In 2024, Robert Eggers released his adaptation of the horror classic, Nosferatu, and after watching and enjoying that film, I’m finding it hard to understand why this other monster movie never happened. Based on the 1929 movie, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, which in turn, is based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 2024’s Nosferatu follows Ellen Hutter, a young woman haunted by nightmares of a horrifying creature. When it becomes clear that this creature is not only real, but intends on taking Ellen as his lover, she must race against time to defeat him.
Even with little knowledge of the original Nosferatu story, I thought Eggers’ adaptation was superb. In classic Eggers fashion, the movie had beautifully bleak visuals, intense performances from major stars, and a story that subverted expectations in countless different ways. Considering Eggers’ filmography, Nosferatu’s success isn’t too surprising. Eggers is a master at building unique fantasy worlds, and he is very open about his dedication to folklore and accuracy. With all this in mind, I can’t help but wonder why Eggers gave up on his Frankenstein adaptation.
Robert Eggers Was Going To Remake Frankenstein, But His Version “Sucked”
What Could Have Gone Wrong With Eggers’ Frankenstein
Around the time that Nosferatu premiered, Eggers completed an interview with Curzon in which he revealed that he had started development on an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Although this gothic story of mortality and humanity seems right up Eggers’ alley given his past films, the writer and director revealed that he gave the project up after two weeks because he felt that “it definitely sucked.” Thus, Eggers acknowledged that his version of Frankenstein would not happen, at least not for a long time.
Eggers doesn’t get into the specifics of why his Frankenstein retelling was bad, but there are a few obvious theories. First and foremost, Eggers may not have been able to figure out how to retell Frankenstein in a way that was both accurate to the source material and fresh enough as to feel new. This is definitely a balance Eggers cared about with Nosferatu, so it likely would have been important for Frankenstein as well. Additionally, Eggers may have just hit a creative block where he recognized that the project needed much more work than he could give.
I Find It Hard To Believe Robert Eggers’ Frankenstein Would Suck After Nosferatu
Losing Eggers’ Frankenstein Isn’t All Bad
Despite what Eggers says, I can’t totally believe that his version of Frankenstein would be so bad. The director has proven time and again that he is a skilled storyteller and filmmaker. Thus far, all four of Eggers’ movies have earned fresh Rotten Tomatoes scores. In this way, I can see Eggers creating a captivating new version of Frankenstein that is as enjoyable as Nosferatu was. Therefore, it is a shame that this movie will likely never happen.
If anything, I would love to see Eggers return to more original stories, which may have familiar elements, but feel completely his own.
Yet, Eggers abandoning his Frankenstein movie isn’t all bad. As much as I enjoyed Eggers’ adaptation of Nosferatu, I wouldn’t want him to switch completely to retellings. The Witch and The Lighthouse were original stories that didn’t need preexisting lore to be amazing. If anything, I would love to see Eggers return to more original stories, which may have familiar elements, but feel completely his own. Hopefully, Eggers’ next project will continue the success he earned from Nosferatu.
