Last Updated on November 11, 2024 by Angel Melanson
Robert Eggers' Nosferatu is easily one of 2024's most anticipated movies, swooping right in before the end of the year to ensure its place on all of those “Best of 2024” lists. Last night, the Nosferatu reaction embargo was lifted – and, dear readers, if you weren't already (this is the director who gave us The Witch and The Lighthouse after all), it might be time to get hyped.
Starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eggers' take on the F.W. Murnau expressionist classic follows a young woman (Depp) who becomes the object of desire for the terrifying vampire Count Orlok (Skarsgård)
While Nosferatu hits theaters on Christmas Day (and not until New Year's Day 2025 for UK viewers) for most of us, lucky critics who had the chance to attend Focus Features' screening last night – with the great Guillermo del Toro in attendance for a Q&A – have been sharing their first reactions. Let's take a look at some:
Let's start with Fango's own Digital Editor, Angel Melanson, who hints at Eggers' mastery of balancing the bleakest scenes you've ever seen with some of the most beautiful:
Robert Eggers knows how to make a movie. Even when showing us the most monstrous and horrific, there’s a beauty to it and it’s on full rotten display in #Nosferatu
— HorrorGirlProblems (Angel Melanson) (@HorrorGirlProbs) November 8, 2024
Courtney Howard of LA Film Critics Association chimed in on the performances in the film, noting Depp and Hoult are particular highlights:
Robert Eggers’ #Nosferatu goes HARDER than any other horror film this year. Holy fuck. A gorgeous grotesquerie of dread-infused terrors & a divine dark delight. Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok is pure sinister nightmare fuel. Lily Rose Depp & Nicholas Hoult’s best work to date. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/uxbHTQN0nc
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) November 8, 2024
Total Film's Matt Maytum spoke on that good ol' fashioned Eggers dread:
I’ve been lucky enough to see #Nosferatu already and it’s probably my favourite film of Eggers’ to date. It’s saturated in dread, but still I just wanted to wallow in that world. Bill Skarsgård genuinely unrecognisable; Lily-Rose Depp v impressive also. One of the year’s best
— Matt Maytum (@mattmaytum) November 8, 2024
Discussing Film's Andrew J. Salazar dishes on the question we ALL wanna know: just how horny is Nosferatu?
NOSFERATU is a hypnotic, psychosexual nightmare. Lily-Rose Depp gives a showstopping performance, bolstered by a fantastic Nicholas Hoult.
Bill Skarsgård is incredible and unrecognizable as Count Orlok, his take drawing more from the perverted romance of this dark fable. pic.twitter.com/OK7iYaMG9y
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) November 8, 2024
IndieWire's David Ehrlich seems to expand on that teasing that Nosferatu comes with a lot of sweaty bed scenes:
relatively confident that Robert Eggers' Nosferatu has more writhing sweatily in bed than any other movie ever made (complimentary)
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) November 8, 2024
The horniness allegations (complimentary) continue with Griffin Schiller of FilmSpeak's review:
#Nosferatu surpasses the hype as Eggers delivers a wickedly sinister reimagining of the iconic legend. A deeply chilling nightmare that lingers. If you love the horny fever dream of Coppola's Dracula you'll adore this. Lilly Rose Depp is ASTOUNDING! Easily one of the year's best. pic.twitter.com/1lCQsage68
— Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) November 8, 2024
We don't know about you, but those of us at Team Fango who haven't yet seen Nosferatu (including this poor writer) are absolutely chomping at the bit to get Eggers' vampire epic into our eyeballs. See you in the crypt on Christmas Day.
