When I became aware that another remake of ‘Nosferatu’ was about to be released it filled me with a sense of unease. Why do it? Did we really need another version? This feeling of unease grew when in October 2024, I went to my local cinema to see the original 1922, F. W. Murnau version with a live musical score. I have already blogged about this previously. After this visit I was convinced, I had experienced a masterpiece of cinema. Did I really want or need to see this remake? Like all good horror films, I was like one of the protagonists; when they are drawn to the cellar or attic. It’s probably going to turn out badly, but I couldn’t help myself.
I booked my ticket to my favourite, well only cinema that I attend the ‘Electric Palace’. The sense of unease was not to recede, in the time between booking the ticket and the film being screened the world of cinema was to be rocked. The death of David Lynch was announced. A true cinematic auteur, whilst examining certain themes, he never repeated himself. In life nothing is truly original; the job of any artistic endeavour is to explore these themes in new and evocative ways. In this way Lynch was a true ‘one of a kind’. Not for him the world of mainstream cinema, remakes or sequels.
Cinema can be considered an art form, but it is also big business. As budgets get ever bigger, there is less room for experimentation and risk; the money people expect a return on their investment. This is not only the people who invest huge sums of money into the production. It is also applicable all the way down the chain. It is a constant struggle for cinemas to achieve full houses as they compete with streaming and other forms of home entertainment. To overcome this, they have to follow the trends. Then there’s the cinema goer themselves; its not a cheap night out, they demand guaranteed entertainment. It could be argued that this has been cynically exploited turning the film industry into a ‘factory’ to guarantee returns on investment at the expense of artistry. This has created a world where the cinema goer is denied, the new, the challenging, and the unexpected. They now inhabit a world of the remake, prequal, sequel and at times nothing more than big budget exercises in merchandising. This is viewing the dark side of cinema, happily there are still good standalone films. However, with their success they then run the risk of undergoing the ‘factory’ process. So, where does ‘Nosferatu’, 2024, come in this landscape.
There is no doubt about Robert Egger’s ability as a director, writer, and, producer, his filmography proves this. His back catalogue consists of historical fiction; blending, horror, folklore, and mythology. He has claimed that the ‘thought of photographing anything after the 1950’s disgusts him’. All but one of his films have had good box office returns. He is best known for his meticulous eye for historical detail. So, whilst his back catalogue is small and being only 41 years old; it would appear he has a long productive career ahead of him.
The film has a good ensemble cast, with acting to match. The casting of Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hunter was a sound decision, bringing a rounded performance. She brings out the haunted, confused, fragile, pure yet strong elements of Ellen. There have been accusations of her being overly dramatic; but it should be remembered that this is a remake of a classic German Expressionist film; so, with this in mind the performance is well seen. Bill Skarsgard, totally unrecognisable under layers of prosthetics, brings a new vision to Count Orlok, now more demonic than human. Willem Dafoe, as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, dominates every scene he is in; as the eccentric, driven, expert of the occult. The other members of the cast form a strong ensemble, with no bad performances.
The screenplay was written by Egger’s, this is obviously the biggest difference from the original: dialogue, where as in the original there was only the screen cards. Some of these have been used in the script; so, there is nothing comparable. It did give Egger’s the ability to place the back story between Ellen and the Count, and fill in the gaps in the visuals. Does this addition make it superior to the original? It could be argued that this is simply what is expected; the visual and audio together. Technological progress that we now take for granted; so, different from the original but not necessarily better.
As would be expected the costumes and sets are wonderful; the film is visually stunning. The attention to historical accuracy and detail in both could not be bettered. His use of desaturated colour takes the visual to another level, hovering between the world of colour and black and white. This heightens the feeling for the viewer of being between two worlds; the corporeal and the supernatural but never quite real. Egger’s use of candlelight is beautiful; but not original. The great Stanley Kubrick created this effect in his 1975 film, ‘Barry Lyndon’. At the time there were no lenses fast enough to film in such low light, he had to source lenses from NASA and have them adapted. Again, a case of technology for ever moving forward giving the film maker more ‘tools in their box’.
So, was the film better than the original, no it was different, it had sound, colour, and special effects technology. Or as professor Van Franz would say we were ‘mesmerized by the gaseous light of science’. Perhaps it would have been better to simply make a new vampire film with a new title. Because the original ‘Nosferatu’ created so many of the tropes the horror genre now relies on, people would still have made comparisons. This shows the power of the original. Egger’s, lifted some scenes directly from the 1922 version; whilst beautifully shot he could have left them out or reframed them.
Unfortunately, we are now back where we started ‘why do it?’ he could have made something original, whilst still borrowing from the 1922 version. Despite these comments it is a very good film, just unoriginal, leaving the feeling of a wasted opportunity. Perhaps equally worrying, it is reported that Egger’s next project is a sequel to the Jim Henson 1986 film ‘Labyrinth’. We can only hope he doesn’t squander his talent by rehashing the past; but returns to making original films.
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