Robert Eggers' debut film, The Witch, is one of my favorite Sundance movies ever. It is so good, so creepy, so weird and, most of all, so atmospheric and beautifully put together that it is imprinted on my brain after one viewing. I can't wait to see it again and bask in the glory of Black Phillip.
But the movie was finished a while ago, and I've been waiting for Eggers to get something else going for months. Today some news broke on that front: he's attached to remake FW Murnau's Nosferatu, and I couldn't be happier. Anybody who has seen The Witch will completely and totally understand why Eggers is a killer choice for this project - and anybody getting precious about remaking a 1922 silent film that was proven in a court of law to be a rip-off of Bram Stoker's Dracula (prints were ordered destroyed, one survived and is the only reason we know the movie today) should maybe move their priorities around. If anything they should wonder how Eggers believes he can match Murnau's incredible imagery - but hell, if Herzog tried it, why not Eggers.
We're a ways away from this movie happening but I am so curious how Eggers will approach the look of Count Orlok. The original version is so profoundly iconic that you kind of have to use it in the remake (as Herzog did) but you also want to make it your own. Eggers is so visually oriented that I imagine his take will be amazing.
The Witch will be released in October. Look for it.