Nosferatuis a gothic tale of obsession in which a terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgård) is infatuated with a young woman, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp). Robert Eggers writes and directs this haunting remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name by director F. W. Murnau.Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe also star.
Robert Eggers is thebrilliant mind behindThe Witch,The Lighthouse, andThe Northman. He is one of those directors where you may look at a piece of his work and instantly know he had a hand in it, which is the best kind of artist.Nosferatuplays in theaters starting on Christmas Day, December 25.
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ScreenRantinterviewed Robert Eggers to discuss his fourth feature film,Nosferatu. He revealed what it was about this story that made him want to adapt it, rather than the traditional Dracula story. Eggers also discussed his incredible cast, and what makes them such a great fit for the film. Finally, the director spoke about the collaboration between departments to find the right look and sound forhis version of Nosferatu.
Robert Eggers Was Excited To Tell The Story Of Nosferatu Through Ellen’s Eyes
“Something that I really loved about the Murnau film is that it ends with the female protagonist being the heroine.”
ScreenRant: What was it about Nosferatu that made you want to adapt this story rather than a traditional Dracula story?
Robert Eggers: I mean, as much as I love the novel, it is a little bit overstuffed with Victoriana. I think something about the Murnau adaptation is just a simple fairy tale. I actually think that simple fairy tale that is at the core of the Stoker novel is the thing that has made it so adaptable and so versatile and kept people so inspired over the past century.
Something that I really loved about the Murnau film is that it ends with the female protagonist being the heroine. I thought that it would be potentially more exciting if the whole film is told through her eyes, because it had the potential to be more emotionally and psychologically complex than an adventure story about a real estate agent. As much as it is a scary horror movie - and it is, there’s even jump scares - it is a gothic romance, and it’s a tale of love and a tale of obsession.
Through her eyes, I think we can really get into that mode more without it becoming the tragic anti-hero story of a lovelorn vampire, which I’m also less interested in.
Robert Eggers Immediately Knew Lily-Rose Depp Was His Ellen After Meeting Her
“She’d seen the arthouse movies that I was thinking about, and would have suggested to her.”
ScreenRant: Can you talk about finding Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen, and what makes her so perfect for the role?
Robert Eggers: After my first meeting with her, I kind of knew she was the one. She just had a sensitivity to the character. She understood it so deeply. When we were talking about the script, she’d seen all these versions of Dracula. She’d seen the arthouse movies that I was thinking about, and would have suggested to her, but she’d already seen them and brought them up herself in relation to what this was.
Then she did this audition that was just as raw and powerful and ferocious as the stuff that she does on screen. And it was indisputable.
Bill Skarsgård’s Willingness To Step Into The Darkness Makes Him The Perfect Count Orlok
“Bill worked with an opera singer to lower his voice an octave to become this character.”
ScreenRant: What is it about Bill Skarsgård that makes him perfect for the role of Count Orlok, and can you talk about finding the right look for him?
Robert Eggers: I mean, Bill, there’s not a lot of actors that can truly transform. I watched The Fugitive on the plane and Harrison Ford is so, his acting is so incredible, but he’s always kind of Harrison Ford, which is great, wonderful. But Bill has the ability to become other people, and he’s also tall and slender. Bill, also, is willing to step into the darkness.
So basically, in approaching a new way to portray a cinematic vampire, I wanted to go back to the past, to the folklore, when people actually believed in vampires and thought they were real and were terrified of them. These early folkloric vampires are walking putrid corpses. So then I asked myself, what does a dead Transylvanian nobleman look like?
And then you get this costume, and these hairstyles, and the face is based on portraits of a lot of these gentlemen. So that is how we came to look. Obviously, it was further developed with Linda Muir, the costume designer, and David White, the prosthetics designer, and then there was the voice. Bill worked with an opera singer to lower his voice an octave to become this character. That’s not digitally manipulated. That is his voice.
More About Nosferatu (2024)
Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Nosferatu
Cast
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.
