Nosferatu: The Girls Who Get it, get it

“Nosferatu” isn’t for everyone. It’s grotesque, eerie, and shocking, which is probably why many of its viewers disliked the movie. But for the people who know its history, Robert Eggers’s “Nosferatu” is monumental.

The 1922 German film, “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” tells the tale of Ellen and Thomas Hutter, who along with other characters, work to escape and survive the vampire Count Orlok. Ellen’s character is written as a pure, almost sacrificial being. Count Orlok’s obsession with her paints her as a lamb being led to the slaughter—one who is painfully aware of her fate and ultimately helpless. 

What makes the 2024 adaptation of “Nosferatu” so compelling to me is that it gives the character of Ellen Hutter a voice. The original film, being made over a century ago, was silent. Ellen’s desire and fear were always the driving force behind almost every point of the film, yet her true power in the story went unseen even in later adaptations of “Nosferatu.”

This most recent adaptation, however, showcases the complexity of Ellen’s character. It’s not just the writing and directing that lets her truly speak. Lily-Rose Depp’s performance as Ellen Hutter was incredible. “I’ve always loved her,” remarked Charlotte Confer, 11. “She’s just such an it-girl. I think everything she does is so cool, and I really like watching her.” Her true potential as an actress was marred by the failure of “The Idol,” the last work she held a role in. “Nosferatu,” however, is an astonishing showcase of just how well Depp is able to immerse herself into a character. Her acting solidifies Ellen’s character as the focal point of the story. Her understanding and personal conflict with the monster stand in stark contrast to the confusion and fear that everyone else experiences.

“Nosferatu” is amazing because it takes the unsung depths of female fear, desire, and overall conflict and magnifies it in a way that thousands of women can resonate with. While not every woman can do so through specific methods in “Nosferatu,” it’s still important to recognize the influence that new interpretations of films like these hold.