Mark Kermode reviews Nosferatu - Kermode and Mayo's Take

[@niallh4194]

The sequence in the forest with Thomas to the carriage arriving and bringing him to the castle was haunting and so full of surreal dreamlike dread. Beautifully conveyed a sense of mystery and fear in such a fairytale like way that I adored. Kept thinking, goddamn have been wanting to see something this eerie in a film for quite a while. Eggers has such a knack for conveying shots that look like paintings. Adore his work apart from The Northman. But I love how much he gets the historical mythology and mysticism in the stuff that frightens us. Witches, Barren Lighthouses and Vampires. All I could think was I would love to see him take on Jack the Ripper

[@kendolandon]

Ohhh, i didn't know i wanted that (Eggers doing a Jack The Ripper film), but wow, do I.

[@jneilson7568]

He would be perfect to adapt From Hell, perhaps.

[@kendolandon]

@jneilson7568 he would, but if the rights have reverted back to Alan Moore, it would never happen.

[@jneilson7568]

@@kendolandon true, but they would definitely find common ground in their love of the occult.

[@brianjones8721]

@@kendolandon Never say never, Moore is currently working on a streaming series adaptation of his new Great When novels - he may be an Eggers fan!

[@larrylevan3378]

The opening scenes with Orlock in his castle were fantastic

[@meltingmoody]

when the carrige comes to pick up thomas was such a goregous scene

[@Leebob]

It’s gothic horror at its very best and the cinematography is truly exceptional, with a stellar cast. Can’t wait to see it again

[@michaljambor7772]

The plot was losing some of its tension in the second half. But in hindsight, it was a romp, as Mark says. There is much to like here

[@the_weed_in_your_garden9319]

@@Leebob I regret watching it already 😂 LOL

[@j0nnyism]

Can I take a teenage daughter to see it?

[@mrl397]

13 no. 18 yes.

[@firesaint4569]

@@j0nnyismI think it’s fine for an older teenager but it’d probably be an awkward watch together tbh

[@samm8410]

I think it’s very interesting that Isabelle Adjani played Lucy/Ellen in Herzog’s Nosferatu, but Lily Rose-Depp seemed to be more inspired by her performance in Possession.

[@beejls]

That's one crazy good flick.

[@megashillyshally]

I love Isabelle Adjani.

[@animaljustice7774]

This movie is probably crap compared to the original 1979 version. Nothing can surpass the original one.

[@neantibi]

well, her performance in Possession is much better than her performance in Herzog’s Nosferatu

[@zmani4379]

Possession is a major influence on this film, I think

[@eliotmccann2589]

Our inflated "here's the thing" lands at 4:52. And a happy new year.

[@malak900]

Cheers, HNY!🎉

[@Lyndonimus]

Not all heroes wear capes

[@Thomas_of_the_forest]

A positive "Here's the thing" thankfully!

[@lazyartiste_2357]

A Positive Kermode review to start the year. Good work lads!!!

[@michaelseibold9977]

I get a kick out of the fact that Nick Hoult played Renfield in Nick Cage's vampire send up movie is a hoot.

[@darklorddysart]

And Dafoe in Shsdow of the Vampire

[@luckyday8522]

I can’t wait to rewatch, his films really reveal themselves upon repeat viewings

[@BenjaminMcCann-p6u]

Not always. I think The Northman is quite shallow in comparison to his other works and yet too much of a slog to try to extract more enjoyment from a second viewing.

[@obi-wanjabronii]

That final shot of Orlok, my word.

[@robmoore8909]

I did too. It was a great final image of the artistic motif that ran throughout the film: The Danse Macabre. The last image was another wonderful entry into the art library of “Death and the Maiden”. Eggers is so deep.

[@onemorechris]

worthy of an album cover for Cradle of Filth

[@pigchamp3627]

What the little boney bottom and string bean legs?

[@jamiepidgeon7188]

Great shot but the screening I was in burst into laughter sadly..

[@stephenrochester6309]

@@onemorechris or Cannibal Corpse

[@dazherbert2782]

I love the Northman. It deserves revisiting.

[@WaniZame]

I thought it was great too! Simple story maybe lacking in substance but was constantly entertaining and a visual and audio feast!

[@willemmerson4524]

I personally prefer it to nosferatu, though nosferatu was also incredible

[@Evil_Peter]

I too highly enjoyed The Northman. I think all four of Eggers' films have been really good.

[@simonevans1838]

Northman was claptrap.

[@dazherbert2782]

@@simonevans1838 oh well, I just liked the vibe

[@subberfischer]

Chuffed that I had the candles/Barry Lyndon thought while watching it - as a German, I loved all the cultural references, Schubert, Caspar David Friedrich, even the kitsch painter Spitzweg, from the Biedermeier era? It made me think a lot of the rise of the bourgeoisie after the clash of Enlightenment and Romanticism. Eggers really made the most of Murnau's 1838 setting, not just the costumes and interiors, but the philosophies and mindset.

[@Tymbus]

An interesting take, thanks

[@elevenseven-yq4vu]

Once again, Eggers comes around with a vast amount of historical accuracy, considering this is first and foremost a tale of fantasy and horror, of the occult and the surreal. After watching Eggers' take on Nosferatu three nights ago, I can now safely say that it is a welcome addition to Murnau's silent moving picture and Herzog's colourful talkie. Eggers went for a mix of colour film and monochrome shading in postproduction, and he encouraged a lot of shadow play in the cinematography. This goes well with his psychological symbolism regarding Ellen, and Count Orlok's inexplicable pull over her and the other protagonists. Visual ambiguity and unreliability in the cut/editing when it comes to scenes that depict the count's uncanny powers go very well with this approach and create an eerie, dreamlike to nightmarish atmosphere. The character of Ellen comes much more to the forefront in this story: her secret desires and feelings of guilt, her flights of fancy, her melancholy and her obsessions, the struggle between love and lust, her internal conflicts between sociatal obligation and decency paired with wifely longings of love and understanding, versus her desire for a realm of her own and very private sexual fantasies, a struggle between worldly and emotional dependency and a fantastical lust for power. In the end, it is her sacrifice that bridges the gap, gives Ellen agency and redeems her from an almost constant feeling of repression and guilt. Once again, Eggers' sensibilities (of horror, but also of the story's core) lie in general matters of the soul, its agonies and ambiguities, dark crevices and inconsistencies, paradoxes and struggles for meaning, rather than with the concrete, with the flesh and meat of physical torments in the exterior world (which, here, serves merely as a backdrop and a reminder of pre-modern mindsets and conceptions of the world alien to our current zeitgeist, an alternate reality, which nevertheless carries a kernel of diachronic truth regarding the human condition). Once again, Eggers provides us with a story which is grounded in mysteries, in mysticism and mythology as symbolic for human psychology and at the same time an expression of human identity and self-concepts, a powerful driving force of agency, an expression of our (collective and individual) subconscious as the prime mover of the more rational faculties of ours. Once again, Eggers is less invested in suspense created by contraptions of the plot than in the tension that emerges from states of ambiguity, doubt, uncertainty (both, of sensory perception and of the self), the terrors derived from obsession and paranoia, a tension inherent to the disconcerting puzzlement of apory and the uncanny vagueness of whatever disturbs us in a rationally unaccessible manner, the fears creeping up when we are on the verge of existential crises, of obsessive or psychotic madness, and most of all: The agonizing affliction of losing our sense of belonging, the smothering angst of losing our very dearest, and of losing our soul. Eggers' take on the story of Nosferatu, once again, is also a film about conflicting world views, about the contemporarity of the uncontemporary, about the rebel stance of romanticism in a world increasingly determined by the discipline of enlightenment and of contractual moralities, and also by the looming banishment of intuitive divination, of mysticism and mythology, of religious pretension and superstition - sentiments that are now almost considered a disease of the mind or a societal plague to be extinguished. Although this take on "Nosferatu" is for the most part very close to Murnau's original movie, and maybe even more so to Stoker's novel "Dracula" on which the former was based, Eggers did succeed in drawing it into his own sphere of genre-crossing and genre-bending, illuminating new facets of an old dark tale.

