Love, Death, and Shadows: A Deep Dive into Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’ Screenplay

A Literary Meditation on Gothic Horror’s Timeless Terrors

The gothic title card for Nosferatu (2024) reflects the film’s homage to its 1922 predecessor while embracing a modern reimagining. Image via Universal Pictures/Focus Features.

Spoiler Disclaimer

This essay contains detailed discussions of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024) screenplay, including key plot points, character arcs, and the film’s climactic moments. If you have not yet seen the movie or wish to avoid spoilers, we recommend watching it first before diving into this analysis.

The shadows of cinema stretch long, and few are darker or more enduring than Nosferatu (1922), F.W. Murnau’s spectral masterpiece. Rising from the silent void of early filmmaking, the tale etched itself into the collective psyche, offering a stark meditation on decay, inevitability, and the fragility of life. As explored in my article, A Reflection on ‘Nosferatu’ (1922), the original film is a cornerstone of gothic horror, its haunting visuals and existential dread shaping the genre for generations. A century later, Robert Eggers embraces this shadow with his Nosferatu (2024) screenplay, deepening its themes with modern psychological intricacy and moral ambiguity. This is not merely a retelling but a transformation — one that breathes new life into a century-old narrative while remaining tethered to its gothic roots.