Nosferatu

I wanna do a super long review for this because this is one film that is consistently on my mind I personally think that the vampire sub genre of horror movies has never had a film that has truly been great. There's been a couple that are good, but most of them are pretty fucking bad. Nosferatu is the best vampire film ever made without a doubt. Aside from being the best film of the decade so far and what seems like the first large scale project that Robert Eggers has been satisfied with, I will die on the hill that this is perhaps the ONLY great vampire movie. Starting with the obvious, Eggers' interpretation of Count Orlok is the perfect balance between human and horror. Let's take his introduction for example: (yes I am aware that he is present at the very start but I mean his proper introduction) His character is kept fairly speculative beforehand besides being labelled as "very old and eccentric". Eggers' chooses to hone in on the eccentricity before we even meet Orlok with the inclusion of the other-worldly horse and carriage. The grand Transylvanian castle helps his case that's for sure. Throughout his first scenes, he exhibits some form of humanity but his movement and placement in the scene says otherwise. He showcases inhuman abilities, communicating that although he is trying desperately to seem human (even having what could only be described as a vsmpiric giggle) he cannot maintain this persona; maybe even simply forgetting that teleportation is not unique to him. The voice that Bill Skarsgard uses for this film, besides his sheer physicality, makes the character infinitely more imposing. His guttural vocals reverberate through even the shittiest of sound systems. Each line of dialogue spoken by him feels like it is being spoken through the rotted vocal cords of a multi-centenarian. Even some of the lines that have been preserved from the original inserts of the 1922 Murnau original that were not intended to sound at all remarkable, Skarsgard makes them sound terrifying. He commands attention in each scene ge is in as though it were an actual last stand. Orlok's mask eventually slips and he turns to full on Vampirism. The look of terror Nicholas Hoult has in this scene is so convincing but ESPECIALLY towards the end. That mystery and slow (but not too slow) build is exactly how you introduce a villain. scene of the fucking decade. Lily Rose Depp, I forgive you for The Idol. she is absolutely brilliant as Ellen Hutter. She elicits such empathy and care from the audience and clearly loves her husband. She is an angel on the shoulder of the audience. Granted, her strive for companionship is precisely how Orlok became an issue in her life, it is the absolute humanity that she presents as a counter to Orlon's vampirism. Her physical performance is so scary. Her seizures look like an exorcism. She is just the kind of prptagonist that a film of this magnitude would require. On the other hand, Herr Knock is the epitome of chaos in this film, like the devil on the shoulder of Visburg. Despite being completely batshit, he is definitely the most entertaining side character to watch. His introduction is so civilised and his ending is so undignified. however, I'd be lying if I said he wasn't hilarious in some scenes, I think intentionally so. Willem Dafoe is the voice of reason (kind of). He doesn't approve of unfair medical conditions yet proceeds to inquire and perform bloodletting. This is another way (besides the incredible production design) that Eggers keeps us firmly rooted in 19th century Germany. On the topic of production design, this film excels at it to the highest degree. Although, to expect anything less from Eggers at this point is frankly contrarian. The city, the castle, the gypsy settlement, the boat; just a few of the settings that you would make you think the film was somehow shot on IMAX cameras in the mid 1800's. The cinematography is Eggers at perhaps his most art historical. Each shot feels like it could be on the wall in an expensive art gallery in the centre of a European city. Some shots are just mind boggling. The depth and scale of some of the shots, the mountains, the boat, the castle, even a fucking road are so well shot and graded. There's even a visible difference between sunlight and darkness INSIDE OF A ROOM. Whoever graded that scene needs a raise. I know it's a slim possibility, but I would love to see a film made by Robert Eggers that was created on an INDULGENT budget. Give him a cheque for 300 million and just see what he would create with that. This film is the best interpretation of Nosferatu, The best depiction of a vampire on screen, the best vampire movie and the best film of the decade so far. If you disagree, I look forward to retiring to a platform with a modern mind.