As a seasoned film enthusiast with a soft spot for meticulously crafted horror masterpieces, I must say that Robert Eggers’ reimagining of “Nosferatu” has left me utterly spellbound. The dedication to authenticity and practical effects in this remake is a breath of fresh air in an era often dominated by CGI.
When filmmaker Robert Eggers embarked on a modern retelling of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent masterpiece “Nosferatu”, he aimed to make it as genuine and practical as possible. This meant that Bill Skarsgård needed six hours of makeup to transform into the terrifying Count Orlok, a full orchestra of strings was used by composer Robin Carolan, and over 60 sets were constructed by production designer Craig Lathrop.
In search of the perfect model for Count Orlok’s castle, Lathrop journeyed to the Czech Republic to inspect various castles. However, each one he found was immaculately whitewashed, neat, and apparently designed with tourists in mind. None of them had the decaying charm that both Lathrop and Eggers desired.
Although Bran Castle, often referred to as Dracula’s Castle, was a potential choice, Eggers and Lathrop opted for Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, Romania instead. The decaying facade perfectly matched their requirements. They eventually utilized the castle for an exterior scene, as Lathrop explains, “where they’re riding into the castle.” Unfortunately, Lathrop couldn’t use the interiors of Corvin Castle because, like all others he had scouted, it too had undergone renovations. Consequently, he had to construct everything on a soundstage, including Orlok’s crypt.
Among Lathrop’s preferred sites was a monastery, which held a special place for him. He had only viewed pictures of painted fresco monasteries in Romania, but alas, he could not visit them due to restrictions. “They were all situated within a 10-mile radius of the Ukrainian border, and we couldn’t go there as a result of the ongoing conflict.
Lathrop ended up creating the interior, inspired by the images he had seen. But his challenge was time and money. He found a company in Italy that creates wall tattoos. Lathrop explains, “It’s very thin. But when you put it on the wall, all the texture comes through and goes over the imperfect surfaces, and it turned out really well.” The result was exactly what he was hoping to achieve, and as the frescoes left him in awe, the tattooed walls created that same vibe. He says, “I thought that’s the way the audience should feel when you see it, and feel awe.”
Eggers made a point of utilizing realistic methods for filmmaking, which resulted in Lathrop’s team having to work with 5,000 live rats. After the initial public viewing of the movie, Eggers talked about this specific scene during a chat with Guillermo del Toro, explaining that if rats appear upfront, they were genuine, but as they move further back, they transitioned into CGI rats. He mentioned that these rats had been well-trained.
Lathrop clarifies, “All the rats were accounted for, none went missing. We located every single one of them. For our set-up, we constructed clear plastic enclosures to keep the live rats confined in a secure area.” He continued, “We made sure to maintain safety precautions for both the rodents and the cast. In the street scene, horses are separated from the rats by a transparent barrier, preventing the rats from darting beneath the hooves and being trampled, ensuring everyone’s well-being.
In another location, CG (computer-generated) rats stood in for real ones as they scurried about and became less numerous. “We constructed small, one-half square meter mats on which we placed stationary, artificial rats scattered across the surface. The live rats were kept in the foreground, while behind them lay the ‘rat mats’, onto which the effects were later applied and brought to life through animation.
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2024-12-27 21:16