*spoilers ahead*
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024) has been the subject of much divisive discussion, which led to the film beating critics’ expectations with an astounding $40 million USD debut in the box office. The beguiling set design, stunningly morbid costumes, and haunting performances from Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård have caused viewers to flock to their nearest theatre in hopes of being transported to 1800s plague-ridden Germany. Fans of Gothic-horror media may recognise the prolific use of typical terrifying techniques, including elements of the supernatural, pathetic fallacy, and ‘damsels in distress’. However, the average film-buff may not be able to identify the underlying message that Eggers conveys. Nosferatu is not simply a gruesome vampire ‘fangbanger’, but rather an exploration into the deep-rooted disgust of feminine sexuality within Victorian society, which has created a detrimental stigma surrounding female pleasure that has continued into the present. Eggers aims to break down this controversial topic, depicting the power held by Ellen’s intimate desires, yet this progressive take has been overlooked by many viewers due to the enduring ignorance of modern society.
More than a century after both the publication of Dracula (1897) and release of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a visually stunning display of Gothic tropes that signals the renaissance of truly Gothic stories, returning to the roots of the genre with a story that satisfies audiences desperate pleas for complexity beyond simple clichés. Whilst the film is considered horror, it falls under the Gothic-horror genre, a subcategory characterised by the use of techniques and tropes that create a sense of dread in order to reflect deeper societal concerns. Eggers is unafraid to explore darker content, which, in the case of Nosferatu, refers to the occult realm and a venereal relationship between a young woman and a repulsive vampire. Unlike its sources of inspiration, Nosferatu focuses on Ellen as a primary character rather than an afterthought, allowing audiences to gain more insight into her backstory, giving her character more depth. Set during 1838, the choice by Eggers to centre the film around Ellen enabled him to delve into the fears held by a patriarchal Victorian society of women openly exhibiting their carnal desires, rather than upholding a respectable appearance of purity for the prospect of marriage.
The Victorian era is infamous for the severity of its social norms regarding acceptable behaviour for women, which is a big theme of Nosferatu. However, the era began in 1837, so the beliefs and perspectives in the film were actually established in the preceding Georgian era. Lasting from 1714 to 1837, it was defined by a strict socio-economic hierarchy, with political power concentrated in the landed gentry of the upper class, exacerbated by the Industrial Revolution which imposed harsh working conditions on the burgeoning middle class. This resulted in extreme value placed upon decorum and manners as a way to distinguish oneself as upper class, inevitably emulated by those seeking to increase their social rank, particularly through avoiding lower class behaviours.
These included anything related to sex, as members of the lower class often resorted to prostitution – as well as witchcraft, due to widespread religious adherence. As a result, strict social norms and expectations characterised the Georgian era and persisted into the Victorian era of Nosferatu.
Unique from her predecessors, Eggers’ version of Ellen summons the spirit of Count Orlok during her lonely adolescence. Count Orlok is the physical manifestation of Ellen’s primal desires, even referring to himself as an “appetite”, which places Ellen in the interesting position of being simultaneously an instigator, victim, and eventually saviour. Like in Bram Stoker’s original Dracula, Ellen’s character experiences sleepwalking and nightmares, which in the 1800s was understood to mean one had a close connection to the supernatural realm. Yet, Ellen’s night terrors of being with Count Orlok bring her unbelievable happiness and arousal, which is especially disturbing to a Victorian society due to the sexual and occult implications. This causes Ellen deep shame, insisting to Thomas that she is “unclean”, yet he still chooses to be with her – a stigma-defying decision.
Later in the film, Count Orlok brings a plague to Germany, representative of the perception that succumbing to one’s desires will have a detrimental impact upon society. However, Count Orlok’s fate is sealed when Ellen willingly sacrifices herself by indulging in the final carnal duet of the film in order to end the plague upon her loved ones. This ultimately renders her lust as a heroic act and places a positive outcome over displays of feminine sexuality.
Unfortunately, despite captivating audiences, many left cinemas feeling perturbed by the overt sexuality, petrifying visual effects, and grotesque prosthetics of Nosferatu, causing them to overlook the underlying message. Ironically, our current epoch is deemed by many to be a time of sexual liberation for women, with a greater social acceptance of casual and non-marital sex, as well as self pleasure. Despite this, the Western world remains prudish, having a strong distaste for any public displays of affection, preferring for them to occur in privacy, as well as a discomfort with open discussion of sex, both of which can be attributed to the enduring religious and patriarchal cultures of many Western nations. As a result, the graphic scenes of Nosferatu were uncomfortable for some viewers, distracting them from the fact that it is a Gothic exploration of Victorian fears surrounding sexuality, which are obviously still prevalent given audiences’ reactions. Similarly, many younger viewers were amused by the film, as often anything remotely sexual is afforded a humorous interpretation, making it easier to discuss due to the persevering awkwardness of conversations pertaining to sex, resulting in the message of the film being misconstrued and lost amongst the jokes and Tik-Tok audios.
Additionally, some viewers have missed the Gothic complexity of Eggers’ most recent work, believing that his version doesn’t say anything new and is simply a remake with better scares. Admittedly, the overall storyline of the film shares many similarities with the original Dracula, an equally Gothic text, which describes an English lawyer finalising a property transaction with the foreboding Count Dracula in a sinister Transylvanian castle, whilst his wife back home suffers bouts of sleepwalking and hysteria, with Count Dracula eventually travelling to England to prey on innocent townspeople. However, the primary fear explored in Dracula is the immigration of “uncivilised” Eastern Europeans into Britain, whereas Eggers’ version portrays the Victorian fear of women behaving in an erotic manner, as explained previously. In this way, Nosferatu differs from the original through the sexual nature of the relationship between Ellen and Count Orlok, as well as Ellen causing his death through her lust, rather than a group of male vampire hunters that stake him through the heart, as in the novel.
All in all, Nosferatu has amassed extremely high viewership, regardless of audiences missing the messages Robert Eggers is sending. His artistic employment of Gothic techniques has created such a terrifying atmosphere in theatres that Nosferatu will be renowned amongst film bros for decades to come, or at least until the next vampire movie remake (Twilight?)