Nosferatu is a hit, almost.

Nosferatu is the age old Christmas film - girl invites boy into her heart. Boy is an immortal vampire, Nosferatu, who lives in the depths of Transylvania. Girl tries to forget about Nosferatu and marries human husband. Nosferatu comes to steal back his bride, bringing death and destruction to 1800s Germany. Therein lies the premise of the 2024 hit, Nosferatu. Within a few short days of its release on Christmas, it is already set to be one of the highest grossing horror films this year.

In a world that seemingly gets darker and more bleak every year, Nosferatu promises us a return to the simple horror of years past. As soon as the movie started, I was intrigued. Halfway through I had decided it was one of my favorite horror films. By the end, I was ready for it to be over. Both my mom and dad fell asleep during the last quarter of the movie.

Nosferatu brings back the magic of old horror

This movie was a call back to the original 1922 horror film. This movie brings us back to a time when films were art. From the introductory scene with a girl calling to an other worldly creature in her white nightgown, the audience is entranced. The black and white cinematography, the dramatic acting, the 1800s costumes, and the breathtaking backdrops. Each element on its own is impressive, but the combination brings a sense of nostalgia for which audiences are hungry.

A lot of new horror films rely on gore and jump scares to dazzle audiences. Evil Dead Rise (2023) is a great example of this - a movie with a loose plot overly reliant on blood and guts. We aren't invested in the time period, the characters, or the plot. Nosferatu makes a clear a departure from the new horror cinema. Instead of cheap tricks, this movie relies on suspense, shadows and folklore. The shadows of our most feared vampire paired with longer monologues complete with his gritty voice and heavy breathing give an unsettled feeling that lasts longer than a trail of dismembered bodies. It's a reminder that good horror is best left at a simmer instead of a boil.

And speaking on good horror, monsters should be scary. We all remember the excitement of subversive monsters. Vegetarian vampires that sparkle in the sunlight. Okay okay, I'll admit it. Like every other Millenial, I read Twilight. I watched Twilight. And I delighted in the novel concept that monsters weren't so, well monstrous. An immortal life denying their violent inner nature and choosing to instead pick dandelions and collect antiques. But sometimes we need a call back to the O.G. This movie is a reminder that vampires are supposed to scary. The thought of vampires invading your town should make your blood curdle because no one is safe. Nosferatu reminds us that we have good reasons to fear vampires (and made me want to revisit Ann Rice).

But ultimately, Nosferatu fell short.

All of these things made me want to like it. I sat in the theater thinking about how I could write about how much I liked it. The first half of the movie was masterful and kept me fully entranced. By the second half, I was thinking about how much I liked the first half. By the last quarter I was watching my parents sleep on and off in their theatre seats and wondering how much longer it was going to last.

The original Nosferatu has a run time of 1 hour and 34 minutes, a full 38 minutes shorter than the 2024 edition. In my most humble of opinions, movies longer than two hours need to be extraordinarily compelling to maintain an audience's attention for that long. Wicked was 2 hours and 45 minutes and felt like it was over in a flash. Gladiator II is another long run movie that used the time well. These movies built a world and compelling characters that needed time to wrap up. The additional 38 minutes of run time didn't weren't significant contributions to the world building, character development, or spent tying up loose ends.

My biggest complaints about Nosferatu were the departures from the original. Several times the movie relied on shock value, whether sex (there was a lot of gyrating) or bloody vomit, that didn't add anything to the film. Although these weren't overly present throughout the film, they were often enough that they proved a distraction. It resulted in a movie that almost felt like a classic only to succumb to unnecessary add ins for fear that it wouldn't be scary or edgy enough. Take out thirty minutes of women gyrating in bed and the weird vomiting, and you cut it down to a well timed masterpiece.

Overall, these additions distracted me from the elements I loved most and left me wanting to like the movie more than I actually liked it.

So should you watch it big screen, stream it, or skip it?

My recommendation: Stream it. And while you're at it, add the original to the list.