Robert Eggers wants to make vampires scary again with his new, R-rated take onNosferatu(in theaters everywhere Christmas Day; click here for tickets). To accomplish that goal, however, he needed to go back to the earliest stories regarding the undead bloodsuckers we're so used to seeing onscreen.
"The folk vampire is not a suave dinner-coat-wearing seducer, nor a sparkling, brooding hero," the writer-producer-director states in the production notes for the movie. "The folk vampire embodies disease, death, and sex in a base, brutal, and unforgiving way. This is the vampire I wanted to exhume for a modern audience."
Such an old world approach to the material necessitated an old world aesthetic, circa 1838. And where do you go when you want to capture a bygone century? Well, you head to Europe, of course!
For More on Nosferatu
Why Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Cast a Romanian Grandmother Known for Her TikTok Cooking Videos
How Bram Stoker's Widow Almost Killed Nosferatu Forever
Where was Nosferatu filmed?
Production on Robert Eggers' Nosferatu mainly took place in the Czech Republic atBarrandov Studio in Prague. Established in 1931,Barrandov has served as the filmmaking hub for a number of high-profile movies, includingMission: Impossible,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,Van Helsing, Alien vs. Predator,Hellboy,Casino Royale,Jojo Rabbit, and plenty more.
According to the official press notes, Eggers' longtime production designer Craig Lathrop constructed a total of 60 sets, which included the streets of the fictional Baltic city of Wisborg. “I wanted to build as much as possible,” Eggers explains. “It gives me the most amount of control with how [cinematographer] Jarin [Blaschke] and I like to move the camera.”
He continues:“It was emotional for me, seeing it take shape. We built this tiny farm for The Witch, which at the time felt like such an achievement. Here, we’ve built five city blocks. That was one of many builds for the film, so it was spectacular."
“What’s great about working on a Robert Eggers film is it feels like everybody is bringing their ‘A’ game," adds Lathrop. "It’s not one department; it’s all the departments working together and wanting to help Rob create this vision."
The film also made use of several real-world locations in and around Praguesuch as Invalidovna (former housing for war veterans),Rožmitál Castle (the medieval structure was named a cultural heritage site in the late 1950s), andPernštejn Castle(built by Moravian royals in the Middle Ages).
The Prague Reporter adds even more context on the project's real-world locations, writing: "Adding to the eerie atmosphere are spellbinding landscapes across the Czech Republic, which [Nicholas] Hoult’s character travels through on his way to Orlok’s castle (at one point, he looks out across thePrachov Rocks). Rural locations throughout the story, such as the beaches of Tušť and the Great America Quarry (nicknamed the Czech Grand Canyon) are hauntingly employed; Czech forests have popped up in a number of Hollywood films, but never to such evocative effect."
Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyad Castle or Hunedoara Castle, Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvinilor, is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara, Transylvania, Romania. Photo: Bildagentur-online/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Was Nosferatu filmed in Transylvania?
Nosferatu was partly filmed in Transylvania. Eggers & Co. traveled to the heart of vampire territory to shoot Hunedoara Castle, which served as theexterior of Count Orlok's creepy base of operations. "The most epic landscapes are actually [in] Transylvania," Eggers affirmed to Time Out. The location (sometimes referred to as Corvin Castle; check out an image above) is extremely fitting to the material, given the potentially apocryphal assertion that Vlad the Impaler — aka the real-world basis for Bram Stoker's iconic Dracula character — was once imprisoned there.
Who stars inNosferatu?
Nosferatufeatures an ensemble cast comprised ofBill Skarsgård (Count Orlok), Nicholas Hoult (Thomas Hunter), Lily-Rose Depp (Ellen Hunter), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Friedrich Harding), Emma Corrin (Anna Harding), Ralph Ineson (Dr. Wilhelm Sievers), Simon McBurney (Herr Knock), and Willem Dafoe (Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz).
How can you watchNosferatuin theaters?
Audiences will be able to heed the call of evil on Wednesday, December 25 (aka Christmas Day) whenNosferatuswoops intotheaters nationwide. Tickets are now on saleright here!
The film has received widespread critical acclaim and currently holds a score of 90%onRotten Tomatoes.The site's consensus reads: "Marvelously orchestrated by director Robert Eggers,Nosferatuis a behemoth of a horror film that is equal parts repulsive and seductive."
Is Nosferatu streaming on Peacock?
The 2024 horror film Nosferatu will stream on Peacock later this year. Check back for details!
Looking for morebloodsucking action? Head on over to Peacock forDark Shadows,The Vampire Diaries,Vampire Academy,Nosferatu the Vampyre,Let the Right One in,Vampire in Vegas, and more!
Originally published Dec 20, 2024.