I revolt horror films. While I think they are the most creative movies (they know no boundaries) — how you have a dream where nothing makes sense yet it’s happening — I cannot watch them. I saw 3 films of horror/psychological thriller genre last year because I had company who only wanted to watch horror, and I had only heard good things about these films — Silent Night (2021), Split, and Midsommar. Nosferatu left me feeling the same way Midsommar did, only worse.

I am a terrified child. Vidya Balan’s performance in Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) gave me nightmares for days and hindered my ability to go to the restroom at night, or sleep alone. Note - I was 7, and am no better now.

I watched both the films

I watched Nosferatu (2024) first. I looked up all the interviews and how people on reddit were obsessed with Nosferatu (1922). It piqued my interest, and decided to watch it. Nosferatu is based on ‘Dracula’, a book by Bram Stroker. 25 years later, the book was adapted as a film by F.W. Murnau. The 1922 film was 100% less gruesome, gory, and sensual. Robert Eggers didn’t miss capturing the true essence of the 1922 film. He incorporated many similarities to stay true to the scenes and distinguished them through his visual direction. I get the hype, but I also don’t get it, and here is why: —

1. The film was made in the silent era. While the music for the film was great, horror without the eerie sounds of the footsteps, breath, screams, cries is bland when you’ve grown up accustomed to sound. Background score is the most important yet often overlooked aspect of a film/show.
2. I have never been too interested in the whole vampire fantasy lore, albeit I am guilty of watching The Vampire Diaries. Perhaps the reason why the 1922 film resonates with so many people is because it was the foundation for the future vampire films.
3. I haven’t studied film, and hence have not been exposed to films of that time (except Charlie Chaplin’s). I can appreciate the visual effects and make-up done at the time with the tools they had, but I have nothing to compare it to, except films of today. That said, am I going to expose myself to more silent films — yes!
4. There is one scene in the film that is the most non-horror scene ever. Count Orlok, after arriving at Wisborg (where he purchased his new house), carries his coffin — in which he sleeps — around the town in search for his house. With the perfect background music, that scene is a comedy.

The idea of Nosferatu taking his coffin filled with cursed earth everywhere he goes really does lose any possible eeriness the image could conjure when you show him doing so by lugging it around like a Rubbermaid storage tub, and it’s my favorite scene for it. — someone in the YouTube comments section

Bill Skarsgård is nowhere to be found

Bill Skarsgård is in this film, yet he is nowhere to be found. I had only seen a couple of press videos for this film, so I did not know the whole cast and the characters they are playing. I thought Willem Dafoe was playing Nosferatu until he appeared as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz. It was not until the credits started rolling when I saw Bill Skarsgård’s name and the first two words out of my mouth were “Fuckin’ A!”. What a brilliant, captivating performance!

Fun fact: This is not the first time Bill Skarsgård was in a film, and you didn’t know. He played Pennywise in IT, and Kro in Eternals. At the rate at which he is playing these non-human characters, he is going to be added to the “who if not Doug Jones” list that I created (nowehere). Skarsgård family, I bow to you!

My mind controls me, or is it Nosferatu?

The actor that everyone is raving about, the man who created an image my mind tries to take me back to while I eat, is Simon McBurney. I say try because I had closed my eyes during that scene, so I can’t think of the scene in its entirety. 

Simon McBurney ate a pigeon’s head off in his character as Herr Knock (in the 1800s, they pronounced the first ‘K’ in the ‘Knock’) and delivered a performance worth being studied. Everything from the physical acting to the expressions, dialogue delivery is a masterclass. The entire movie made my stomach turn, but that scene also broke my mind.

If you think Simon McBurney looks familiar, it’s because he played ‘Atlee’ in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and ‘Kreacher’ in Harry Potter (though you won’t recognise him).

HUMANS

This is the first film I have seen of Lily Rose Depp. I was intrigued by her performance from the get go. She nailed the ‘possessed’ parts of the physical acting, and while there is room to grow, she has a fan in me. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

You want to talk about range, talk about Emma Corrin! They went from playing Princess Diana (The Crown), to Cassandra Nova (Deadpool and Wolverine), to Anna Harding (Nosferatu). Each role played with utmost delicacy.

Aaron Taylor-Joy (hope someone gets the joke) surprised me the most. I had previously seen him in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and always associated him with Quicksilver. I never realised I had seen him give a brilliant performance in one other film — Nocturnal Animals. You know how they say, if you hate a character, it means the actor did a great job. I hated Ray Marcus, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson did a fantastic job! I still, didn’t know he had this range. His performance, emotions, stance, in Nosferatu, moved me. Possibly, the only character I felt bad for. Except for the last part where his character does something very twisted.

Trivia: Bill Skarsgård and Aaron Taylor-Johnson shared the screen playing characters based in the 1800s in the film Anna Karenina. While they also play characters based in 1800s in Nosferatu, they never share the screen.

I had no idea Nicholas Hoult was a child actor until 2 days ago when I came across a clip of Kieran Culkin accepting a Critic’s Choice award for ‘Igby Goes Down’ and acknowledging a 12 year Nicholas Hoult nominated in the same category for ‘About A Boy’. I know of him from The Great, and the X-Men films. Often confused him with Sam Claflin. His performance along with Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson felt like three musketeers living their worst nightmare.

Overall, the cinematography, direction, editing, visuals, costumes, sets, were all incredible art. I’m so glad the film was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of- hair and makeup, costume, cinematography, and production. It is rightfully deserved. The film transported me to the 19th century. I wanted to wake up from that nightmare. When i finally got fresh air after coming out of the theatre, boy was I happy to see normal humans around me.

Final pieces of nerdy information about the film

1. If my research is correct, Robert Eggers is currently the only director to have worked with two members of the Skarsgård family, in two different projects.
2. Eggers has previously worked with Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson on multiple projects.
3. Willem Dafoe starred in a film called ‘Shadow of a Vampire’ where he played Nosferatu. It’s one of those films that you would want to watch as soon as you read about it. The plot is insanely good!