‘Nosferatu’ review: Toothless remake forgets to be scary

Passion projects are often admired simply for their passion and the sheer effort it takes to make the dream a reality. At times, that glorification of energy obscures the film’s true artistic value, and the director’s blinkered vision becomes a harbinger of death.

In the 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire (a fictionalized version of the making of the 1922 silent film Nosferatu), John Malkovich plays Murnau, a Germany striker obsessed with “real” horror. There is. But even within the clever metaness of millennial indie cinema, Shadow of the Vampire manages to convey the enduring appeal of the original film, which still looms large in our cultural memory. . Inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula (names and details have been changed to circumvent Murnau’s lack of copyright), Nosferatu is a landmark in German Expressionism. An example is Max Schreck’s performance as a vampire. An unforgettable villain of the genre.

Since then, “Nosferatu” has inspired many filmmakers for over a century. Werner Herzog created his own dark and lonely version in 1979 with Klaus Kinski. Francis Ford Coppola worked directly on the original story for his gorgeous gothic film, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” in 1992. Now, it appears that Robert Eggers, who landed the writer’s seat with the 2015 colonial horror film The Witch, is directly remaking Murnau’s film. It’s a project he’s dreamed of for decades.

Eggers’ version isn’t so much a take on Nosferatu as it is an all-too-faithful retelling, so indebted to its inspiration that it’s completely hobbled by homage to itself. If “Shadow of the Vampire” was a playful twist, Eggers’ “Nosferatu” is a dead serious re-edit of the 1922 original, and it’s boring as hell. This is the exact same movie, but with more explicit violence and sex. And while Eggers loves to pay homage to the styles and forms of film history in his work, the sexual politics of his remake feel at least 100 years old.

At its core, “Nosferatu” is a story about real estate and sexual obsession. Thomas Hitter (Nicholas Hoult), a young newlywed, is sent from a small German city to the Carpathian Mountains to complete the paperwork for the purchase of a run-down property. The mansion of the mysterious Count Orlok (an unidentified Bill Skarsgård). It is a tall, pale ghost with a rumbling voice that sounds like a beehive.

Thomas is having a bad time overall with the terrifying Orlock, while his young bride and seemingly clairvoyant Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) at home suffers from terrifying nightmares and bouts of sleepwalking. Troubled and haunted by spiritual messages from the Count. I was fascinated by her even from a distance. He heads to his new home in a rat-infested ship and causes a plague. Eren considers whether he should sacrifice himself to the Count to save the town. The town is basically made up of two other men besides her husband: a doctor (Ralph Ineson) and an occult-oriented scientist (Willem Dafoe).

The first hour of Nosferatu suggests that Eggers’ film might be something new, steeped in real-world anthropological folklore rather than a strict interpretation of Murnau. There are moments. Thomas arrives in a Romanian village, where he encounters a group of merry gypsies who laugh and warn him, and at night he witnesses their blood ritual. It’s fascinating, fresh, culturally specific, and a new entry point into this familiar story. Orlok’s mustachioed appearance can be seen as a homage to the real Impaler Vlad, who inspired Stalker.

However, Eggers abandons this policy and turns to a lead homage. The film is a feat of maximalist, moody production design and cinematography, but its dull, over-the-top script renders all the characters two-dimensional, despite their effortful acting and tearful pronunciations. are.

Depp sobs and writhes anxiously, but her frenetic physical performance never reaches her eyes—unless it’s recalled in her head. Despite their energetic ministrations, neither she nor Holt are convincing. Along with Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the family friend who takes in Ellen, Emma Corrin bring a winking spookiness to the film and liven up the proceedings, and Simon McBurney plays the Earl’s demonic fixer. become penniless. However, every actor seems to be in a different movie.

Despite the sex, nudity, and declarations of desire, there is no eroticism or sensuality here. Despite the blood and guts, there’s nothing scary about it. This movie is very stylized in search of a better story, and without any metaphors or backing (nothing about immigrants or foreigners?) it’s boring. Eggers’ overbuilt “Nosferatu” was dead on arrival, drained of all life and suffocated by worship.

Katie Walsh is a film critic for Tribune News Service.