Nosferatu opened in theaters in 2024 to wide acclaim, but this was not the first time director Robert Eggers has adapted the classic vampire tale. Reviews for Nosferatu praised Eggers for skillfully blending source material from over a century ago with newer adaptations and novels to create a faithful take on the classic tale. Despite its faithfulness in many respects, the film presents some key differences from Murnau’s original film, including Count Orlock’s appearance in Nosferatu. That being said, the central narrative is the primary strength, and it’s difficult to envision a more successful execution by any other director than Eggers.

Numerous attempts have been made over the years to adapt Nosferatu for the big screen, with varying degrees of success. Given Robert Eggers’ extensive history of crafting period horror films, this remake served as a powerful demonstration of his mastery of the genre. Eggers aimed to bring about a resurgence of gothic horror with his 2024 adaptation, which helped the production earn four Academy Award nominations in its technical categories — alongside Nosferatu‘s stellar cast. Nosferatu achieves success on every level, which is a testament to the director’s long-standing familiarity with the tale, which he began developing at just 17 years old.

Robert Eggers Adapted Nosferatu For Stage 23 Years Before The Movie

Robert Eggers Led A Production Of Nosferatu During His High School Years

Robert Eggers motion picture was one of the most anticipated projects of 2024, and his production of Nosferatu was praised for drawing plenty of inspiration from the original classic vampire tale. Nosferatu is a reimagining of the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by F.W. Murnau. However, Eggers was already well-versed in the production beforehand. The director wrote, produced and starred in a stage production at 17 years old, where Eggers adapted Murnau’s original tale for a high school production. Even though Eggers didn’t portray Count Orlock in 2024 as he had before, he clearly had ample knowledge to bestow.

Ashley Kelly-Tata, an opera and stage director, co-directed the stage production of Nosferatu alongside Eggers. According to the celebrated director, it was a “very humble” production (via YouTube,) with black and white sets, makeup and wigs. A local theater professional saw the play there and recognized its potential. This led to Eggers receiving an invitation to create a more polished production, which was a crucial experience that would cement his desire to be a director — and profoundly change his life. Eggers believes Nosferatu has become “a major part of who I am… as someone who’s trying to make creative work” (via YouTube.)

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Play Proves He Was The Only Director For 2024’s Movie

Eggers Was The Ideal Candidate To Retell F.W. Murnau’s Original Story

Given his deep connection to both the original Nosferatu and Dracula tales, Eggers appears to have been uniquely qualified to direct the 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu for the big screen. Having produced a stage adaptation at such an early age, Eggers has a strong visual and thematic concept for the story and such strong foundations were ideal for the cinematic interpretation — particularly with such high hopes for a faithful adaptation. It’s rather easy to see how such a long-held pᴀssion project would translate to higher levels of personal investment and dedication from the director, which is something that is always advantageous for full-feature adaptations.

In addition to this, Eggers had a rather unusual early engagement with the source material. The director watched Murnau’s 1922 silent film at just 9 years of age, which consequently had a major impact on him over his formative years. This deep familiarity and understanding of the themes and atmosphere, however, indefinitely informed his approach to the remake. This explains why the 2024 Nosferatu production exhibits such meticulous detail and remains faithful to both the silent film and the original Nosferatu books. The director’s contribution is indispensable to its achievements, and it’s difficult to envision Nosferatu reaching these levels of success without Eggers at the helm.

Source: Q with Tom Power on YouTube