Nosferatu: A Return to the Roots of Horror

By Alicia McCormack
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Warning: The following review may contain spoilers for Nosferatu (2024) and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922).

Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) was the first film of its kind and has become a model for all future Vampire Films. Over one hundred years later, its 2024 remake – directed by Robert Eggers – seeks to celebrate its predecessor’s powerful influence in film, and contribute something new to toe-curling horror. The film is set in 1838 in the fictional German town of Wisborg, the cobblestoned streets and timber houses with tilted roofs immediately immerse us in the period. Newly married couple Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) hope to build themselves a happy future far removed from Ellen’s forlorn past, but the moody shadows that bask the town signify otherwise. The script also brings us along with Thomas on his journey to Transylvania through wild fields and snowy mountains to the castle of the mysterious, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard).

Nosferatu (2024) was in need of redemption, following the controversy surrounding the 1922 version, which was an unauthorised adaptation of the novel Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker. Stoker’s widow sued the German filmmakers for copyright violation and won. The courts ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed, but Nosferatu had already embedded itself in horror culture and several copies distributed across Europe were carefully preserved [1]. With Dracula now in the public domain, Eggers was free to blend the most disturbing and human elements of both stories.

Nosferatu borrows from Dracula its imposing otherworldly vampire and the vulnerable woman he preys on. Eggers sources even more inspiration in the material. Professor Von Franz (Willem Dafoe), the misunderstood genius obsessed with the occult, does not exist in the first movie and resembles the vampire hunter Van Helsing of Dracula. Both are recruited by a former student to help the vampire’s victim and join the mission to defeat him. The close friendship between Ellen and Anna (Emma Corrin) is also a new development. It is reminiscent of Mina’s relationship with Lucy in Dracula and serves to bring more depth to Ellen’s character as well as increase the tragedy of the fate of supporting characters such as Anna.

Ellen is at the center of Egger’s narrative, spectacularly played by Lily-Rose Depp, who once more showcases her ability to tackle deeply troubled characters. Ellen is ethereally beautiful, and Depp gives her a haunting air that nails the tone of the film. Her depictions of Ellen’s convulsions, inflicted by Orlok, are terrifying to watch. She feels helpless at the beginning of the film, entirely at the whim of Orlok who uses her as a sex slave despite the vast distance between them. When he sets out on a ship to finally claim her, it seems as if Thomas will have to be the one to fight to save the love of his life. But the gravity of Orlok and Ellen’s connection is beyond Thomas’s understanding or valiant efforts. Unlike in the original film, Ellen is not just a passive victim of Orlok. It was she who awakened him from his grave when she called out for salvation from her loneliness as a young girl. They have a complicated relationship with clear sexual motivations in their meetings that are darkly contrasted with her pure and genuine love for Thomas. While Thomas believes he can defeat Orlok while Ellen hides at home, she summoned the vampire and only she can destroy him. She must make the ultimate sacrifice of offering herself to him to save her loved ones. The final scene is excruciating to watch as Orlok ravages Ellen’s body and soul. The self-sacrifice is refreshing, it is a display of female agency often lacking in traditional gothic horror. Eggers transformed the one-dimensional “damsel in distress” into a woman deeply committed to those she loves who becomes a tragic heroine for the greater good.

Egger’s Nosferatu is a great example of a remake that stays faithful to the essence of the original, while also embellishing it with a freshness, relevance and relatability that appeals to younger, contemporary audiences.

Sources

[1] Scally, D. (2022). Nosferatu and the fangs of copyright infringement. The Irish Times. [Online]. 5 March 2022. Available at https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/nosferatu-and-the-fangs-of-copyright-infringement-1.4814233 [Accessed 26 January 2025].