--- title: "Nosferatu: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/nosferatu/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/nosferatu" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 25 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Nosferatu (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 25 reviews: 18 positive, 2 mixed, 5 negative. Most critics like it, though few without complaint, and the spread is wide. The praise clusters on the look of the thing: the production design, the candlelit compositions and a dread that most agree Eggers keeps up for the full running time. Bill Skarsgård’s Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp’s Ellen are named again and again, Depp above all by IndieWire and /Film, who treat her as the film’s centre. The reservations cluster on pace and purpose: several reviews find the opening slow and the tone humourless, and a handful ask why another faithful adaptation is needed. The dissent is loud and comes from large papers. Variety and the Los Angeles Times call it drained of life, The Times judges the performances a career low, Sight and Sound thinks this Orlok less menacing than the 1922 original, and The New Yorker objects to the sexual politics of its climax. Even the doubters concede the craft; the argument is over whether anything lives inside it. ## Little White Lies — Charles Bramesco Rating 3/5/5. 20 December 2024. Eggers realises a lifelong dream with spellbinding results that reduce the vampire myth to its essence of sex and death. It is an immaculate feat of craft in thrall to a malevolent power. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/nosferatu) ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2024. Eggers’ Nosferatu is a cryptic, beautiful and unsettling experience that transports viewers as if told by the vampire or a victim, with a low rumbling soundtrack, painterly landscapes and a sense of genuine evil that distorts reality. The critic singles out Bill Skarsgård’s repugnant yet mesmerizing performance as the vampire and Lily-Rose Depp’s physical contortions as standout elements in this fusion of Murnau and Stoker influences. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/nosferatu) ## Radio Times Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2024. Eggers’s Nosferatu is a thing of beauty that is creepy and compelling, keeping viewers transfixed. It is a triumphant, visually resplendent horror with strong performances from Depp and Hoult. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/nosferatu-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. Eggers has crafted an absorbing nightmare of gothic horror that teeters on the edge of madness. It is an elegantly woven tapestry of encroaching evil led by a memorable monster performance. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/nosferatu-review/5199059.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. Eggers delivers a superlative, mesmeric Gothic horror nightmare that feels like the culmination of his career. The film is praised for its dense atmosphere, macabre poetry, and the director's commanding vision over the material. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/nosferatu-review-bill-skarsgard-lily-rose-depp-nicholas-hoult-robert-eggers-1236074321/) ## Total Film — Becky Darke Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. Skarsgård delivers an unrecognizable, transformative performance as the terrifying Orlok in this gothic horror; Eggers crafts a biting, atmospheric remake faithful to the source's dread and shadow-play. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/nosferatu-review/) ## Empire — Jamie Graham Rating 4/5. 2 December 2024. Eggers delivers a conviction-filled retelling that rescues the vampire from modern clichés and returns it to folkloric roots with haunting atmosphere and strong turns from Depp and Skarsgård, though the familiar story and pacing may distance some viewers. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/nosferatu-2024/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. Eggers' gorgeous adaptation breathes fresh life into the vampire tale through a revelatory, stunning performance by Lily-Rose Depp as a woman torn by unconscious desire. The psychosexual fairy tale anchors the film in its exploration of darkness and longing. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-lily-rose-depp-1235071494/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2025. Eggers delivers a retro gothic fairy-tale with meticulous historical detail and a slinking sense of dread that transcends familiar Dracula tropes; performances, especially Depp and Skarsgård, shine in creating physical terror and shadow-play horror. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/disturbing-nosferatu-terrify-cynics-3443626) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 20 December 2024. Eggers crafts a deeply sinister, slow-burning take that becomes genuinely chilling in its second half. It is a worthy modern addition to the classic horror lineage despite lacking some thematic resonance. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/nosferatu-review-2025) ## The AV Club — Katie Rife Rating B. 2 December 2024. The sumptuous, meticulously realized horror is the movie Eggers has been building toward, though its terminally self-serious tone makes it a solemn death march. Atmosphere alone makes it a triumph, but it strains engagement over its runtime. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/nosferatu-review) ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2024. The critic praises the latter 90 minutes of skin-crawling dread and majestic visuals and performances but finds the first 40-minute build-up ponderous and overwrought, potentially losing viewers early. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/nosferatu-review-lilyrose-depp-robert-eggers-b1198512.html) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2024. Eggers brings fresh eyes and potent dread to the vampire classic but his Orlok lacks the menace of the original. The film is a risky reimagining that adds much new material yet renders the vampire a pathetic figure at the end. