#REVIEW: “NOSFERATU”

Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

Dracula!!! Ever heard of him? Robert Eggers‘ Nosferatu might make you wish you never had. His reinvention of the classic, hall of fame monster is arguably the most flat-out foreboding, hair-raising, (and least charming!) version ever put to film.

It’s 1838 as winter descends on Victorian England. I had no idea Nosferatu was a Christmas movie. Ellen Hunter (Lily-Rose Depp) teeters on the brink of madness, haunted by visions of an obsessive spirit. Her husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult, at the tail end of an incredible year), is quick to dismiss her warnings just as he heads off to a meeting in Transylvania that’s more than likely to change his tune. Nosferatu awaits–in the form of an unrecognizable, wheezing Bill Skarsgård. Between this and It, I’m sold–Skarsgård should play every monster going forward. Every member of this cast surrenders their soul to the terror of Nosferatu without reservation. Depp almost single-handedly sold me on her demonic possession with an astonishing physical performance. Willem Dafoe was born to inhabit this portentous world. Simon McBurney may be the most gleefully gross guy of the year. Even Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who I don’t typically stan, gives a great supporting turn as yet another skeptical Victorian man.

Nosferatu–in classic Eggers form–is an onslaught of gorgeous framing and blocking. Nearly every composition would feel right at home in a giant frame above a roaring fireplace in a cold, creepy castle. It’s worth seeing in IMAX for its audacious, bloodcurdling aesthetic alone. But, strangely enough, it didn’t work for me as a horror movie. There’s no tonal contrast to be had between any of the dark-as-hell setpieces. No beating heart worth saving at the center of this nightmare. Hoult’s first reaction to Depp‘s plea for help is to “never speak a word of this.” They’re far from a portrait of giddy, newlywed romance. Honestly, there’s a case to be made that the monster–Hoult’s rival for Depp‘s heart–is more emotionally invested. At times, the tone is SUCH an unabashed creepfest that it stumbles over into Comedy. There were more than a handful of moments that drew outright laughter from my crowd, and I’m not convinced Nosferatu had a handle on its own silliness.

I feel like a spoiled Victorian child complaining about any element of this embarrassment of bloody riches, but I longed for a Screenplay that gave off some light to go up against Nosferatu‘s boundless darkness. Without even a whisper of romance or warmth, a good chunk of its potential terror is blunted. But–like many of its cinematic predecessors–it’s an undeniable spectacle sure to bring on the shivers.

Focus Features and Universal Pictures Canada release NOSFERATU in theatres Christmas Day.