Robert Eggers’Nosferaturemake uses one trick to make the vampire’s castle even creepier. It’s been more than a hundred years since the release of the German expressionist classicNosferatuin 1922. Eggers' remake, which stars Bill Skarsgård as the infamous vampire Count Orlok, took the story to Pernštejn Castle for all the Transylvanian-set scenes. Also starring Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe,Nosferatuwill releasein theaters on Christmas Day, December 25.
Eggers used candles exclusively in the Transylvanian-set scenes, which aren’t intended to be shown onscreen. Hoult recalled his filming experience in an interview withDen of Geek,describingthe castle as having a natural haunting appeal, and being “cold in terms of a feeling and isolation.” Skarsgård, for his part, detailed the impact of having hundreds of real candles lighting the set. Check out his comment below:
I had all the prosthetics pieces and the big fur coat, and Jarin [Blaschke, cinematographer] would have hundreds of candles, and the way he would light a face would just be like, ‘Light more candles; kill these four candles; light those up.’ I remember being very hot and sweaty.
What This Detail Means For The Nosferatu Remake
An Authentic Period Horror
Theofficial trailer for the newNosferatuhas been released. While it doesn’t feature much footage from the Transylvanian set, the trailer offers a few brief glimpses of how the candlelight affects the overall feel of the film. Using candles solely in the castle scenes means thatNosferatumight be very dim in some places.This method would alsogive the castle an authentic vintage feel, given that the events in the film take place in 1838, a time before electricity was invented.
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Using candlelight highlights the director’s determination to make the film historically accurate. With candles being the only source of light, it also means that the items and characters in those scenes will be bathed in the flickering and shimmering movement of the flames.This method would emphasize the natural haunting vibeof the 754-year-old castle, in addition to the vampire-centric plot andNosferatu’s star-studded cast.
Our Take On The Nosferatu Remake
Faithful But Unique
Based onBram Stoker’sDraculanovel, the plot ofNosferatuisn’t a secret. However, Eggers has made some changes to the original story by focusing on Ellen Hutter, a young woman who’s being stalked by a vampire. Aside from introducing a slightly different angle into the iconic story,the upcomingNosferatutakes a relatively faithful routewhen approaching the material.
Nosferatuis an ambitious project. Being a remake, making the film poses many challenges, with one being the ability to offer something refreshing to the classic vampire story. However, it seems thatEggers is up to the challenge. The director raised the bar in the making of the film by utilizing creative techniques, like the aforementioned candlelight. There’s no doubt thatNosferatuwill bring audiences a unique experience that separates itself from the rest.
Nosferatu
Cast
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.
