It's high time we admit it. The debate over whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie is universally exhausted. Obviously, it is. Let it die (hard). However, we now have a new object of debate. My new favorite Christmas movie: Robert Eggers' “Nosferatu.”
Listen, it came out on Christmas Day, I saw it in a packed theater on Christmas Day and there is, I believe, one single scene with a Christmas tree in it. Christmas movie. It helps that “Nosferatu” is a fantastic film beyond mere seasonal spirit.
I don't want to say I was expecting to like “Nosferatu” per se, but it makes sense that I do. I love “Dracula” and its adaptations, the original 1922 “Nosferatu,” the in-my-opinion-superior 1979 “Nosferatu,” vampire stories and gothic horror in general. I love Robert Eggers' “The Witch,” and I love Willem Dafoe.
All that said, I usually try to go into new films with low expectations, so I was a bit tentative about this one, given my high hopes. These fears were, thankfully, dashed. The movie is brilliant, oozing with Eggers' usual attention to detail and presenting a fantastic retelling of the famous story.
For the uninitiated, Nosferatu as a concept began with F. W. Murnau's 1922 German silent film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.” This film was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel “Dracula” (yes, the “Dracula”). Despite ripping off Drac and prompting Stoker's widow to sue, “Nosferatu” became wildly popular and cinematically influential.
In 1979, director Werner Herzog remade the movie as “Nosferatu the Vampyre.” This one is still my favorite of the three films, but only because I love all three of them so much.
Now that we're caught up, we can talk about the nuts and bolts of Eggers' version. 2024's “Nosferatu” is, first and foremost, a remake of the two aforementioned films. This places the film in a bit of a box, as Eggers cannot deviate too much from the other movies without seeming unfaithful. However, he also cannot remain too similar to the previous films without seeming redundant. Eggers rides this line perfectly.
“Nosferatu” is not my favorite “Dracula” adaptation, nor is it technically the most impressive film based thereupon (though it is close), but it's definitely the most effective film I've ever seen at capturing the tone and atmosphere of “Dracula.” The film is an effective horror movie, yes, but it's also a dark tragedy. This is what makes it so special in my eyes. While other adaptations tend to lean into horror or camp, Eggers' latest work leans into the sorrow at the original novel's core.
God forbid I write this review without talking about Count Orlok. After years of being relegated to cereal boxes and “Scooby-Doo” gags, this film makes the count of many names scary again. Bill Skarsgård plays him to perfection, disappearing completely into the role in a way no other Count actor has. The way Orlok's voice is mixed in the film's soundtrack is just incredible.
