If F.W. Murnau‘s original creation was titled a “symphony of horror,” writer director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a sumptuous visual feast. Treated with the utmost reverence, Nosferatu pays homage to both Murnau‘s work and Bram Stoker’s Dracula creation with rich production, competent writing, and impressive performances. We know the story. There are no surprises or original notions to be found. Instead Eggers births a new version of a classic with an elegant eye and his impeccable penchant for creating a world you can’t help but be lured into.

We begin the story as newlyweds Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) and Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) are starting their day in 19th century Germany. Thomas is an ambitious realtor climbing the ranks of business and society. Ellen is his beautiful, gifted bride haunted by visions of doom that are routinely dismissed. At work, Thomas meets with his superior Knock (Simon McBurney), who informs him that he is being sent on a trip to close the sale of a property. The mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) plans to purchase a dilapidated castle in England but cannot travel to sign the needed documents., Thomas is informed that if he can travel to the remote location of Orlok’s castle and seal the deal, Thomas is guaranteed a partnership in the firm. Against Ellen’s wishes, Thomas ventures deep into Transylvania with documents in hand. Despite the adamant warnings from locals, Thomas makes his way to Orlok’s castle and the real hell begins.

Meanwhile back in Germany, Ellen is staying with best friend Anna Harding (Emma Corrin,) and Anna’s husband Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Haunted by nightmarish visions, Ellen’s condition is at first dismissed as melancholy. Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) is called in for a consult and suggests blood letting and sedation. However we know that things will only get worse. Sievers reaches out to Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe) and Franz spots the issue of possession immediately. With Orlok on his way, set to claim his new home in England, he also has his sights set on Ellen. But who is Orlok? Are Ellen’s macabre visions of death a sign of what has become of her husband Thomas to are they an omen of the future? Furthermore where is Thomas?

I really have minimal notes on Eggers’ take on Nosferatu. This is opulent, decadent, storytelling of the highest order that favors the filmmaker’s proclivities. Frequent collaborator, production designer Craig Lathrop lends his meticulous eye to take the source material and add texture and depth to a murky nightmare world. Jarin Blaschke‘s miraculous cinematography revels in morose tones of coblat blue and true, pitch black with gloriously perfect composition. This is classic material treated with a classic eye.

As far as the performances go, Skarsgård is unrecognizable as the nefarious Orlok. Between the layers of makeup and the intentionally muddled photography he is but a figure in the dark. Willem Dafoe does Willem Dafoe. He is the weird sage with eccentric behavior and a source of levity. The real surprise is Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen. Standard London accent in hand, Depp rises to the occasion of operatic horror with a stunning level of physicality. This is Depp’s arrival.

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is exactly what we hoped that it would be. This is a dark, romantic, grotesque tale of the macabre delivered with the utmost care. Sink your teeth into this sanguine feast.