Nosferatu director Robert Eggers does not want to make a contemporary film anytime soon 

Robert Eggers' masterpiece Nosferatu was all the rage this winter, thanks to a brilliant script and Lily-Rose Depp's stellar acting. Set in Transylvania in the 80s, the horror film centers on Depp's character Ellen, who encounters something sinister lurking around the castle but embraces it.

Eggers received much praise for his direction of the film, which bagged four nominations at this year's Oscars. As someone who has helmed multiple spine-chilling horror films, Eggers' area of expertise when it comes to horror is films that are set centuries back.

The director talked to Rotten Tomatoes about how he doesn't wish to make any modern films set in the current era, talking about how he declines the idea of having to photograph a car or a cell phone.

“The idea of having to photograph a car makes me ill. And the idea of photographing a cellphone is just death. And to make a contemporary story you have to photograph a cellphone — it’s just how life is — so no [I won’t be making any modern-set films].”

When asked about how close to modernity he's willing to come for creation, he said,

“I don’t know. I might go potentially to 1950 but before World War II is more inviting for my imagination.”

More details on Nosferatu

Nosferatu means vampires, which explains the premise of Eggers' film. Set in the 1830s, the film revolves around an evil entity that is obsessed with Depp's character Ellen, and is desperate to have her. Starring Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe, the film received worldwide critical acclaim for its brilliant acting and haunting story, with specific praise going towards Depp for nailing the role.

The official synopsis of the film reads,

Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

Nosferatu also pays close attention to aspects of female sexuality, the unfulfilled condition of what attracts the evil entity to Ellen. Talking about this, Depp said,

“It's interesting, talking about the sexuality aspect, which is something I feel like we haven't even talked about a lot in interviews, but it is a big part of the story. When we meet my character, Ellen, that there's a real loneliness to her, as well as a nascent sexuality, something that I think is everybody experiences kind of around that time, be it a girl, or a boy, or whoever, that I think there's not as much room for girls.”

She also elaborated on Ellen's role and how it combines with Dafoe's Von Franz and added,

“I think she carries a lot of darkness, and I think it's a real source of shame for her, and one that she's trying to come to terms with, and that's what I think is so beautiful about her relationship with Von Franz, Willem's character, because he kind of sees her in this way and understands her, I think, in a way that she longs to be understood.”

Nosferatu is now in theatres and will be available for fans to stream on Peacock from March.