There is one subject that comes up almost on a daily basis for horror fans and horror writers themselves. Hell, having contributed for several years to a horror site, it is something I constantly hear/think about. After all, Hollywood has helped reboots and remakes become the norm when it comes to the current cinematic climate. Personally I’m not anti-remake necessarily, but I have found that most don’t even come close to the original. Are there exceptions? Sure there are. And yet, it is becoming increasingly pointless to complain about them. However, there is on occasion news that I find very intriguing, and that is the thought of the man behind THE WITCH taking on NOSFERATU.
Robert Eggers went to great lengths to make THE WITCH so very detailed in the period in which it took place. It is a subtle yet horrific feature that is easily one of my favorite genre entries in recent years. This stylish film is gorgeous to look at, but it also helps that the dialogue feels completely realistic for that time in history. It’s just fantastic. It may be his only feature film so far, but on a script level and a visual level, it is clear that the dude has imagination and skill that is well suited for scares. To be fair, I know many didn’t appreciate the subdued thrills that THE WITCH offered, but you cannot deny that there is something to be said about the filmmakers dedication to creating a detailed historical account of this supernatural spookshow.
NOSFERATU has always been one of those flicks that still scares, even though it was made way back in 1922. Max Schreck is a marvel playing the demonic looking title role. And the look of this monster? Holy crap that is still f*cking freaky. In fact, some consider this vampire tale even better than Bela Lugosi in DRACULA. For me, they both are brilliant, but I’d have to agree that Schreck is far more terrifying than Lugosi. The second he is revealed it’s utterly disturbing and nightmare inducing. The simplicity of this story is nearly as effective as it was all those decades ago.
Now this is not the first time NOSFERATU has been remade. In 1979, Klaus Kinski and Isabelle Adjani starred in NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE. Written and directed by Werner Herzog, the film takes a serious approach to the legend, and it works. Vampires usually have to be charming and charismatic in Hollywood fables, but they are arguably much more frightening when they aren’t so pretty. After all, a bloodsucker is a monster looking to drain victims blood so they should be scary. And just like the name DRACULA, NOSFERATU holds a certain amount of dread at the mere mention.
So take this classic character and bring him into a modern world? Mr. Eggers did that exact thing with THE WITCH. The director has an eye for the darker aspects of horror legends, and he also enjoys merging history into his work. How fascinating would it be to see him bring his detail and love for horror to such a classic tale of terror? I also respect that he openly admits that it could be "blasphemous and egomaniacal" for a new name to take on such an iconic horror remake. Perhaps this will give him even more inspiration to get this right, in fact, I’d almost guarantee that he will.
Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but Robert Eggers is the perfect choice to direct NOSFERATU. The level of care he gave his first feature film, and the respect he has for classic horror stories gives me hope. The first time I saw images of Max Schreck as Nosferatu, I was creeped out. This was a scary vampire. I fully trust Eggers to bring his own expertise to reviving this nightmarish creation in a more than satisfying way. Can the writer and director of THE WITCH really pull this off? With only one film there is always chance for failure, but something tells me that this classic creature will horrify audiences once again.