Wow, what a beautifully raw and thoughtful dive into the shadowy heart of Nosferatu and The Witch! Your passion for folk horror shines through every word, and it’s impossible not to feel inspired by how deeply you’ve connected with these stories of shame, identity, and societal rejection.
You’ve captured something so resonant about Robert Eggers’ ability to layer historical dread with themes that are painfully modern. Ellen and Thomasin’s struggles feel both timeless and achingly current, and your exploration of shame as both a personal and societal demon hits home. That juxtaposition of being seen yet unseen, loved yet rejected, feels like the core of what makes these films so haunting—and, honestly, relatable.
I also love how you highlighted the performances, especially Lily-Rose Depp’s willingness to push herself into the depths of despair. It’s rare to see actors go “ugly” in the service of a story, and she clearly left nothing on the table.
As for those hilarious Reddit comments, they’re the perfect palate cleanser after such a heavy exploration. “Merlin lookalike gets cucked by Dr. Robotnic Pennywise” absolutely deserves to be immortalized somewhere.
Your write-up reminds me why I love folk horror so much—the way it balances beauty and terror, the personal and the universal, the real and the surreal. Thanks for sharing this! Let’s hope 2025 brings us even more films that peel back the layers of our darkest selves.
I rarely want to see movies in the theater these days but I’m definitely gonna see it now.
I haven't seen "The Witch" but I'll probably give it a go as well. The trailers for this film reminded me of Coppola's "Dracula" in parts. Shame as a theme definitely plays well against this period of the movie where social mores were so suffocating. Essentially that's what all vampirism of the that period draws from: sex and death which they often went hand in hand back then. Very Freud and Jung.
I wanted to see a film that took risks. That tried to reach for something, to actually say something other than the formula I can now spot like painting by numbers.
I'll see it this week and re-read your piece again. Thanks for writing this. :)
So I saw it today. I have a few take aways to add.
Don't see what the hate is for Lily-Rose Depp. She's the main character of the film, and actually has a story arc. The Melodrama was part of the point but I think it missed. That wasn't her fault. She killed the material she had to work with.
Totally agree on the Shame aspect. It's much more clear in the second part of the film where Eggers diverges from Coppola's take of Dracula. I thought that was well done, and I like the undertones of shame and sexism in the character dynamics. You could understand everyone's purpose and perspective except the monster which was the point. Nosferatu was supposed to be a force of evil not a character like Coppola's Dracula was.
That's where I think it missed was the whole first part. Eggers shouldn't have touched Dracula and went with his own creation. You can see it in the second part and I wished he'd made a different creative choice in the first part. It's hard not to compare it to other Dracula characters. Changing the name wasn't a help.
Also agree with you on the "Everyone has the MeloDRAMAS!" right from the jump. I get the tone he was going for but there's nowhere to go. Just like the whole village laughing at Thomas and then the Cossock Headman is like "Be quiet! Come inside foreign man and I shall give you exposition."
The historian in me was clinching my teeth at a few points. "1838 - Germany".
There is no Germany until 1871. Just call it Prussia. You're already using antiqued English. The date works though because it's the end of the Romantic era crossing over into the first year of Queen Victoria's reign.
Overall I enjoyed it but I kind of expected more. The first part was a mess, but had some really brilliant parts. Just don't try to compete with Gary Oldman. It's not gonna go well. LOL
Wow, what a beautifully raw and thoughtful dive into the shadowy heart of Nosferatu and The Witch! Your passion for folk horror shines through every word, and it’s impossible not to feel inspired by how deeply you’ve connected with these stories of shame, identity, and societal rejection.
You’ve captured something so resonant about Robert Eggers’ ability to layer historical dread with themes that are painfully modern. Ellen and Thomasin’s struggles feel both timeless and achingly current, and your exploration of shame as both a personal and societal demon hits home. That juxtaposition of being seen yet unseen, loved yet rejected, feels like the core of what makes these films so haunting—and, honestly, relatable.
I also love how you highlighted the performances, especially Lily-Rose Depp’s willingness to push herself into the depths of despair. It’s rare to see actors go “ugly” in the service of a story, and she clearly left nothing on the table.
As for those hilarious Reddit comments, they’re the perfect palate cleanser after such a heavy exploration. “Merlin lookalike gets cucked by Dr. Robotnic Pennywise” absolutely deserves to be immortalized somewhere.
Your write-up reminds me why I love folk horror so much—the way it balances beauty and terror, the personal and the universal, the real and the surreal. Thanks for sharing this! Let’s hope 2025 brings us even more films that peel back the layers of our darkest selves.
I rarely want to see movies in the theater these days but I’m definitely gonna see it now.
I haven't seen "The Witch" but I'll probably give it a go as well. The trailers for this film reminded me of Coppola's "Dracula" in parts. Shame as a theme definitely plays well against this period of the movie where social mores were so suffocating. Essentially that's what all vampirism of the that period draws from: sex and death which they often went hand in hand back then. Very Freud and Jung.
I wanted to see a film that took risks. That tried to reach for something, to actually say something other than the formula I can now spot like painting by numbers.
I'll see it this week and re-read your piece again. Thanks for writing this. :)
So I saw it today. I have a few take aways to add.
Don't see what the hate is for Lily-Rose Depp. She's the main character of the film, and actually has a story arc. The Melodrama was part of the point but I think it missed. That wasn't her fault. She killed the material she had to work with.
Totally agree on the Shame aspect. It's much more clear in the second part of the film where Eggers diverges from Coppola's take of Dracula. I thought that was well done, and I like the undertones of shame and sexism in the character dynamics. You could understand everyone's purpose and perspective except the monster which was the point. Nosferatu was supposed to be a force of evil not a character like Coppola's Dracula was.
That's where I think it missed was the whole first part. Eggers shouldn't have touched Dracula and went with his own creation. You can see it in the second part and I wished he'd made a different creative choice in the first part. It's hard not to compare it to other Dracula characters. Changing the name wasn't a help.
Also agree with you on the "Everyone has the MeloDRAMAS!" right from the jump. I get the tone he was going for but there's nowhere to go. Just like the whole village laughing at Thomas and then the Cossock Headman is like "Be quiet! Come inside foreign man and I shall give you exposition."
The historian in me was clinching my teeth at a few points. "1838 - Germany".
There is no Germany until 1871. Just call it Prussia. You're already using antiqued English. The date works though because it's the end of the Romantic era crossing over into the first year of Queen Victoria's reign.
Overall I enjoyed it but I kind of expected more. The first part was a mess, but had some really brilliant parts. Just don't try to compete with Gary Oldman. It's not gonna go well. LOL