Eggers’ return to the silver screen is a dark and dingy retelling of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic, filled with the same dedication to the occult we’ve come to expect from his work.

The world Eggers creates is one infused with darkness. The colourless landscape his characters inhabit is a continual reminder of the eponymous monster (Bill Skarsgård) that haunts the couple at the story’s centre. While the film is a semi-faithful retelling in that it replaces Yorkshire for Germany, it remains, at its heart, a love story.

Lily-Rose Depp’s performance as the tormented bride Ellen Hutter is a career-high. Depp contorts her entire being in this visceral, show-stealing performance, silencing any claims of ‘nepo-baby’ status. The recent leak of her audition tape is just a taste of what she delivers on screen, and her transformation under the monster’s curse is disturbingly vivid.

The film’s first half is where Eggers vision truly shines. Tentative husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) journeys to Aveling, Transylvania, to deliver the deeds of a decayed mansion to a “very old and eccentric” figure—ironically visiting the home of the creature haunting his wife. The journey to the castle is where the masterful blend of score and visuals takes hold.

Cinematography by Jarin Blaschke is a lesson in atmosphere. The vast forests Hoult traverses are rich in dark tones, framed by jagged mountain tops as he nears Orlock’s domain. His visual language is striking yet never cliché, demonstrating a deep care in crafting Eggers’ world. The commitment to an unnatural colour aesthetic lingers long after the credits roll, and this, combined with an understated, unsettling score often akin to a child’s lullaby, chills the most seasoned vampire slayers – even with a garlic necklace equipped or stake in hand.

The juxtaposition between Hoult’s climb to the castle and Depp’s affliction by Orlock’s presence creates suspense, but unfortunately, the film’s third act doesn’t sustain this tension. The monster’s slaying follows the guidance of a kooky witch doctor, Albin Eberhart von Franz, played brilliantly by consistent Eggers collaborator Willem Dafoe. His performance is one of maddening wit, that only a veteran actor of his calibre can deliver. While Lighthouse comrade Robert Pattinson’s absence made me wish he had the chance to flex his ‘Twilight’ kudos, Eggers’ ensemble cast is still well-drilled into his visceral world.

Nosferatu delivers. Though the film’s latter act disappoints in regards to pace, I left the cinema shaking with fear, with the audience at the GFT and I departing with expressions akin to Rose Depp’s haunted Ellen. This film more than deserves a Halloween resurgence later this year.

Aaron McDougall

Hi! I’m Aaron and I’m in my 4th year studying Journalism and English. I’m really looking forward to contributing to the Creative and Culture sections of the Telegraph this year!