Nosferatu (2024)    Focus/Horror    RT: 132 minutes    Rated R (bloody violent content, graphic nudity, some sexual content)    Director: Robert Eggers    Screenplay: Robert Eggers    Music: Robin Carolan    Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke    Release date: December 25, 2024 (US)    Cast: Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney.

Rating: ** ½

 I was really looking forward to Nosferatu, a remake of the 1922 silent horror film from German filmmaker F.W. Murnau. I haven’t been enthralled by any of the big holiday releases this year. I was hoping Nosferatu would change that. It didn’t. It’s a disappointment. It’s not a terrible film by any means, but it’s not as great as it should be given the talent involved.

 Part of the problem with Nosferatu is the pacing. It’s slow-moving. I didn’t expect a thrill-a-minute horror movie, but writer-director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse) could have tightened up the narrative a bit. However, that’s not my biggest gripe about Nosferatu. In my never humble opinion, Eggers dropped the ball in the creature design department. I don’t like the look of this Count Orlok. The moustache is especially ridiculous. I originally thought it was CGI, but research reveals this vampire is makeup and prosthetics. It looked like CGI to me.  I get that the makers didn’t want to make Bill Skarsgard (It) look exactly like Max Schreck in the original. Okay, fine. He looks different, but the final result is less than impressive.

 As I’m sure you’re already aware, Nosferatu is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It tells the same basic story of a young woman who falls under the spell of a count from Transylvania. In this version of the tale, the action is set in Germany circa 1838. Ellen (Depp, The Idol) has been psychically connected to Count Orlok since she was a young girl. Now a young woman, she’s newly married to Thomas (Hoult, Renfield), a rising star at a real estate agency. His boss Knock (McBurney, The Conjuring 2) sends him to Romania to meet with an eccentric new client interested in buying property in Wisborg. The client, of course, is Orlok who takes action to keep Thomas in his castle upon discovering he’s married to Ellen.

 Back home, Ellen is plagued by bouts of sleepwalking and seizures. Family friend Friedrich (Johnson, Kraven the Hunter) calls in the local doctor (Ineson, The Witch) who can’t figure out what’s wrong with her. He brings in occult expert Von Franz (Dafoe, The Lighthouse) to get to the bottom of her mysterious malady. It’s he who figures out she’s under the spell of a vampire he calls “Nosferatu”.

 Visually, Nosferatu is quite stunning. It’s thick with atmosphere and dread. A gloomy pallor looms over the proceedings. Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke drains any and all bright colors, utilizing a gray and cool blue color palette. It’s not always pretty to look at, especially when the rats arrive on the scene, but it evokes the right mood for the story. Eggers has a real eye for scene composition. If not for his visual poetry, the film would have been a complete bust.

 The acting is decent. Depp gets top honors as Ellen, a woman haunted by something she can’t comprehend. Her fear is palpable. Dafoe hams it up mightily as this tale’s version of Van Helsing. Hoult is okay as Thomas. Skarsgard does a pretty good job as Orlok. It would be unfair to compare him to Max Schreck, so I’m not going to do that. He puts his own unique spin on the character and doesn’t botch it up. He’s much better here than he was in this summer’s Crow remake. Still, I was let down by the look of his character. He’s grotesque, but not all that scary.

 Now I find myself in a quandary. What do I do with Nosferatu? I really, really wanted to love it, but I don’t. It’s boring. I actually struggled to stay awake in parts. Although I try not to be influenced by other critics, I’ve read and heard so many rave reviews I’m starting to doubt myself. Did I miss something? Should I hold off on this review until I’ve seen it a second time? Or should I trust my first impression? I honestly don’t know. I want to be fair, but I’m not sure I want to invest another 132 minutes of my life. What to do, what to do?

 Okay, here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll let this review of Nosferatu stand for now. I’ll consider seeing it again. If nothing opens on Jan. 3, I’ll see it again with a friend. How’s that sound? For now, I am not a fan of this Nosferatu.