Page 96 - Sharp Winter 2025

SYMPHONY OF HORRORS
ROBERT EGGERS DISCUSSES HIS MUCH-ANTICIPATED FILM, NOSFERATU, THE “EMOTIONAL” JOURNEY BEHIND PRODUCTION, AND FUTURE PROJECTS
By Adam Davidson
WHEN ROBERT EGGERS RELEASED HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT, THE WITCH,
in 2015, he arrived during a new era of Hollywood horror. Alongside a new generation of horror filmmakers, Eggers used the genre to explore deeper themes of grief, motherhood, and race.
Following The Witch’s critical acclaim, Eggers became one of the leading figures of the horror revival. He brought his unique vision of history and folklore to life with tense atmospheres that linger with the audience. For his next film, Eggers takes on his most ambitious project to date: Nosferatu, a remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic horror and an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Against all odds, Eggers finally brings his unique vision of Nosferatu to life as he reimagines this iconic gothic tale of obsession.
You directed a Nosferatu play when you were 17 years old. How did it feel to return to the story? It’s a story that is very important to me. Your first feature is a very special thing because it’s all this stuff that you’ve been thinking about films and what you can bring to a movie, and it all comes out. The Witch is certainly a very personal film for many reasons and part of that has to do with that energy of focus.
But this is similar. It’s a remake of a very famous movie, but it’s strangely just as personal to me as The Witch because it’s been with me for so long, both in the high school play that I co-directed and the various times that I tried to get it off the ground as a movie.
As a film, it’s been about 10 years trying to get this thing together. I’m glad it has taken a long time because I’m a better filmmaker and the movie wouldn’t be what it is without having more experience. Is it perfect? Nothing is. But it’s certainly a lot better than had I made it 10 years ago.
I was really impressed by Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter. What made it such a great physical performance?
I’m excited for people to see how raw, brave, and sophisticated her performance is. Everything she is doing physically is all real; nothing has been sped up or manipulated. That’s the work she did with the choreographer, Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, to do all of that hysteria and possession stuff. I have not worked with an actor who is as easily emotionally available as Lily. She just goes there without a lot of effort.
How did you react when you saw Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok? It must be a dream to have an actor who will go to the darkest of places for your project.
It was the second full makeup and costume test that he just became the character. Everybody standing by the monitor immediately knew that Bill was not there. Because Bill is a similar age to the leads, I said to him, “I’m not asking you to be method because it’d be too much energy, as Orlok is a superhuman character that is perfect and can’t make mistakes. But in order for you to
96 WINTER 2025
SHARPMAGAZINE.COM
FEATURE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AIDAN MONAGHAN / © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC