Nosferatu – Film Review

Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Willem Dafoe, Simon McBurney

Director: Robert Eggers

Synopsis: In 19th-century Germany, a young woman has disturbing dreams and visions of an ominous supernatural presence who becomes infatuated with her…

Review: Humanity has always been fascinated with mythical creatures, perhaps none more so than the creatures of the night known as vampires. These blood-sucking entities have sunk their teeth into and left an indelible mark on the history of cinema, going all the way back to 1922 when F. W. Murnau’s silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was released. The first vampire film and one of the films to establish horror as a genre, its influence has stood the test of time. Yet, if ever there was one filmmaker who could reimagine this gothic nightmare for a modern audience, you would be hard-pressed to find a more suitable filmmaker for this reimagining than one of the new masters of horror in Robert Houston Eggers.

It is 1838 in the German town of Wisburg and Ellen Hutter (Depp) has married estate agent Thomas Hutter (Hoult). Thomas is tasked by his employer Herr Knock (McBurney) to travel to Transylvania to get the reclusive Count Orlok (Skarsgård) to agree to a deal that will see the Count buy a dilapidated old manor, on the promise that the completion of the deal will see Thomas gain significant monetary reward and a promotion. Upon arriving at the Count’s foreboding residence, their fateful meeting sets off a chain of events leading back to Ellen. In the absence of her husband, she has been suffering from seizures and nightmarish visions of a creature she calls “Death” incarnate, which leads the villainous Count to become obsessed with her and pine after her in a twisted attempt to cure her loneliness.

Having been in development as a passion project for Eggers since 2015, it has perhaps served him well that during the years he worked to awaken this project from the slumber of development, he has gone on to refine his craft as a new master of horror. First, he captivated audiences with his New England folk-horror story and the haunting yet darkly comedic tale of two lighthouse keepers struggling to maintain their sanity on a remote island. After taking a break from horror to dabble in Norse mythology, he has returned to familiar territory, fully in his element and ready to scare the living daylights out of the audience. His screenplay takes the bones of the 1922 film (based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula) and puts considerably more meat on them by framing the story of Orlok’s campaign of terror from Ellen’s perspective. We see from her perspective how her intense desire for companionship, even if it is from a supernatural being of any kind, and Orlok is only too happy to oblige.

Framing the story from Ellen’s perspective is a masterstroke by this masterful director, and every cast member delivers truly outstanding performances. The sheer terror of being haunted by such a frightening presence demands a powerful performance, exactly what both Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult deliver. Depp invests everything into her role, allowing the audience to profoundly feel her dread and fear, which leads to some extremely unsettling scenes where it truly feels like she has been possessed by a supernatural entity and an immediate exorcism is required. Similarly, having to make the unsettling journey to Transylvania to deal with Orlok directly, you really feel Thomas’s absolute terror at staying in such an objectively unsettling place.

Having likely given countless people who suffer from coulrophobia with his portrayal of Pennywise, Skarsgård’s menacing performance stands an excellent chance of being one of the most unsettling horror performances ever put to film. Through a combination of incredible makeup work and an extremely sinister voice, is one you will remember for a very long time as it will chill you to your very soul. Even with a horrifying sense of dread, Dafoe, re-teaming with Eggers for the third time, once again fully understands the assignment and injects some humour into the gothic and unnerving moments.

In keeping with his earlier films, Eggers immerses the audience as if they were themselves in 19th-century Germany being haunted by this terrifying blood-sucking creature of the night. The director has explicitly said he has no desire to ever make a film in modern times, and all the better for it. Amidst incredible work from the production design and costume departments, special mention must go to returning cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. who has shot every single one of Eggers’ films, produces some of his best work here with some atmospheric and truly haunting cinematography. The scenes at the Orlok residence in particular stand out where the conniving Count is shrouded in shadow and darkness for a considerable proportion of the film. The dead of night can be a scary enough place as it is, but Blaschke’s work is so ominous and foreboding, that it may well leave you with a temporary phobia of the dark and consequently be tempted to sleep with the lights on.

Reimagining a film which has left an enduring impact on the world of film would have been a daunting task, but Eggers’ passion for the project comes through with each and every bewitching and yet simultaneously haunting frame. This new iteration of this classic tale packs plenty of bite, and by the end, will leave you no choice but to succumb to the darkness of its terrifying beauty.

With chillingly committed performances from Depp and Skarsgard, this new atmospheric incarnation of the classic vampire story will invade your nightmares as it passes into horror folklore.

It – Film Review

Cast: Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Bill Skarsgård

Director: Andy Muschietti

Synopsis: After a number of children go missing in the town of Derry, a group of young outcasts get together to fight the mysterious entity that’s terrorising their town…

Review: Let’s be honest, even if you like them, there’s always been something mildly/extremely terrifying about clowns. Designed to be entertainers, bringing nothing but joy, more often than not, they make people want to run away in fear. Stephen King’s 1986 novel It certainly perpetuated that fear and equally, with the adaptation of the aforementioned novel back in 1990. Though this didn’t really float with viewers, Stephen King’s work has once again been brought to the big screen to remind us all why clowns are the terrifying entities many of us perceive them to be.

It is 1989 and in the town of Derry, Maine, an alarming number of children who have disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again. One of these victims is Georgie, the younger brother of Bill (Martell), who becomes determined to find out what really happened to his brother. He’s joined on his quest by his friends Richie, Eddie and Stan (Wolfhard, Grazer and Oleff) who are all the targets of the unpleasant bullies at their school. Recruiting Beverly (Lillis), Ben (Taylor) and Mike (Jacobs) and going under the name of the Losers Club, these seven misfits band together in a bid to defeat this dastardly clown and put an end to the nightmare that he’s inflicting on their town.

Run away, run away, run away, run away, run away…..

The chemistry between the members of the Losers’s Club is ultimately the core component of this story and though some performances are stronger than others, each member of the club brings something to the table. Being the one who has the significant emotional investment in this investigation, Jaeden Martell gives the strongest performance. Though he may stutter in his speech, but he poses a steely determination not to be unnerved by the sinister events that are occurring, though each member has their moment to shine. Yet being at the centre of this nightmare, Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise delivers a performance that’s profoundly creepy and unsettling. Though this is in no small part due to the excellent costume and make-up design, it’s almost a certainty that clowns, or certainly Pennywise at least, will be continuing to haunt nightmares for many years to come.

The early stages of the film chooses to use it as an opportunity to flesh out each member of the Loser’s Club lives, which while important to the story as these are the film’s protagonists, it means the pacing is a little rough. As before any showdowns with that ominous clown, they have to deal with the horrible bullies at their school, as well as in some cases, in their own homes. Though it can be a bit of a chore to get through, it’s necessary set up, for these characters. However, once we have arrived at the film’s climatic third act, is when the film merges its coming-of-age and horror elements of the film combine. Bolstered by Andy Muschietti’s excellent direction, and excellent production design, all of the above ensure that Pennywise’s dwellings have an extremely ominous feel to them.

Jump scares are not anything new when it comes to scaring the audience, indeed when used poorly and frequently, they often become ineffective and lazy film-making tropes. However, Muschietti utilises them effectively, as they help to build and maintain the tension and dread in this climatic showdown. A showdown that is merely at the halfway point, because as we know, the Losers Club have some unfinished business.

A little sluggish in its opening stages, but the film truly floats once it finds its greatest strength: the strong relationships between the members of the Losers Club.