Summary
One key detail from the originalDraculanovel is being included in 2024’sNosferatu, a fact that is perfectly horrifying to me. When I first read Bram Stoker’sDracula,what really struck me was the detailed and atmospheric elements of the horror. I knew the key plot points, yetthose smaller moments kept me in a constant state of discomfort and paranoia. This is why the novel has stood the test of time.And the moreupdates about 2024’s NosferatuI see, the more excited I become about reliving the source material’s terrors.
2024’sNosferatuis the latest attempt to recreate those terrors on the silver screen.Robert Eggers seemingly combines the larger aspects of both the novel and the 1922 movie of the same name, resulting in an overall creeping feeling of dread for modern audiences. And Eggers’Nosferatuincludes one key detail fromDracula:Renfield’s animal obsession.This will create a chilling homage and fascinating return to form.
Forget Robert Eggers' 2024 Remake - There Is Already A Nosferatu Movie Better Than The 102-Year-Old Original
Robert Eggers is doing a 2024 remake of 1922’s Nosferatu, but the vampire film has already been successfully remade and improved on in 1979.
Nosferatu Includes Renfield’s Animal Obsession From Dracula
Renfield’s Role Is Taken By Herr Knock In Nosferatu
Nosferatu’s trailer includes a graphic scene with Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) and a pigeon, calling back to Renfield’s obsession with animals inDracula.In the novel, Renfield is in an psychiatric hospital, as Dracula’s mind control drives him mad. During his stay, he consumes several small animals, as he believes he can absorb their life force. While2024Nosferatu’s castfavors the names from the 1922 movie,Herr Knock clearly has some of his novel counterparts' characteristics. In the trailer, he begins to bite the head of a pigeon, implying he may share that same obsession.
How Herr Knock’s Animal Obsession Shifts The Renfield Archetype
Renfield Has Been More Sympathetic In Recent Adaptations
The inclusion of Renfield’s obsession with animals in 2024’sNosferatucould mark a shift in the Renfield archetype, adding to the film’s horror. One thing I have always noticed in anything remotely tied toDraculais the inclusion of a Renfield.In older works, he is usually closer to his book counterpart, though his madness is toned down to avoid drawing attention away from Dracula. That being said,the trailer for 2024’sNosferatuis the first time I have seen an unsympathetic Renfield in recent adaptations.
The trailer for 2024’sNosferatuis the first time I have seen an unsympathetic Renfield in recent adaptations.
Several vampire movies, including 2023’sRenfield,portray the character as more of a down-on-his-luck, reluctant employee. Some add comedic elements to his character, while others focus on the tragedy of the man who became so brainwashed by a monster. Returning the character to his roots does not just create a horror-inducing homage to the novel. To me, it adds more of that mounting dread that keeps this story in our consciousness, allowing 2024’sNosferatuto truly elevate vampires in the horror genre.
Nosferatu
Cast
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.
