‘Nosferatu’ First Reactions: ‘Seductively Macabre,’ ‘Erotic,’ ‘Pure Evil,’ and ‘Goes Harder Than Any Other Horror Film This Year’

Robert Eggers‘ gothic tale of obsession “Nosferatu” had its first screenings in New York City and Los Angeles on Thursday, November 7, including an L.A. Academy screening moderated by Guillermo del Toro. Early reactions are in for the 19th-century period piece horror about the title vampire’s (Bill Skarsgård) obsession with a woman named Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp). Nicholas Hoult plays her husband Thomas, sent to Transylvania to ink a real estate contract with Nosferatu, only to end up signing away his marriage and his wife’s soul. But is it not Ellen who was luring Nosferatu to her all along? The rest of the English-accented cast in the period-detailed gothic horror movie includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson.

On Threads, IndieWire’s Anne Thompson wrote, “Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a period delight, a fantastic horror tale exquisitely mounted and efficiently told. It’s historically authentic with a strong English-accented cast. He first saw Murnau’s Nosferatu at age 9.” More reactions are below.

The Film Stage’s Jordan Raup wrote this morning, “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.”

IndieWire contributor Carlos Aguilar said the film “further crystallizes Eggers’ exploration of evil as an elemental force, as inherent to existence as desire, emerging from the same divinity as kindness. It’s so inextricable from us, fighting it demands great sacrifice.”

Meanwhile, IndieWire contributor Tomris Laffly wrote, “A moody, gothic, EROTIC horror with sharp teeth—grabs you by the throat, takes its time. Between this & Juror #2, Nicholas Hoult is killing it. Bill Skarsgård…you have to see for yourself. But the main attraction to me is Lily-Rose Depp.”

IndieWire Chief Film Critic David Ehrlich wrote he is “relatively confident that Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu has more writhing sweatily in bed than any other movie ever made (complimentary).”

Gregory Ellwood wrote, “Nosferatu displays Robert Eggers visionary creativity. Lily Rose Depp is superb. Willem Dafoe is having a blast. A major below the line player. Could it crack BP? Hmmmm. Rose Depp has a shot in packed supporting actress race”

Critic Courtney Howard said the film “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.”

Matt Neglia also said, “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 possession, while the overall portrayal of Count Orlok is so utterly compelling every moment he’s on screen that his presence lingers even when he’s not.”

“Nosferatu” marks Eggers’ fourth feature since “The Witch” rattled the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. His subsequent films, including “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman,” have been widely admired by critics but haven’t clicked as powerfully with audiences in terms of box office. Focus Features is launching “Nosferatu” (a re-envisioning of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent movie that itself was inspired by Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” novel) on Christmas Day as sure-to-be-R-rated counter-programming to more festive family fare and PG-13-friendly awards season fodder.

Eggers was initially set to make “Nosferatu” his follow-up film to “The Witch” but opted toward original screenplay projects before foraying into a remake. Actors attached to “Nosferatu” have included “The Witch” star Anya Taylor-Joy and Harry Styles. Production finally took place in early 2023 in Eastern Europe, evoking the film’s doomy 19th-century romanticism. Skarsgård lost a ton of weight for the role and spent up to six hours a day in a makeup chair to don prostheses. He’s said the role was hard to shake off, “like conjuring pure evil.”

“Nosferatu” opens December 25 from Focus Features.