Just found out that Nosferatu was speaking in Dacian with Ellen, not Latin!! That's honestly even better, I can't believe the amount of research he did for this movie. Also, after filming I heard some people are saying Nosferatu "groomed" Ellen??! Y'all 😂 It's not meant to be romantic, and Nosferatu represents death's lure on her, not an actual person. Do people not understand metaphors anymore?
I did not know this! I had to Google Dacian language. Great catch! Eggers is a stickler for this. All the speech in The Witch was carefully constructed to represent colonial English at the time in America. Just to think...If Stoker's widow had her way, we never would have seen the 1923 version nor this one! From Wiki: "Dacian was a northern dialect or a slightly distinct variety of the Thracian language. Alternatively, Thracian was a southern dialect of Dacian which developed relatively late. Linguists use the term Daco-Thracian or Thraco-Dacian to denote this presumed Dacian and Thracian common language. Dacian was probably one of the major languages of south-eastern Europe, spoken in the area between the Danube, Northern Carpathians, the Dnister River and the Balkans, and the Black Sea shore." Happy new subscriber here!
I was going to mention this, Bill Skarsgard said in an interview that it was Dacian that he was speaking. Or as close to it as they could get, seeing as it's a dead language and all. But they worked with a Romania linguist that specializes in ancient languages and tried to piece things together as best as they could....
@@PodieM18 I tried to incorporate a bit of Dacian into my debut novel The Curse in Their Veins and information on it was soo scant! Kudos to Eggers for really doing his homework
The relationship/connection/commitment Count Orlok had towards Ellen is the biggest misstep for Eggers. He completely missed the mark on this particular aspect, and it’s the most important piece of the movie/story. I was really disappointed in this. It ruined the movie for me. If you are keen to details, character development/reasoning, then you will agree that Orlok’s intentional decision to kill itself for Ellen was not convincing at all. When he looked up to see the sun was rising soon, but chose to go back down to feed knowing it meant he would die….it was completely out of whack with his entire character and made the rest of the movie flawed. I really wanted this movie to be amazing, but it fell short. It was visually stunning though.
Dacian? Okay, that actually makes sense. I knew it wasn’t Latin, but it was an Indo-European Language. I figured it was Romanian or something. EDIT: I thought Dacian was Romance, but it’s a separate branch of Indo-European from Latin and friends.
Really appreciate your take on this from a psychological perspective. I want to take the shadow/depression concept a step further. When I saw this movie, I had a very strong sense that Nosferatu was, among other things, a metaphor for CSA. People who suffer from this trauma often have nightmares abstracting their abuse into monsters, experience hypersexuality in combination with intense shame, depression, and somatic symptoms as well (represented in her seizures). Traumas at a young age can also "thin the veil" between the person and the unseen. The way she talks about having been visited by him as a child, being found naked, referring to him as her "shame," her hypersexuality, her simultaneous attraction and repulsion and sexual attachment to Nosferatu, etc. just felt so indicative to me. The marriage helped to lessen the pull of that trauma through love and creating a new attachment/dependency as a distraction. But without that distraction, when she was left to her own thoughts again, the memories returned. In this interpretation, one could see the ending as her actually integrating her trauma instead of running from it. I definitely want to see it again because I feel like there's so much this story can represent. It was so stunning.
Robert Eggers is really into occultism and history, and it really shows in his movies. His next movie will probably be a medieval piece or a biopic of Rasputin. Either way I'm in
I really love to see him do this Rasputin biopic. He's a very controversial yet fascinating figure. He should really do as much as he can to show his faults and human side. Alan Rickman did it before and he won an Emmy for it.
I remember reading in a book of folklore as a child that a naked virgin on a horse will always lead to a vampire. My childhood self was ecstatic to see that scene since it was something that made my friend and me laugh for years.
@ It was possibly something by Alvin Schwartz, I remember specifically reading one or more of his folklore and superstitions books which could have also just been what led me down the path of seeking out more folk lore and finding that story.
She did great! I heard Anya Taylor-Joy was initially supposed to be cast and, although I'm sure she would've also done an incredible job, it was nice to see some variety in Eggers' casting.
To me this movie was about a lamb convincing herself she enjoys being in the jaws of a lion. Because if you have no other option, do you really enjoy it - or are you coping?
But she did have another option, she had her husband. The thing is that she made a mistake a few years prior and summoned Nosferatu with some form of occult magic and then he never left her alone.
@@omar-hy3thno, she did not willingly summon Nosferatu, much less through actual occult means. She felt lonely and unloved, so she prayed for "anyone" to come, not Nosferatu specifically. This is literally in the movie. If you have also watched this video you should be aware Nosferatu is there not just as a supernatural being but also as metaphor for depression, shame, self-hating and destructive complexes, etc. Because she did not know love before, she was treted with cruelty and shaming by her father, the image of a spiritual lover she created in her mind was dark. She did not know how to do it any other way. She did not deliberately do it to harm anyone, she was in desperation. And that is why her depression/Nosferatu disappears momentarily when she experiences being truly loved by Thomas. Unfortunately as many people suffering from depression know, it quickly comes back and stops you from feeling anything fulfilling again.
also, no, she did not have anither option. Did you pay attention to the film? Choosing Thomas would have resulted in his death and everybody else's. How would that count as an option?
It was her option though. She had the option. She opened herself to the demon and gave herself to him freely. This is yet more making excuses for women choosing to do evil things and blaming everyone else except her.
Wow. I've been watching random Nosferatu reviews, and yours popped up in my feed. To my surprise, I got way more than a review. The title is kind of selling this video short (maybe "Romanian Occult Expert Analyzes Nosferatu?"). I'm kind of shocked someone could do such a complete and well synthesized analysis like this so quickly after the movie released, and with such detailed and specific knowledge. You're very well-read, intelligent, and passionate, and it shows. Keep it up!
It's nice to hear a perspective that isn't focused on the (admittedly brilliant) technical elements. I read Count Orlok a little differently - as a metaphor for her shame and guilt over her unfulfilled, repressed ,and pathologized sexual desires. In this reading, the embrace of the count at the end is the embrace of these desires, guilt, and shame within her, ultimately killing both that shame and guilt and the version of herself that was ruled by them. Which is all to say this is a rich text that has the flexibility for different viewers to extract lots of different meanings from it. And I really appreciate the willingness to explore the movie from a psychological and literary perspective, rather than the thuddingly literal interpretations that dominate UA-cam.
Thanks for sharing! I'm no expert on the technical elements of film so that's why I stuck to the psychological and symbolic ones 😆 And to mirror the person above me, I'm also curious what the end meant from your perspective :)
@@BookandHearth I don't think we should necessarily read her death too literally here. It's a death of "a" self - a self that's compliant with all of the "treatments" imposed on her (and a husband she finds...inadequate, despite loving him in some ways) and a self that's possessed by her guilt and shame. She realizes that this self, ridden with guilt and shame and conditioned into submission, can only find freedom through "death". A personal anecdote - I struggled with my mental health quite a bit as a young adult. I have since stabilized, and I realize now that when I look back in that person, he's not really me in a meaningful way anymore. At some point, that version of me died, and while I'm left with some of his baggage I'm just not him anymore. I haven't wanted what he wanted or believed what he believed for years. I see this in Ellen's embrace of her own death, and the death of her guilt and shame. In the end, it's pleasurable and peaceful. And it takes her out of a life that wasn't for her. Sometimes, that happens to us too.
@@Jackson-xl7svno - the idea is a metaphor for embracing those desires to kill off that part of herself that feels the shame and guilt, bringing it forth “into the light” so to speak, so the shame and guilt die with the part of her that felt those emotions.
I like the difference in how they intentionally made him resemble Vlad the Impaler vs. Gary Oldman’s performance. The mustache was an unexpected but unique touch that actually worked. I read a book called “Vampires The Occult Truth” in 2006 during my senior year (the author went by the name Konstantinos) that taught me a lot of their folklore all over the world. The use of words like “strigoi” in the movie really stood out. The village ambience with the virgin riding with the Gypsies to the exhumed vampire grave was one of my favorite scenes. It was chilling and brutal as it was accurate to old world customs. This movie was peak lol
Thank you for this explanation! I've never been very good at analyzing symbolism, especially when it's related to topics I don't know much about (like occultism and 19th century history). Nosferatu representing the consequences of forcing women to repress any form of sexuality was the only thing I could think of but I knew there had to be more to it to that. So thanks for your analysis!
One of the things that made this Nosferatu reinterpretation symbolic is that Orlok is meant to be a representation of Evil in the world. I saw a theory that the reason he had this mustache is not just that it references both the book version and Vlad Tepes, but its to emphasize that he once was human and every horrible action he's committed manifested himself into this monster and everyone who fears him is ironically looking into a dark ugly hideous part of ourselves. He also is the embodiment of Plagues/War/Famine/etc. since "Orlok means "War" in Dutch. Since Ellen knows what she's up against, she's willing to sacrifice herself to save the world from suffering. So in a way, she became a savior figure and a hero. Because both the original 1922 version and the Herzog version did it before, its very rare to have the Innocent Maiden character have agency and bravery in a Gothic Vampire story.
@@JordanVanRyn Hi Jordan, i asked Gemini for the word Orlok. It says it was invented for the film nosferatu as they could not use the name Dracula. If it were Dutch i should know it. I can not find any results on the internet that says its Dutch.
