance. He is often covered in shadows or slightly out of focus. And when you do finally see him, he is very creepy. He looks like a corpse.
I will say I was not very invested in the Harding family. They had more screen time than I expected, and I always wanted to skip over their drama to see what Orlok or the Hutters were doing. However, they are very intertwined with the Hutters, which is unavoidable. However, they could have had slightly less screen time.
Director Robert Eggers’ long-awaited remake of the silent classic delivers a chilling, visually stunning experience that blends unsettling imagery with a dark romance. Strong performances from Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and a hauntingly unrecognizable Bill Skarsgård anchor the film. However, be warned: This film may be too weird or disturbing for some.
In Theaters Wednesday, December 25th
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