[@andrewpike1993]

This to me is how you do a vampire film… dark, gothic, atmospheric, creepy and with a sense of dread throughout. The cinematography and lighting were incredible, especially in the Transylvania scenes. Performances were great too for the most part. I suppose the only downside was over-familiarity with the story, but there were enough differences to keep it interesting. 9/10 for me

[@PainCausingSamurai]

I thought it was a great goth horror movie, an excellent adaptation, but oddly tame for a Robert Eggers film.

[@LeonardoDiCapri-Sun]

Saw it today and thought the same

[@swiftlymurmurs]

It is funny how he's managed to make a movie with explicit necrophilia, demonic possession and child murder feel quite mainstream. Honestly impressive to pull off

[@zg2803]

I see The Witch (vvitch) and Nosferatu as being almost diametrically opposed in some way. The Witch is a slow burn. It is truly scary because of its realism and sublime understatement. There are actually very few scenes that overtly show witches. Whereas Egger's Nosferatu is over the top, lavish, spares no trope or expectation and feels fantastical from the start. I think "romp" is an accurate assessment. He obviously didn't intend for it to be scary, but more as a perfect Gothic fairytale? I'm still trying to decide whether I loved it or hated, but I can say with conviction that the Witch was a masterpiece.

[@TheDominicProject]

Conviction? I love the Witch, but last time I re-watched it definitely didn't wow like it had done. One of the tightest and most original horrors of that decade sure. Whereas Nosferatu has some shots which are so alien, so rare and unusual, the extreme depth of field, the old fashioned yet effectively modernised expressionism. This is a dense dizzying building upon of Witch

[@mattwall3267]

I actually think Nosferatu felt slower than The Witch, I was on tenterhooks with The Witch whereas this just felt contrived and predictable.

[@WYIT0]

I was the opposite. The Witch had me intrigued but wasn't scary and I was left a bit unsatisfied. Nosferatu on the other hand was super oppressive, atmospheric maybe a little jumpscare heavy but I was dreading each moment as the tension built (in a good way)

[@mattwall3267]

@ That’s so strange because it’s the exact opposite for me, I was scared about what was going to happen next in The Witch whereas in Nosferatu I found it quite predictable. As soon as I saw the occult writing on Simon McBurney’s desk I pretty much knew what was in store and everything played out like any fairytale we’ve seen before. Also Nosferatu’s moustache was just too much like Waluigi’s for me to be scared of him.

[@spellbinderorchestra]

@@mattwall3267 My experience aligns closer with Matt here, but I think the different responses to each film are interesting. One thing that made The Witch scarier for me was a sense of realism. The puritan settlers were believable, not a far cry from how you might imagine a participant at the Salem witch trials - a real historic event. And if you've read a little Nathanial Hawthorn, it's fun to jump to the next level from there. Whereas in Nosferatu, the Victorian backdrops and dress are highly stylized, more like Victoriana on hyperdrive, and not realistic to me. Not quite Steampunk, like Poor Things, but sort of on the edge. Perhaps it was more about creating something beautiful out of a macabre fairytale, but didn't quite move me. I haven't rewatched The Witch yet though, so haven't tested whether it stands the test of time. And I think Nosferatu would also be worth rewatching at some point down the line in case it strikes a different chord later.

[@ngoodey]

I saw it last week. It looks incredible and I can already tell that I want to see it again

[@Cinema-skin]

Already.

[@theTruthLifeNWay]

Max Shreck was also the name of Christopher Walken's character in Batman Returns

[@Adam-kn3tv]

A nod to the German Expressionist influence on Burton and his version of Batman, I'm sure.

[@Valkonnen]

And the Ogre "Shreck"

[@reflexstudio2181]

There's also a scene in Batman Returns that seems to be a nod to the Masque of the Red Death sequence from The Phantom of the Opera (1925).

[@DanKeatis]

Did you feel almost vulgar in this Yuletide context making that comparison? 😉

[@DomH75]

The whole of Batman Returns was a tribute to German Expressionism. Max Shreck resembles Rotwang from Metropolis (or Dr Mabuse!) and his office that of Joh Fredersen from the same film. The Penguin looks a lot like Dr Caligari, mixed with Graf Orlock's facial features. Selina Kyle is much like Maria from Metropolis and, after her 'resurrection', she resembles the disguised robot version of Maria. It's great fun spotting the all the references.

[@ToTheWind]

I still prefer the 1979 Herzog version but this new film was very, very good. It wasn't quite what I expected from Robert Eggers, which was surprising. Also, the voice of Orlok was incredible. All the cast was excellent. A future classic. I've always wondered what a Stanley Kubrick version would have been like.

[@kyoto5]

Wow, I thought you guys would like this versions. Aren't you all followers of Kermode??

[@insulartomb]

I adored The Lighthouse but man, that and Uncut Gems in a day. Quite a feat of endurance!

[@nickwyatt9498]

Uncut Gems was such a gripper. Must rewatch. Thanks for the reminder!

[@pbeeby]

Uncut gems was awful. Turned it off with ten mins left. Terrible. I’ve never seen a good film with Adam sandler in it.

[@nickwyatt9498]

@@pbeeby But the last minutes are the real shocker! Please tell me you didn’t leave the cinema before the end of The Usual Suspects 😅! Like you I normally can’t stand Sandler, but I thought he was excellent in this. Just my humble op.

[@c.h.1672]

@@pbeeby your opinion is just your opinion, I thought Uncut Gems was brilliant (but a hard watch at times), Punch Drunk Love is his best though

[@pbeeby]

Agree with that. It’s all subjective

[@PublicEnemyMinusOne]

I'm very grateful my local cinema is screening this in 35mm. Can't wait to check it out.

[@beejls]

Went last night to the Music Box in Chicago, ehich had a 35 mm print. Blown away. The crowd for the showing after I got out was around the block.

[@animaljustice7774]

Are you kidding me? You should see the original 1979 version first you might be able to get it for free on cable

[@philipmason6282]

Nice to hear that it was made on film.

