Nosferatu (2024) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

With only four feature-length films to his credit, Robert Eggers has proven himself a master filmmaker, a visionary of challenging, thought-provoking, and complex storytelling that is equally complemented by its entire production. His name can proudly be mentioned alongside Darren Aronofsky, Paul Thomas Anderson, Bong Joon-ho, and Denis Villeneuve where their films are a brilliant display of craftsmanship. And his Gothic horror drama Nosferatu (2024), a remake of F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent classic, is no exception, a meticulously designed motion picture experience that is both hauntingly gorgeous and beautifully disturbing all at once. The way he weaves Murnua's original with his unique style is just breathtaking, crafting another atmospheric period piece that crawls under our skin and stays there. This is the reason we go to the movies.

While carving out his own distinctly unsettling identity, his confidence behind the camera is felt in every frame, knowing exactly when to let scenes breathe and when to tighten the screws. His reverence for Murnau's classic, as well as his love for Werner Herzog's 1979 version, comes through without ever feeling pedantic or like fan service and allusion for its own sake. Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke design a stunning visual language, a moody monochromatic palette with splashes of sickly color in key moments, like a series of 19th-century paintings that feels both historically authentic and nightmarishly surreal. The natural candlelit interiors cast expressionistic shadows that provide each scene with evocative weight, the sort that would make Caspar David Friedrich, Francisco Goya, Henry Fuseli, and Eugène Delacroix proud.

Eggers masterfully takes advantage of Blaschke's photography to build tension through lingering shots and careful pacing that moves at a brisker pace than his previous films, but still, he makes even the most mundane moments feel charged with terror and menace. He carefully takes his time creating a constant sense of dread before unleashing some genuinely shocking moments. Some might find the deliberate pacing and art-house sensibilities a bit challenging, but there is no denying that every scene is visually rich and captivating with disconcerting, unnerving ease that steadily intensifies to an exhilaratingly horrifying crescendo. Eggers and Blaschke not only manage to honor the original and Herzog's take, but they also elevate those stories while offering a different perspective on desire, death, and the dark appeal of embracing one's own destruction.

Of course, this is all for naught without the remarkable performances of Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter. As opposed to Max Schreck's iconic rat-faced vampire, Skarsgård's Orlock is something more sensual and serpentine, though no less terrifyingly predatory, managing to feel deeply rooted in European folklore. Meanwhile, Depp brings a complex mix of repulsion and attraction to her fatal romance with the vampire, exploring themes of desire and death in Victorian society with a feminist lens that never feels forced. With everything working in equal tangent, Eggers, once again, demonstrates he is one of our most interesting filmmakers today, leaning into the Gothic folkloric elements of the vampire myth while grounding it in the very real horrors of the period. The directing, visuals, and performances all come together in a perfect symphony of the macabre.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment brings Robert Eggers's Nosferatu (2024) to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a Digital Copy code, granting users access to the 4K Dolby Vision version with Dolby Atmos audio. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc inside a black, eco-elite case with a slipcover. At startup, the disc goes straight to a static screen with the usual options along the bottom and music playing in the background. Here you'll be able to select which version of the film you'd like to observe.

Eggers's gothic horror drama bewitches Ultra HD with a stunningly gorgeous, reference-quality HEVC H.265 encode mastered in Dolby Vision HDR. Shot entirely on 35mm film using the Arricam camera system, the freshly-minted, native 4K transfer arrives with razor-sharp clarity and definition from start to finish, exposing every minute detail in the costuming and production design. 

The extremely dark and bleak photography showcases inky, velvety rich black levels with deep, stygian shadows that never comprise on the finer details and maintain superb gradational differences in the various shades, providing the 1.66:1 image with a lovely cinematic, film-like quality. Although heavily restrained and subdued to create a near-monochromatic look, the contrast balance is nonetheless spot-on, boasting vivid, brilliant whites and tight, revealing specular highlights without a hint of banding or posterization from the glowing candlelights. 

Likewise, the limited palette still shows full-bodied primaries and richly saturated secondary hues, giving the film some pop and life in the few scenes with color. And facial complexions appear accurate to the filmmakers' intentions where the characters look pale and sickly, yet they have a natural, peachy-rose appearance. Simply put, this UHD is easily one of the best-looking discs of the year. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 98/100)

The moody gothic tale creeps into home theaters with a remarkably atmospheric, near-reference quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack that almost immediately submerges viewers into its supernatural horror world. 

Granted, this is a deliberately front-heavy presentation, a subtle and understated design focused more on creating a tension-filled, creepy aural experience. Nevertheless, the surrounds and heights are excellently employed at just the right moments. Various atmospherics layer the visuals with background activity that flawlessly yet subtly pan between the front channels and overhead, generating a satisfyingly eerie hemispheric soundfield. Meanwhile, imaging exhibits outstanding warmth and stunning distinction within the mid-range at all times, even during the few ear-deafening scenes. Robin Carolan's hauntingly unconventional score boasts detailed separation and superb room-penetrating clarity within the instrumentation. 

Since much of the story is driven by character development, dialogue is extraordinarily clear and precise with exquisite intonation in every dramatic performance. Although bass is not particularly standout, the low-end is nonetheless appreciably responsive, providing the visuals and music with a palpable weight and presence. Occasionally, it energizes the room with a subtle ultra-low activity that adds an uneasy, menacing feeling in a few key moments. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 94/100)

Although somewhat light, this UHD edition nonetheless debuts with a decent collection of BTS featurettes that provide some interesting insight into the production with a director's commentary providing most of the meat.

4K UHD Disc & Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary with writer and director Robert Eggers
• Nosferatu: A Modern Masterpiece (HD 40:40 Total)
• Breathing Life Into a Dream
• The End Is Just the Beginning 
• Becoming Count Orlok
• Recreating 1838
• Dressing the Part
• Capturing the Mood
• Deleted Scenes (HD 5:52 Total)
• Ellen at the Window
• Harding's Bedchamber/Dark Corridor
• Behold, The Third Night

With his Gothic horror drama Nosferatu (2024), Robert Eggers, once again, proves himself a visionary master filmmaker. Strengthened by excellent performances and stunning cinematography, his reimagining of F.W. Murnua's 1922 silent classic, while also honoring Werner Herzog's version, is a meticulously designed motion picture experience that is both hauntingly gorgeous and beautifully disturbing all at once. The vampire flick debuts on 4K Ultra HD with a gorgeous, reference-quality Dolby Vision HDR presentation and an atmospheric, demo-worthy Dolby Atmos soundtrack for both the Theatrical and slightly longer Extended Edition. Although somewhat light in the supplemental material, the overall UHD package is Highly Recommended. 

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