@@TheITGuy84 The reason they had to change the names of the characters was due to copyright and they didn't have the rights to use the names of the characters from the Stoker novel. It was the first of the many adaptations. Yes it's true that it is a made up name but it actually DOES come from the old Norse word "Orlog" meaning war or fate (it has multiple meanings), considering that the first adaptation was filmed a few years after WWI and they used the Dracula character as a result of the trauma Germany suffered from WWI. So it's a fictionalized blend of words made into a unique name.
@@BookandHearth definitely very thoughtful. When you mentioned something about - people with depression having friends and family to care for them and this is artistic embellishment - I actually felt it accurately represented a lot of people's experience when suffering from mental illness. Her family and "friends" did try to step in but failed. Some did not have her best interests in mind and were self-serving. Some really wanted to help but did not understand the problem well enough to know the correct solution. Her succumbing to the darkness was aided by the intentional and unintentional interference of her closest and most trusted people. The Professor then seems like almost a Dr. Kevorkian/spiritual guide. Also a lot of commentary on the role of the female and how women were treated in the 19th century. I'm going to go see the movie again and try to pick up more
I suffer from bipolar depression. Today was very difficult after a major trigger and I was having suicidal thoughts causing me to reach out to one of my safety net people. After a long conversation I decided to go see Nosferatu by myself just to be distracted. I felt like I picked up on this symbolism immediately and then spent the rest of the movie telling myself i was just depressed and needed a second viewing. Thank you for this!
Hi, first time watching your channel and I really liked your analysis of the movie, particularly your possible take on the ending of Ellen not succumbing to her depression but instead choosing to face and marry her shadow to end its power and torment over her. I think that’s a quite beautifully poetic way for her to her suffering. Subbed :)
Given that Nosferatu and Ellen's consumation represents suicide, could the opening scene of her begging for someone to save her, and then her convulsing upon her first meeting with Nosferatu, be interpreted as her first "attempt"? Especially since later she mentions that she was at an extreme low at that time. Interesting and informative video!
Maybe the first time it occurred to her that death might be the only way out? Because sounds like she tried pretty much anything else before finally giving up and choosing death... Which is very tragic and a very good analogy of chronic depression 😕
No, the first scene was her freely giving herself to the demon, entering into a fact with it, and her convulsing was the demon having sex with her after she consented to give herself to it.
I loved the film, and Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz said it best when he said that had they lived in any other time, Ellen would have been seen as a priestess or similar religious figurehead instead of a social nuisance. Her connection to that other world wouldn't have been dismissed so quickly, which fits many folk horror films I've seen. In many ways, this, more than the prior iterations, can be seen as a feminist film. Eggers announced that an extended cut is on the way and I'm very much into seeing it.
I agree that it's a feminist film! I'm currently working on a video analysis of The Northman and even that one has a lot of feminist undertones, despite being much more about masculinity and animalism. When an artist truly respects the people/groups he's portraying, it bleeds into the artwork effortlessly!
@@BookandHearth I discoovered your channel through this video and have subscribed. I look forward to delving into your archives to see what I can learn from your reviews. If you haven't already, I'd love to see your thoughts on Herzog's Nosferatu. BTW, the gypsy scene with naked girl on the horse reminds me of a 70s' Spanish film called Blood Ceremony which is a version of the Elizabeth Báthory tale. Cheers and happy new year!
Absolutely spot on! And I adored the fact that just when he says that the camera is in her POV, so it looks like he is telling this to you. If you are a woman struggling mentally, it feels so validating. I loved his character and Dafoe is great ❤
The ending to me symbolized her embracing the shadow from within that is created in humans, and the purifying sunlight of consciousness killing or "freeing" them both in a cruel depiction. As it (the shadow within) eats her alive, she allows it to in a moment where up till the end she detests it while shes "awake" or "conscious" i love how it touches on actual esoteric knowledge subjects, i loved ur video on this so much
I learned more about the actual history and lore of this movie than I have from ANYONE else. I love how historically accurate The VvItch and Northman are so idk why I didn’t think to look into how much effort was put into Nosferatu. Thanks for this incredible information!!
Best analysis I’ve heard so far! I too am I clinical psychologyst and while watching the movie, the Jugian Shadow archetype was the first thing that felt very clear to me. Brilliant film! 🖤
4:25 I'm pretty sure the virgin on a horse was a symbolic representative of the role Ellen plays. The "willing maiden" going to the vampire so he can be vanquished. Note she's similar to Ellen's actress as well, save that Ellen keeps getting paler throughout the movie. To me that hallucination(??) was like a prophetic warning he didn't have the knowledge to comprehend.
When the doctor said you have to know evil to defeat evil, I think often we need to have faced certain demons in order to empathize with others’ demons.
4:11 There was a historical folk practice of using a virgin on horseback to locate the grave of a vampire. The horse would be led through a cemetery or gravesite, and if the horse refused to pass over a particular grave, then it was the grave of a vampire. However, the virgin in question was typically a male and there is no mention in the folk stories about the virgin needing to be nude.
Yay! First review I see that focuses on the psychoanalytical elements! Thank you. For me, that is one if the greatest things about Nosferatu. Having suffered from depression I understood completely some of the stuff involving Ellen that other people find weird or plain insane. When you are depressed you truly feel you don't belong in this world.
Great analysis. I agree about the ending being about Ellen taking accountability for her own darkness that manifested her connection with her "shadow". Nosferatsu is darkness personified, and Ellen's sacrifice was her becoming one with her shadow. When is one's shadow absent? When the light is directly overhead, hence the final shot being so symbolic. I swear Eggers is a genius at his craft and I look forward to all his films.
It's hard to improve with comment because so much of what is said here makes incredible sense. After reading the book twice, hundreds of thoughts hit me all at once, but two of my favorite details were the Count's mustache and his clothing. As dark as the atmosphere was, I could certainly tell that they didn't design Nosferatu like Murnau's vampire. It was so true to the novel that the cinematic experience was twice as good. This movie had the best elements of what we saw in the past and brought them to a present-day movie going experience. As a seasoned horror fan, I don't tend to jump. This was the first time I had jumped in the theater in 16 years. Who smells an Oscar for the director? My fingers are crossed.
Wow I love your interpretation on the film! How it's more than a Vampyre and a self sacrifice mixed with loneliness, but actually Jungian shadow work and depression/battling her melancholy. Great video!
the film is a bleak tragedy, just as (I think) all Eggers' movies are; my favourite example is in The Witch, where Thomasin is essentially trapped in the Puritan worldview, which only sees two possible destinies: you choose God / the Church / patriarchy, or you choose Satan / Hell / bondage; damned if you do, damned if you don't, especially if you're a woman; all that she "wins" in the end is the right to a choice of some kind, even if it ends up being an oppression of another kind Amleth had to die to get his vengeance, and in the end he didn't even "save" his mother is Ellen "choosing death" in Nosferatu similar?
Like yourself I thought that the direction of this film was astounding. Every little nuance was thought through and convincing. I really appreciate your insight into some of the more subtle psychological aspects that often get overlooked when scenes incorporate the more horrific parts of the film. Very much looking forward to his next work and another fun review from your channel.
As a lover of Robert Eggers’ movies, and a huge fan of your videos, I was waiting patiently for you to do a video on this!! I’m sooo glad you did. I love hearing your takes and the way you incorporate psychoanalysis with your interpretations. I really appreciate your interpretation with Nosferatu symbolizing death and depression itself; I think it gives a fresh (and severely overlooked by the rest of the watchers) perspective on the movie. Like many others, I first assumed the symbolism was with her sexual expression, but in a way where I felt that she was severely shamed into purity and “normal” sexual desires, and perhaps Count Orlok “allowed” her to express herself freely, much to her demise. Almost within a jouissance state.
I suffer from CPTSD due to a past abusive relationship from when I was a teen and found myself relating a lot to the main character even if not intentional. The feeling of knowing you can’t ever truly let your abuser go, having their memory haunt you and the process of our mind romanticizing horrible things that happened to us as a sense of security, I don’t miss my abuser but at times I feel like he’s the “only” one for me the way our protagonist had to give herself up in the end.
Learning about ancient Greek in the bronze age I came across references to ISis and her muses as well as Madea and her muses. The reference to Isis is no mistake in the sacrifice they were called saviors. This is a very ancient story that makes complete sense to me now as these demons existed then.
My initial interpretation of Nosferatu following the movie was a metaphor for the Victorians' interpretation and fear of the seven deadly sins, in particular lust, gluttony, and envy. Your link to the Jungian shadow self is very similar. Great details on esoteric Romanian traditions. Nice review! I'm sharing with friends who I just watched it with, who I think didn't grasp the masterpiece.
I just watched the film and I love your analysis and theory! I especially love the topic of the shadow self as I am interested in psych, I think that analogy is probably one of the best ones I’ve heard, you’re are so well spoken and knowledgeable!!
The Victorians really were extremely repressed and gothic literature was definitely an escapism from that repression as it was full of taboos and themes that would be considered to be extremely controversial today. no surprise the biggest consumer of Gothic literature in the Victorian era were women who were trying to express sexual desires and confront real life fears and anxieties in a safe environment.
I was trying to find this thumbnail on your main channel, by God's grace this was recommended on my feed. Thank you for existing! I've actually met or seen very few psychotherapists who actually make sense and give good insights with empathy.
