“Then who was flickering the lights?” A Nosferatu (2024) Review    

The 2024 film 'Nosferatu' is a great movie; however, if you want to fully enjoy this movie, do not go in expecting a typical horror movie. Expect an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula and a great example of what modern gothic films can achieve.

Stoker's wife filed a lawsuit for copyright violations, which led to the destruction of most of the movie's copies. Unfortunately for her, the copies that made it to the Americas were able to survive.

This raises the question: why did the creators of Nosferatu create a plagiarized Dracula parody during Germany's economic crisis and post-World War One recovery?

Apparently they did not, and now thanks to their efforts we have one of the greatest Spongebob jokes ever.

The environments are terrifying, and the power Nosferatu has over the other characters is immense. This movie’s most notable feature would be its choice in grim cinematography that pays homage to gothic films from a bygone era. 

Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok (the titular Nosferatu whom the movie is named after) had what I thought to be the most standout performance in the film. Skarsgård has a talent for being able to transform himself into any grotesque movie monster he's cast to be, and Nosferatu was no different. 

It seems that when directors cast him in horror movies, it is as if they cast the villain of the movie itself! For such a normal-looking man, it is surprising he is also a plague-ridden Nosferatu and demonic Pennywise. 

The actress playing Ellen Hutter, Lily-Rose Depp, also did an amazing job bringing her character to life.

 She played the ‘succumbing to the darkness’ role very well, and I felt bad for her character in the movie. If crashing out was a character, it would be Depp’s role as Ellen. 

As a heads-up, there is a depiction of sexual assault in this movie. Many people found the film’s usage of sexual imagery to be strange and uncomfortable. Sexual assault as a plot device in horror is a controversial topic, and whether or not you think its usage was successful in this movie is up to your own interpretation.

A complaint I have with this film is its slower pacing in the first half. A part of the film that should have been aiming to build suspense left me feeling more disinterested in the growing conflicts between the main characters and Count Orlok. 

Opinions on this film seem to differ greatly, but the common trend I have noticed is that people with a pre-established interest in topics like horror, vampires, and gothic art tend to hail this movie as a love letter to its own genre. 

Overall, I personally may not have enjoyed Nosferatu as much as others in the gothic scene may have. I do not think it is by any means a bad film. However, I see it as a film that caters to an acquired taste.