[@johnbateman88]

Watched it earlier today totally blown away by the performances particularly Lily Rose Depp, the cinematography was amazing too

[@phoebsc5993]

@johnbateman88 I loved it too and yes Lily rose Depp was breathtaking. I was pleasantly surprised at just HOW good it was. The much hyped cinematography was amazing. I'm a huge vampire/dracula fan. Loved the similarities with Nosferatu the vampire (1979) ref settings, lily's brilliant adaptation of the female lead role. I'm def going to watch Nosferatu 24 again and again )))

[@mkhdnimg]

People forget, or didn't know, that Bill Skarsgard also played the "boy" in season one of Castle Rock and he absolutely stole that show too. His ability to conjure unnatural, alien behaviours in human form is outstanding.

[@WineCheeseGoats]

I was thinking about that when Count Orlok spread his shadow over the town. It reminded me of the boy's influence (in particular I think there was a scene with a family about to celebrate a birthday until he walked by) defiling everything around him.

[@Gerishnakov]

Sad that show got cancelled.

[@eggymayo3271]

No one ever gets the whitby section right. The subtle gothic element of whitby adds so much yet it gets turned into a boring stormy beach every time

[@markfablesmurphy]

@@eggymayo3271 Agreed. That scene in Bram Stoker's novel takes on such eerie power if you are familiar with Whitby and its wonderfully gothic graveyard overlooking the sea. I'd love to see a Dracula film shoot that scene there.

[@georgeetboom7719]

Totally, every time I tell my mum about another vamp film she asks is Whitby in it. And it’s such a disappointment it’s not used, specially for all the Goths that go there, would be great to have it in a vamp film

[@kiss.me.monster]

The 1977 BBC TV movie “Count Dracula” starring Louis Jourdan actually filmed the scenes at Whitby at the real locations from the novel.

[@JohnFromAccounting]

Stoker's story has so much depth to it and it's clear that he experienced the fear of an unknown disease firsthand. Eggers is riffing on something that he doesn't seem to understand. On paper, it has all the elements of a Dracula story, but the heart is missing. Whitby is vital to the story because it shows the arrival of a horror to a place that abandoned faith. You could never have Dracula arriving at Palermo or Barcelona.

[@catherinehoy5548]

It's not Whitby ... they keep going on about it being set in Germany, so it makes even less sense for not-Dracula to take a ship.

[@brandonsmith9098]

My favorite film of 2024. Such an overwhelming experience seeing this on the screen. You can just tell this is a passion project for Eggers. Sheer perfection.

[@OttoWatt9000]

It's a combination between this, Dune Part 2, and Alien Romulus which are all great films!

[@Bragglord]

​@@OttoWatt9000 Dune 2 is, Romulus is hardly good, never mind great. Poor cast and things fall apart, I felt. Holdovers, Dune 2, The Substance for top 3 of 2024.

[@brandonsmith9098]

@@OttoWatt9000 Haven't seen Romulus, but Dune Part 2 is second on my list. To be fair, I haven't seen any of the Academy darlings like Conclave and others that will be nominated for Best Picture, but that doesn't always mean I'm going to like them.

[@OttoWatt9000]

@ Lol what? Alien Romulus IS great and ENTIRELY SO! Get out of here with your nonsense of saying “hArdLy gOod” as that’s complete rubbish to even say. The casting of the movie was spot on and things were ALL well held together in that brilliantly well done movie. It’s easily the 3rd best Alien movie in the franchise as it executes everything perfectly. You have NO idea on what you’re saying at all about Alien Romulus in the slightest as there is no “nEvEr mInd gReAt” as it IS a great alien movie that’s VERY well executed and portrayed. Absolutely nothing about the casting is “pOoR” as the casting and acting was spot on throughout the movie. Just stop, seriously as Alien Romulus is NOTHING that which you badly say as nothing about it is any of the negative nonsense you’re saying here. Just stop!

[@OttoWatt9000]

@@brandonsmith9098 Watch Alien Romulus! It’s great! Don’t listen to the second guy as he has NO idea on what he’s saying. The plot isn’t the most unique but it’s heavily elevated from the masterful direction and amazingly immersive world, aesthetics, tension, atmosphere, fleshing out world building, new horror elements and characters! It’s easily the THRID best Alien movie as it IS truly great and the WHOLE cast is spot on and absolutely NOTHING about the movie “fALl APaRt” in anyway as he badly say in ANY way as the movie is MASTERFULLY gorgeous and extremely well done for a sci-fi horror TO be and a great addition to the alien franchise! lol what a joke!

[@musicmann1967]

I first saw this movie in a theater where the projection wasn't so great and the dark scenes (of which there are many) were too murky. Here in NYC all the best screens in the multiplex have been monopolized by the big holiday blockbusters and kiddie movies. So I went to see it again at an Alamo Drafthouse theater that hadsexcellent projection and it was a far better experience. I liked the movie even more upon second viewing. I may even see it again before it leaves the theater. It's beautiful to look at, and the performances are all terrific.

[@onemorechris]

that’s a shame. in the UK we have smaller screens that are often high quality too. even so it was still very dark for me too. i think it would be worth watching on a high def/contrast screen in the darkest room you can find

[@mattlohr]

My feelings about the different versions of NOSFERATU basically conform to how I tend to think about vampires in general: The older they are, the better I like 'em.

[@Lady_in_the_Radiator]

I think Kermode missed Eggers' point about why the names where changed (to be fair, Eggers didn't explain himself too well in the interview). The point is that yes, Nosferatu was an unauthorised adaptation of Dracula, but they weren't trying to hide that fact, as it literally says "based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker" in the opening titles. So the idea that they were trying to pretend it was an original story and that's why they changed the names is false.

[@elbib2446]

i liked how the villagers didnt speak in cornish accents,like in old hammer movies,dont gup there sir,for up there be the castle of count dracular

[@beejls]

That always reminds me of the Roman guards in in "I Claudius'. The British love to divide classes by accident.

[@davidlewis1787]

I’m Cornish, I think you’ll find that’s ‘Dracklier’

[@MrIrrationalSmith]

I appreciated how much attention was given to the local Romani people living around the castle.

[@melanierhianna]

Rhotic accents in the UK were a lot more common. The Cornish accent is a Rhotic accent. We've lost a lot of them but Cornwall retains theirs. So its not being a cornish accent but a Rhotic one.

[@melanierhianna]

@@beejls More a case of Rhotic accents were not those you heard near London so it was "country".

[@deadlykitten.5908]

Saw it yesterday. Enjoyed every minute.

[@AlfyArt]

I found the movie didn't give me any real connection with the characters so come the ending I was left with a 'is that it' feeling. The movie also had a lot of jump scares which I think is just low hanging fruit if your making more a dramatic horror. I agree that this was more an undead horror than a a vampire horror as I was expecting lots of crimson red blood to strike across the black and white monochrome film, instead it was more a rotting in the shadows horror. Best thing about the movie is the cinematography', the scene of Nicholas Hoult walking in the pitch dark forest with the moonlight only illuminating him whist snow falls was a thing of beauty.

