If a Robert Eggers movie is on the horizon, you know things are about to get weird. The acclaimed director has directed just 3 feature films thus far, but each sharing strands of DNA that indulge in surrealist imagery, ambiguous endings, and a love for period pieces. Yet, it could be a bit surprising that Eggers’ 4th film would be a remake, the first for the director. That is until you account for the remake in question being a century-old icon of German Expressionist cinema. Now, that seems just right for a film nerd like him.

Nosferatu (1922) isn’t just any other movie. The film is almost as old as the medium itself and was released at a time when the art form was still young and evolving into the cinematic language that we would find to be commonplace today. Its influence and iconic imagery is so deeply ingrained that it’s not a movie that modern generations frequently engage with on a thematic level. Partly because Nosferatu has become baked into the fabric of film, almost to become invisible, living on in the filmmaking techniques the movie inspired. Oh, and there’s also a generation of people that know the movie solely from an episode of SpongeBob, turning the Krusty Krab into a haunted house. What doesn’t happen at that restaurant?

The movie’s impact as part of the wider German Expressionist movement is partially responsible for why an artist like Eggers exists. The original was exceptionally noteworthy for its cinematography, use of shadows and space in its production design, and held together by lively performances from its cast. Setting the template of how tone can be manipulated in a horror movie and establishing the blueprint for the optimum Gothic horror experience.

The story is adapted from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but with some details changed around. So Count Dracula becomes Count Orlok, who thirsts after a married young woman while persistently terrorizing the region of Transylvania. The story of Dracula has been told many times, but for Eggers to focus his film on being a remake of specifically this version of the story owes the benefit of the doubt that his artistic choices are more deliberate and focused than you’d expect from yet another vampire flick. Will that result in a worthwhile movie, or just a well-polished re-run? One thing we do know – the marketing for the movie promises a chilling film:

That woman subjected to all types of body horror staples is Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, soon to become an obsession of the villainous Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). The movie appears less singulary focused on the Count than its predecessor, widening the cast list and also putting much of the story into Ellen’s POV. There’s also a noticeable uptick in sexual imagery and language, showcasing that it’s going to be more than a bit provocative in its depiction of these relationships. I guess we’ll take that in exchange for the original’s potentially dual reading as a derogative metaphor about a Jewish caricature; which may not have even been intentional on the part of the filmmakers in 1922, making it even easier to ignore it.

Willem Dafoe pops up here, collaborating once again with Eggers. If you told me Dafoe was playing the same guy he played in The Northman (2022), and just walked from one set to another, I might just believe you. But he’s actually portraying Albin Eberhart Von Franz, who seems to be a stand-in for Dracula foe Van Helsing. Playing a vampire hunter, I expect Dafoe to be bizarre and intense in the best way possible, as is tradition.

The cast list is vast, but there’s one key piece we haven’t seen much from yet – and that is Skarsgård as the title character himself. That’s the right approach; there should be some mystery in how this monster is going to be depicted. The few glimpses we do get are often cloaked in shadow, simultaneously smart marketing, as well as an appropriate representation of the original film. Skarsgård recently took a blow with the disastrous reception to the remake of The Crow, a film whose word-of-mouth was so violently trampled that you couldn’t pay me in stock options to watch it. But most would guess that the actor’s remake luck will be much better here, and what will make or break the film is how well Skarsgård nails this portrayal, and if Eggars can make the monster scary again. Maybe that’s the director’s personal goal with this film – bring a landmark film back into pop culture – to see just how frightening an old ghoul can be to modern audiences. I don’t know if Nosferatu will be scary in 2024, but we’ll soon get our answer on if it was worth digging back up.

Merry Christmas to all horror fanatics, as Nosferatu hits theaters on December 25, 2024.