Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu joins an elite league of beloved adaptations, with its early Rotten Tomatoes score closely trailing F.W. Murnau’s silent masterpiece. The 2024 adaptation, set to release in U.S. theaters on Christmas Day, reimagines Murnau’s iconic 1922 silent horror classic. Starring Bill Skarsgard as the chilling Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as his tormented obsession, the film follows a gothic tale of love and terror.
The film has debuted to critical acclaim, earning a stellar 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, nearly matching the original film’s revered 97% score. The original Nosferatu, based loosely on Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic novel Dracula, is considered one of the most influential horror films of all time, a defining masterpiece of the silent era.
Film Director Rotten Tomatoes Score Nosferatu (1922) F. W. Murnau 97% Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979) Werner Herzog 94% Nosferatu (2024) Robert Eggers 96%
The glowing reception of Eggers’ Nosferatu not only underscores the enduring legacy of one of cinema’s most iconic horror stories, but also highlights Eggers’ growing reputation as a master of dreamy, atmospheric, and historically grounded movies. “Continuing his filmmaking journey of creating eerily atmospheric works,” Screen Rant’s Patrice Witherspoon wrote in a review for the vampire film, “Nosferatu is a stunning achievement for the director.”
Eggers’ decision to revisit Nosferatu is fitting, given his penchant for supernatural, character-driven narratives rooted in historical realism. His previous movies, such as The Witch and The Northman, explored similarly isolated, unsettling environments, emphasizing psychological tension and meticulous period detail. The folkloric director’s ability to modernize the eerie, gothic horror of Count Orlok while respecting the legacy of Murnau and Herzog is an achievement that few filmmakers could match.
Our Take On Nosferatu’s Rotten Tomatoes Score: Eggers’ vampire is a modern triumph for horror fans. The 96% Rotten Tomatoes score signals that Eggers has struck a balance between reverence for the source material and creating something fresh for modern audiences. As the film prepares for its Christmas release, it seems poised to join the ranks of timeless adaptations, reaffirming Nosferatu as one of the most enduring and haunting tales in cinematic history.