Great analysis! From my perspective she was embracing her shadow self and there by becoming one with Count Orlock. It's an amazing movie that can be percieved at face value or on a deeper level by the observer. I enjoyed this movie greatly.
It broke my heart. The cinematography made me realize how little we pay so little attention to paying attention. But, I think, my heart was severed more by the terrors we ignore because they are not happening to us and just enjoy our popcorn. I think, if we don't wake up, we will die in our sleep and never know the daylight, never know the sun, and condemn ourselves to the darkness and dankness of the dungeon to which, we condemn the prisoner, condemns us too.
Saw your video on stoicism and your grandmother. Very good videos the both of these. I’ll check more out. Also dreamt of nosferatu the night of. Glad you’re hooked on Robert Eggers he’s the real deal.
I honestly don't see the need to make it out like Ellen has a "problem". She was an unconscious vessel with the heavy burden of martyrdom, lest the world fall into darkness. The end chocked me up too. Did not disappoint ❤
Perhaps a bit off topic here but I relate heavily to your criticism of culture accuracy and how it feels nice to watch a Film/Director finally get something right. I'm Colombian. So whenever a Colombian is portrayed or there is a setting in Colombia involved, they'll usually lump us together with Mexican culture as if that has anything to do with us. To Hollywood, Latinos as a whole are all nothing but Mexicans or Puerto-Ricans, which is a vital reason why Americans in general are culturally uneducated compared to Europeans. So I was able to reflect on your glow when you mentioned how Robert Eggers did his homework on Romania with his accuracies. 🇷🇴🇨🇴 Happy New Year.
Ellen pays the ultimate price for her oppressors dismissal of her genuine, grounded concerns and lived experience. All the suffering of the characters could have been avoided had her husband listened to her, had society seen her as valuable enough to be listened to instead of dismissing her concerns. And in the end, the society that condemned her is saved, but Thomas will have to live on knowing that had he listened to his wife, she’d still be there and countless deaths could have been prevented. Like so many women in history, Ellen’s sacrifice and contribution to the greater good go unknown to pretty much everyone.
Why do people blame the husband, it was HER fault for summoning Orlok. Yes, Thomas could have stayed, but either way Orlok would have found a way to bring them together. Thomas was probably one of the only innocent & good characters in this movie. Ellen’s depression doesn’t excuse the fact she literally made a deal with evil & got people killed & traumatized an innocent man for life in the process. He was a good man that fell in love with the wrong woman, yet so many people act like only Ellen is the victim.
@@racheljames7Technically it seems that it was always a battle that only she could fight as it was essentially a manifestation of her own feelings and only through her own controlling of and acknowledgment of those desires did the demon truly die. Yes it would have helped to be more readily believed by those around her but I don’t think anything much would’ve changed besides maybe her friend not dying and Ellen being forced to risk her life sooner
Amazing and interesting reading of this film, I just watched it and your arguments makes me appreciate it even more. I am familiar with Eggers cinema and the importance in symbolism and the research he puts in his work. I'm glad to see the appreciation of the way he stratifies meaning in the way he tells stories even if these are well known from the public. To think I have read reviews saying this movie is empty blows me away. What you do is precious, thanks!
Absolutely lovely and fascinating analysis!! Thank you soooo much for sharing. I’ve loved the original version as well as Dracula since I was a child, and was so thrilled with Eggers take. I’m currently a seminarian studying for the priesthood in the Franciscan Order (part of the Roman Catholic Church), and I so appreciated your comment concerning Orlock being Anti-Christ. I found personally that Ellen became a Christological Type in the end of the movie, as fulfilling what the the Easter Troparion in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches sings: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!” Further, she exemplified in many ways the Soteriological theory of St Anselm which describes Christ as the “bait” which tricked and caught Satan. The general transcendent theme of redemption via death further solidified the connection to Christmas (the commencement of humankind’s redemption in Christianity). As you stated, the multifaceted layers and complimentary interpretations of such a “fairytale” (as Eggers says this is for him) is what makes it so compelling!
He is here! What an exceptional work of a classic legendary story retold and incredibly performed. Nothing short of phenomenal & a new horror masterpiece in cinematic folklore. Robert Eggers delivers once again. No surprise. An adventure so tense and chilling to the core, staying with you & holding you tightly. Worth the wait & absolutely revisiting, many times again. Nosferatu! 5/5 😱🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👌 P.S Did you get that Nosferatu Popcorn bucket?😄🍿
The runes you were unsure of- I’m pretty sure they’re Enochian and Solomonic Seals. At least they were in the 1922 version. Also, LOVED this review and breakdown.
Thank you for your analysis, it's very accurate and very smart. We all have to face your shadows if we want to be free and to make people we love free from our suffering too❤
Interesting video. Maybe some spoilers in my comment. My take was that the film was really about female sexual repression. Orlok represented her repressed sexual self that had been awakened. That's why he said he was an "appetite." Ellen refers to a moment when she was young when she was caught by her father "doing something" while she was naked. He says its sin and shames her for it. Throughout the 19th century, female sexuality was thought to be either nonexistent or brought on by some kind of hysteria. And there were numerous forms of "treatment" used to control it. Some were referenced in the film. In my mind, the film analyzed how this dismissal of a woman's needs alienated couples from one another. The other character Freidrich refuses to accept that "the demon exists", which ultimately results in his wife's death and ultimately the death of his children. The only time he's shown being intimate with his wife is when she's dead and he dies as a result. In other words, they literally have a "dead bedroom." Ellen's husband Thomas neglects his wife sexually because he's busy pursuing success at his job. The first scene of them together is him refusing his wife's advances so he can go to work. This is shown symbolically by him literally signing his wife away to Orlok. His own sense of inadequacy fuels his fear of catering to his wife's sexual self represented by Orlok. Which is why they are often conflated in his visions. He sees her when Orlok attacks him. And he sees Orlok when he tries to sleep with his wife. Thomas pushes her away when he invisions Orlok. The "Beast" is finally killed when Ellen learns to reclaim her own sexuality at the end of the film. A key is Dr. Franz who helps Ellen discover and accept her sexual self. She talks about her "cat" who has "no master and no mistress." This may be a stretch but its no mistake that after Ellen defeats the monster, Dr. Franz picks up the cat and "pets it."
This is fascinating, thanks!! I hadn't caught the sexual repression elements, maybe because I was kind of confused what she meant by her dad catching her naked as a child (I wasn't sure if maybe it was an allusion to abuse?). That makes a lot of sense, though
That was my takeaway too. Right before Orlok gives his three-day ultimatum, Ellen leans into him and says “I abhor you” which shows that she feels tempted by him but has been conditioned to put that part of herself away. Later on, she calls him her “shame” which I would most immediately assume relates to her shame around sexuality. And when she calls out for him, she does it with a soft and moaning voice, which is pretty overtly sexual. Also, as we learn from Prof. Franz’s conversation with Ellen at her bedside, Ellen’s visions of Orlok stopped when she met Thomas, suggesting that her love for Thomas helps her keep the more primal sexual urges at bay. He provides safety and comfort, which compels Ellen to repress herself, as failing to do so could jeopardize their marriage and thus the comfort and safety it provides. It’s only when Thomas leaves that she starts seeing Orlok in her dreams again, as that comfort is (at least temporarily) gone, which allows her desire to flourish. She resists him at first out of loyalty to Thomas, but she eventually realizes it would ultimately cause Thomas (and everyone else, for that matter) more harm to continue resisting him, so she gives in. More abstractly, vampires can be viewed as the embodiment of “socially unacceptable” sexual desire (which in the Victorian era was just sexual desire), which is why they act in the night and are petrified by sunlight (i.e. exposure). This exposure is made literal when Thomas and Franz walk into Ellen’s room and see the petrified Orlok holding Ellen. Also, vampires are bloodsucking because unmet or repressed desire can eat away at a person. Though with this interpretation, I’m not quite sure what to make of Ellen’s death. Is it that once she confronts her shame, she’s no longer the same person, i.e. the Ellen we know is gone? Also, does everyone else’s death represent the alienation that comes from repressing oneself?
15:14 This written language is meant to be “Enochian,” an angelic language supposedly used originally by Adam and Eve. It is completely fictitious and a fabrication of Renaissance occultists, but the same written script is seen in the original 1922 film, so it is keeping with the nature of the adaptation. The Producer of the 1922 production, Albin Grau was an avowed occultist and member of a group called the Fraternitas Saturni, which taught that the Enochian script was genuine. As far as the meaning of the actual text, it is all gibberish as has been demonstrated multiple times by linguists. HOWEVER, the spoken language you hear is not Latin. Eggers actually went through the effort to work with a Romanian cultural expert to recreate the sound of the long-dead Dacian language, which was spoken in ancient Romania, to be the language Nosferatu uses to “psychically” communicate with Ellen.
