Director Robert Eggers, celebrated for his historical precision in films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, is diving deep into ancient folklore for his adaptation of Nosferatu. Departing from the romanticised Hollywood vampire archetype, Eggers draws from Balkan and Slavic legends to portray vampires as grotesque, decaying corpses tied to disease and death, rather than suave aristocrats.
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In an essay for The Guardian, Eggers critiques Bram Stoker’s Dracula while praising its synthesis of earlier vampire myths. He highlights how cinematic depictions, like Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu, introduced iconic traits such as aversion to sunlight—elements rooted in folklore but adapted for dramatic effect.
Eggers promises a darker, more terrifying vision: “This could not be a sparkling vampire,” he says, committed to reclaiming the vampire’s folkloric horror for modern audiences.
