Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bloody, deeply disquieting remake of classic vampire story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
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Nosferatu
What's the Story?
In NOSFERATU, it's 1838 in Wisborg, Germany. Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) are happy newlyweds. Unfortunately, they're to be separated, as Thomas' boss (Simon McBurney) sends him on a trip to a remote castle in the Carpathians to meet with the peculiar Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgård). The Count wishes to buy a house in Wisborg and insists on signing the papers in his home. After Thomas' departure, Ellen begins to hear voices and receive mysterious "visits" from something sinister. At the castle, Thomas falls ill and finds himself unable to leave or return to Ellen. Ellen also starts showing alarming symptoms, and, despite the best efforts of friends Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna Harding (Emma Corrin) to care for her, she steadily grows worse. Her doctor (Ralph Ineson) suggests that they call upon Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe), an expert in alchemy, mysticism, and the occult, for help. Meanwhile, Thomas manages to escape and, after much tribulation, arrives back home. But Wisborg seems to have been affected by a plague: Rats are everywhere, brought by a ghost ship. Count Orlock has arrived, and it's only a matter of time before the creature will attempt to possess Ellen for good.
Is It Any Good?
Wintry, unsettling, and deeply menacing, Robert Eggers' remake is a worthy companion to the 1922 original; it's a horror movie that doesn't so much scare you as chill you to your core. F.W. Murnau's masterful original German Expressionist Nosferatu was an uncredited—and unauthorized—adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Eggers' Nosferatu pays homage to that original impulse, keeping everything Germanic, even if the characters speak English. The movie has a highly stylized look, not exactly Expressionist, but definitely designed for visceral impact. It's partly in black and white, and characters are often confined or trapped by their surroundings, whether it's an ominous wood or a roadside inn. It also has a foreboding soundtrack, with a gloomy, doleful score. (Part of the movie takes place at Christmastime, but this may be the most un-Christmassy movie ever made.)
Perhaps due to the nature of the material, there doesn't seem to be much room here to showcase performances (as there was in Eggers' The Lighthouse), but that only adds to the movie's bitter, cold feel. It's certainly of a piece with Eggers' other movies, which include The Witch and The Northman. He's not afraid to go truly dark, well beyond what most horror movies are ready to accept. A viewing of Nosferatu will likely be absent of screams, instead thick with a disquieting silence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Nosferatu's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
How is sex depicted? Is there consent? Trust? Respect? Why are these things important?
How does this movie compare to other versions of Bram Stoker's Dracula? What changes have been made? Are they improvements? How so?
Why are vampires such enduring creatures in movies and pop culture?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 25, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : January 21, 2025
- Cast : Bill Skarsgård , Nicholas Hoult , Lily-Rose Depp
- Director : Robert Eggers
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Focus Features
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Book Characters , Fantasy
- Run time : 132 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bloody violent content, graphic nudity and some sexual content
- Awards : Academy Award - Other Category Nominee , BAFTA - BAFTA Nominee
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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