When it comes to first reactions, rule of thumb is to always take them with a major grain of salt. Remember when “Gladiator II” screened a few weeks back, and the social media “critics” in attendance were hailing it as a triumph? (it most definitely is not that and I’ll write more about it once the embargo breaks) …
With that said, Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” just screened in NYC and, for once, we should actually take these early reactions seriously because actual film critics are weighing in on the film, and they’re almost all raving about it (below).
The trailer for “Nosferatu,” featured Eggers’ very distinct visual style; The long elaborate shot structures were present as was the authentic, time-period specific, attention to detail and the ambiguous nature of evil.
Eggers’ obsessions with fairytales, folktales, and mythology will be all over “Nosferatu” which stars Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, a woman whose soul is seduced by the vampire (Bill Skarsgård) while her husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) fights to save her.
The film, set to hit theaters on December 25, has skipped all of the fall fests, but is no less one of the most anticipated films of the season. It’s been test-screened already a few times with many positive notices having come its way.
"Nosferatu" is well-known as the essential and most iconic Vampire in cinema. There hasn't been anything quite like F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent-era classic, and based on the trailer, Eggers seems to be mimicking Murnau’s usage of shadows and sharp angles. While we’re at it, check out Dafoe’s terrific depiction of the bloodsucker in 2000’s “Shadow of the Vampire.”
Eggers’ short filmography includes “The Witch,” “The Lighthouse,” and “The Northman,” but he’s already amassed a solid fanbase, and judging by some of these reactions, he might have delivered his best film yet.
Here are well over a dozen film critics raving about “Nosferatu” on X:
