Nosferatu (2024): A Gorgeous Update of a Horror Classic (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Writer/director Robert Eggers has never been one to shy away from delivering strange, twisted experiences in films like "The Witch" and "The Lighthouse," films that may not have been fully satisfying in the end, but still left quite a lingering impact with their chilling, mysterious atmospheres. This makes it no surprise that he would want to try his hand at tackling a remake of a horror classic like "Nosferatu," a tale already told by greats F.W. Murnau and Werner Herzog, but one that is quite ripe for a new director to put their personal spin on all these decades later. The previous versions certainly leave a lot to live up to, but with Eggers at the helm of this new rendition, you know at the very least you're going to be in for a visual marvel. The only question is, will his telling of the tale be enough to charm the viewer?

Taking place in 1838, we find Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) and his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) living in the town of Wisburg, Germany. Thomas, who works in real estate, has been given a commission to sell a piece of property to the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard), which would require a lengthy trip to Transylvania. Ellen, disturbed by a dream she had, tries to get him to stay, but he goes anyway, leaving her in the care of their friends Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-John) and his wife Anna (Emma Corrin).

Thomas's journey to the Count's castle is a long and strange one, with the peasants he meets along the way shunning him and warning him about going to the castle. He finally meets with Orlok, and though he is a very unusual individual, Thomas presses on and completes the sale. However, rather strange things begins to happen to Thomas, including memory issues and mysterious bite marks appearing on his chest. Thomas eventually escapes and makes his way back home, where his wife has been experiencing disturbing problems of her own, problems that Dr. Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) believes are being caused by the vampire Nosferatu. With Orlok revealed to be Nosferatu, they must all band together to defeat him and the plague he's unleashed on their town.

The idea of doing a "Nosferatu" remake is something that's been on Eggers' mind for several years, ever since he directed a play based on the material in his youth. However, when he first put some serious thought into actually making it, he felt his skills as a filmmaker hadn't sufficiently developed yet, causing him to delay it while he made other features. This certainly made sense, as it would be a tremendous undertaking, and, as mentioned earlier, this story (originally an illegal adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula") had already been done twice by two renowned directors, so it would not only require great skill on a visual level, but also something to make it stand out from the others.

As far as the story goes, you're not going to see a whole lot that's new here. It's the longest of the three versions by far, so you'll see a little expansion here and there, but it's basically the same story, which is perfectly fine. When one does a remake or an homage to a classic tale, you don't want to change it too much, but just enough so that you're not merely doing a pointless retread of the same material.

However, what can be changed quite a bit in terms of making it his own are the cast & visuals. Eggers has assembled a fantastic ensemble, including Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe, to bring this new iteration to life, all of whom succeed quite admirably in making these characters their own. Of course, an enormous piece of the credit must go to the tremendous team of designers, who give the film a gorgeous gothic look with its incredible costumes, production design, and makeup, all beautifully captured via Jarin Blaschke's stunning cinematography. With all of this amazing artistry, it comes as no surprise that all four of these departments received Oscar nominations just last month.

What we end up with is a new rendition of the old tale that's just different enough to make it feel fresh again, brought to life by a marvelous cast who inhabit their characters very well, and a remarkable team of filmmakers & artists who give the film its perfect gothic look & atmosphere. As mentioned, Eggers certainly had a lot to live up to by trying to put his own spin on this familiar story, but after years of waiting and bringing together the right team of actors & creatives, it ultimately paid off, leaving us with an intriguing telling that's worthy of standing alongside its previous renditions.

Video/Audio:

"Nosferatu" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.66:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of outstanding quality (for both the Extended & Theatrical Cuts). It was shot on 35mm film, giving it the perfect look, and beautifully highlighting its Oscar-nominated cinematography, costumes, production design, and makeup. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos DVS audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and the BAFTA-nominated score in excellent quality. Overall, the film has been given wonderful treatment in both areas for its debut physical release.

Special Features:

Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Robert Eggers

Nosferatu: A Modern Masterpiece (41 Minutes): A fantastic six-part featurette that delves into the making of the film, featuring interviews with the cast & crew.

Deleted Scenes (3 Sequences, 6 Minutes)

Conclusion:

Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" gives us an intriguing new telling of the classic tale, bringing it to life with a remarkably talented cast that make these characters their own and a marvelous team of artists that give the film its perfect gothic look & atmosphere, ultimately making for a new rendition that changes the story just enough to feel fresh again, and looking absolutely gorgeous while doing so.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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