At The Movies: Nosferatu breathes stunning new life into a classic vampire tale

Nosferatu (M18)

132 minutes, opens on Feb 27
★★★★☆

The story: Set in Germany in 1838, the story opens with estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) being given a lucrative assignment: Travel to Transylvania to meet the reclusive nobleman Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) to close a transaction. Hutter, eager to get out of debt, takes the job, against the wishes of his new bride Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp). She has been afflicted with horrifying visions of a figure coming to claim her.

In one striking scene, rural peasants are shown exhuming a corpse to pierce its chest with an iron spike, believing the impalement will stop the dead from rising again to feed on the living.

Since the scene is in a movie by American film-maker Robert Eggers, it can be safely said to be based on fact. Researchers in Eastern Europe excavating gravesites have found iron tools frequently used to ritualistically pin corpses to the earth.

The writer-director in his horror films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019) and now, in Nosferatu, immerses viewers in the past as it was viewed through the eyes of his characters, rather than having it fit a narrative constructed by a present-day storyteller. His fastidiousness about period detail goes beyond the interior lives of his characters, to include language. From The Witch, set in the 17th century, comes this famous line: “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?” Screenings with English subtitles are available in Singapore and should be sought out to get the most out of the screenplay’s linguistic riches.

Eggers’ latest is a passion project and a love letter to Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror (1922), directed by F.W. Murnau, and a seminal work which has cast a long shadow on film-making in the 20th century and beyond.

Eggers’ screenplay significantly reimagines the original. Most notably, Hutter has had his point of view diminished; the picture of evil that is Count Orlok is now mostly experienced by Ellen, with others in Hutter’s circle also falling prey, including his friend Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his wife Anna (Emma Corrin), and the occultist-scientist Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe). 

The expansion of the story from a single protagonist to an ensemble piece is reflected in the visual style – from the first frame, viewers are treated to a masterclass in framing, composition and colour control. In this world, shadows are not just representations of evil; they are characters in themselves through Orlok’s occult powers.

From candlelit interiors to moonlit Baltic landscapes, there is haunting beauty in the visuals that transcend mere creepiness. The film’s power comes from its performances as much as its atmosphere. Depp is outstanding as the woman plagued by a demonic stalker – the physicality of her performance makes her terror painfully visible.

Hot take: The exquisitely crafted horror tale reimagines the 1922 vampire classic with meticulous historical detail, haunting visuals and an unforgettably chilling Count Orlok.