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‘Nosferatu’ Review: Robert Eggers’ Obsessive Take on Vampire Classic Looks Gorgeous, but Lacks Bite
In 'Nosferatu,' Robert Eggers introduces an off-putting new look for Count Orlok, while adhering to rigorous compositions and stilted acting of yore.
Orlok’s bald head, Spock ears, sharp rat-like teeth and bony claws are instantly recognizable to practically everyone, whether or not they’ve seen the silent film (or Werner Herzog’s 1979 remake, which featured Klaus Kinski whose sucking of blood took a backseat to his chewing of scenery). Where Willem Dafoe played Schreck in “Shadow of the Vampire” (and would once again make a great Orlok here, only to be relegated to a Van Helsing-esque supporting role), Eggers cast Bill Skarsgård, so frightening as the demonic clown in “It.” The helmer then proceeds to bury his star beneath all manner of zombie-pirate prosthetics — mostly decomposing skin and unkempt whiskers — until he winds up looking like a homeless Hell’s Angel. Though “Nosferatu” recognizes classic anxieties of sexual predation so central to vampire lore (to see Orlok bent over Thomas and later Ellen, one can hardly deny the carnal symbolism of his appetite), images of Satan worship and plague-carrying rats dilute the impact.
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