Wrenage reviewed Nosferatu the other day, fresh from the cinema. Reading his review, I was a little disappointed as it didn’t sound as good as I was hoping. I missed it at the cinema, due to illness, but I’m gutted I did. It’s now in streaming, so I’ve seen it and I liked it.
You know the details, the main thing is that it’s directed by Robert Eggers. For me, Eggers has had nothing but hits. I love The VVitch, The Lighthouse and The Northman. He’s got a great sense of simplicity and style that really appeals to me.
Nosferatu is described as a Gothic Horror and this is exactly what Eggers deliveries, in fact, his style fits this movie perfectly. To me Gothic Horror makes me think of the early days of Hammer Horror movies, with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Made in a simple way, but with an engaging story.
The Story
Again, you know the story, it’s a rip off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Here, in Nosferatu, the story is the same and nothing outstandingly new. The Count is obsessed with a young lady and plans to take her when he arrives in Germany, not England.
Ellen (Rose-Depp) is the focus of the Count’s attention. Her husband, Thomas (Hoult) is sent to Transylvania to arrange the Count’s move and house sale. When the Count learns that Thomas’ wife is Ellen, he can’t wait to sink his teeth into her.
Now, I can’t say I know the original story that well, but I liked here that the Count offers Ellen a deal, he will let Thomas live, if she gives herself freely. To me, this added a deeper dimension to the story and I liked it.
Style
Wrenage mentioned that there wasn’t really any good ‘vampire kills’, I disagree. As we know, I’m a fan of extreme cinema and even I winced at some of the kills.
There is plenty of blood, flesh and sucking going on. I thought all the kills were handled very well, even the pigeon that buys it! I’m fact, the pigeon kill was great, in a ‘Bloody hell that’s gross!’ way.
I felt the entire air of Nosferatu was very well done, it’s very creepy in places and builds scenes very well.
Again, Wrenage mentioned about the simple photography, but I found it very refreshing. Firstly, it’s a movie by Eggers, I didn’t expect any fancy camera work, no cameras flying around the protagonist head it anything like that. It’s simple, to focus on the cast, the acting and the story.
I reviewed Back in Action the other day and, to me, it’s a perfect example of what’s annoying about modern movie-making. There are shots that fly down the Thames, in between buildings and finally into a car with Diaz and Foxx. It’s all too much, CG’ed and just not real.
Having a camera, fixed on one person and on a tripod is just better! Peter Jackson did it well in the LotR trilogy, the are sweeping camera shots, but it’s also very simple in other places.
As I said, I think Eggers’ style, for Nosferatu, a Gothic horror, is perfect.
The Cast
I do agree with Wrenage about Lily Rose-Depp. She’s an attractive girl, but hot enough to be the focus of the Count’s lust? Meh, even I’ve had better. I found her a little annoying in places. A different casting would have greatly improved the role, character and movie.
I also agree about Skarsgard as the Count. His performance is very good, I found him creepy, but not really scary. In fact, I was a little disappointed in his look. They made a big deal about how they hid the look of the Count for most of the movie.
When I saw him, I didn’t think he was all that scary or impressive. He was just a tall guy, with bad skin and a moustache. I was hoping for something a bit more ‘body horror’.
The Rest of the Cast
Again, I’m going to disagree with Wrenage here and the rest of the cast for Nosferatu. Hoult is excellent, a scared man, not understanding what is going on and worried about him and his wife.
Taylor-Johnson is strong in a supporting role. I didn’t see his final scene in the same way as Wrenage at all. I didn’t expect the daughters, or wife, to jump from the grave. His death was full, but I understood it, yes, he wanted to kill the Count, but he has lost everything, what was the point in going on?
Defoe was great here, as he always is. He’s not in the movie for 5 minutes, he’s in the second and third acts. I never got the impression he was a vampire slayer, just that he had some basic knowledge of what the Count was. In fact, when asked about killing the Count, he says he has no idea. This was actually great!
How often in movies do we have that one character who just knows everything? In modern movies, it’s usually a woman. But seriously, having the ‘expert’ not knowing what to do was a change of pace.
Overall
I loved Nosferatu! It was exactly what I expected, a Gothic horror by Robert Eggers, it wasn’t overly complex in style, it had subtle CG which doesn’t detract and it was creepy. I wouldn’t say it’s an amazing horror movie, but it does what it sets out to do.
The one thing that I didn’t like was the end. Spoilers, but then if you don’t know what happens in the original, from 1922, then it’s your own fault.
The Count dies in the same way. In the original movie, the death is iconic and, for the time, very well done. In this version he just dies, I was hoping for something most dramatic, but he just kind of dies. It’s a satisfying conclusion, but just not that dramatic, iconic or rememberable.
As I said, I’m gutted I missed Nosferatu at the cinema, as I think it would have been a treat. It’s not the same on streaming, but it is a damn good movie.
If you like Eggers’ movies so far, expect more of the same. There’s a mild twist with the story, but nothing earth-shattering. The style is spot-on for the story and, overall, the cast is great, all except Rose-Depp.
Nosferatu gets a solid 4.5 out 5 stars from me. It’s very well made, very well acted and a refreshing break from the overly CG trash that Hollywood pukes out these days. Eggers is a film-maker.
