Each month, streaming platforms bring a wide variety of movies and television shows to subscribers and while that frequently means the ability to easily watch movies that may have gotten skipped when they were in theaters or the opportunity to binge a beloved television show, it also means that a lot of recent hits make their way into the homes of subscribers as well. That is particularly true when it comes to Peacock, which is always adding exciting recent films to their streaming offerings and now, that includes one of the best gothic horror movies ever made, set to arrive on the streamer on April 21st.
Having hit theaters back in 2024, Robert Eggers’ adaptation of Nosferatu was a major hit when it was first released. Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgard, the film brought in $182 million at the box office and impressed critics as well with its new take on the iconic vampire horror story. The film, technically a remake of the 1922 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (which was itself inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula), Eggers’ film improves a bit on the original, particularly by more fully developing Elen Hutter (Depp) to create a more psychological horror story.
While the general story remains the same between the 1922 Nosferatu and Eggers’ 2024 film, Eggers makes the story more of a psychological thriller rather than a straightforward monster horror. In both films, Ellen Hutter is an important figure as the object of Orlok’s fixation and, ultimately the mechanism of his demise. However, in Eggers’ movie, Ellen is more than just a damsel in distress. She has more agency when it comes to her choice at the end, but perhaps most impactful is that the film frames this take through Ellen’s experience and perspective.
Ellen never has full control of her life or any aspect of the story, something that is highlighted in that she is not only the target of a vampire but also oppressed by the nineteenth century culture and society that oppresses and, to an extent, infantilizes women. What Ellen experiences in the film is often dismissed as hysteria or other illness. Everyone is trying to control Ellen to an extent, from her husband to the other men in her life, to Orlok himself. Ultimately, in the end, Ellen owns her experiences and chooses to use her body and life for the greater good, giving her power at last and making her less a victim than previous takes on the story have. It’s a fascinating take on the iconic vampire story — and one that should definitely be streamed when it arrives on Peacock on April 21st.
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