Does evil come from within us, or from beyond? That’s the central theme of Robert Eggers‘ Nosferatu, which shot on locations across the Czech Republic in early 2023 and hits cinemas worldwide on Christmas Day (and in Prague from Jan. 2). This seductively terrifying version of the Dracula story told previously by F.W. Murnau in 1922 and Werner Herzog in 1978 rates right alongside those classics, and might be the best film of 2024.
Set in the fictional city of Wisberg, Germany, in 1938, Nosferatu stars Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, who, once upon a time, unwittingly formed a pact with a sinister but alluring evil that visited her in her dreams. She has more recently found salvation in husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), but when he is sent to Transylvania to finalize a real estate deal, that evil manifests itself in the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who sets his sights on Wisberg and Ellen.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula story, which the original Nosferatu followed so closely it was ordered destroyed by German courts and nearly lost to time, is one of cinema’s most well-known tales; hundreds of variations have been produced over the past century. There are few surprises in this latest version, but the utter authenticity with which Eggers approaches the story is immersive: much like The Witch, we are transported to and get lost in a very specific time and place—only to watch helplessly as evil engulfs this world.
Adding to the eerie atmosphere are spellbinding landscapes across the Czech Republic, which Hoult’s character travels through on his way to Orlok’s castle (at one point, he looks out across the Prachov Rocks). Rural locations throughout the story, such as the beaches of Tušť (pictured at top) and the Great America quarry (nicknamed the Czech Grand Canyon) are hauntingly employed; Czech forests have popped up in a number of Hollywood films, but never to such evocative effect.
Eggers’ Nosferatu dedicates a lot of time to the Thomas character, who serves as the central protagonist over the first half of the movie. While the journey gets under his skin, in particular an ominous encounter with a group of Romani vampire hunters, the dread becomes overwhelming once he finally meets Skarsgård’s Orlok, glimpsed only in shadows in early scenes. The fear on Hoult’s face is palpable, and the performance absolutely riveting; after strong turns here as well as in The Order and Juror #2, the actor has cemented himself as major force to close out 2024.
Depp also gives a star-making performance as Ellen, who goes through the film in various states of evil possession as Orlok and Thomas vie for her soul. Friend Anna Harding (Emma Corrin) and her husband Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) offer Ellen little solace as she goes through night terrors, while Doctor Sievers (Ralph Ineson) recommends ether and restraints to keep her safe. But in multiple bravura scenes that showcase the carnal nature of her possession, Depp matches similar breakout 2024 performances from Naomi Scott in Smile 2 and Nell Tiger Free in The First Omen.
Willem Dafoe stars as Albin Eberhart von Franz, Nosferatu‘s version of Van Helsing, a once-respected professor who has turned his focus to the occult and is called by Sievers as a last resort to deal with Ellen’s possession. Refreshingly, Eggers’ Nosferatu ignores the familiar vampire clichés—gone are wooden stakes and holy water—and Friedrich can only guffaw when von Franz tells him he “has no idea” how to deal with the evil threat. But he does have a theory, and Dafoe chews through this mad role with gusto.
But most delicious of all is Skarsgård, unrecognizable under mounds of makeup as the Count. A far cry from previous incarnations of the character, this Orlok feels repulsively human—a rotting, festering but somehow still walking corpse (“he has one foot in the grave, so to speak,” quips Simon McBurney’s Herr Knock). Skarsgård painstakingly wheezes every word the character speaks beneath a bushy mustache, and Orlok’s relentless sexual lust makes for a stark juxtaposition against his downright vile presence. A climactic embrace with Depp’s fair maiden is the perfect summary of Nosferatu‘s central thesis.
Nosferatu is gorgeously framed and shot in a boxy 1.66:1 scope by Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who sumptuously tracks gothic locations including the streets of Wisberg created at Prague’s Barrandov Studio. Extensive use of practical effects—in addition to all the gore and makeup, thousands of rats were used in the making of the movie—adds to the engrossing experience, resulting in an unusually real-feeling, and all the more terrifying, Hollywood horror movie.
A triumph on both narrative and artistic levels, 2024’s Nosferatu is the pinnacle of what has been a banner year for horror movies. It’s the best film yet from its immensely talented director, and it just might be the best movie of the year; horror films so rarely are recognized at year-end awards, but this one has a real chance to score big.
