Nosferatu (2024\1922)

A new season of Film Trace is here! This season we will try something a bit different. We are focusing on Visionary Remakes. In each episode, we will watch a remake made in the selected decade and then go back and compare it to the original film.

First up, we are covering Nosferatu. This season was inspired by Robert Eggers' remake which came out late last year. The film was a surprise hit at the box office and is currently doing very well on digital release. We will compare the modern Nosferatu with the famous original, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror from 1922. We will also toss in a little of Werner Herzog's remake from 1979.

Nosferatu is perhaps the most famous horror character in the history of film. The character was a blatant and conspicuous copy of Dracula, so much so that the original film was ordered destroyed due to copyright violations. We only have it now, because it had been exported from Germany. Eggers brings forward the titular character into the world of Imax Laser and Dolby Atmos. He adds layer upon layer of intricate production and sound design, but the overall feeling is a bit mushy and lukewarm. Eggers decided to shift the main focus from the male protagonist to a female supporting character in the original story. A bizarrely postmodern move from a resolutely modernist director. Nosferatu is perhaps the perfect film to kick off the new season. Why remake a film? What you are bringing to it, what are we losing?