December 29, 2024 – A horror for the holidays seems a bit out of place in movie theaters, but that is the way of things. Horror films are always with us because they are cheap to make and profitable. This, however, is one of the high quality horrors, and it is proving to be profitable, too.

Like most vampire movies, this is basically about sex, as well as blood, but the sex is more explicit in this remake of F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent classic, “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.” Another notable remake of the same movie was made in 1979 by director Werner Herzog.

The story remains much the same as that of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic Horror novel, Dracula. With the same characters basically doing the same things. Only the names are changed. Even the exaggerated mood of dread and the overacting here are reminiscent of a silent film. It is set in 1838, in Wisborg, Germany.

The star of this film is nepo baby Lily-Rose Depp (“The King”) who plays young bride Ellen Hutter, who has long been haunted by nightmares of a plague of evil and mass deaths. Her love of her husband, Thomas Hutter (played by Nicholas Hoult of “The Order”) has helped to keep these feelings of dread at bay, until recently.

Ellen has a strong psychic connection to a distant vampire, Count Orlok (played by Bill Skarsgård of “Barbarian.”) This connection to Orlok has caused him to awaken from a long sleep, and it sets events in motion that will cause the mass casualties and tragedies of her nightmares to come true.

Thomas is given what seems to be a great business opportunity by his boss, Herr Knock (Simon McBurney of “The Pale Blue Eye”) a handsome fee and a partnership in his real estate firm for the successful sale of property to Count Orlok. This task involves a difficult journey to the Count's castle in the remote Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania, and there to finalize the sale of a run down estate in Wisborg.

Ellen has a bad feeling about this trip, for good reason. But Thomas sees it as a way to secure their future, so he goes. Thomas manages to survive the experience through sheer luck. Both he and Count Orlock head to Wisborg for the climax of the story.

Ellen is taken in by family friends, Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson of “The Fall Guy”) and Anna Harding (Emma Corrin of “Deadpool and Wolverine”) while her husband is away. Her condition worsens to the point where Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson of “The Creator”) is called. Sievers decides that what ails Ellen is beyond his craft to heal, so he calls on an old friend who is an expert in the occult, Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe of “Poor Things”).

Von Franz, is, of course, the same as Stoker's Abraham Van Helsing character, and he is able to diagnose Ellen's problem as a psychic connection to a demon, who is on his way to Wisborg. When Orlok's ship arrives, the city is immediately beset by a plague. Ellen suddenly gets better, however when Thomas returns from his hellish trip, in bad shape. Both Ellen and Thomas are sent away by Friedrich, because they have brought the plague to his house.

Professor Franz figures out who has been helping Orlok, and thereby discovers the means to end Orlok's plague. Lily-Rose Depp is captivating as the hero of this story, and she successfully navigates many physically challenging scenes in this movie. Willem Dafoe's performance as Doctor Franz reminded me of Anthony Hopkins' performance in “Bram Stoker's Dracula” (1992) a bit gleeful and over the top. Bill Skarsgård is perfectly horrifying as Orlok.

This whole movie is celebration of excess. The good versus evil battle is so exaggerated it is almost funny, and that's a good thing. It isn't subtle, but it is effective in the way it oozes in-your-face dread, tragedy and evil, as well as the redeeming virtue of love and sacrifice. It argues that victory against evil requires sacrifice.

This is probably director Robert Eggers' best movie. I am not a fan of some of his movies (like “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse”) but this one is more accessible, like “The Northman” was. As in those other Eggers movies, his cinematographer is Jarin Blaschke, and once again, the look of this film is distinctive and unsettling. This movie rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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