Nosferatu

Verdict

A lavish, deeply atmospheric gothic horror film that turns vampirism into a story of obsession, dread, and doomed desire. It’s strongest as a theatrical experience: meticulous production design, striking imagery, and a committed central performance make it a standout even when the pacing leans deliberate.

Best for

• viewers who want prestige horror with serious craft
• fans of gothic romance and cursed-desire stories
• audiences who appreciate slow-burn atmosphere over jump scares
• people drawn to expressionistic visuals, shadows, and period detail

Skip if

• you want fast-paced horror or constant shocks
• you dislike stylized, mannered performances
• you prefer light genre entertainment over oppressive mood
• you’re not interested in period settings or tragic romantic obsession

Overview

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is less a simple remake than a full-bodied gothic nightmare, built from texture, ritual, and decay. It treats the vampire myth as an outbreak of obsession, where desire, illness, and spiritual rot all feed the same darkness. The result is severe, elegant, and often genuinely unsettling.

Worth noting

What lingers most is the film’s visual control: rain-slick streets, candlelit interiors, looming architecture, and a constant sense that the frame itself is haunted. Lily-Rose Depp gives the movie its emotional voltage, while Bill Skarsgård’s presence is all appetite and menace, more force of nature than seducer. The film’s formal precision makes even familiar beats feel ceremonious and ominous.

Bottom line

It won’t be for everyone. The pacing is deliberate, the tone is grim, and Eggers is more interested in dread than in crowd-pleasing scares. But for viewers who respond to gothic atmosphere, tragic eroticism, and exacting craftsmanship, this is one of the more distinctive horror releases of recent years.

Top Letterboxd reviews

-ˏˋ mak ˊˎ- · 68698 likes

so it’s okay to sing along during Wicked but if i start biting people during Nosferatu i’m in the wrong??? interesting

girlactress (5★) · 52301 likes

Lily tore!! So many relatable things about this movie 1.) being drawn to an ugly evil guy and even though everyone’s against it u just can’t help it 2.) having to trick ur husband into thinking he’s saving the day so u can save the day 3.) not wanting people in ur house for too long

EvanAC (3.5★) · 52082 likes

Nosferatu skips leg day

kevintporter (4★) · 43639 likes

Hawksferatuah

ziwe (5★) · 36504 likes

The dangers of a little crush

Themes

obsession, gothic horror, forbidden desire, plague and contagion, female agency under threat, religious dread, predation, decay

Topics

gothic horror, vampires, slow-burn, atmospheric, period piece, psychosexual, expressionist visuals, plague, art-house horror, dark romance