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/nosferatu-risk-taking-reimagining-foundational-movie-vampire) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. Visually striking with compositions rivaling Flemish paintings and faithful to the 1922 film, the remake is more accessible yet eerily drained of life. The critic singles out pretentious dialogue, somnolent pacing and weak performances, especially Lily-Rose Depp’s, as weighing down the tragic finale despite the sumptuous production design and cinematography. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-lily-rose-depp-1236222769/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2024. Eggers' painstakingly detailed vampire drama is gorgeous but weirdly inert and bloodless, lacking the unsettling energy of his prior work. The film veers toward the bloodless despite intriguing ideas and strong set pieces like Thomas's journey to the castle. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-shouldnt-nosferatu-be-scarier.html) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2024. Eggers’ remake expands on the 1922 classic with more backstory and rationalization, making it longer, dialogue-heavy and sluggish while shifting focus to Ellen as the central character. The critic singles out the sickening implication that Ellen must refuck her rapist to save the world, turning foregrounding of the female character into a vampiric victory rather than progress. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-new-nosferatu-drains-the-life-from-its-predecessor) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2024. Eggers delivers an overly faithful retelling that is straight-faced, interminably dull and hamstrung by reverence for the original, with more explicit violence and sex but no imagination or subtext. The critic singles out the lack of eroticism, scares or timely metaphor, calling it dead on arrival and choked by its own worship of the source. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-12-24/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-lily-rose-depp-nicholas-hoult-bill-skarsgard-horror) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★☆☆. 31 December 2024. An artisanal horror made with care and invention featuring strong Gothic style, but the vampire feels understated and fuzzy in memory compared to the high style around him. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/e25c8b39-1482-4c2b-82fa-6a1040879fed) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 2 December 2024. The film is a handsomely produced and stylised homage that walks the line between self-conscious and scary, with beautiful images but a vampire that is more studied than insidiously frightening. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/02/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-lily-rose-depp-bill-skarsgard) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★☆☆☆. 27 December 2024. A vapid adaptation drenched in spectacle that never justifies its existence, with truly terrible career-low performances from the cast including a parody-like Willem Dafoe. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/nosferatu-review-truly-terrible-career-low-performances-r5fs2gzxg) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 5/5. 2 December 2024. Praises the film as a psychosexual tragedy centered on Ellen and her draw toward death, highlighting its juxtaposition of radiant beauty and putrid decay. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-beautiful/) ## Collider — Jeff Ewing Rating 9/10. 2 December 2024. Eggers delivers a masterful, visually stunning remake that stands as the best horror film of 2024. The critic singles out the oppressive atmosphere, meticulous production design, and strong performances, especially from Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård, for praise. [Read the review](https://collider.com/nosferatu-2024-review/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 9/10. 2 December 2024. The critic praises the film as a genuinely scary gothic horror that feels authentic and atmospheric, singling out Lily-Rose Depp's mesmerizing and ferocious performance as Ellen for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1723412/robert-eggers-nosferatu-review/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. The critic praises Eggers' modern update for centering Ellen's unfathomable capacity for darkness and for its perverse, technically brilliant tango with death. It highlights the superb rendering of the late-19th century setting and the film's baked-in longevity that will keep viewers returning. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/12/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-lily-rose-depp-nicholas-hoult-gothic-vampire-romance-1236191438/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2024. Calls it the best horror movie of the year for its seductive atmosphere, strong performances especially from Depp and Skarsgård, and emotional depth. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a63066032/nosferatu-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 December 2024. The review commends Eggers for doing justice to the classic material in a grim, gorgeous redo that empowers Orlok as both repulsive monster and sexual force. It singles out the haunting cinematography, Skarsgård's visceral performance, and Depp's monumental turn while noting minor quibbles about the film feeling more like an update than a wholly new take. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/nosferatu-review-robert-eggers-bill-skarsgard-dracula/) ## NME — Lou Thomas Rating 3/5. 6 December 2024. Notes the stunning visuals and energetic cast but criticizes the film for lacking substance and questions the need for another faithful adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/nosferatu-review-faithful-dracula-remake-nicholas-hoult-3819771) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2024. Eggers's meticulous remake is gorgeously crafted and technically accomplished but ultimately feels inert and lacking in emotional core or genuine scares. The critic singles out the overly studied construction and absence of heart or radical revisionism for complaint. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2024/12/23/movies/nosferatu-movie-review-robert-eggers) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/nosferatu.md