4K Blu-Ray: Nosferatu

The Film

Robert Eggers understands time and place like few other filmmakers. His stories feel lived-in. Like we're seeing something from a far-off time instead of a fabrication by talented artists. In prior films, Eggers has conjured images of New England lighthouses and settlers to Vikings across the Baltic, yet his latest, Nosferatu, might be his greatest accomplishment to date. It is such a staggering work of folk horror that it single-handedly redefines expectations of vampire cinema for future generations.

Horror is essentially a voice for The Other – those marginalized from mainstream society. We identify with the downtrodden, the weird, and the maladjusted. Here, our guide is Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), who makes a desperate wish as a child in the hopes of compassion and understanding. The monkey paw twitches and a demon answers her call, opening a telepathic connection between her and Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgård). Years later, her love for Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) severs the bond, leaving Orlock to find another way to feast on his prey.

If you've seen Bram Stoker's Dracula or any version of the classic story, you'll know the basic beats of Nosferatu. In theory, this is a remake of Henrik Galeen's groundbreaking silent film from the 1920s, yet Eggers builds on the foundation with such grace and conviction it feels like its own thing. Like great folk stories, the tale grows in the telling. It feels like a campfire story told in mid-winter, full of dread and enough snippets of truth to make the fantastic feel real.

In a standout sequence, Thomas arrives in a small Roma village and stumbles into their inn looking for shelter. Outside, we hear the howling wind. Inside, the cramped, smoky space almost spills into the cinema. We can smell and feel this place as Thomas pleads for a bed. It's the kind of visual storytelling that feels rare today. We can tell from a single shot how many stories have been told by this fire. How myths grow into fact, and how the fear of dark forces makes the occupants huddle closer with each passing year.

Once Eggers brings the pandemonium to the city, Nosferatu amps up the terror and macabre to near-unbearable levels. We rarely see Orlock, yet his presence permeates every frame. Like the plague, he's a force you can't escape, no matter what you do. Nosferatu bathes in hopelessness instead of gore, and the result is all the more terrifying. Even when Willem Dafoe's wonderfully demented Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz turns up, he provides no comfort in certainty. Everything is guesswork when it comes to demons. Hope is the raft amidst stormy seas, and it's leaking like a sieve.

At the heart of it all is Ellen, played superbly by the luminous Lily-Rose Depp. Nosferatu is, in essence, a tragedy of an unheard and misunderstood woman with great strength facing her abuser. Only here that abuser is a thousand-year-old vampire. With great empathy, Eggers frames Ellen's plight as a parable of the pains women faced in those times – and continue still – which gives Nosferatu a hauntingly timeless quality.

But above all, Nosferatu is terrifying. It is one of the scariest films in a year packed with masterful horror. Eggers is one of our great modern folklorists. He continues to delight and horrify with each new film. Nosferatu is his finest work to date, at least until his next one.

Technical Specs & Presentation

The Nordic release is the usual single-disc 4K without any digital or Blu-Ray copies that are included in other territories. The extras are the same, though, and that's what counts. In terms of quality, this is still among the better physical media releases this year.

Video

Nosferatu is a film that makes me want to upgrade my TV to an OLED. This is an incredible visual treat for even the uninitiated. Everything looks sublime, and not a single detail is out of place.

Watch, for example, how the astonishing use of shadows and fire is replicated on screen. My favorite sequence in the film, where Harker arrives in the tavern just outside of Orlok's castle, is filled with inky blacks and intoxicating detail.

Later, as the plague spreads in the city, every cobblestone street looks marvelous. Costumes pop and even the muted colors stand out thanks to the vivid HDR. When we finally see sunlight, it almost feels warm to the touch.

There is nothing to complain about here. Nosferatu is as perfect as a physical media disc gets.

Audio

The same praise is true for the Dolby Atmos audio mix, which is unnerving, immersive, and all-around rich in every way imaginable.

From the crisp and clean dialog to the chilling sound effects, there isn't a single thing out of place here. Listen to how Orlok's footsteps sound like anchors dragging across stone floors, or how the heavy furniture and endless piles of books mute footsteps in Von Franz's apartment.

By the time the action picks up and rats fill the streets, the vibrant and atmospheric mix bursts through every channel in a way that can only be described as overwhelming. There's nothing quite like it, and it must be heard to be believed.

Extras

The extended cut of the film amounts to little more than a slightly longer (by only 4 minutes) variant that adds nothing to the already perfect feature. The additional scenes bring in more exposition and, in one sequence, make the subtext clearer. Neither which is necessary for the film.

That said, there's a delightfully demented sequence where Orlok tries to tell a joke to Hutter that makes it all worthwhile.

As for the other extras, they're simply deleted scenes that were cut for a reason, and the "Making Of" featurette barely makes an impression before it's already over. Surely a film with so much work put into research and design deserves a more comprehensive package.

Luckily, the feature commentary by Eggers is basically a must-listen for anyone who wants to study film. Eggers delivers endless amounts of tidbits, factoids, and behind the scenes knowledge to the table, and a part of me wishes the film were twice as long just so we could learn even more. He's a natural storyteller, and his enthusiasm for the project is palpable.

This is one of my favorite commentary tracks in ages, and it alone makes the 4K release worthwhile to get.

Overall

Nosferatu is one of my favorite films of 2024, and I'm thrilled the physical release is a technical marvel as well. The extras are a bit light, and I sincerely hope we'll one day get a true definitive edition with even more deep dives into the production process.

That said, the feature commentary is an all-time great one, and combined with the pristine audiovisual presentation makes Nosferatu an easy recommendation for everyone who loves their horror classy and timeless.