“Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror” from 1922 is, according to many, the production that set the direction for horror films and changed cinematography forever. The work is an immortal classic of German expressionism, and although it is a silent film, created in a completely different reality, for a different audience, it still delights over 100 years after its premiere.
“Nosferatu” returns after 102 years. There is already a trailer for Eggers’ new film
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s work captivates with its non-obvious frames full of distortions, phenomenal play of shadows and architectural symmetry, exaggerated drama and clever special effects. The story taken from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is the first film adaptation of a vampire story. Details and proper names in the production were changed for copyright reasons, but Stoker’s heirs filed a lawsuit against the creators anyway. By court decision, all copies of “Nosferatu” were to be destroyed. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
After 102 years, Count Orlok returns to the screens in another installment. This time, Robert Eggers, known as the creator of films such as “Viking” and “Lighthouse”, is responsible for the reinterpretation of Murnau’s work. The first trailer of “Nosferatu”, whose world premiere is scheduled for December 25, 2024, has already been released online. And it’s disappointing.
The film seems to be taking the easy way out, and not just in terms of casting. We will soon see Bill Skarsgård in the title role, who not so long ago created a phenomenal portrayal of another horror hero – Pennywise. The actor will soon play another madman in the remake of the gothic classic – the titular Raven. And that’s right, Skarsgård is capable of playing the most unpredictable and messed-up characters, but it would be good if it didn’t turn out that he plays all of them. In the trailer for “Nosferatu” we see the actor only facing away from the camera, so it is difficult to assess his final appearance in full make-up. Skarsgård himself said in interviews that the process of transforming into a vampire was like “conjuring pure evil” for him. “It took me a while to shake off the role of the demon that had sprouted in me,” he emphasized, but the film’s announcement does not yet show this horror.
The anxiety surrounding Skarsgård’s appearance on the screen builds on his surroundings. Efficient assembly, colors, sounds. The figure itself, although visible quite vaguely in the fragment, differs from the original and loses in reception due to its coarseness, far from the morbidly emaciated original. What you can see for a split second in the “Nosferatu” trailer is the fact that the creators said goodbye to Orlok’s bald head and his characteristic double-breasted black coat. The new vampire has slicked back hair and a large fur collar covers his neck. In the main roles in Eggers’ new work we will also see Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, who looks phenomenal in the trailer, and Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter. This is another apt casting, but it is worth remembering that the actor has only just played Dracula’s servant in “Renfield”. You can feel satiated.
Four million plays a day. Will “Nosferatu” be a cinema hit?
Another obvious addition to the cast is Willem Dafoe, who will play the role of Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz. The actor has not only played in another version of the story about Nosferatu (he played the vampire himself in the production “Shadow of the Vampire”, which told about the fictional process of creating the cult film), but also recently created the phenomenal character of Dr. Godwin Baxter in “The Poor Creatures”. The film, which won four Oscars, clearly refers to both Gothic cinema and the second most popular horror novel of the 19th century – “Frankenstein”.
The trailer for “Nosferatu” was viewed over four million times in less than 24 hours, and horror fans do not hide their excitement about Eggers’ new work. And in fact, it is a clever announcement that doesn’t say much about the film itself, but does a great job of building tension and presenting the dark, gothic atmosphere of the cult novel. I’m also glad that the creators constantly refer to the original film in the shots and script. However, it is hard to resist the impression that the fragment looks like a combination of “Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola from 1992 and “Frankenstein” by Kenneth Branagh, published two years later.
When the information appeared on the Internet that Robert Eggers would be responsible for the remake of “Nosferatu”, expectations skyrocketed. The director is associated with artistic cinema, which gave hope for a completely new approach to the character of Dracula, played in many ways, and to the genre itself. The director himself swore that he avoids clichéd “Marvel-like” productions, and his claustrophobic “Lighthouse” and the theatrical “Viking” are commercial films with large budgets, but still very original. Eggers’ uniqueness and spark were missing in the trailer.
Instead, we got a rather generic announcement of an atmospheric horror film that doesn’t stand out in any way and seems to introduce changes where the cult work doesn’t need them at all. Anyone expecting a postmodern variation on Dracula like “The Poor Creatures” will likely be disappointed. My slight excitement (because the perfect 1922 film did not need to be improved!) with the new version of “Nosferatu” completely faded away. Now I only hope that Eggers’ work as a whole will do much better than in the pieces put together (probably by the promotion department), but I don’t expect a revolution.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
