Acclaimed director Robert Eggers put a new spin on a classic horror movie with his 2024 film, Nosferatu. His popular remake distinguished itself from F.W. Murnau’s original 1922 Nosferatu, not only by featuring sound. In a testament to how far cinema has evolved since the 1920s, Eggers’s film featured colorful visuals as opposed to shooting in black and white. This made Eggers’s Nosferatu a gorgeous re-imagining of Murnau’s revolutionary vampire film.

Though Eggers was remaking an old horror film in 2024’s Nosferatu, he understandably didn’t want to repeat what was done by Murnau over 100 years ago with its visual style. He certainly could’ve succeeded in shooting the film in black and white if he wanted to, as he had already proven that fact. However, Eggers’s remake of Nosferatu benefited from him following its own creative path during its production, culminating in a stunning and hypnotic masterpiece that has made for one of the best horror movies of the decade.

Nosferatu Would’ve Been A Perfect Black & White Movie

Nosferatu Already Looks Like A Black & White Film

Since the original Nosferatu was sH๏τ in black and white, Robert Eggers’s remake could’ve made another loving tribute to the source material by depicting it the same way. However, 2024’s Nosferatu already looks incredible due to the way its nighttime scenes are sH๏τ, as the muted colors make these scenes look like they’re in black and white. Even when the scenes are illuminated by colorful candlelight, the orange hue gives them a soft, vintage appearance that makes them look like similar scenes from Murnau’s film.

Had Eggers completely leaned into presenting Nosferatu in black and white, the film could’ve retained much of the beauty that it conveyed as a completely colorful motion picture. It could have also made the film more immersive for the audience as a period piece. By making Nosferatu look like a classical movie without color, like Schindler’s List, it would invoke how audiences commonly see the past from old pH๏τos and videos, further connecting with them on a subconscious level.

Robert Eggers Already Proved He Can Make An Amazing Black & White Movie Too

Robert Eggers Succeeded In Making The Lighthouse Black & White

Robert Eggers proved to the world that he can make a fantastic black-and-white movie with his sophomore feature as director with his 2019 horror film, The Lighthouse. The Lighthouse was presented in a 1.19:1 aspect ratio with black and white visuals to make it look like a classical motion picture, connecting with the bygone era that the story is set in. On top of making the audience feel catastrophic, this creative approach made Eggers’s period piece all the more realistic and immersive, which only elevated the terror for the audience as they watched the film’s two leads experience an absolute nightmare.

While Eggers has proven he can film a terrific black-and-white movie, doing it once with The Lighthouse was arguably enough at this point in his career. Repeating this style with Nosferatu would’ve made it look too similar to the original movie, which would’ve made it more difficult to justify its existence to modern audiences, particularly fans of Murnau’s film. A black and white Nosferatu also wouldn’t have stood out as much among the handful of films Eggers has directed, especially when it was released just five years after The Lighthouse.

Robert Eggers Perfectly Explained Why Nosferatu Is Not In Black & White

Robert Eggers Wanted To Do Something Unique With Nosferatu

Robert Eggers explained his decision to shoot Nosferatu in color in an interview with The New York Times. Despite his love and reverence for the source material, Eggers wanted to do something different with his remake of Nosferatu by not filming it in black and white. Specifically, Eggers wanted to take a more romantic approach than Murnau’s more expressionist silent film, which was a product of the technological limitations of its time:

It’s romanticism, not expressionism – and it’s been done very well in black and white before! Obviously, it’s a very desaturated movie, and I think some scenes have a kind of strength in expressing a colorless world, in color.

Eggers also claimed that presenting Nosferatu in black and white would’ve been too expensive with the budget he had. This was arguably the safest approach, as the film was already a hefty production, with a reported $50 million budget (via Koimoi). Though Box Office Mojo reported that Nosferatu made nearly three times its budget in theaters, it was still a risky move, making such an expensive prestige horror movie.

Likewise, since Eggers’s third film, The Northman, bombed at the box office after an alleged $90 million production (via Vanity Fair), the studio understandably didn’t want to risk making another theatrical flop with the director’s next project, Nosferatu. Shooting in black and white would probably not achieve this goal, as Nosferatu might not have appealed to as many modern, casual viewers if it was marketed with the appearance of an older movie.

Robert Eggers’ Reasoning For Doing Nosferatu In Color Makes The Decision Better

The Color In Eggers’s Nosferatu Elevated Its Romantic Story

The way Eggers justified his colorful visuals in Nosferatu helps one appreciate the artistry of the remake’s romantic style even more. The use of color didn’t just help Eggers distinguish his vision of Nosferatu from its predecessor. It also emphasized the beauty of the visuals of such a vast, Gothic tale of love, death, and obsession, adding greater dramatic effect to the story.

The varied color palette in Nosferatu creates great contrast between the scenes featuring warm, heavenly daylight and the cold, infernal nights shown throughout the film. This visual approach accentuated the mood and tone of each sH๏τ, adding another layer of emotion to sway audiences with scenes of romance, terror, and mourning.

There is no doubt that 2024’s Nosferatu could look stunning as a black and white film. However, Eggers still succeeded in paying homage to Murnau’s classic film while presenting his more unique version of the story, which has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography. Eggers’s romantic, colorful approach succeeded in captivating audiences and setting itself apart from the original Nosferatu as a technical achievement over a century in the making.

Source: Koimoi, Box Office Mojo, Vanity Fair