Nosferatu

It's weird to say, but this will be my final Rath's Review. There always had to be a "last", and it seems that time has finally come. Rest assured, there's a few more final posts on the way, including a final Rath Awards and some overall lists/rankings, but this will be the last time I hand out a score. 

There was a lot of potential for this to be one of my better scores of the year. Robert Eggers is a director who has already made a name for himself and his films put cinephile butts in seats, even if they don't always translate to mainstream audiences. While I enjoyed The Witch as something that was good, not great, I ended up falling in love with The Lighthouse, and also really liked The Northman. It's a bit of shame then - mostly just because this is my final review - that I hold Eggers' newest Christmas joy-fest, Nosferatu - more in line with The Witch than his other, better films. Undoubtedly, some of this feels like personal preference, to be clear, as the story/remake of 1922's Nosferatu doesn't immediately grab me. 

That sentiment becomes more clear as the majority of things I really enjoyed about Nosferatu were clearly Robert Eggers' vision. Sure, it gets a little too weird in a couple spots, which seems to be a staple of Eggers at this point, but perhaps the only element I feel like he could have done better without redrafting the entire story, was some of the pacing. It's a film that initially feels like a slow burn, until suddenly its not and some moments are disjointed from their following ones. Couple that with a story that I found a bit "meh" and silly about and you have largely why Nosferatu didn't resonate with me as much as some of Eggers' previous works. 

But Eggers' touch is definitely the best part of Nosferatu, make no mistake. The words that come to mind are macabre, ominous, and gothic. There have been scarier (and better) horror films in a very strong 2024, but perhaps none that have this distinct of a tone and feel. The entire 2+ hours feels cold and dreary. The sense of dread is palpable through things like the set design and weather, color palette, creature design, and cinematography. Elements that are darker and R-rated (which I'm guessing/assuming were not in the 1922 version) also push this vision further. Similarly, performances from Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Skarsgard feel old-school, yet mixed with Eggers weird/dark style. Aaron Taylor-Johnson does some good work too, but his character is only a half degree away from "I do SAY, old chap!", which at times felt a bit silly. These elements combine to craft that phenomenal tone that seeps from Nosferatu's pores the entire time, even if I didn't find the story itself did it all that much justice. There was a chance here for a iconic original score, but I didn't find one. The music is serviceable, but not something that matches the other elements in how they add versus merely existing. 

Nosferatu is probably a film that other cinephiles may enjoy more than me (though I'd be surprised if general audiences take a liking to it). It has memorable elements by a director who will always have my attention, but the story and plot itself did little to grab me beyond the dreary visuals. 

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 7/10