Roger Eggers is one of the most exciting directors of recent years. His films are unique in both tone and visuals. Whether it be the creepy The Witch, the strange The Lighthouse or even the disappointing The Northman, he brought something unique to the screen. Now, his passion project has hit the screen to start in 2025. Nosferatu is a vampire movie based on the 1922 silent German film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. While it re-imagines the story, this film is brimming with visual delights but slow in storytelling.

Thomas Hutter has to visit Count Orlok in Transylvania to prepare for a new home in Germany for the unusual man. It soon becomes apparent that there is something wrong with the Count, and even though Thomas’s job as an estate agent would lead him to vast amounts of money, he is worried about what the Count will bring. Once back in his hometown, the ship with the Count on board crashes and brings with him the plague, while the mysterious man has his eye on Thomas’s wife, Ellen.

As in all of Eggers’s films, the production design is outstanding. Using a greying colour palette, this is beautifully shot and captures the time and the film’s overall tone. This gothic retelling recreates the costumes and settings with perfect accuracy. Shots of the city convey a time of depression and bleakness, and with the arrival of the rats from Orlok’s ship, they are often seen scampering around the cobblestones, which makes it feel somewhat unnerving.

His representation of Count Orlok is terrifying. Famously played by Max Schreck in the original and Klaus Kinski in the 1978 remake, they both went for the pointed ears and bald head. Eggers Orlok looks like a decaying army general with a comb-over and moustache, still wearing his army uniform. While the previous outings had an air of mystery, this far more sinister-looking man will give you nightmares.

Where the film struggles is the pacing. While the opening is intriguing and grabs you the moment it starts with a flashback that sets the tone immediately, it does wander a little during the second act, when the Count finally arrives in Germany. You are waiting for the three nights that he has promised Ellen. Eggers wants to build on the suspense, but instead, he does have some long scenes where nothing happens, and your attention starts to wander. A pity, really, as this could have been a little tighter in the second section and didn’t need to be so lingering.

The film has some adequate shocks and scares to appeal to horror fans, with plenty of jumps and some grisly moments, as well as when Orlok is feasting on the flesh. The ending is also very satisfying, with a decent body horror moment. It also cements the fact that this is, in fact, not just a remake of the 1922 film but also the tale of Dracula. You watch, and an air of familiarity runs through it. Due to copyright issues, the makers of the German film weren’t allowed to use Dracula, so they created Nosferatu even though the story runs the same course as the Bram Stoker original.

Eggers surrounds himself with a first-class cast, and they all deliver. Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, is a revelation. She is superb as Ellen, a woman caught between the monster and the man she loves. It’s a brave performance that will stand her in good stead for future projects. Nicholas Hoult perfectly suits Thomas’s role, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson, having survived the awful Kraven The Hunter, shows he can deliver decent performances as Thomas’s friend, Freidrich.

Eggers regular Willem Dafoe comes in like he has entered a completely different film as von Franz, a carbon copy of Van Helsing, and chews the scenery up brilliantly so it doesn’t feel out of place. As the title character, Bill Skarsgard is as terrifying as Orlok, with a voice that sends shudders through you. He has made it his place to be a horror star with performances that are always different from the ones before. You can see the similarities between Orlok and Pennywise from It, yet they are miles apart.

Nosferatu is a skillfully crafted horror film I was so pleased to see. It captured the audience’s attention as I was in a sell-out screening in Imax. It is handsomely made and very creepy. It’s a shame it had the slow section in the middle; otherwise, this would have been a five-star movie.

4 out of 5

Director: Robert Eggers

Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Arron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney

Written by: Robert Eggers, (inspired by the screenplay “Nosferatu”) Henrik Galeen and (inspired by the novel “Dracula”) Bram Stoker

Running Time: 132 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 1st January 2025