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In 1897 Stoker’s novel Dracula was published becoming for more than a hundred year the definitive text on vampires. 25 years later German director F.W. Murnau released his film Nosferatuwritten by Henrik Galeen, a script that was found to have infringed on Stoker’s novel. Despite the court ordering all copies destroyed, the fact of the international release proved a boon to global cinephiles and Nosferatu survived.

In 1979 Nosferatu climbed from its cinematic grave with a new remake starring eclectic actor Klaus Kinski.

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And now after another several decades Christmas 2024 brought us another adaptation by celebrated horror director Robert Eggers (The Witch, and The Lighthouse.) but taking care to credit Stoker’s original novel as well as the 1922 screenplay as source materials.

It is 1834 and aspiring estate clerk Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is dispatched by his employer to a distant client, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) leaving his new bride Ellen (Lilly-Rose Depp) with close friends (Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Emma Corrin). Count Orlok, the titular Nosferatu, harbors insidious plans to leave his isolated castle and feed upon the citizens of a modern city and is particularly drawn to the virtuous Ellen. Thomas, along with friends and associates is drawn into a battle against evil and death trying to defeat Orlok.

Robert Eggers delivers a dark, moody, and gothic tale of horror and evil beyond reason, with stunning desaturated color from cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. This is not a tale that utilizes a charismatic foreigner as a metaphor for sexual desires and repressions but one of an evil drawn from the dead that desires to bring death to everywhere it travels. Orlok unlike Dracula in most adaptations does not seduce, he feeds. He is not attractive but repulsive and when he is easily visible the Count’s nature as a walking corpse becomes revolting apparent. This film depicts the horror of being the victim of the Nosferatu and of the unending torment of being one. It is not accident that the tag line on the poster is ‘Succumb to the Darkness.’ We often talk of succumbing to a disease and that is never the desired outcome.

 Eggers slips between the world the characters inhabit and their dreams and nightmares so easily that the audience just as the poor cursed characters often cannot know what is real and what is phantasm.

Perhaps the consistently best director working in horror today Robert Eggers’ filmography is one of artistic success to artistic success here is hoping that addition to his massive talent Nosferatu finds the commercial success that studios desire.

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Because I had today off from the work, I decided to go see a movie last night and went to Werewolves. What followed is something that I had not done in many many years, I walked out of a movie before it was over. So, be aware that this review is based pretty much on the first act alone of the movie I truly did not enjoy.

braircliff entertainment

Why did I walk out? I could have gotten past the flat ill-defined characters. I could have gotten past the exposition heavy set-up and even the truly idiotic action of supposedly intelligent people. Even a character has wildly unlikely as our protagonist who was, 1) an infantry combat veteran of American’s wars in the middle east, 2) a dedicated first responder, AND 3) a world-class research level medical doctor. Such a collection of skill is well suited to pulp adventure but badly placed in a horror movie, but I could have let it slide.

No, it was the actual film making and cinematography that drove me out of the theater. Director Steven C. Miller is so enamored with lens flares as to make J.J. Abrams appeared restrained and suited for period drawing room dramas. I was literally muttering under my breath ‘enough with the lens flares’ before any story had started. Miller is also overly fond of extreme close-ups. I am talking about framing actors faces so their chin touches the bottom of the frame and forehead exceeds the top. This is used in a Heads-Up-Display much like Iron Man in the MCU but far far too often. During chaotic action sequences where the characters are suffering the consequences of their poorly thought out set up the audiences are shoved so close to the actors faces with so few cut away shots it is nearly impossible to know exactly what is going on.

All of that pales before Miller’s devotion to strobe effects.

When things turn to shit in the research center because none of the brilliant characters were able to remember that people can reach between bars of a cage the chaotic fight and flight scenes in addition to being filmed with far too many full-face close-ups is lit with so many intense strobes that I literally had to hold my hand between my face and the screen. Of course, with my hand positioned like that I could no longer follow the action and I still acquired a nice migraine. I tried for a little bit longer to watch but between the stupidity onscreen and the pain escalating behind my eyes I determine coming home was a far more intelligent option.

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Heretic: a person who differs in opinion from established religious dogma. (Merriam-Webster)

Released by A24 Heretic is a horror film that falls more broadly in the genre of psychological horror than traditional horror thought elements at the films conclusion can be interpreted to move the movie into a supernatural realm.

A24 studios

As depicted in the films trailer, two Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) have come to the home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant) because he has expressed an interest in learning more about the Mormon church. Deceiving the pair into believing his wife is at home he traps them in the house and begins a cruel psychological cat-and-mouse game with the young women.

First off let me state just how much I am loving Hugh Grant in is villain era of acting. From a corrupt English politician in A Very English Scandal, thru his campy and quite enjoyable rogue in Dungeons & Dragon: Honor Among Thieves to this controlled and chilling performance I have enjoyed Grant so much more than in his good looking rom-com days.

Written and Directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, Heretic is a thoughtful film that doesn’t treat any of its characters as cheap and as strawmen. It poses interesting and challenging questions about the nature of faith, belief, and organized religion without presenting any particular answer as ‘truth’ but only as truth seen through flawed human perception.

The three central performers are all operating at what looks like the top of their games, giving detail and subtle performances that illuminate character without broad exposition. Reed’s worldview is internally consistent but like any not without fault or logical fallacy. The Sisters are presented neither as caricatures of their faith nor as unblemished adherents.

Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon makes use of unsettling and unconventional close-ups that allow the audience of share in Paxton and Barnes growing terror as their situation becomes frightening clear.

Heretic at time reminded me of Barbarian but without that movies disbelief shattering descent into superhuman silliness. Save for a single event near the films climax Heretic keeps itself firmly grounded in conventional reality and even the event in question is open to various interpretations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I am thrilled that I managed to make time to see it in the theater before it run closed.