[@sj_harris]

Totally agree with all your points. The cinematography (especially the architecture and landscapes) were gorgeous, but I didn’t really buy into any of the performances. LRD looked too modern to my eyes, and kept taking me out of my immersion in the film, and lots of the ‘human’ scenes were just too am-dram. As for the total over-reliance on jump scares, for shame Eggers! All this said, I didn’t really care for the VVitch either, thought it was too pleased with its own cleverness by just a hair (then again, I think Christopher Nolan films suffer from this conceit, but they’re universally adored, so what do I know?) If nothing else though, this film reminded me just how much I love the original and Herzog versions, true masterpieces both

[@igobymanynames1684]

I felt no investment or connection to any of the characters.

[@thomasceneri867]

@@igobymanynames1684 I just saw it tonight, and I feel the same way about it.

[@lrrroftheplanetomicronpersei8]

I agree. Something was missing. Perhaps it was style over substance, and overlong while the story has been done to death. Also can they please stop putting 'big scary naked person' in our horror films?

[@brandensilverstar]

The original Dracula had a mustache. I thought it was a great way to pay homage to the original vision.

[@gregpolutanovich1774]

Maybe so but it was a mistake adding a big mustache to Orlok,,looked like The Last Days of Freddy Mercury

[@andrewferguson1227]

​@@gregpolutanovich1774or Daniel Plainview

[@lukasmadrid1945]

@@brandensilverstar also vlad the impaler

[@leespiderpod]

I love Kinski as Nosferatu, it’s totally underrated with a good twist at the end!

[@user-bv3jk8mo7z]

Kinski's Nosferatu is always looking like he is not sure if God (or the audience) is watching him, judging him, looking the other way, has forsaken him, or doesn't even exist... ... which is a very interesting German motif for a time when that question would have been appropriate to the cultural question of Germany after WWII, Communism etc.

[@christianrokicki]

Yeah I kind of wonder if it didn’t inspire the end of the first Twin Peaks series.

[@brhodes0]

Oh good another 'underrated' comment. Just what we need.

[@richardpenfold5841]

Saw it today - thought it was a beautifully crafted film, Lily Rose Depp’s performance was astonishing.

[@joeduncan08]

We have extremely different definitions of a romp

[@Cosy_Josie]

Hahaha my thoughts exactly. Was really looking forward to this but hate to say it, found it dull. I appreciate that it’s gorgeously shot but I didn’t find much new to enjoy here that so many other vampire films/dracula/possession films hadn’t done already, far more interestingly. Most annoyingly, not scary in the slightest.

[@joeduncan08]

@ same here. I hate to admit it, but I was bored senseless

[@carterslade8771]

I wasn't bored, but it did leave me feeling fairly depressed, which to some extent I think was the intention. Hearing him call it a "romp" here left me feeling flabbergasted.

[@sKowlee]

I enjoyed the opening and main act but the finale fell flat. The pacing slowed towards the end and removed any climax.

[@mickt72]

My wife fell asleep twice it looked amazing the mood was solid but ultimately it was boring and I didn’t want it to be

[@paulsuter5816]

8:15 The Northman was a mess?! Really?! I thought it was one of the best films of that year.

[@OttoWatt9000]

Exactly! Absolutely NO WAY is the Northman a "meSs" AT ALL as Kermode WRONGLY says as it's easily Egger's BEST film, it's absolutely fantastic and I have NO idea how Kermode can say that it's a "meSs" as it's REALLY not. The Northman is easily Egger's BEST film to date!

[@jameshick3319]

Agreed. I thought it was great, closest thing to seeing an Icelandic saga on screen.

[@Bragglord]

Agreed, the Northman was very good and showed subverting expectations done correctly, specifically how low key it keeps the film. It's not some civil war or a quest to reclaim a kingdom, it's just a revenge story, pure and simple.

[@martin..3700]

Looked stunning, stopped there like

[@patrickweller5254]

Nah The Northman didn't land for me at all. I really couldn't get into it, found it dull.

[@ArchieAndy27]

Looking forward to this! Quite possibly one of the most anticipated films of 2024/2025. Happy New Year to Mark, Simon and everyone on the team!

[@nox5870]

Bill Skarsgard absolutely killed it as Count Orlok. What a performance! 🔥

[@bobsbigboy_]

No

[@animaljustice7774]

I bet he’s crap. Nothing can compare to the original 1979 version. Klaus kinski was THE one

[@ConnorThompson-w2k]

How insightful ​@@bobsbigboy_

[@larrylevan3378]

Indeed

[@hanhuhanhi]

@@nox5870 Nandor

[@chillbobaggins4632]

Robert Eggers is one of my favorite directors, but I must admit, I was a tad bit disappointed in Nosferatu. Perhaps my expectations were too high going into it?? The pacing was just so slow and I found the dialogue to be quite unengaging a lot of the time. It looked beautiful, some amazing dark and gothic imagery. I thought Lilly-Rose Depp was solid, although I would have preferred to see Anya Taylor-Joy in that role. Loved Bill and I hope he only does horror going forward! It just suits him so well. I am definitely going to watch Nosferatu again soon and I have a feeling that my second viewing is going to be more fulfilling. And the Northman rocks, Mark! I heard Eggers might do a remake of Labyrinth?? That would be so COOL!

[@craigherriot4026]

I'm in total agreement with your assessment. My expectations were probably too high also.

[@rafeeeefar]

It is reassuring to not be alone in this thought, I too may have exaggerated the movie internally but enjoyed it nonetheless.

[@onemorechris]

The Witch was better imo. but that’s an extremely high benchmark too

[@jw-ob1wv]

I'm surprised you found it slow. I thought this was by far the fastest passed eggers film. Quick dialogue and horror moments in every other scene. My only criticism is that it could have slowed down a little in the middle to give room for more dialogue between the characters

[@jneilson7568]

Seconded, I could picture ATJ better in this role. It was quite an intense experience but she would really have elevated it.

[@KozMc]

Oh, wow, I loved 'The Northman'. I can't say I see any mess. Felt quite organic to me; I really engaged with it emotionally (Amleth's sad purpose in life, sob), loved the cultural depth of the world(s), the drive of the main character, but then again I love what Eggers and co did to convert the source material to the film's unique adaptation/interpretation.

[@neantibi]

I think it's definitely his weakest film. All of his films are great, but The Northman felt less focused than the others. It's a bit all over the place.

[@viviantriana5146]

@@KozMc agreed, I loved the Northman as well. The village looting scene was truly horrifying

[@seqtj]

@@neantibi I’d say Nosferatu is his weakest film tbh

[@neantibi]

@ I haven’t seen it yet but I preemptively refuse to believe that 😅 I’m genuinely excited to see it

[@Beatmyguest001]

Same here. I genuinely think The Northman is his best film & a total masterpiece. But then I LOVE medieval epic sagas and mythology. It’s perhaps the best version of a medieval epic type of story put to screen. All heroes journey and magical realism - just genius. It’s the marketing around that film that let it down and coloured many people’s opinions on it. The film itself does exactly what it’s meant to do AND THEN SOME.

