Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu: Oscar nods, an extended cut and why it should be on your weekend watchlist

It appears that Robert Eggers may have released Nosferatu at the perfect time. As the horror genre continues to cement itself as one of the most significant contributors to the modern film landscape, it appears Eggers’ passion project dropped when audiences were clamoring for it most. His remake of the iconic 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, has captivated cinephiles across the globe, and retains its relevance as we inch closer to awards season. The film has been nominated for 4 Academy Awards.

The film is a tale of obsession between a young woman and the vampire who pursues her through a psychic connection they share while she’s dreaming. It stars Bill Skarsgård, who provides a chilling turn as Count Orlok, and Lily-Rose Depp as the troubled young woman, alongside an extremely capable ensemble cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Hoult, and Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe. An extended cut has been made available now that the film has been made accessible on streaming.

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Nosferatu’s Reign

Now that the film has left theatres in the United States, we can look to the box office numbers to assess its run. Upon closer examination, the results are truly staggering. It is already among the top 5 highest-grossing horror films since cinemas were hit by the Coronavirus pandemic and continues its run in theatres overseas.

At a time when the film industry is at a major crossroads as it attempts to create an environment where both cinemas and streaming platforms can co-exist, Eggers’ achievement is even more impressive.

Currently, the film landscape is primarily the sum of either high-budget blockbusters or low-budget Indies. The film’s production costs fell squarely in the middle which shows that moviegoers are perceptive to support higher concept indie films that aren’t tied to larger intellectual properties, provided the storytelling and visuals are compelling enough.

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Nosferatu Nominated for 4 Oscars

Eggers’ most recent work nabbing 4 Oscar nominations is especially significant, keeping in mind the prestigious awards panel has looked past the horror genre all too many times in the past. The hope is that as brilliant auteurs like Eggers continue to emerge as part of the landscape, movies within the genre will be shown an appropriate level of praise.

Nosferatu is nominated for its technical aspects at this year’s Academy Awards, in the categories of Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design. A win in any of these categories would be significant for Eggers’ largest box office showing to date, although a win for cinematography would be especially relevant as it has become a stylistic trademark in the director’s repertoire.

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Extended cut available on Streaming

Robert Eggers’ interpretation of Count Orlon’s exploits was made available on the Peacock streaming service on February 21. What’s more, Peacock users have been treated to an extended cut of the film totalling an additional 4 minutes of runtime. The previously unreleased footage appears from two scenes in particular, both of which give audiences even more of Bill Skarsgård's terrifying vampire. This includes one chilling monologue that is assured to send shivers to your very core.