Robert Eggers directs Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård in this period gothic horror remake of the bootleg Dracula adaptation.

Dankly lush! Every frame a visual masterpiece. The dread is constant, each short scene building to a nasty crescendo yet never releasing the tension. Robin Carolan’s scratchy impatient score does tremendous work matching the relentless pace of the first hour. It is also surprisingly erotic with Lily-Rose Depp nailing her possessions and near pornographic convulsions. Sideburned cuck to hell, Nicholas Hoult is having a great year. Lacking the kitchen sink camp of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and the stage bound creak of Bela Lugosi’s oldest version I’m going to bet the house and say this is not just the best take on Nosferatu but also the finest big screen Bram Stoker adaptation. Eggers previous endeavours have always felt a little overly composed… precious show-off projects… This is a living breathing, fully entertaining classic horror flick in its own right. His first movie where the storytelling and perverse emotion tower over the artistic intent. A fascinating talent comes of age.

9

Perfect Double Bill: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)