Summary

  • 2024's Nosferatu incorporates Renfield's animal obsession from Dracula, adding a chilling homage.
  • Herr Knock in Nosferatu embodies Renfield's original characteristics, intensifying the horror.
  • Including Renfield's animal obsession in 2024's Nosferatu marks a shift in the archetype, making the character less sympathetic.

One key detail from the original Dracula novel is being included in 2024's updates about 2024's Nosferatu I see, the more excited I become about reliving the source material's terrors.

2024's Nosferatu is the latest attempt to recreate those terrors on the silver screen. Robert Eggers seemingly combines the larger aspects of both the novel and the 1922 movie of the same name, resulting in an overall creeping feeling of dread for modern audiences. And Eggers' Nosferatu includes one key detail from Dracula: Renfield's animal obsession. This will create a chilling homage and fascinating return to form.

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Custom image of Nosferatu
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Forget Robert Eggers' 2024 Remake - There Is Already A Nosferatu Movie Better Than The 102-Year-Old Original

Robert Eggers is doing a 2024 remake of 1922's Nosferatu, but the vampire film has already been successfully remade and improved on in 1979.

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Nosferatu Includes Renfield's Animal Obsession From Dracula

Renfield's Role Is Taken By Herr Knock In Nosferatu

An elderly man petting a dove in Nosferatu

Nosferatu's trailer includes a graphic scene with Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) and a pigeon, calling back to Renfield's obsession with animals in Dracula. In the novel, Renfield is in an psychiatric hospital, as Dracula's mind control drives him mad. During his stay, he consumes several small animals, as he believes he can absorb their life force. While 2024 Nosferatu's cast favors the names from the 1922 movie, Herr Knock clearly has some of his novel counterparts' characteristics. In the trailer, he begins to bite the head of a pigeon, implying he may share that same obsession.

How Herr Knock's Animal Obsession Shifts The Renfield Archetype

Renfield Has Been More Sympathetic In Recent Adaptations

The inclusion of Renfield's obsession with animals in 2024's Nosferatu could mark a shift in the Renfield archetype, adding to the film's horror. One thing I have always noticed in anything remotely tied to Dracula is the inclusion of a Renfield. In older works, he is usually closer to his book counterpart, though his madness is toned down to avoid drawing attention away from Dracula. That being said, the trailer for 2024's Nosferatu is the first time I have seen an unsympathetic Renfield in recent adaptations.

The trailer for 2024's Nosferatu is the first time I have seen an unsympathetic Renfield in recent adaptations.

Several vampire movies, including 2023's Renfield, portray the character as more of a down-on-his-luck, reluctant employee. Some add comedic elements to his character, while others focus on the tragedy of the man who became so brainwashed by a monster. Returning the character to his roots does not just create a horror-inducing homage to the novel. To me, it adds more of that mounting dread that keeps this story in our consciousness, allowing 2024's Nosferatu to truly elevate vampires in the horror genre.

Nosferatu (2024) Official Poster

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Nosferatu
R
Horror
Fantasy
Mystery
8/10
191
8.0/10
Release Date
December 25, 2024
Runtime
132 Minutes
Director
Robert Eggers
Writers
Robert Eggers

Cast

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Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.

Distributor(s)
Focus Features, Universal Pictures
Studio(s)
Regency Enterprises, 1492 Pictures
Main Genre
Horror