Nosferatu Director Hopes to Push Film “Beyond” What He’s Already Made

Anyone who has seen Robert Eggers’ The Witch, The Lighthouse, or The Northman knows just how well he is suited to tackle a new take on Nosferatu, and while flexing the skills he has already demonstrated would be more than enough to make for a compelling experience, the director recently confirmed how he aims to push himself beyond what he’s already explored. Given that each of his films has explored even more ambitious realms, his own admission that the upcoming reimagining will take him outside of his comfort zone will have audiences thrilled to see what he comes up with. Eggers’ Nosferatu doesn’t currently have a release date.

“I’m trying to go beyond what I’m capable of,” Eggers revealed to Empire Magazine. “As always, it was a difficult shoot. Last night we were doing a scene on a ship with a lot of rain and waves, and the rain deflector, which tries to blow rain out of the lens, was breaking down and fogging.” 

He added, “I spent the past several days working only with Russian sailors on a boat.”

While The Witch was largely a subtle and atmospheric horror about a threat lurking in the wilderness, The Lighthouse focused solely on two men being driven mad in their seclusion at a military outpost. The latter film is the most aesthetically similar to Nosferatu, but Eggers noted that his work on the barbaric epic The Northman really made what he is accomplishing with Nosferatu possible, especially given that he’s been trying to make this reboot happen since The Witch.

“I’m so happy to have made The Northman first and to have learned what I learned,” the filmmaker admitted. “When I think about the production plan of Nosferatu that we had the first time around, I’m sure I would have somehow pulled it out of my butt, but it’s hard not to imagine it being a failure.”

The new reimagining is “a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily Rose-Depp) in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Bill Skarsgård) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.”  

Nosferatu also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Simon McBurney, and Ralph Ineson.

Stay tuned for details on Nosferatu.

Are you looking forward to the project? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!