Robert Eggers Says ‘Nosferatu’ Was a “Difficult Shoot”

Robert Eggers seems to thrive in difficult shoots.

Robert Pattinson nearly punched him during “The Lighthouse” shoot, calling his experience “torturous.” There was also a very in-depth piece, from Vulture, recounting the brutal production on “The Northman” which included an excessive amount of takes, bad weather, rewrites and ambitiously conceived shots.

He just wrapped production on his upcoming “Nosferatu” in Prague and it also wasn’t a walk in the park, at least judging by what he tells Empire:

I’m trying to go beyond what I’m capable of. As always, it was a difficult shoot. Last night we were doing a scene on a ship with a lot of rain and waves, and the rain deflector, which tries to blow rain out of the lens, was breaking down and fogging.

I spent the past several days working only with Russian sailors on a boat […] I’m so happy to have made “The Northman” first and to have learned what I learned. When I think about the production plan of “Nosferatu” that we had the first time around, I’m sure I would have somehow pulled it out of my butt, but it’s hard not to imagine it being a failure.

I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait. Not that I loved all three of Eggers’ films, but he’s clearly very talented, has a precise vision of what he wants and he keeps taking risks. There’s no complaining on my part.

Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, who lives in Prague, confirmed that the film was shot in color, with a look reminiscent of 19th century Romanticism. In fact, an entirely new filter was engineered just for this film.

The official synopsis for the film reads as follows: “Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.”

"Nosferatu" is well-known as the essential and most iconic Vampire in cinema. There's hasn't been anything quite like F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent-era classic. While we’re at it, check out Willem Dafoe’s terrific depiction of the bloodsucker in 2000’s “Shadow of the Vampire.”

Eggers’ decade-in-the-making project, via Focus Features, stars Lily-Rose Depp (!!!), Bill Skarsgard, Willem Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.