Halloween may be over, but spooky season is getting an extension this year. Thursday night brought early reactions from press who attended pre-release screenings in New York and Los Angeles for Robert Eggers‘ Nosferatu, which is due out this Christmas. Going off the film’s first impressions, Eggers’ horror reimagining, starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Skarsgård, is not only one of his best films to date, it may even be a strong contender for 2024’s film of the year.
Nosferatu is taglined as a “gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.” The film follows a woman named Ellen Hunter (Depp) as she tries to make sense of recurring nightmares of her wedding night massacre, which saw her husband (Hoult) die at the elongated hands of Count Orlok (Skarsgård). Added to the mix is Professor Albin Heinz Eberhart von Franz (Dafoe), pledging his life to wipe out plague-carrying rats from Transylvania and the vampiric scourge from the earth.
Going off the vibes of its official trailer, Nosferatu teased a terrifying mix of old-school horror with a mix of self-destructive allure and longing between Depp’s Hunter and Skarsgård’s titular vampire. Early critic reviews overwhelmingly agreed with this sentiment, some praising Eggers’ film as a transformative period piece chock-full of terrifying and psychosexual horror.
Here are some film critic reactions to Nosferatu, starting with io9’s own Germain Lussier.
Robert Eggers’ #Nosferatu is a knockout. Gory, creepy, propulsive, with a hint of devilish humor. Lily-Rose Depp is fantastic as the woman at the center of it all and Bill Skarsgard’s vampire is wholly unique and grounded. Not my favorite Eggers but excellent nevertheless. pic.twitter.com/wNmeSARF4r
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) November 8, 2024
Nosferatu: strangely comforting this week to watch a film that feels conjured from the darkest depths of pure evil. Eggers' most assured work, one in which you can feel his obsessions flow through every nocturnal frame. Lily Rose-Depp and Bill Skarsgard are out of this world. pic.twitter.com/E8mapesrp3
— Jordan Raup (@jpraup) November 8, 2024
Robert Eggers continues his impressive streak of crafting highly detailed and transportive period films with NOSFERATU, one of the most seductively macabre films ever made. Lily-Rose Depp gives every ounce of her body and soul to this eye-popping performance of tormented… pic.twitter.com/a6XwoIVf1v
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) November 8, 2024
Robert Eggers digs deep into the native soil beneath Nosferatu and Dracula, finding the gruesome (yet perversely alluring) core of the creature's appeal. He also transforms THE vampire story into a Jungian tragedy and one of the most achingly beautiful films this year. pic.twitter.com/mUooFkrOwn
— David Crow (@DCrowsNest) November 8, 2024
Excited that I finally get to talk about #Nosferatu as it is a breathtaking masterpiece & my favorite film of 2024. Meticulously directed & featuring incredible performances from the entire cast, Robert Eggers casts an intoxicating spell w/his haunting take on this timeless tale. pic.twitter.com/W1gj4iubB0
— Heatherface Wixson (@thehorrorchick) November 8, 2024
relatively confident that Robert Eggers' Nosferatu has more writhing sweatily in bed than any other movie ever made (complimentary)
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) November 8, 2024
Arise #Nosferatu. Devilishly bloody and grotesque. Superbly crafted film and great sound design couple with a haunting score. Lily-Rose Depp’s performance is thoroughly gripping. Robert Eggers delivers a perfect remake. pic.twitter.com/vbnoPbCpk2
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) November 8, 2024
I admittedly didn't walk out of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu thinking that it's going to end up on my "Best of 2024" list, but there is an amazing degree of passion on screen, the filmmaking craft is spectacular, and Bill Skarsgärd's Count Orlok is an awesome achievement. Be excited! pic.twitter.com/dN60KP7sVJ
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) November 8, 2024
#Nosferatu is paralyzing fear fully realized under the vision of writer and director Robert Eggers. Dude is just clearing his throat in cinema. He hasn't yet begun to sing, and I'm digging all of his numbers. Bill Skarsgård is menacing while Lily-Rose Depp is haunting. Every… pic.twitter.com/z5agFPsISc
— Clayton Davis (@ByClaytonDavis) November 8, 2024
Robert Eggers’ #Nosferatu goes HARDER than any other horror film this year. Holy fuck. A gorgeous grotesquerie of dread-infused terrors & a divine dark delight. Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok is pure sinister nightmare fuel. Lily Rose Depp & Nicholas Hoult’s best work to date. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/uxbHTQN0nc
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) November 8, 2024
Having combed through Nosferatu‘s early critic reviews, the film appears to let its freak flag fly in the literal and euphemistic sense of the word. Folks with an affinity for horror and vampires, and anyone who caught themselves feverishly raising their eyebrows at the mention of the film’s NTR-laden storyline, will get to put critics’ praises for Eggers’ movie as a perfect re-imagining to the test when Nosferatu casts its shadow across theaters December 25.
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