[@onemorechris]

it’s worth going to the cinema for this one, if only because it’s so dark, as in even darker than The Batman. the first half has the moon, a couple of candles and that’s about it. good screen required :)

[@williamrobinson6765]

I found this one to be a slog. There were interesting ideas and a few fun set pieces, but I found it to be opposite of what Dr. Kermode said in terms of the female character having agency. She was a sacrificial victim.

[@user-bv3jk8mo7z]

Yea... the Gypsies make the point in the Nosferatu film of sticking a nude woman on a horse to be a distraction against dangerous and horny old men. Both her and the main lady about as much an agent of free will as a sacrifice victim as Sargent Howie is in the original Wicker Man.

[@pugletpie]

How would you give her agency then? Genuine question

[@JohnFromAccounting]

Is she the victim or is she the cause? If she was abused as a child, does that make her responsible for her abuser? That's simply victim blaming. I really didn't understand where Eggers was going, and I don't think this is a good example of a female character with agency.

[@TheGremlin19]

Loved it, was the best version of dracula ever imo, really creepy and artistic instead of hollywood fluff

[@scottabraham1234]

I seem to be out of step but I didn't like it. For me there was quite a bit of overacting in this. I found the dialogue annoying. I didn't find the characters that developed, to the point that I wasn't emotionally moved by any inevitable deaths. It looked great, I'll give it that.

[@Mike-gd4zd]

I agree.

[@Cloudrim]

Pretty much. Felt very self-indulgent and also, visuals notwithstanding, a bit rote? Expected a bit more effort (in terms of evoking horror) than crap violin stings accompanying someone pulling a face. Most of the actors did well with truly abysmal dialogue (apart from Depp and McBurney who were straight-up bad) and it's visually great, but yeah.

[@JohnFromAccounting]

Skarsgard and McBurney were perfect for their roles.

[@JohnFromAccounting]

@@Cloudrim Depp wasn't particularly compelling, but I liked McBurney. The Renfield/Knock character is completely mindbroken by Dracula/Orlok. What didn't work in this adaptation was Ellen being responsible for Orlok. Who, then, does the evil stem from? And who was responsible for corrupting Renfield/Knock?

[@georgehay5222]

Fair enough Scott, I found this film to be scary as shit, fascinating and pretty damn saucy. Thomas’s mate was a bit of a bumbling gonad though I’ll give you that.

[@arthurlevine1840]

Conversely, after hearing so much positive hype about it, I was very surprised by how much I DIDN'T enjoy it.

[@Cinema-skin]

@@arthurlevine1840 it’s all good. Fast and Furious 18 will be out in no time!

[@joshuaesposito5409]

No, totally with you.

[@tedmacdonnell]

@@arthurlevine1840 same - thought it was convoluted and unintentionally hilarious at points

[@jimcostello7894]

I sat in a full audience today, no one reacted to anything in the story. It looked good enough but lacked real tension and wasn't at all disturbing.

[@robertshand8923]

I agree with you, I thought it was funny. I also felt that a lot of small scenes could have been cut from the film. It really felt too long for the amount of actual entertainment it offered. I enjoyed it but I was yawning nearer the end. Some of the acting felt more like a stage performance (Willem Dafoe mainly, but I also can't blame him, he looked as if he were having loads of fun doing it. It just didn't always match the rest of the acting) and there we're way, way too many scenes with Lily-rose Depp doing the possession orgasm thing

[@nklin6]

I absolutely love Robert Eggers

[@seansuprem]

The Northman is my favourite film of the last 10 years so can't wait to see this one.

[@OttoWatt9000]

Exactly! Absolutely NO WAY is the Northman a "meSs" AT ALL as Kermode WRONGLY says as it's easily Egger's BEST film, it's absolutely fantastic and I have NO idea how Kermode can say that it's a "meSs" as it's REALLY not. The Northman is easily Egger's BEST film to date!

[@satura5848]

Loved this. Atmospheric, beautifully composed sights, great sense of time and place and very well-pitched performances. There was a little reference to Frankenstein in there that made me grin... Von Franz is described as being out of step with scientific orthodoxy and fixated on the works of Paracelsus and Agrippa (just as Victor Frankenstein is in Shelley's novel).

[@vulnicura7839]

This was incredibly interesting and I loved the opinions shared on the cinematography and performances. Subscribed immediately.

[@davecook8378]

Why do the lines "He fills his head with culture. He gives himself an ulcer" keep going through my head when I watch this?

[@Nightowl2512]

I really enjoyed it the cinematography, costumes the sets the music .... Great .I really liked it

[@megashillyshally]

Cannot wait to see this, the subject and team involved already had me interested but some of the commentary here pushed this to "must see in cinema". Thanks

[@Revstevearmourae]

Saw this yesterday. I met Nicholas Hoult years ago when I was acting & directing one of his relatives. All the cast are good. Nick, Simon McBurney & Wilem Defoe in particular.. Lily Rose-Depp does well but does seems there was more the director could have brought out of her. There is a new addition to the plot has been added to the tradition of Nosferatu & it's unauthorised adaptation of Dracula that infuriated Stoker's widow. All those familiar with the 79 Herzog-Kinski version may enjoy how the ending is interpreted in this version.

[@deckofcards87]

I love the Herzog version. Like I REALLY love that film so I'm a bit iffy about seeing this one with such a level of expectation I don't want to be disappointed.

[@BonelessBeans]

@@deckofcards87 then certainly don’t expect it to be “better.” It likely won’t live up to that for you after years of enjoying Herzog’s. This is a Robert Eggers film through and through. If you know what that entails and like that experience, go see this in theaters asap.

[@FART-REPELLENT]

Your comment has deeply offended me; unless you apologise, I’m gonna get Nosferatu to sink his fangs into your fart.

[@everythingexplored5233]

Spoiler you will be disappointed herzogs movie is the best of all time nothing comes close

[@lukasmadrid1945]

Love herzog, aguire is one of my favourite films of all time. But i prefer this one, kinski's character is intresting but this film has orlok presented in a completely different way, and if im honest much prefer this vision of vampires. Its gonna be personal preference, but this films story touches me more

[@nazmango2634]

I watched it last weekend, and I just loved it, Lilly Rose's performance was amazing I absolutely enjoyed it can't wait to watch it again.

[@briantreanor960]

I enjoyed the film quite a bit. Although it is quite exhausting. But I loved wintery gothic atmosphere. This will be a great movie to watch for future winter nights at home

[@goob8945]

Very Christmassy!

[@RollrightKnights]

Aye sure it will 😬

[@Skyvault_secrets]

Fantastic movie for me. Not flawless obviously, Aaron Taylor Johnson was a bit lacking in his performance I felt. The shot of Orlok emerging from the casket was truly terrifying for once and not some camp vampire cliche. The attention to detail with him consciously having to inhale to speak was great, the look was authentic and his voice work was absolutely exceptional. The final scene was beautiful. Visually stunning and also quite shocking in parts, I was left pondering this for days. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@Marc-eh4ib]

I just heard the wonderful podcast version of this review and just had to leave a comment for Mayo: Romania to Germany on the Danube river is an amazing trip on ‘boat’ 😊

[@bennoclassico]

First new film I did see this year, and immediately want to see it again (will go for a bigger screen next time, and with louder sound too). That's often a good sign, these days only feeling that a few times a year. Too early to say for certain, but perhaps Eggers' best to date, and seemingly his most divisive as well? I suppose his last two were similarly polarised by some, but I've thoroughly enjoyed all of his films so far. Immaculate period detail and clearly thorough research at every conceivable level, he's somewhere between Michael Mann, David Fincher and Stanley Kubrick in his meticulousness. Bravo.

