Bobferatu Part 2: Nosferatu
A Classic Horror Film for a New Generation
Now that I’ve had some time to process the passing of Jimmy Carter and write a piece to honor him, it is time to complete this two-part special about A Complete Unknown and Nosferatu. This was quite an 18-hour stretch of two completely cinematic experiences. One, biopic of a legendary musical artist played by a massive star of our era and two, an incredibly dark remake of a horror movie that first came out in 1922. Other versions of Nosferatu came out in 1979 in 2023.
Full transparency, I went into this movie knowing very little of the Nosferatu mythos. I saw the pictures from the original silent film and I knew there was a connection to vampires. Being raised in a very religious household, horror wasn’t a genre that I grew up with. Over the past few years, I’ve began to explore horror in film and plan on exploring horror in literature this year. So many of the deeper meanings in horror move beyond scares and into lessons about life and messages about social issues.
This was a very good film. It was dark, creepy, and engulfed you into the world it depicts. Right away, Nosferatu captures your eye with some amazing cinematography. The cinematography is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s a beautiful film without being a beautiful film. In addition to the cinematography, the acting is superb. Lily Rose-Depp plays the lead role as the woman victimized by Nosferatu. I would not be shocked if she received a nomination for Best Actress. She is teamed up with Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, and a few others that knock it out of the park. Bill Skarsgard plays the demonic vampiric villain, very fitting that he also plays Pennywise the Clown in the latest iteration of It.
I saw a quote online fairly recently: “Don’t run from your demons. Learn their names.” It’s a very relevant quote for life, for someone going through therapy, and literally for the horror genre. Without spoiling too much, it definitely fits this movie. Nosferatu begins Ellen (Lily Rose-Depp) meeting her demon. It will be years of him terrifying her life. She, and others around her, cannot run from this demon. They must learn his name and face him.
My wife will often ask me the dumbest questions such as: “If I had no arms and no legs would you still love me?” or along the same lines, “If I turned into a worm, would you still love me?” The answer is always an emphatic, “YES!” I just showed her the picture of the original Nosferatu below. Her response: “Uhhhhh….” So tell you me, who is more committed to their marriage?
