There’s a high bar to reach here. No I’m not talking about Bram Stokers Dracula with its all-star cast, although that is good. It’s not as good as Nosferatu’s 1922 namesake though. That’s what this is up against. Gorgeous iconic cinematography and a silky smooth edit crafted with an elegance way beyond its years. This though I feel right from the outset deserves to be viewed with fresh eyes. Forget what’s gone before, the myths and controversy. Let yourself go as we meet Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp, yes related) and Thomas (Nicholas Hoult). They’re in 1800s Germany where Thomas is in real estate and Ellen is already under the spell of the mysterious count, to whom Thomas is to assist with a new home. He’s wary and rightly so. Ellen too warns him, his trip to Transylvania “It portends something awful for us”. This of course is the poetic tone of this story and at first Depp seems to overplay it. Hoult fairs better, he feels authentic and he looks good with the muttonchops. Newly wed though and in need of work, off Thomas goes on the adventure that his insanely possessed boss, Knock (Simon McBurney) promises. There’s a simple thriftiness in the telling of this tale. It’s better paced without the romantic weight of Dracula. Bear with me but it looks better too. It’s a fantasy of course, but most of this looks oddly real as Thomas gets lost in the wintery landscape and even when we meet Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgärd), the castle, shrouded in dark shadows, is rich in atmosphere. It’s tough to get films this dark looking good, but this pulls it off. Hoult has a lot of heavy lifting to do in the opening act and he keeps it rolling nicely as he finds himself prisoner in the Counts decrepit castle. He’s helped by the tactile nature in which this has been made, but it’s foolish to say that Orlok doesn’t steal the show. He’s much more monstrous, a towering moustached rotting beast, that matches the tone. It’s bleak, gritty, bloody and violent. The frame is nearly always stripped of colour as the madness spreads and speaking of madness, enter Von Franz (Willem Dafoe). He’s the vampire hunter and as often is the case with Dafoe, his character leans heavily into the bizarre narrative in scene chewing style. He’s bloody good fun to watch. As is Depp when she’s not steeped in lofty dialogue. Once fully possessed she ironically comes to life with an Exorcist worthy performance. It’s suffocating stuff that pulls you in as the cast succumb to the evil that curses them. “We’re all going to die” screams Ellen, which isn’t totally accurate, but quite believable. I said not to compare it to previous versions, but truthfully, that’s impossible. So, does it match the 1922 outing. No, I don’t think anything could. Murnau’s has original charm on its side, but this is very good. A wonderfully cold dark reimagining and a true horror.
7/10
Comments