I definitely agree with your analysis of the ending and what it's meaning is, I think both of the options you state are true. I think she gave into her depression certainly, but not because she just wanted to die and not feel this pain (although definitely a drive factor), but rather this was what she thinks she was meant for. She was meant to feel this pain and agony, and it was personified by nosferatu, and she took it upon herself to destroy this evil she brought up everyone by ending her own life and freeing others from the pain she felt she caused others by merely existing. I think there's a lot of meaning behind the movie and the characters, and all of them can be true.
there is lots of subtext around science and religion/spirituality and how they may relate and conflict with each other. while the film runs a rightfully critical analysis on organized religion and mysticism that we’ve seen throughout the last few decades, it also makes a surprising amount of criticism towards over-reliance on perceived rationality and rejection of thought outside of empirical reality. the movie makes the point that resigning yourself to any ridged form of philosophy is bad, close minded, and foolish. cinema stared the conversation with criticism towards organized religion as an oppressive institution and this movie honestly really runs the critique full circle in an amazingly satisfying way. there’s soooooooo much more subtext around sexual hysteria/sexual repression(?) and i have not unpacked all of it yet and I’ll will need to rewatch it a couple times probably but i’m so impressed with this movie. the possession scene with Ellen Hunter speaking at rapid speed is so freaky and the facial expressions made during it really seal it. ofc, Count Orlock’s character was an iconic performance as expected for a movie literally about vampires and it will probably be remembered for a long time. the only criticism i have is it seemed like it might have been cutting between plot lines too much and too quickly and it kinda cut the atmosphere in parts. that being said, i imagine the pacing was very much intentional and maybe it serves a purpose that i’m not seeing on a first watch. again, i’m just floored, it’s one of Egger’s best work contending with The Lighthouse
We need to pay attention to how Nosferatu personifies the common man's (Thomas') biggest insecurities wrapped up in a big hulking bloodthirsty bow and how Thomas ultimately fails to defeat him. A woman, the most ignored person in that time period, is able to slay him. Men cannot defeat their own toxic masculinity without women.
Notes from an idiot. 1.) i watched this with my dad, both of us horror movie lightweights. Neither of us were that scared. 2.) thank you for the analysis. From an idiot's pov, the ending was underwhelming, but now i have more to chew on. All in all, still an awesome film
I've heard this comment as well, that the movie wasn't that scary. But then I remember folks saying the same thing about The Witch. Eggers is for some a master, but it is a very understated horror. Rose-Lily Depp absolutely stole this movie, IMO. I really enjoyed it.
You’re not an idiot at all. The ending was underwhelming because Eggers did not build a strong/deep enough relationship/reason/connection for us to feel/care for either characters that died. It wasn’t convincing/tragic enough. That’s why you felt that way. Didn’t feel bad 👍
I looooooovvvveeed it…your interpretations are very interesting, definitely food for thought! Thank you for posting, Eggers is one of my very favourite directors…I have a small tattoo of Black Philip over my heart 🐐🖤
I would just like to remind everyone what a vampire is. A vampire is a monster that takes energy from what’s below and doesn’t give energy back like a healthy hierarchical relationship. It uses temptation and seduction to deceive its victims. The vampire tricks us into a desire for darkness/death and self destruction. That’s why it literally consumes our blood but only gives us death. You can see the opposite with the zombie. The zombie takes from above and provides nothing back. Think of a hierarchy/triangle. This is why there’s usually just 1 vampire and many zombies. The vampire uses chaos/seduction while the zombie uses tyranny/force. The vampire wants your heart and the zombie wants your brain. This is the corruption of hierarchies. We must all find our spot in the hierarchy where we sacrifice ourselves to what’s above as AND below us. When something takes but doesn’t give back it corrupts the world and leads to death like cancer or a parasite. But how do we deal with this problem? We must focus our attention to the cross. The cross connects the top to the bottom. It connects heaven to the bottom of hell. Through suffering for others like Christ the world is put into order. The King suffers for the peasants and the peasants suffer for the King.
My assumption of the naked lass on the horse was that she was bait/a sacrifice for the vampire, if needed, but they were able to kill it instead. Since it was at night it was a risky move in the first place.
@BookAndHearth I'm glad I found your channel. This is the review I was searching for. Watching, I connected most to the interpretation of the shadow with the visuals of the hand and repeated use of shadows. I thought the whole movie was about repression, shame, and hiding of self. That makes most sense at the end with the solution being shedding sunlight onto the subconscious and facing it. I associated the occult references to the need of self discovery. Nosferatu didn't really take like an external monster, because he said that he required the person's free will decision, placing him in the internal world. To me, the ending was of he marrying the shadow and consuming it, instead of letting it consume her. She ends the movie freed. Nearly all of the other reviewers I found only superficially covered the plot points even though it has so much overt symbolism. We talked about our immediate reactions to the movie :: Art Is Dead Nosferatu Best Movie of the Year
I’ve always been a Dracula guy. Wouldn’t even watch these previews I wanted to see it so bad. I’ve seen it twice, now 😂. I’m sure by now, you know the horse with the virgin was supposed to lead them to the vampire’s grave. Also, (10:19) the first hint she’s going to die is when she says to kill the flowers. She’s holding them over her chest with closed eyes. The open door behind her insinuates a coffin lid.
I enjoyed the movie and I'm glad to hear your insights and interpretation of the psychological aspect of this horror masterpiece. I would love to hear your thoughts about Hereditary by Ari Aster as it is a look at the psychology of a dysfunctional family and how that dysfunction carries through multiple generations all through the lens of occult horror.
That's a good idea, Hereditary scared me a bit more than I like the first time I watched it but I'll see if I can power through it again sometime for the psychological insights 😂
5:04 Thank you! It is such a big gripe I have with The Nun and other films, including adaptations of the Dracula story, where the depiction is almost always of Roman Catholic practices in Romania as opposed to Eastern Orthodox practices! Eggers really made sure to be accurate here, even down to the religious garment worn by the monastery Abbess being that of the Great Schema (μεγαλόσχημος in the masculine Greek, not certain of the Romanian/Slavonic equivalent for the term).
I don’t think her death was suicide at all. She knew she had to accept her death because she was the one that called to Nosferatu in the first place. That’s what the entire expose of her admitting that she called to him is about. It actually is her fault that nosferatu came to town and ruined the lives of her friends and other people. Remember nosferatu has to be invited into your life.
Great video, especially the Jungian bit about Orlok being the personification of Thomas' shadow and Ellen's negative animus. BTW I could listen to you say 'Nosferatu' all day. 😂
i loved the film! the film was clearly very well versed in classic psychiatry and i felt it had an argument against it (a la herzog). I enjoyed the film a lot and i loved the tragic ending. Greetings from a fellow depth psychotherapist!
I read an article that said the unknown runes were from the Dacian language that predates Romanian. I saw the movie on Chrismas day. I enjoyed your analysis. Thanks for your time and effort!
I was wondering about that! That's so amazing, I've tried learning about the Dacian language and runes in the past and always came up short, so I'd love to know how Eggers managed to find them.
Interesting interpretation. Walking out of the film I took it fairly literally as a story of sexual abuse and Ellen Hutter being overwhelmed by her trauma. What made that interpretation leave a bad impression however is the ending where the entire town is being tormented by her past trauma. It felt like I was watching the Victorian era’s puritanical ideals being tainted by her existence. While this is historically accurate, it left me wondering why tell this story of a woman being sexually abused, her impurity tormenting the town, and she ultimately kills herself so everyone is better off. It’s callous, even if it accurately reflects the era.
Just found out that Nosferatu was speaking in Dacian with Ellen, not Latin!! That's honestly even better, I can't believe the amount of research he did for this movie.
Also, after filming I heard some people are saying Nosferatu "groomed" Ellen??! Y'all 😂 It's not meant to be romantic, and Nosferatu represents death's lure on her, not an actual person. Do people not understand metaphors anymore?
I did not know this! I had to Google Dacian language. Great catch! Eggers is a stickler for this. All the speech in The Witch was carefully constructed to represent colonial English at the time in America. Just to think...If Stoker's widow had her way, we never would have seen the 1923 version nor this one!
From Wiki: "Dacian was a northern dialect or a slightly distinct variety of the Thracian language. Alternatively, Thracian was a southern dialect of Dacian which developed relatively late. Linguists use the term Daco-Thracian or Thraco-Dacian to denote this presumed Dacian and Thracian common language. Dacian was probably one of the major languages of south-eastern Europe, spoken in the area between the Danube, Northern Carpathians, the Dnister River and the Balkans, and the Black Sea shore."
Happy new subscriber here!
I was going to mention this, Bill Skarsgard said in an interview that it was Dacian that he was speaking. Or as close to it as they could get, seeing as it's a dead language and all. But they worked with a Romania linguist that specializes in ancient languages and tried to piece things together as best as they could....
@@PodieM18 I tried to incorporate a bit of Dacian into my debut novel The Curse in Their Veins and information on it was soo scant! Kudos to Eggers for really doing his homework
The relationship/connection/commitment Count Orlok had towards Ellen is the biggest misstep for Eggers. He completely missed the mark on this particular aspect, and it’s the most important piece of the movie/story. I was really disappointed in this. It ruined the movie for me.
If you are keen to details, character development/reasoning, then you will agree that Orlok’s intentional decision to kill itself for Ellen was not convincing at all. When he looked up to see the sun was rising soon, but chose to go back down to feed knowing it meant he would die….it was completely out of whack with his entire character and made the rest of the movie flawed. I really wanted this movie to be amazing, but it fell short. It was visually stunning though.
Dacian? Okay, that actually makes sense. I knew it wasn’t Latin, but it was an Indo-European Language. I figured it was Romanian or something. EDIT: I thought Dacian was Romance, but it’s a separate branch of Indo-European from Latin and friends.
