Movie review: Remake of 'Nosferatu' is bloody good

That’s Nicholas Hoult in “Nosferatu,” a chillingly scary take on the F.W. Murnau film from the 1920s.

Seeing his own way into the story, writer/director Robert Eggers leans heavily on gothic charm to make this work. To retain the suspense, he keeps Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) out of view for much of the film. When he does offer a glimpse, it’s a real testament to the power of a real estate agent's desire for a commission.

Hoult’s ties, though, are stronger than he knows. For some reason, his wife (played by Lily-Rose Depp) has become an object of desire for Orlok and, yes, he’s dying to sink his teeth into her skin.

In case your sense of history is a little hazy, Orlok (or “Nosferatu”) is Murnau’s take on Dracula. Because he didn’t want to get involved with the creator’s representatives, he devised his own vampire and came away with a cinematic classic. His “Nosferatu” introduced plenty of techniques and, thanks to enterprising historians, are still available to see. A lawsuit with Bram Stoker’s relatives resulted and Murnau was ordered to destroy prints of the film. Luckily, some survived, prompting other remakes and now, this one.

Because Eggers has mastered the art of creepy drama (his “The Lighthouse” is a classic example), he’s the man most likely to take this on. Using familiar faces (Willem Dafoe, for example) in key roles helps lift the film’s status. This isn’t just any remake. It’s a second take that uses the bones of Murnau’s story and adds its own flesh.

Rats pouring out of the streets suggest something is afoot in the 19th-century German town. A series of deaths points to a plague but then there’s a connection to Orlok that lifts them onto the plain of “plague.”

All sorts of speculation emerges until we see the vampire in play with Depp’s Ellen Hutter. Eggers uses sound effects to heighten the moment and gives Skarsgard camera angles that add to his performance. Unlike other horror films released this year, “Nosferatu” plays on the possibility, not the probability. That makes moments heart-pounding and, yes, frightening.

While some characters are mere diversions, the three main ones get all the time they need to drive home the, um, point.

“Nosferatu” is easily the scariest film of the year and yet another milestone for Eggers. He knows cinema and he’s not afraid to make it a little bit better.