[@mirellatorrisi1397]

@@bennoclassico as I was watching I kept wondering what Fincher would have done.

[@lumiukkonen]

I can't be the only one who misheard Kermode saying "Rammstein" when talking about the author of Dracula?

[@aaafakadam]

I agree 100% on Mark, especially on the topic of Rose-Depp's Helene as the "culprit" for the appearance of Nosferatu: all stems from her, which has a "gift" that may be more frightening than Orlock's himself, and she doesn't even realize it until the end when she does what she does to save the day. Stellar photograpy and sound effects (that blood-suckling/gulping sound is creepy as hell). It must be seen in cinemas. And as Mark said, i also had a lot of fun seeing it too. It has been a while since a movie made me "feel it" like Nosferatu

[@JohnFromAccounting]

If she's responsible, then she's not saving the day, she's cleaning up her own mess. I dislike Eggers approach since it turns women into the problem.

[@Michael-cv5wk]

I didn't get that agency from Ellen's character and I think that's because of Depp's performance. I see a lot of praise for it so maybe I missed something, but I struggled to be sold or engaged by anything involving her character because I found her performance so one dimensional.

[@Cloudrim]

Agreed, thought it was a bad performance made worse by some truly appalling dialogue.

[@catherinehoy5548]

@@Cloudrim lol yes! "I've seen things that would make Issac Newton crawl back into his mother's womb" - does Eggers not have any friends?

[@GhostRobosApprentice]

@@Cloudrim I agree, with the above and your comment. Feel like I'm going mad reading this very positive reaction. There's literally no character arcs

[@ccan_max5285]

Will be either seeing this today or at the weekend. Sounds like a good winter film

[@KNURKonesur]

Saying the Northman was a mess is presenting one of it's best qualities as a negative. Same with the Lighthouse being too tough going, it was incredibly refreshing and great exactly because of how tough going it was. If anything it could have been even more heavy. Now I'm scared to watch Nosferatu cause it might be too correct and movie-like in comparison :P

[@ronthorn3]

Yeah I love all Eggars films, I wasn’t really into Nosferatu l. It was ok.

[@brandonsmith9098]

It frustrates me that I can't articulate why I don't like the Northman. But I absolutely adored Nosferatu. My favorite of his filmography so far.

[@stateazure]

I love Egger's movies, except The Northman. I'm not sure what these guys mean by 'mess' I just found that movie very generic, and forgettable, but I think I had expectations of a similar movie to 'Valhalla Rising' (a better movie imo). The Lighthouse imo is absolutely perfect, except for the format, I really wish he didn't shoot it in the 4:3 aspect ratio, I understand his reasons for that, but I think it was a bad decision.

[@SteveBluescemi]

Eggers' Nosferatu was technically great but overall conventional. If you're expecting it to have an experimental edge like The Lighthouse, you'll be disappointed.

[@crazyrythms]

WTF are you talking about…. Respectfully

[@elevenseven-yq4vu]

After watching Eggers' take on Nosferatu three nights ago, I can now safely say that it is a welcome addition to Murnau's silent moving picture and Herzog's colourful talkie. Eggers went for a mix of colour film and monochrome shading in postproduction, and he encouraged a lot of shadow play in the cinematography. This goes well with his psychological symbolism regarding Ellen, and Count Orlok's inexplicable pull over her and the other protagonists. Visual ambiguity and unreliability in the cut/editing when it comes to scenes that depict the count's uncanny powers go very well with this approach and create an eerie, dreamlike to nightmarish atmosphere. The character of Ellen comes much more to the forefront in this story: her secret desires and feelings of guilt, her flights of fancy, her melancholy and her obsessions, the struggle between love and lust, her internal conflicts between sociatal obligation and decency paired with wifely longings of love and understanding, versus her desire for a realm of her own and very private sexual fantasies, a struggle between worldly and emotional dependency and a fantastical lust for power. In the end, it is her sacrifice that bridges the gap, gives Ellen agency and redeems her from an almost constant feeling of repression and guilt. Once again, Eggers comes around with a vast amount of historical accuracy, considering this is first and foremost a tale of fantasy and horror, of the occult and the surreal. Once again, Eggers' sensibilities (of horror, but also of the story's core) lie in general matters of the soul, its agonies and ambiguities, dark crevices and inconsistencies, paradoxes and struggles for meaning, rather than with the concrete, with the flesh and meat of physical torments in the exterior world (which, here, serves merely as a backdrop and a reminder of pre-modern mindsets and conceptions of the world alien to our current zeitgeist, an alternate reality, which nevertheless carries a kernel of diachronic truth regarding the human condition). Once again, Eggers provides us with a story which is grounded in mysteries, in mysticism and mythology as symbolic for human psychology and at the same time an expression of human identity and self-concepts, a powerful driving force of agency, an expression of our (collective and individual) subconscious as the prime mover of the more rational faculties of ours. Once again, Eggers is less invested in suspense created by contraptions of the plot than in the tension that emerges from states of ambiguity, doubt, uncertainty (both, of sensory perception and of the self), the terrors derived from obsession and paranoia, a tension inherent to the disconcerting puzzlement of apory and the uncanny vagueness of whatever disturbs us in a rationally unaccessible manner, the fears creeping up when we are on the verge of existential crises, of obsessive or psychotic madness, and most of all: The agonizing affliction of losing our sense of belonging, the smothering angst of losing our very dearest, and of losing our soul. Eggers' take on the story of Nosferatu, once again, is also a film about conflicting world views, about the contemporarity of the uncontemporary, about the rebel stance of romanticism in a world increasingly determined by the discipline of enlightenment and of contractual moralities, and also by the looming banishment of intuitive divination, of mysticism and mythology, of religious pretension and superstition - sentiments that are now almost considered a disease of the mind or a societal plague to be extinguished. Although this take on "Nosferatu" is for the most part very close to Murnau's original movie, and maybe even more so to Stoker's novel "Dracula" on which the former was based, Eggers did succeed in drawing it into his own sphere of genre-crossing and genre-bending, illuminating new facets of an old dark tale.