Really appreciate your take on this from a psychological perspective. I want to take the shadow/depression concept a step further. When I saw this movie, I had a very strong sense that Nosferatu was, among other things, a metaphor for CSA. People who suffer from this trauma often have nightmares abstracting their abuse into monsters, experience hypersexuality in combination with intense shame, depression, and somatic symptoms as well (represented in her seizures). Traumas at a young age can also "thin the veil" between the person and the unseen. The way she talks about having been visited by him as a child, being found naked, referring to him as her "shame," her hypersexuality, her simultaneous attraction and repulsion and sexual attachment to Nosferatu, etc. just felt so indicative to me. The marriage helped to lessen the pull of that trauma through love and creating a new attachment/dependency as a distraction. But without that distraction, when she was left to her own thoughts again, the memories returned. In this interpretation, one could see the ending as her actually integrating her trauma instead of running from it. I definitely want to see it again because I feel like there's so much this story can represent. It was so stunning.
Yes, I love this take!!
Robert Eggers is really into occultism and history, and it really shows in his movies. His next movie will probably be a medieval piece or a biopic of Rasputin. Either way I'm in
Wait are you serious??? That sounds INCREDIBLE
@@BookandHearth Yes and I've just read that he's also talking about doing a western
I really love to see him do this Rasputin biopic. He's a very controversial yet fascinating figure. He should really do as much as he can to show his faults and human side. Alan Rickman did it before and he won an Emmy for it.
He just finished his script for his next film called, "The Knight."
@ I wonder that one’s gonna be about. I heard it might be his take on an Arthurian legend. I’d be here for it.
I remember reading in a book of folklore as a child that a naked virgin on a horse will always lead to a vampire. My childhood self was ecstatic to see that scene since it was something that made my friend and me laugh for years.
Ahh that makes sense. Do you happen to remember which book it was?
@ It was possibly something by Alvin Schwartz, I remember specifically reading one or more of his folklore and superstitions books which could have also just been what led me down the path of seeking out more folk lore and finding that story.
Rose-Lily Depp completely stole this movie. A+. A beautiful reinterpretation of the original with a dash of Stoker thrown in.
She did great! I heard Anya Taylor-Joy was initially supposed to be cast and, although I'm sure she would've also done an incredible job, it was nice to see some variety in Eggers' casting.
Lily-Rose
To me this movie was about a lamb convincing herself she enjoys being in the jaws of a lion. Because if you have no other option, do you really enjoy it - or are you coping?
Ooh interesting perspective!
But she did have another option, she had her husband. The thing is that she made a mistake a few years prior and summoned Nosferatu with some form of occult magic and then he never left her alone.
@@omar-hy3thno, she did not willingly summon Nosferatu, much less through actual occult means. She felt lonely and unloved, so she prayed for "anyone" to come, not Nosferatu specifically. This is literally in the movie. If you have also watched this video you should be aware Nosferatu is there not just as a supernatural being but also as metaphor for depression, shame, self-hating and destructive complexes, etc. Because she did not know love before, she was treted with cruelty and shaming by her father, the image of a spiritual lover she created in her mind was dark. She did not know how to do it any other way. She did not deliberately do it to harm anyone, she was in desperation. And that is why her depression/Nosferatu disappears momentarily when she experiences being truly loved by Thomas. Unfortunately as many people suffering from depression know, it quickly comes back and stops you from feeling anything fulfilling again.
also, no, she did not have anither option. Did you pay attention to the film? Choosing Thomas would have resulted in his death and everybody else's. How would that count as an option?
It was her option though. She had the option. She opened herself to the demon and gave herself to him freely. This is yet more making excuses for women choosing to do evil things and blaming everyone else except her.
Wow. I've been watching random Nosferatu reviews, and yours popped up in my feed. To my surprise, I got way more than a review. The title is kind of selling this video short (maybe "Romanian Occult Expert Analyzes Nosferatu?"). I'm kind of shocked someone could do such a complete and well synthesized analysis like this so quickly after the movie released, and with such detailed and specific knowledge. You're very well-read, intelligent, and passionate, and it shows. Keep it up!
Aw thank you very much, that's very kind of you to say!
It's nice to hear a perspective that isn't focused on the (admittedly brilliant) technical elements. I read Count Orlok a little differently - as a metaphor for her shame and guilt over her unfulfilled, repressed ,and pathologized sexual desires. In this reading, the embrace of the count at the end is the embrace of these desires, guilt, and shame within her, ultimately killing both that shame and guilt and the version of herself that was ruled by them.
Which is all to say this is a rich text that has the flexibility for different viewers to extract lots of different meanings from it. And I really appreciate the willingness to explore the movie from a psychological and literary perspective, rather than the thuddingly literal interpretations that dominate UA-cam.
So her indulgence of her repressed desires killed her?
Thanks for sharing! I'm no expert on the technical elements of film so that's why I stuck to the psychological and symbolic ones 😆
And to mirror the person above me, I'm also curious what the end meant from your perspective :)
@@BookandHearth I don't think we should necessarily read her death too literally here. It's a death of "a" self - a self that's compliant with all of the "treatments" imposed on her (and a husband she finds...inadequate, despite loving him in some ways) and a self that's possessed by her guilt and shame. She realizes that this self, ridden with guilt and shame and conditioned into submission, can only find freedom through "death".
A personal anecdote - I struggled with my mental health quite a bit as a young adult. I have since stabilized, and I realize now that when I look back in that person, he's not really me in a meaningful way anymore. At some point, that version of me died, and while I'm left with some of his baggage I'm just not him anymore. I haven't wanted what he wanted or believed what he believed for years. I see this in Ellen's embrace of her own death, and the death of her guilt and shame. In the end, it's pleasurable and peaceful. And it takes her out of a life that wasn't for her. Sometimes, that happens to us too.
@@thedudewhoeatspianos What you said about the death of your old self is beautiful!
@@Jackson-xl7svno - the idea is a metaphor for embracing those desires to kill off that part of herself that feels the shame and guilt, bringing it forth “into the light” so to speak, so the shame and guilt die with the part of her that felt those emotions.
I like the difference in how they intentionally made him resemble Vlad the Impaler vs. Gary Oldman’s performance. The mustache was an unexpected but unique touch that actually worked. I read a book called “Vampires The Occult Truth” in 2006 during my senior year (the author went by the name Konstantinos) that taught me a lot of their folklore all over the world. The use of words like “strigoi” in the movie really stood out. The village ambience with the virgin riding with the Gypsies to the exhumed vampire grave was one of my favorite scenes. It was chilling and brutal as it was accurate to old world customs. This movie was peak lol
Thank you for this explanation! I've never been very good at analyzing symbolism, especially when it's related to topics I don't know much about (like occultism and 19th century history). Nosferatu representing the consequences of forcing women to repress any form of sexuality was the only thing I could think of but I knew there had to be more to it to that. So thanks for your analysis!
One of the things that made this Nosferatu reinterpretation symbolic is that Orlok is meant to be a representation of Evil in the world. I saw a theory that the reason he had this mustache is not just that it references both the book version and Vlad Tepes, but its to emphasize that he once was human and every horrible action he's committed manifested himself into this monster and everyone who fears him is ironically looking into a dark ugly hideous part of ourselves. He also is the embodiment of Plagues/War/Famine/etc. since "Orlok means "War" in Dutch. Since Ellen knows what she's up against, she's willing to sacrifice herself to save the world from suffering. So in a way, she became a savior figure and a hero. Because both the original 1922 version and the Herzog version did it before, its very rare to have the Innocent Maiden character have agency and bravery in a Gothic Vampire story.
I am dutch and never heard of the word Orlok.
@ I actually looked it up on google. Also nice to meet you. My last name is Dutch too.
@@JordanVanRyn Hi Jordan, i asked Gemini for the word Orlok. It says it was invented for the film nosferatu as they could not use the name Dracula. If it were Dutch i should know it. I can not find any results on the internet that says its Dutch.
@@TheITGuy84 The reason they had to change the names of the characters was due to copyright and they didn't have the rights to use the names of the characters from the Stoker novel. It was the first of the many adaptations. Yes it's true that it is a made up name but it actually DOES come from the old Norse word "Orlog" meaning war or fate (it has multiple meanings), considering that the first adaptation was filmed a few years after WWI and they used the Dracula character as a result of the trauma Germany suffered from WWI. So it's a fictionalized blend of words made into a unique name.
This is my favorite review and analysis of Nosferatu that I’ve seen! Great job!
It is definitely a thinking person's review, unlike the pop culture Hollywood takes on the movie.
Thank you so much!
@@BookandHearth definitely very thoughtful. When you mentioned something about - people with depression having friends and family to care for them and this is artistic embellishment - I actually felt it accurately represented a lot of people's experience when suffering from mental illness. Her family and "friends" did try to step in but failed. Some did not have her best interests in mind and were self-serving. Some really wanted to help but did not understand the problem well enough to know the correct solution. Her succumbing to the darkness was aided by the intentional and unintentional interference of her closest and most trusted people. The Professor then seems like almost a Dr. Kevorkian/spiritual guide. Also a lot of commentary on the role of the female and how women were treated in the 19th century. I'm going to go see the movie again and try to pick up more
He is also my favorite working director! I've been looking forward to Nosferatu for so long and it did not disappoint!
Yess it was the longest wait since his announcement of the movie!
He truly makes art.
