On December 25th, 2024, otherwise considered to be Christmas Day, film-maker and director Robert Eggers released his fourth full-length film, a remake of the 1922 German silent film Nosferatu, itself a bootleg version of Bram Stoker’s gothic novel from 1897, Dracula. Christmas Day was a busy day for movie goers because the 2024 Nosferatu starring Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult was one of three movies releasing in theaters that day.cAs someone who recently got to see the movie and has seen all of Eggers’ films so far, here are my reviews and explanations of all four, in the order for which I enjoyed them.
My personal least favorite, but still an amazing movie (what a surprise) by Eggers is The Lighthouse, starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe in the 2019 black-and-white drama. The reason I list this last is just because you have to be in the right mood for this. I recommend watching it on a gloomy day with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea for the best possible effect. Some of the language can be hard to understand, which is why subtitles are a must. Pattinson plays a lighthouse keeper helping Dafoe’s much older character keep things in order off the coast of New England in the 1890s. Though he’s only supposed to stay there for a handful of weeks, the two men are marooned and stuck working in each other’s company, slowly beginning to discover more secrets about one another. I loved the overall vibe of this movie and the characters were fascinating to study, but it can easily get confusing or boring if you space out. Still, a great movie that I highly recommend.
The next movie that I would obviously recommend but still have to put further down the list is the 2015 movie The Witch. I debated on switching this placement with Nosferatu, but for now, I settled on this particular order. As a massive Anya Taylor-Joy fan, I thought the movie was great because of her performance and the eerie themes. As a movie about the satanic power that has a hold on a family after venturing into the New World in the 1630s, you can assuredly feel unsettled by the portrayal of the devil and the creative direction Eggers takes. A pattern I noticed with Eggers’ work is the simple setting and plot that still keeps moving. Nothing in The Witch is particularly complicated, but Eggers is still able to make it tense and emotional, and of course, terrifying.
Nosferatu is next because while it isn’t my favorite, I really appreciate how Robert Eggers was able to take a movie that had already been made not once, but twice, and make it his own. Taking place in the 1830s, this version has very clear erotic themes, as well as the idea of loving the darkness and being plagued by the forbidden. As a fan of the original work of Bram Stoker, you can tell this didn’t come out of nowhere, even though it is at times much more explicit. Though I prefer the 1979 Nosferatu, I like that this can stand on its own vampiric legs. Plus, even though I don’t love famous ensemble casts, everyone in this film did a great job, which I had been nervous about since it was first announced a few years ago. Side note: the mustache on Count Orlok was a great touch when you remember what Vlad the Impaler looked like in his paintings.
My favorite Eggers movie is the first I had ever seen, and this remains the same. I love The Northman from 2022, because not only does it star Anya Taylor-Joy once again, but Aleksander Skarsgard plays a very good Viking. You could almost say he was born for the role. This is a ruthless movie about revenge, brute force, and sheer willpower to overcome the near impossible. Plus, Bjork has a small role in the movie. What’s not to love? Influenced by Norse mythology, there are some beautiful dreamlike sequences and perfectly well-shot moments. Within The Northman is a bitter tale of truth, love in an unlikely place, and the promise of fate. This was easily my favorite movie out of the four.
None of Robert Eggers’ movies have been a miss for me, even though I ranked them based on enjoyment. Everything that he touches turns partly to gold and I can only hope to know what else may soon be in the works by a great director and screenwriter who must still have tons of ideas to work with.