[@nicknewman7848]

Interesting but ultimately flawed take on Stoker's Dracula. Visually great, has true artistic merit, great cinematography, lovely costumes and an interesting idea for the 'Mina' character. The problem for me was that it was overly melodramatic and ended up neglecting the characters. Some of the performances felt like they were out of a stage play from the 1950's. Yes. you're doing a period piece but some of the dialogue and performances were verging on parody at times. This film has no likable characters so when they suffered the ultimate loses I was left completely cold. Even when people said 'I love you' and meant it I felt no genuine warmth at all. The person I was with has seen his other films and says he doesn't write 'human' or likeable characters. I've only seen this one, so... The new idea they had was great but there wasn't enough contrast between the ok times and the awful times to have a dynamic that helps the audience gain the impact of the intense stuff. She started off a neurotic mess and.. kind of went somewhere? That's all i got. If she had started the film by being in recovery from a dark past but was now on the up and hopeful for her future before then descending back into her darkness and ultimately fulfilling her spiritual purpose and discovering her power and destiny (and that had actually been coherently explained to the audience rather than through underwhelming exposition scenes) it would have worked much better for me. We needed her character to be written better and the intensity to be dialed down a bit in places so it could just breath a bit and have some dynamics. In conclusion It is a pretty average/goodish play dressed up as beautiful and carefully made film that stand out moments are in it's visual intensity not it's characters personalities.

[@nicknewman7848]

@@BobChiceroido My comment too noisy for you Bob? I couldn't give shit, mate. Enjoy your adolescence 😘

[@nicknewman7848]

@@dandyintheunderworld9972 I agree. It also benefits from an unbelievable music score.

[@SIEVESUN]

I completely agree. Particularly on some of the performances verging on parody. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s performance was embarrassing. Cold was exactly how I felt.

[@antm2296]

Happy new year all you film buffs! Can’t wait to see this tomorrow!

[@cameronearl-dieppedalle893]

Will I understand this if I haven't seen Nosfera-one?

[@lrrroftheplanetomicronpersei8]

Badumtish

[@andymoody8363]

Saw it last night on a good screen in Edinburgh, I liked it. Huge fan of the original but this has so much to enjoy, it looked incredubly, I love the term 'almost colour', and comedic moments and high camp definitely of a piece with Hammer at it's best. I couldn't be sure if the OTT scenes were intentional or not and I had the feeling Defoe had been told to ACT with a capital A and he was certainly in the scenery chewing catagory. I thought the mis en scene looked incredible.

[@cosimocub]

great! will watch on Thursday

[@tomislavzdunic802]

Pure art cinema Mesmerising baroque gothic dream Greetings from Croatia

[@marklipson]

Mesmerising baroque gothic dream...Very nice words. Very nice. GREAT description. Thanks!

[@RollrightKnights]

It was so far removed from art house cinema. This was pure straight down the like Multiplex popcorn 😑

[@peterratter6603]

Came away from seeing this tonight. I was impressed, but honestly, still processing. It was interesting to watch the audience as the lights came up; there was a...what, a stillness, a subdued air that I've not seen before, a lot of perplexed expressions. I've been a fan of the vampire sub-genre for years. This is the first recent vampire film I've seen for a while that I really enjoyed, but I'm still not sure what I make of it. Murnau's original is one of my favourite films of all time, let alone of the genre. Does Skarsgard replace Shreck in my affections? I don't think so. Did he do justice to the character? Absolutely. All around, the cinematography was gorgeous but I particularly loved the way that Orlok was kept in the shadow. Even so, I'm still processing. Knowing and loving the story, it was a joy to see each beat of the tale being hit, like hearing a favourite melody played with new orchestration. But there were moments of such jarring grotesqueness that it was at times difficult to watch. Yet like Orlok's victims, I couldn't look away. I think this is one that's going to be stewing in the back of my mind for a while. I don't know that I'm in a rush to watch it again, but I am glad that I saw it.

[@carterslade8771]

My thoughts exactly.

[@Aka47xxx]

It's really not that deep lol

[@handlessbeggar11]

Seen it a few hours ago. Looks great but came out underwhelmed. The creature is not a vampire per se but as Mark described an undead nobleman and it is a more interesting take of the Dracula mythology. Some of the casting for me didn't work. Got bogged down in the middle third and the ending is very relaxed. It comes across as more of a demented gothic romance. This has the same vibe as Joker and The Batman where it is more of a serious take on a subject than a dramatic action flick. It just lacks the spark that The Witch had but still an enjoyable cinema experience.

[@user-bv3jk8mo7z]

The Gypsies mention it in the movie... Strigoi... which is usually a sort of ghoul. I imagine it would have been used to embarrass poor people when Romanian nationalism become a thing and an aristocratic tradition started establishing in the 18th/19th century, during the weakening of the Ottoman Empire... see, I think Bram Stoker wrote Dracula as more of a send-up of snobby Romanians (who started seeing Vlad Tepes as a Romanian folk hero, when in actuality he was loser who was defeated by his own Turkish half-brother), and the idea that the so-called 'aristocracy' in the regions were more interested in going to Britain than being in their own lands, hence the whole 'un-dead/Essex boat smuggling/hiding in procured property being a joke about an aristocratic dodgy illegal immigration scheme. If you imagine in a book that you can't physically see a character, that leaves room for embellishment by an unreliable narrator. The fact that the director has felt the need to explain his particular version of a Dracula rip-off... because it becomes so visible, while making it like the opposite of a Dracula, and at the same time exactly like Dracula because of the nobleman aspect being 'authentic' to a Dracula... this is becoming Schrodinger's Dracula, isn't it.... Eggers Nosferatu Dracula, is more Dracula than Orlock Nosferatu... no matter which way you swing it. But then you've got a kind of mix-up between knock-off Dracula and the personification of Death (Thanatos) which I would imagine would appeal to Germans because of all their 'Deaths-Head/Toten-Kopf' skulls fixation motif in military history. But then it's also like a kind of ghoulish unborn demon baby, which is a stillborn mythology unto itself.

[@liamhicks547]

just got out from seeing this a few hours ago and completely agree. give me the gothic maximalism of bram stoker's dracula over this any day, even with keanu reeves' dodgy british accent

[@handlessbeggar11]

@@liamhicks547 One of the casting choices that didn't work for me was the husband. Robert Pattison because of his association with Egger might have been a better choice. Also preferred Anthony Hopkins effort. Again, still happy to have seen the film but a bit confused how some are raving about it

[@user-bv3jk8mo7z]

​@@handlessbeggar11The trailers were better than the film overall (which is usually the case - cherry-picking scenes and creating different expectations). The first half of the film was well done, and credit where credit is due... but it eventually becomes daft, especially when it abandons its sexually frustrated woman subtext, which becomes text. And then hypertext, and then a 50ft Neon sign, rubber mallet, and then a dog that bites the audience on the posterior. It's not subtle, and it's shoving a needless Exorcist movie into an already bloated German Dracula. Trailers also edited to make it appear as though all the swooshy gothy nightgown bedclothes stuff is half-way through the story and therefore indicative of vulnerability, rather than at the very beginning of the movie and beyond, where is pretty much becomes the default main female aesthetic.

