Nosferatu: All About theDracula-Inspired Thriller Starring a Frightened Lily-Rose Depp and an Unrecognizable Bill Skarsgard

Mar. 15, 2025

Lily-Rose Depp in ‘Nosferatu’.Photo:Courtesy of Focus Features

Courtesy of Focus Features

From the director who brought audiencesThe Witch,The LighthouseandThe NorthmancomesNosferatu.

Robert Eggers has reimagined F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film to create a modern-day take onNosferatu, which, according to theofficial logline, tells the “gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her.”

Eggers told theLos Angeles Timesthat he needed actors with “depth,” so he castLily-Rose Depp,Bill Skarsgård,Willem Dafoe,Emma CorrinandNicholas Hoult, to name a few.

“[Lily-Rose Depp] really understood the script. She’s seen every Dracula movie ever made, even the art-house ones,” he said. “After her audition, everyone, including the videographer, who shouldn’t care, was in tears.”

From the director’s storied history with the terrifying tale to the film’s premiere date, here’s everything to know about Eggers’Nosferatu2024 remake.

What isNosferatuabout?

Willem Dafoe in ‘Nosferatu’.Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features

Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features

Set in the 1800s,Nosferatufollows real estate salesman Thomas Hutter (Hoult), who is tasked with finding a new residence for wealthy Transylvanian Count Orlok (Skarsgård). While trying to fulfill the ask, Hutter learns that Orlok, a vampire, is infatuated with his wife, Ellen Hutter (Depp), and everyone’s dynamics become complicated.

IsNosferatua remake?

Lily-Rose Depp in ‘Nosferatu’.Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features

The 2024 version ofNosferatucame to be over 100 years after a failed attempt to banish the original movie due to copyrights.

When the 1922 version ofNosferatudebuted, Stoker’s wife, Florence, tried to sue the production company because its plot was too similar toDracula, according toThe New York Times. That said, the production company was out of money because it used its resources for promotional purposes, and instead, a German judge ordered copies of the projects to be destroyed.

While the newspaper reported that the order was carried through in Germany, a reel ofNosferatu: A Symphony of Horrorstill made its way to the United States, where it became popular among cinema lovers.

Egger’s reimagination ofNosferatudoesn’t stray far from the original film’s storyline. Still, in conversation with theLos Angeles Times, the director revealed that he took the movie’s themes of “sex and death” up a notch.

When willNosferatupremiere?

Emma Corrin in ‘Nosferatu’.Courtesy of Focus Features

Nosferatuwill be released in theaters on Dec. 25 (Christmas Day).

Who is in the cast ofNosferatu?

Nosferatufeatures a star-studded cast: Depp, Skarsgård, Dafoe, Corrin, Hoult andAaron Taylor-Johnson.

While speaking toTotal Film, Eggers told the outlet that Skarsgård will look unrecognizable to fans as Count Orlok. The actor “lost a tremendous amount of weight” for the role and would spend roughly six hours in the hair and makeup chair to fully transform into a blood-thirsty vampire.

“You can’t detect any Bill here. He worked with an opera coach to lower his voice an octave. I think people are going to think we treated it digitally, but that’s his performance,” Eggers added.

Corrin, who plays Anna Harding, went through a different type of torment on set. During an interview withDeadlineahead of the title’s release, they recalled filming with rats.

“30 of them were on my bare chest,” Corrin shared. “The smell is something that you can’t imagine. And the incontinence was a thing that I really didn’t expect, but was terrible. … It was grim.”

Is there a trailer forNosferatu?

Lily-Rose Depp and Emma Corrin in ‘Nosferatu’.Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features

Throughout the clips, Depp’s character, Ellen, narrates how her feelings for Nosferatu evolve and how those around her react to his presence.

However, neither trailer offers a sneak peek at Skarsgård’s transformation into Count Orlok — and that’s on purpose.

“That hopefully increases the anticipation of the reveal. We all know our imaginations are always stronger than what the filmmaker can provide,” Eggers toldVanity Fair. “It was a challenge for me to go against my instincts in showing the monster.”

Who is directingNosferatu?

Robert Eggers.Gerald Matzka/Getty

Gerald Matzka/Getty

Director Robert Eggers watched F.W. Murnau’sNosferatufor the first time when he was 9. The film made such an impression on him that Eggers decided to bring the story to the stage in play form as a high school senior.

“It was such a magical opportunity, it totally changed my life. I thought maybe I could be a director,” he told theLos Angeles Times.

When asked what his younger self would think of him bringingNosferatuto the big screen, Eggers said, “He would think it was pretty cool. I thought I’d be making movies as a kid, but not like this.”

source: people.com