Nosferatu (2024)

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⭐ 7.5/10

I have been interested in all of Eggers' movies, but this one looked much to scary. However, I had some friends that wanted to see it, so why not.  Turns out, pretty scary! I feel like the artsy horror stuff I have seen doesn't lean so much into jump scares, but this has a bunch right off the bat so I was tense and uncomfortable.  Love that in a movie!

Overall the level of craft in this movie is really high.  The design of Nosferatu himself, how they dole out glimpses of him, all very effective.  Feels like we don't get a truly clear look until right at the end in a disgusting finale.  I have seen the original, or at least I had it on in the background while doing some other things, so I knew where everything was going. Funny how this movie is exactly the same, only a million times more violent and gross and sexual, but they are still the exact same story.  Turns out we've been telling nasty freaky stories forever, we just didn't always have the ability to be as up front about the sex and blood.  This one does not shy away!

Can't say I have seen a ton of horror, but the ones I have seen usually have some message, or at least an analogy, some way to tap into the human condition.  With this I am not really sure what the takeaway is.  Sell your soul to the devil, because it feels good and saves the ones you love? Honestly I just have no idea what the purpose of something like this is, other than to explore the occult.

Shout out to Willem Dafoe, who is amazing, and it feels like the movie really picks up when he is introduced half way in. He is perfectly cast to deliver incredible lines of dialogue, and even adds some levity to a very serious movie.  The other performances are great too, he was just the warm blanket I needed.

I probably wouldn't watch this again, but there are some incredible images in this, which is probably what motivated Eggers to retell this story that he is clearly obsessed with. Its cool to see a modern take on a classic, but this is pretty gnarly, so I can't really recommend.

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