Before seeing this movie, I heard everyone around me talking and posting online about it. I heard mostly good things, which is why I was so confused when in the theater.
I’ll preface this by saying I’ve never seen the original, so some references very well have flown past my head. My mom tried to explain to me how they fit a few details from the original into the new one, like the dramatic scene with the hand going over the town, but I was already over it by that point. With what I did understand about this movie, I hated it.
Nosferatu focuses on Ellen Hutter, who is being haunted by a vampire. Ellen, played by Lily-Rose Depp, experiences possessed-like episodes with seizures and sleepwalking. This was the first big part that had me rethinking why I paid for a ticket to see this. The acting of these scenes was awkward, and honestly, really hard to watch. I don’t dislike Depp as an actor; I think she has had some great roles, but this was not one of them. Watching Depp shake on the floor with rolled back eyes as she groaned and laughed wasn’t giving me the reaction I think it was supposed to.
I hate to admit that after about 30 minutes I was glancing at my phone to see how much longer was left. I feel like movies are getting longer and longer when it’s not necessary. This film did not need to be over two hours long. What happened to 90 minute movies where I wasn’t left waiting for it to be over? Dragging out movies that aren’t really even that good is getting more common, and Nosferatu is the perfect example.
Ellen’s husband Thomas, played by Nicholas Hoult, is sent on a commission from his job to sell a house to a man named Count Orlock, played by Bill Skarsgard. He finds out that Orlock isn’t who he thought he would be.
Nicholas Hoult is a good actor in my eyes, from Skins to The Menu, I’ve enjoyed his work. But once again, this role was not one I enjoyed. Most of his scenes just felt awkward and his acting felt forced at times.
Skarsgard was a good pick for this role; he has excelled at character with weird demeanors, specifically seen in his role as Pennywise from It. He has the ability to make you uncomfortable with his roles in the best way. Orlock wasn’t my favorite character of his. Like a lot of the characters in this film, he felt very uncoordinated at times, but I still felt on edge when he was on screen. At least Orlock was able to make me feel something other than boredom.
If Nosferatu had one redeeming quality, it would be Dafoe. In fact, if this entire movie had been just Dafoe, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Ellen was taken to a doctor to look at her seizures and see what was happening. Professor Albin Erberhart Von Franz, played by Willem Dafoe, was the first one to suggest the idea that Ellen had been cursed by a vampire.
He has such a character for playing the role of madmen; we saw this in Poor Things and The Lighthouse. His acting is so memorable and satisfying to watch. His mannerisms and voice make you feel like he really is insane. Playing the role of a doctor that everyone thinks is crazy was the absolute perfect casting. I genuinely believe he was the only good part of this film.
To be honest, I couldn’t tell you in great detail how this movie ended. As the body of this film was so dragged out, the ending felt rushed. Once it was finally over, I sat back in my seat, still trying to think of what the hell I had just watched.
Of all the films I watched from 2024, this was by far the worst one. It’s been a while since I’ve left a theater feeling genuinely disappointed. I’m genuinely in awe at how hyped up this movie was, for how unexciting it really ended up being.