I suffer from bipolar depression. Today was very difficult after a major trigger and I was having suicidal thoughts causing me to reach out to one of my safety net people. After a long conversation I decided to go see Nosferatu by myself just to be distracted. I felt like I picked up on this symbolism immediately and then spent the rest of the movie telling myself i was just depressed and needed a second viewing. Thank you for this!
Just saw it a 2nd time in the theater. Absolutely 100% agree with you now.
Hi, first time watching your channel and I really liked your analysis of the movie, particularly your possible take on the ending of Ellen not succumbing to her depression but instead choosing to face and marry her shadow to end its power and torment over her. I think that’s a quite beautifully poetic way for her to her suffering.
Subbed :)
Given that Nosferatu and Ellen's consumation represents suicide, could the opening scene of her begging for someone to save her, and then her convulsing upon her first meeting with Nosferatu, be interpreted as her first "attempt"? Especially since later she mentions that she was at an extreme low at that time. Interesting and informative video!
Could be!! Or maybe her getting closer to it?
Maybe the first time it occurred to her that death might be the only way out? Because sounds like she tried pretty much anything else before finally giving up and choosing death... Which is very tragic and a very good analogy of chronic depression 😕
I took that as being an unwanted sexual experience.
No, the first scene was her freely giving herself to the demon, entering into a fact with it, and her convulsing was the demon having sex with her after she consented to give herself to it.
I loved the film, and Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz said it best when he said that had they lived in any other time, Ellen would have been seen as a priestess or similar religious figurehead instead of a social nuisance. Her connection to that other world wouldn't have been dismissed so quickly, which fits many folk horror films I've seen. In many ways, this, more than the prior iterations, can be seen as a feminist film. Eggers announced that an extended cut is on the way and I'm very much into seeing it.
I agree that it's a feminist film! I'm currently working on a video analysis of The Northman and even that one has a lot of feminist undertones, despite being much more about masculinity and animalism. When an artist truly respects the people/groups he's portraying, it bleeds into the artwork effortlessly!
@@BookandHearth I discoovered your channel through this video and have subscribed. I look forward to delving into your archives to see what I can learn from your reviews. If you haven't already, I'd love to see your thoughts on Herzog's Nosferatu. BTW, the gypsy scene with naked girl on the horse reminds me of a 70s' Spanish film called Blood Ceremony which is a version of the Elizabeth Báthory tale. Cheers and happy new year!
Absolutely spot on! And I adored the fact that just when he says that the camera is in her POV, so it looks like he is telling this to you. If you are a woman struggling mentally, it feels so validating. I loved his character and Dafoe is great ❤
The ending to me symbolized her embracing the shadow from within that is created in humans, and the purifying sunlight of consciousness killing or "freeing" them both in a cruel depiction. As it (the shadow within) eats her alive, she allows it to in a moment where up till the end she detests it while shes "awake" or "conscious" i love how it touches on actual esoteric knowledge subjects, i loved ur video on this so much
I learned more about the actual history and lore of this movie than I have from ANYONE else. I love how historically accurate The VvItch and Northman are so idk why I didn’t think to look into how much effort was put into Nosferatu. Thanks for this incredible information!!
Aw I'm so glad!! Video coming on The Northman in the next few weeks :)
Best analysis I’ve heard so far! I too am I clinical psychologyst and while watching the movie, the Jugian Shadow archetype was the first thing that felt very clear to me. Brilliant film! 🖤
4:25 I'm pretty sure the virgin on a horse was a symbolic representative of the role Ellen plays. The "willing maiden" going to the vampire so he can be vanquished. Note she's similar to Ellen's actress as well, save that Ellen keeps getting paler throughout the movie. To me that hallucination(??) was like a prophetic warning he didn't have the knowledge to comprehend.
Holy shit. I watched this today, and then watching this video really made me rethink the symbolism of all the scenes. Spot on.
When the doctor said you have to know evil to defeat evil, I think often we need to have faced certain demons in order to empathize with others’ demons.
4:11 There was a historical folk practice of using a virgin on horseback to locate the grave of a vampire. The horse would be led through a cemetery or gravesite, and if the horse refused to pass over a particular grave, then it was the grave of a vampire. However, the virgin in question was typically a male and there is no mention in the folk stories about the virgin needing to be nude.
oh this is so interesting thank you!
Yay! First review I see that focuses on the psychoanalytical elements! Thank you. For me, that is one if the greatest things about Nosferatu. Having suffered from depression I understood completely some of the stuff involving Ellen that other people find weird or plain insane. When you are depressed you truly feel you don't belong in this world.
Great analysis. I agree about the ending being about Ellen taking accountability for her own darkness that manifested her connection with her "shadow". Nosferatsu is darkness personified, and Ellen's sacrifice was her becoming one with her shadow. When is one's shadow absent? When the light is directly overhead, hence the final shot being so symbolic.
I swear Eggers is a genius at his craft and I look forward to all his films.
It's hard to improve with comment because so much of what is said here makes incredible sense. After reading the book twice, hundreds of thoughts hit me all at once, but two of my favorite details were the Count's mustache and his clothing. As dark as the atmosphere was, I could certainly tell that they didn't design Nosferatu like Murnau's vampire. It was so true to the novel that the cinematic experience was twice as good.
This movie had the best elements of what we saw in the past and brought them to a present-day movie going experience. As a seasoned horror fan, I don't tend to jump. This was the first time I had jumped in the theater in 16 years. Who smells an Oscar for the director? My fingers are crossed.
The Academy hates horror, so no Oscar for this one unfortunately
Wow I love your interpretation on the film! How it's more than a Vampyre and a self sacrifice mixed with loneliness, but actually Jungian shadow work and depression/battling her melancholy. Great video!
the film is a bleak tragedy, just as (I think) all Eggers' movies are; my favourite example is in The Witch, where Thomasin is essentially trapped in the Puritan worldview, which only sees two possible destinies: you choose God / the Church / patriarchy, or you choose Satan / Hell / bondage; damned if you do, damned if you don't, especially if you're a woman; all that she "wins" in the end is the right to a choice of some kind, even if it ends up being an oppression of another kind
Amleth had to die to get his vengeance, and in the end he didn't even "save" his mother
is Ellen "choosing death" in Nosferatu similar?
Like yourself I thought that the direction of this film was astounding. Every little nuance was thought through and convincing. I really appreciate your insight into some of the more subtle psychological aspects that often get overlooked when scenes incorporate the more horrific parts of the film. Very much looking forward to his next work and another fun review from your channel.
As a lover of Robert Eggers’ movies, and a huge fan of your videos, I was waiting patiently for you to do a video on this!! I’m sooo glad you did. I love hearing your takes and the way you incorporate psychoanalysis with your interpretations. I really appreciate your interpretation with Nosferatu symbolizing death and depression itself; I think it gives a fresh (and severely overlooked by the rest of the watchers) perspective on the movie. Like many others, I first assumed the symbolism was with her sexual expression, but in a way where I felt that she was severely shamed into purity and “normal” sexual desires, and perhaps Count Orlok “allowed” her to express herself freely, much to her demise. Almost within a jouissance state.
Thank you so much for pronouncing it as "vivitch", I feel so validated rn! My friends give me crap for saying it that way, but it's just funny.
It's soo fun to say it that way!
Just watced it last night 😊 super rad! Stoked to hear your thoughts. Eggers is the best! He's so talented and undeniably unique.
He really is!! Glad you got to see it
I suffer from CPTSD due to a past abusive relationship from when I was a teen and found myself relating a lot to the main character even if not intentional. The feeling of knowing you can’t ever truly let your abuser go, having their memory haunt you and the process of our mind romanticizing horrible things that happened to us as a sense of security, I don’t miss my abuser but at times I feel like he’s the “only” one for me the way our protagonist had to give herself up in the end.
Learning about ancient Greek in the bronze age I came across references to ISis and her muses as well as Madea and her muses. The reference to Isis is no mistake in the sacrifice they were called saviors. This is a very ancient story that makes complete sense to me now as these demons existed then.
Best vid I've seen so far on this movie. Thank you
Just started. Hyped
Finished. Still hyped
My initial interpretation of Nosferatu following the movie was a metaphor for the Victorians' interpretation and fear of the seven deadly sins, in particular lust, gluttony, and envy. Your link to the Jungian shadow self is very similar. Great details on esoteric Romanian traditions. Nice review! I'm sharing with friends who I just watched it with, who I think didn't grasp the masterpiece.
I just watched the film and I love your analysis and theory! I especially love the topic of the shadow self as I am interested in psych, I think that analogy is probably one of the best ones I’ve heard, you’re are so well spoken and knowledgeable!!
The Victorians really were extremely repressed and gothic literature was definitely an escapism from that repression as it was full of taboos and themes that would be considered to be extremely controversial today. no surprise the biggest consumer of Gothic literature in the Victorian era were women who were trying to express sexual desires and confront real life fears and anxieties in a safe environment.
I was trying to find this thumbnail on your main channel, by God's grace this was recommended on my feed. Thank you for existing! I've actually met or seen very few psychotherapists who actually make sense and give good insights with empathy.
Haha glad you found it!
This is an amazing video!
Great analysis! From my perspective she was embracing her shadow self and there by becoming one with Count Orlock. It's an amazing movie that can be percieved at face value or on a deeper level by the observer. I enjoyed this movie greatly.
Your vids are so much fun! Thank you doctor 😊
I'm so glad you like them!
veeeeeeeeery nice points of view!! 🙏
For those wondering, the plot is that Orlok was so desperate to bust and when he finally did he withered up and died.
