Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is one of the most anticipated horror movies of 2024, and one of Eggers’ teases reveals his movie will end a tiring, decades-old vampire trend but with a clever and necessary twist. Joining the ongoing trend of remakes is the 1922 German horror classic Nosferatu, directed by F. W. Murnau. Nosferatu is an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, and it has gotten a couple of remakes over the years. Eggers’ Nosferatu keeps the premise of the original movie, giving it his trademark style of gothic horror.
Nosferatu tells the story of Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), a young woman haunted by a terrifying presence. Said entity is the vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who becomes infatuated with her, unleashing horror around her and her loved ones, among them her husband, Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult). Although a teaser and a trailer for Nosferatu have been released, a proper, official look at Skarsgård’s Count Orlok hasn’t been revealed, but Eggers has teased the character a bit – and one tease, in particular, is great news for fans of vampires.
Robert Eggers Plans For Nosferatu To Make Vampires Scary Again
Don’t Expect A Good Looking Vampire In Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu aims to be a different vampire movie from what has been done in the past decades. Speaking to GamesRadar+, Eggers shared that his take on Nosferatu makes vampires scary again, even name-dropping Edward Cullen as an example of how vampires have changed so much that these creatures are not scary anymore. Surely, Twilight’s Edward Cullen isn’t the one and only non-scary vampire whose physical appearance is more important than his vampirism, but he certainly boosted this trend.
Dracula is described as a menacing and scary character, and that’s the essence Eggers looks to bring back.
Many TV and movie vampires have been portrayed as physically attractive characters but tortured on the inside by their immortality. This is far from the idea of a vampire created by Stoker, in which, although handsome and charming when he wanted, Count Dracula wasn’t a tortured man. Still, even though he could rejuvenate through blood drinking, Dracula is described as a menacing and scary character, and that’s the essence Eggers looks to bring back in Nosferatu with a non-attractive Count Orlok.
In that same interview with GamesRadar+, Eggers said the audience deserves a “scary, smelly corpse” vampire again, which adds to Skarsgård’s previous comments about Orlok being the character that has terrified him the most. Eggers’ Nosferatu is on its way to being one of the best and most terrifying vampire movies in recent years and could end (or, at least, greatly reduce) the trend of “handsome” and not scary vampires.
2024’s Nosferatu Leans On What Makes Vampires Scary & Mesmerizing (& It’s Not Their Appearance)
Vampires In Movies Have Forgotten A Key Element
The trend of handsome, tortured, and not-scary vampires completely forgot about what makes vampires so scary but also mesmerizing, but Nosferatu will surely bring this back. Even in their most unattractive forms, vampires use their charm and other skills that come with their vampirism, forcing their victims to serve them and more against their will – and that is absolutely terrifying. The trailer for Nosferatu hints at Ellen being haunted and attracted to Orlok through his powers against her will, going back to the image of a corpse-like creature who lures his victims through his unbelievable charm and other abilities.
There was already a lot of anticipation and excitement around 2024’s Nosferatu due to Robert Eggers’ involvement, as he has a very peculiar visual and narrative style that fits perfectly with this movie. Eggers’ type of horror doesn’t rely on jumpscares and is more psychological and suspenseful, which, in addition to his desire to make vampires scary again, gives a lot of hope for Nosferatu to be a major success.
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.
- Release Date
- December 25, 2024
- Runtime
- 132 Minutes