[@BugMan_666]

@@handlessbeggar11 The vampire as portrayed by Eggers is faithful to Eastern European folklore, which tended to figure the vampire as a blood-engorged, animated corpse

[@TheJohnnyCalifornia]

It is not really scary, but personally I don’t think I’ve ever found any adaptation of DRACULA to actually be scary except maybe for a few moments in SALEM’S LOT but that was only slightly a Dracula story and I was a little kid when I saw it on television. My favorite adaptation is the Coppola DRACULA film, and it was much more entertaining and more of a Gothic Romantic adventure - like the novel - than a horror movie. In fact, watching NOSFERATU, I felt it was much more similar to Coppola’s film than either the Murnau original from the silent era or the 70’s remake by Herzog. In the end, it felt more tragic and melodramatic than horrifying and though Orlock might be the most disgusting and possibly dreadful depiction of a vampire on film, he was far from the most frightening. Nevertheless, it was a compelling performance and all the actors played their parts well - especially Depp and Dafoe.

[@cliftonwebb3295]

You should see the BBC version of Dracula made in 1977. It’s amazing

[@YouTube-Grifter]

A romp?? A ROMP?!?! You're describing it that way sarcasticly surely??

[@Albo96286]

The incredible performances by this cast and of course the production design and cinematography, costuming and friendly rats did it for me.

[@jussiesommelier]

1:27 "Eerily similar"?! A count hires a real estate agent to sell him land in a city, then captures said agent, travels to the city to steal his woman, and is then hunted by a "professor" vampire hunter... yep, totally original story 😂😅

[@marks6928]

I don’t think anyone in their right mind would claim that Nosferatu is an original story.

[@Jumbleman5]

I thought it was pretty good. I would say that characters shaking and being frozen with fear happened too often. Maybe that was meant to be like a sleep paralysis metaphor with how much dreaming comes into play.

[@andrewferguson1227]

@@Jumbleman5 They were being piped by Lord Orlock

[@Fairuzfan2]

Great film. Maybe my favourite of his yet!

[@TheDarksamurai2]

I wouldn't call Ellen Hutter as guilty of the possession, but someone who was Groomed as young person. and when that happens, the damaged obsession that your psyche can create can't really come from a place of personal choice.

[@rockingirl_82]

I can't find any info about any Nosferatwo or any other versions, and I was surprised to learn about the 2023 version. I know only about 4 - 1922, 1979, 2023 (which I have to find) and this one, plus Shadow of the Vampire. I would love to get more info about other existing remakes.

[@LaurenceSouthDrumsUK]

Did Mark actually just call The Witch "The Vavitch?" 😂😂😂

[@darrylpeers]

Great film. I found highly disturbing though. It got to me and not much usually does, I’ve seen it all. 8/10

[@chrisbarkerguitar]

Happy New Year!

[@carlosconesa]

Watched it yesterday, I was bored and not too scared, laughed at the over the top performances and never got much invested in the predictable plot. It wasn’t for me. PS: also, the score is hideous!

[@RollrightKnights]

Agreed. We laughed several times. The dialogue was overly verbose and Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson totally phoned it in 😬

[@daisydaisy...4562]

Agreed .... Absolute guff....

[@BatutaTatuba-m8w]

"You don't belong with the living," Orlok tells Ellen in the extinct Dacian language at the film's beginning. This brief introduction conveys the entire narrative and its conclusion: she has made a pact with Orlok, sealing her fate to be with him forever. "I've never been so happy," she declares. From the start, she has been like a possessed somnambulist, merely waiting for Orlok to fulfill their union. What a beautiful poetic film, with Orlok looking like the decayed Vlad, the Impaler. Additionally, Eggers' research on folklore reveals vampires fucks their victims to death.

[@captainmobius5823]

Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise in It Chapter 2, in one scene was supposed to turn into Freddy Kruger. Maybe he should remake Elm Street !?

[@LaFaveBros]

May or may not be her “fault”, but it is her nature.

[@nathanaelsmith3553]

My local cinema is dark and cold because the owners are two mean to put the heating on in January. Im going to treat it as 4D cinema.

[@kennyramsey4555]

I thought this was brilliant. Agreed, I probably expected/hoped it would be scarier or more intense but it still certainly has it moments. It looks amazing. It sounds perfect! That voice and that scene with the approaching horse and carriage. I also agreed on Kermode about the Northman but on 2nd watch I enjoyed it much more.

[@StormofSteelWargaming]

Terrific film and I really enjoyed it (even on a second viewing). The Transylvania sequences were stand out for me, but I found it lost a bit of momentum after Orlock arrived in Visberg and the final third of the film could have done with being a bit tighter. Minor point on what was a great film though.

[@GameBoyPL1991]

So many good reviews and for some reason the film distributor in Poland decided to screen it in FEBRUARY. What a joke.

[@niallrichardcurran2466]

lads will you be doing the Brutalist? Just saw it last night and I am yet to find your take on it!

[@justanothersciencenerd6907]

It hasn't opened in the UK yet, apparently. Due late January.

[@MsLizChatham]

@@niallrichardcurran2466 I saw it about 2 was ago in the US, it was very good, abrupt ending though.

[@CA-LW1]

24th January UK I think so sometime around then I would believe.

[@ArchieAndy27]

KZbin threw up Mark's review of Herzog's 1979 film of Nosferatu, in which he calls Kinski "unsurpassable". Skarsgard does the job here, he's immensely talented and can completely disappear into any role ❤

[@nevskislake]

I much prefer Herzog's version, but I am glad you had fun with Egger's version. I wish I did. Thank you for your review.

[@michaelsinger4638]

Orlok was SO creepy in this. Like everything about him made your skin crawl. I also like how he was basically a walking plague. Lily-Rose Depp acts her ass off here. I hope that this is a breakout role for her. Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, and ATJ are all predictably really good. Thomas is also a much more strong willed and proactive character here than he was in the original. The cinematography and sound mixing is phenomenal. Etc,

[@OttoWatt9000]

Well said!

[@OttoWatt9000]

@ lol Just no. Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula (both young and old forms of the character) are FANTASTIC and he was easily the best actors in that movie. Just lol stop as it’s NOT “nOnsEnSe” AT ALL!

[@stephenrochester6309]

@@OttoWatt9000 lol, no right back at you.

[@OttoWatt9000]

@@stephenrochester6309 lol just stop talking, seriously. You’re so wrong here immensely!

[@Albo96286]

The slurping and gurgling audio especially.

[@robertsmyth9697]

I'm just back from watching it, and I truly enjoyed it. To me, it is a gothic love story, and eggers puts that across so well I this version. It's not very scary and not full of blood, but I found it intense, and they way it's almost in black and white only added to it.

[@beejls]

You should see the crowds around the block at the Music box in Chicago. I went last night and was blown away. Skarsgard is a modern day Lon Chaney senior. I couldn't believe he did that voice without having it manipulated by computer, but it's all him. So talented. All the cast was great.

[@davidsheilds7191]

A Happy New Year to you and your nearest and dearest Gentlemen.

[@catrionacolville2192]

Do you think we are all men here?

[@chrisstronach5495]

I'm going to see it tomorrow. Been looking forward to it for ages. The soundtrack album is brilliant.

[@Trenchfood]

I've been to the cinema twice to see this and once alone. Haven't done either for years.

[@SonofGroucho1]

Saw it today. Was really impressed by it.