Now THIS is a movie analysis. Wonderful job!!!
It broke my heart. The cinematography made me realize
how little we pay so little attention to paying attention.
But, I think, my heart was severed more by the terrors we ignore
because they are not happening to us and just enjoy our popcorn.
I think, if we don't wake up, we will die in our sleep
and never know the daylight, never know the sun, and
condemn ourselves to the darkness and dankness of the dungeon
to which, we condemn the prisoner, condemns us too.
the best analysis I've seen about this movie
Saw your video on stoicism and your grandmother. Very good videos the both of these. I’ll check more out. Also dreamt of nosferatu the night of. Glad you’re hooked on Robert Eggers he’s the real deal.
I honestly don't see the need to make it out like Ellen has a "problem". She was an unconscious vessel with the heavy burden of martyrdom, lest the world fall into darkness. The end chocked me up too. Did not disappoint ❤
Perhaps a bit off topic here but I relate heavily to your criticism of culture accuracy and how it feels nice to watch a Film/Director finally get something right.
I'm Colombian. So whenever a Colombian is portrayed or there is a setting in Colombia involved, they'll usually lump us together with Mexican culture as if that has anything to do with us.
To Hollywood, Latinos as a whole are all nothing but Mexicans or Puerto-Ricans, which is a vital reason why Americans in general are culturally uneducated compared to Europeans. So I was able to reflect on your glow when you mentioned how Robert Eggers did his homework on Romania with his accuracies. 🇷🇴🇨🇴 Happy New Year.
Ellen pays the ultimate price for her oppressors dismissal of her genuine, grounded concerns and lived experience. All the suffering of the characters could have been avoided had her husband listened to her, had society seen her as valuable enough to be listened to instead of dismissing her concerns. And in the end, the society that condemned her is saved, but Thomas will have to live on knowing that had he listened to his wife, she’d still be there and countless deaths could have been prevented. Like so many women in history, Ellen’s sacrifice and contribution to the greater good go unknown to pretty much everyone.
Yes it was all her husband's fault and not hers for summoning the demon and having sex with it right at the beginning.
Why do people blame the husband, it was HER fault for summoning Orlok. Yes, Thomas could have stayed, but either way Orlok would have found a way to bring them together. Thomas was probably one of the only innocent & good characters in this movie. Ellen’s depression doesn’t excuse the fact she literally made a deal with evil & got people killed & traumatized an innocent man for life in the process. He was a good man that fell in love with the wrong woman, yet so many people act like only Ellen is the victim.
@@racheljames7Technically it seems that it was always a battle that only she could fight as it was essentially a manifestation of her own feelings and only through her own controlling of and acknowledgment of those desires did the demon truly die. Yes it would have helped to be more readily believed by those around her but I don’t think anything much would’ve changed besides maybe her friend not dying and Ellen being forced to risk her life sooner
Uhm her husband did listen to her, he just didn't believe fking demons and vampires exited until he was fked by one.
Amazing and interesting reading of this film, I just watched it and your arguments makes me appreciate it even more. I am familiar with Eggers cinema and the importance in symbolism and the research he puts in his work. I'm glad to see the appreciation of the way he stratifies meaning in the way he tells stories even if these are well known from the public. To think I have read reviews saying this movie is empty blows me away. What you do is precious, thanks!
Absolutely lovely and fascinating analysis!! Thank you soooo much for sharing.
I’ve loved the original version as well as Dracula since I was a child, and was so thrilled with Eggers take. I’m currently a seminarian studying for the priesthood in the Franciscan Order (part of the Roman Catholic Church), and I so appreciated your comment concerning Orlock being Anti-Christ. I found personally that Ellen became a Christological Type in the end of the movie, as fulfilling what the the Easter Troparion in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches sings: “Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs
bestowing life!” Further, she exemplified in many ways the Soteriological theory of St Anselm which describes Christ as the “bait” which tricked and caught Satan. The general transcendent theme of redemption via death further solidified the connection to Christmas (the commencement of humankind’s redemption in Christianity).
As you stated, the multifaceted layers and complimentary interpretations of such a “fairytale” (as Eggers says this is for him) is what makes it so compelling!
He is here!
What an exceptional work of a classic legendary story retold and incredibly performed. Nothing short of phenomenal & a new horror masterpiece in cinematic folklore. Robert Eggers delivers once again. No surprise. An adventure so tense and chilling to the core, staying with you & holding you tightly. Worth the wait & absolutely revisiting, many times again.
Nosferatu! 5/5
😱🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👌
P.S
Did you get that Nosferatu Popcorn bucket?😄🍿
I better go watch it before coming back to the video analysis.
The runes you were unsure of- I’m pretty sure they’re Enochian and Solomonic Seals.
At least they were in the 1922 version.
Also, LOVED this review and breakdown.
Loved the movie but could NOT get over lily’s wig 😭😭
Thank you for your analysis, it's very accurate and very smart. We all have to face your shadows if we want to be free and to make people we love free from our suffering too❤
That was an amazing analysis. Thank you
Really good analysis! Do you also have a video on the lighthouse??
Interesting video. Maybe some spoilers in my comment. My take was that the film was really about female sexual repression. Orlok represented her repressed sexual self that had been awakened. That's why he said he was an "appetite." Ellen refers to a moment when she was young when she was caught by her father "doing something" while she was naked. He says its sin and shames her for it. Throughout the 19th century, female sexuality was thought to be either nonexistent or brought on by some kind of hysteria. And there were numerous forms of "treatment" used to control it. Some were referenced in the film. In my mind, the film analyzed how this dismissal of a woman's needs alienated couples from one another. The other character Freidrich refuses to accept that "the demon exists", which ultimately results in his wife's death and ultimately the death of his children. The only time he's shown being intimate with his wife is when she's dead and he dies as a result. In other words, they literally have a "dead bedroom." Ellen's husband Thomas neglects his wife sexually because he's busy pursuing success at his job. The first scene of them together is him refusing his wife's advances so he can go to work. This is shown symbolically by him literally signing his wife away to Orlok. His own sense of inadequacy fuels his fear of catering to his wife's sexual self represented by Orlok. Which is why they are often conflated in his visions. He sees her when Orlok attacks him. And he sees Orlok when he tries to sleep with his wife. Thomas pushes her away when he invisions Orlok. The "Beast" is finally killed when Ellen learns to reclaim her own sexuality at the end of the film. A key is Dr. Franz who helps Ellen discover and accept her sexual self. She talks about her "cat" who has "no master and no mistress." This may be a stretch but its no mistake that after Ellen defeats the monster, Dr. Franz picks up the cat and "pets it."
This is fascinating, thanks!! I hadn't caught the sexual repression elements, maybe because I was kind of confused what she meant by her dad catching her naked as a child (I wasn't sure if maybe it was an allusion to abuse?). That makes a lot of sense, though
That was my takeaway too. Right before Orlok gives his three-day ultimatum, Ellen leans into him and says “I abhor you” which shows that she feels tempted by him but has been conditioned to put that part of herself away. Later on, she calls him her “shame” which I would most immediately assume relates to her shame around sexuality. And when she calls out for him, she does it with a soft and moaning voice, which is pretty overtly sexual.
Also, as we learn from Prof. Franz’s conversation with Ellen at her bedside, Ellen’s visions of Orlok stopped when she met Thomas, suggesting that her love for Thomas helps her keep the more primal sexual urges at bay. He provides safety and comfort, which compels Ellen to repress herself, as failing to do so could jeopardize their marriage and thus the comfort and safety it provides. It’s only when Thomas leaves that she starts seeing Orlok in her dreams again, as that comfort is (at least temporarily) gone, which allows her desire to flourish. She resists him at first out of loyalty to Thomas, but she eventually realizes it would ultimately cause Thomas (and everyone else, for that matter) more harm to continue resisting him, so she gives in.
More abstractly, vampires can be viewed as the embodiment of “socially unacceptable” sexual desire (which in the Victorian era was just sexual desire), which is why they act in the night and are petrified by sunlight (i.e. exposure). This exposure is made literal when Thomas and Franz walk into Ellen’s room and see the petrified Orlok holding Ellen. Also, vampires are bloodsucking because unmet or repressed desire can eat away at a person.
Though with this interpretation, I’m not quite sure what to make of Ellen’s death. Is it that once she confronts her shame, she’s no longer the same person, i.e. the Ellen we know is gone? Also, does everyone else’s death represent the alienation that comes from repressing oneself?
Wow....hmmmm
15:14 This written language is meant to be “Enochian,” an angelic language supposedly used originally by Adam and Eve. It is completely fictitious and a fabrication of Renaissance occultists, but the same written script is seen in the original 1922 film, so it is keeping with the nature of the adaptation. The Producer of the 1922 production, Albin Grau was an avowed occultist and member of a group called the Fraternitas Saturni, which taught that the Enochian script was genuine. As far as the meaning of the actual text, it is all gibberish as has been demonstrated multiple times by linguists. HOWEVER, the spoken language you hear is not Latin. Eggers actually went through the effort to work with a Romanian cultural expert to recreate the sound of the long-dead Dacian language, which was spoken in ancient Romania, to be the language Nosferatu uses to “psychically” communicate with Ellen.
Some of the writing in red looked like Cyrillic romanian
I definitely agree with your analysis of the ending and what it's meaning is, I think both of the options you state are true.
