Nosferatu (2024)

⭐8/10

Back to visit Eggers, a filmmaker I have an up and down relationship with. The thing I really liked about this movie is that it isn't black and white. I say that facetiously, but man, Eggers is so talented with framing beautiful, atmospheric scenes that I became super worried during that black and white intro that this is just his thing now. 

I thought the first half of this movie was absolutely fantastic. It is dripping, yes dripping with dark, spooky, dreadful atmosphere. The introduction of Orlok is fantastic with his accent and taking 5 hours to say one sentence. I was totally bought in, thinking this was my new favorite horror movie. It was everything I wanted, entirely immersive with cool set pieces, great costumes, and the dialogue that is always wonderful is all of his movies. 

The second half lost me a little. Not sure it was even the movie's fault, but this movie is super dreadful and after 2 hours I was begging for respite. Not only that, but the weirdest, most twisted stuff all happens in the second half and it was a little much for me. Graphic depictions of children being murdered? No prob. Weird demonic vampire sex? Crossing the line! 

This is a good movie if you're into messed up, dark horror. I can't express how much I was loving these dark scenes in the castle, lit only by hearth fires, wind blowing against dingy windows. Nobody gets this stuff better than Eggers, and I thought Lily Depp, Nicolas Hoult, and Eggers mainstays Dafoe and Ralph Ineson all turned in awesome performances. But it is still impossible to recommend to pretty much anyone, and even more difficult to recommend in light of all the yucky third act stuff. Not one to watch with your mother.