I think she gave into her depression certainly, but not because she just wanted to die and not feel this pain (although definitely a drive factor), but rather this was what she thinks she was meant for. She was meant to feel this pain and agony, and it was personified by nosferatu, and she took it upon herself to destroy this evil she brought up everyone by ending her own life and freeing others from the pain she felt she caused others by merely existing.
I think there's a lot of meaning behind the movie and the characters, and all of them can be true.
there is lots of subtext around science and religion/spirituality and how they may relate and conflict with each other. while the film runs a rightfully critical analysis on organized religion and mysticism that we’ve seen throughout the last few decades, it also makes a surprising amount of criticism towards over-reliance on perceived rationality and rejection of thought outside of empirical reality. the movie makes the point that resigning yourself to any ridged form of philosophy is bad, close minded, and foolish. cinema stared the conversation with criticism towards organized religion as an oppressive institution and this movie honestly really runs the critique full circle in an amazingly satisfying way. there’s soooooooo much more subtext around sexual hysteria/sexual repression(?) and i have not unpacked all of it yet and I’ll will need to rewatch it a couple times probably but i’m so impressed with this movie. the possession scene with Ellen Hunter speaking at rapid speed is so freaky and the facial expressions made during it really seal it. ofc, Count Orlock’s character was an iconic performance as expected for a movie literally about vampires and it will probably be remembered for a long time. the only criticism i have is it seemed like it might have been cutting between plot lines too much and too quickly and it kinda cut the atmosphere in parts. that being said, i imagine the pacing was very much intentional and maybe it serves a purpose that i’m not seeing on a first watch. again, i’m just floored, it’s one of Egger’s best work contending with The Lighthouse
Very true!! I gotta rewatch The Lighthouse, I didn't understand the meaning behind it the first time I watched it. What do you like about it?
great review! i loved it
More film analyses from you, please!!!!
Got one on Robert Eggers' The Northman coming soon!!
We need to pay attention to how Nosferatu personifies the common man's (Thomas') biggest insecurities wrapped up in a big hulking bloodthirsty bow and how Thomas ultimately fails to defeat him. A woman, the most ignored person in that time period, is able to slay him. Men cannot defeat their own toxic masculinity without women.
Interesting you commented about the jungian aspect. Its a female with 4 masculine personas and it meets exactly this approach.
Wonderful hearing from a Romanian!! Good to hear too that Eggers did his research!
I knew he was good but that elevates him even more!
Notes from an idiot.
1.) i watched this with my dad, both of us horror movie lightweights. Neither of us were that scared.
2.) thank you for the analysis. From an idiot's pov, the ending was underwhelming, but now i have more to chew on.
All in all, still an awesome film
I've heard this comment as well, that the movie wasn't that scary. But then I remember folks saying the same thing about The Witch. Eggers is for some a master, but it is a very understated horror. Rose-Lily Depp absolutely stole this movie, IMO. I really enjoyed it.
The first scene was honestly the scariest one for me, but I actually prefer horror to be more unsettling/dread-inducing rather than full-blown fear :)
You’re not an idiot at all. The ending was underwhelming because Eggers did not build a strong/deep enough relationship/reason/connection for us to feel/care for either characters that died. It wasn’t convincing/tragic enough. That’s why you felt that way. Didn’t feel bad 👍
I looooooovvvveeed it…your interpretations are very interesting, definitely food for thought! Thank you for posting, Eggers is one of my very favourite directors…I have a small tattoo of Black Philip over my heart 🐐🖤
Such a beautiful review thank you
I would just like to remind everyone what a vampire is. A vampire is a monster that takes energy from what’s below and doesn’t give energy back like a healthy hierarchical relationship. It uses temptation and seduction to deceive its victims. The vampire tricks us into a desire for darkness/death and self destruction. That’s why it literally consumes our blood but only gives us death. You can see the opposite with the zombie. The zombie takes from above and provides nothing back. Think of a hierarchy/triangle. This is why there’s usually just 1 vampire and many zombies. The vampire uses chaos/seduction while the zombie uses tyranny/force. The vampire wants your heart and the zombie wants your brain. This is the corruption of hierarchies. We must all find our spot in the hierarchy where we sacrifice ourselves to what’s above as AND below us. When something takes but doesn’t give back it corrupts the world and leads to death like cancer or a parasite. But how do we deal with this problem? We must focus our attention to the cross. The cross connects the top to the bottom. It connects heaven to the bottom of hell. Through suffering for others like Christ the world is put into order. The King suffers for the peasants and the peasants suffer for the King.
I got something completely different out of this movie, but i appreciate your take on it.
What’s your take on it? I saw it today and thought it was good but found some parts disappointing
My assumption of the naked lass on the horse was that she was bait/a sacrifice for the vampire, if needed, but they were able to kill it instead. Since it was at night it was a risky move in the first place.
Someone else in the comments said it was actually a myth that a naked virgin would lead a horse to a vampire's grave!
@BookAndHearth I'm glad I found your channel. This is the review I was searching for. Watching, I connected most to the interpretation of the shadow with the visuals of the hand and repeated use of shadows. I thought the whole movie was about repression, shame, and hiding of self. That makes most sense at the end with the solution being shedding sunlight onto the subconscious and facing it. I associated the occult references to the need of self discovery. Nosferatu didn't really take like an external monster, because he said that he required the person's free will decision, placing him in the internal world.
To me, the ending was of he marrying the shadow and consuming it, instead of letting it consume her. She ends the movie freed.
Nearly all of the other reviewers I found only superficially covered the plot points even though it has so much overt symbolism.
We talked about our immediate reactions to the movie :: Art Is Dead Nosferatu Best Movie of the Year
I’ve always been a Dracula guy. Wouldn’t even watch these previews I wanted to see it so bad. I’ve seen it twice, now 😂. I’m sure by now, you know the horse with the virgin was supposed to lead them to the vampire’s grave. Also, (10:19) the first hint she’s going to die is when she says to kill the flowers. She’s holding them over her chest with closed eyes. The open door behind her insinuates a coffin lid.
Balkan Pride! 🇬🇷 Great video!
Jess of the Shire has two videos that you might appreciate titled 'Nosferatu: Repression & Expression' and 'Monstrosity & the Vampire: A History'.
This one didn’t do much for me like Robert’s last three films. Maybe I’m just not a Nicholas Hoult fan?
Do you have a letterboxd to follow?
interesting and well-worded analysis
I enjoyed the movie and I'm glad to hear your insights and interpretation of the psychological aspect of this horror masterpiece. I would love to hear your thoughts about Hereditary by Ari Aster as it is a look at the psychology of a dysfunctional family and how that dysfunction carries through multiple generations all through the lens of occult horror.
Yes, Hereditary needs a psychological analysis.
And Beau is Afraid!
That's a good idea, Hereditary scared me a bit more than I like the first time I watched it but I'll see if I can power through it again sometime for the psychological insights 😂
5:04 Thank you! It is such a big gripe I have with The Nun and other films, including adaptations of the Dracula story, where the depiction is almost always of Roman Catholic practices in Romania as opposed to Eastern Orthodox practices! Eggers really made sure to be accurate here, even down to the religious garment worn by the monastery Abbess being that of the Great Schema (μεγαλόσχημος in the masculine Greek, not certain of the Romanian/Slavonic equivalent for the term).
Brilliant breakdown! Thanks for this
Ty for ur analysis
you should read Pehor, a tale that inspired the movie, especifically Elle's interpretation, it's a part of a book titled Angels of Perversity.
Ooh thanks for the rec!
Oh I was hoping you would review this movie! I saw it a few days ago and it was fantastic.
I thought the same. Ellen never fear The Count, they are one and the same, he is her shadow her pleasure her lust her love for dead
I really like the way you say Nosferatu. Say it again! 😅
I don’t think her death was suicide at all. She knew she had to accept her death because she was the one that called to Nosferatu in the first place. That’s what the entire expose of her admitting that she called to him is about. It actually is her fault that nosferatu came to town and ruined the lives of her friends and other people. Remember nosferatu has to be invited into your life.
It was a beautiful horror film. Thank you for your analysis.
This movie was so dark in color. Reminded me of the headless horseman. I want to see the movie again.
Great video, especially the Jungian bit about Orlok being the personification of Thomas' shadow and Ellen's negative animus. BTW I could listen to you say 'Nosferatu' all day. 😂
great video
i loved the film! the film was clearly very well versed in classic psychiatry and i felt it had an argument against it (a la herzog). I enjoyed the film a lot and i loved the tragic ending. Greetings from a fellow depth psychotherapist!
I read an article that said the unknown runes were from the Dacian language that predates Romanian.
I saw the movie on Chrismas day. I enjoyed your analysis.
Thanks for your time and effort!
I was wondering about that! That's so amazing, I've tried learning about the Dacian language and runes in the past and always came up short, so I'd love to know how Eggers managed to find them.
Interesting interpretation.
Walking out of the film I took it fairly literally as a story of sexual abuse and Ellen Hutter being overwhelmed by her trauma.
What made that interpretation leave a bad impression however is the ending where the entire town is being tormented by her past trauma. It felt like I was watching the Victorian era’s puritanical ideals being tainted by her existence. While this is historically accurate, it left me wondering why tell this story of a woman being sexually abused, her impurity tormenting the town, and she ultimately kills herself so everyone is better off. It’s callous, even if it accurately reflects the era.