The Curious Films … Of Robert Eggers!

The VVitch (2015)

After a background in theatre and production design, Robert Eggers arrived in the public conscious as a film-maker with The VVitch – his dark and mysterious New England folk-tale set in a small rural village in 1630. The film follows the story of English settler William (Ralph Ineson – The Office) and his family – including his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie – Game Of Thrones), his seemingly troubled eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy – Furiosa) and son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw). Following a religious dispute, the family are banished from their settlement, building a home for themselves in a simple farm on the edge of a secluded forest.

William’s crop of corn soon begins to fail, foreshadowing a terrible decline in their fortunes with the family isolated and facing starvation. One morning their infant son Samuel disappears while under the care of Thomasin, driving Katherine into a deep depression. William believes it may have been wolves that have taken his son, however the children speculate that it was a Witch who lives in the woods that has stolen their brother. We see nightmarish images of the Witch as an old hag with the baby, but Eggers also shows her as a voluptuous younger woman – reminiscent of Red Riding Hood – who seduces Caleb before returning him to his family’s farm in a terrible state of delirium,

Eggers creates quite a remarkable period-piece, highlighting at the beginning of his career a fine ability at recreating a specific time-period which fully immerses the viewer – both visually and also with the use of old-English dialect. A wonderfully crafted aesthetic with perfect colour-grading creates a visual splendour, while internal shots are often lit just by candlelight – a technique Eggers will use again throughout his filmography. The narrative is provided as a slow-burning fever-dream with a clear David Lynch inspiration at times. But the story does build masterfully with a satisfying and highly memorable climax of folk-Horror and witchcraft. KZ

The Lighthouse (2019)

Following the financial and critical success of The VVitch – which grossed over ten-times its reported $4 million budget at the box-office – Robert Eggers found his stock as a director rising. But his uncompromising vision as a film-maker meant that rather than courting the mainstream, his next project would be developed from a dark and quirky screenplay written with his brother Max. The Lighthouse was inspired by an unfinished Edgar Allen Poe story, as well as the 19th-century Welsh myth of two lighthouse keepers who became isolated during a storm – with one of them dying under mysterious circumstances.

Eggers would present The Lighthouse in black and white, taking inspiration from 1930s French maritime cinema, as well as the heritage of New England once again in this 1890s set obscure drama. The film stars Robert Pattinson (The Batman) and Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) as the two workers brought together in isolation to man a lighthouse for four weeks. The relationship between the younger novice Winslow (Pattinson) and the wily-old sea-dog Thomas (Dafoe) is strained from the outset. And we view the events of the narrative mainly from the prospective of Winslow as he descends into a madness amidst his bleak surroundings, excessive alcohol consumption, and thoroughly troubled relationship with his unhinged colleague.

Both Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe had expressed an interest in collaborating with Eggers following their admiration of his work on The VVitch, and both provide remarkable performances as they bring the words of Eggers’ script to life. In particular Dafoe’s depiction of the mad, cranky old lighthouse keeper is impressively disturbing, while Pattinson admirably counteracts the veteran actor with his own unique portrayal. Shot on 35mm film, The Lighthouse has an extraordinary visual tone, while the dreamlike narrative accelerates through to a nightmarishly twisted finalè. KZ

The Northman (2022)

For his third movie, Eggers would tackle an altogether different era by taking on his interpretation of an epic Viking saga. Proving himself beyond a shadow of a doubt that as a film-maker he is capable of taking on a myriad of different projects from just about any period in time. His story which is based on the Norse legend of Amleth – a tale which inspired William Shakespeare’s Hamlet – was co-written with Icelandic novelist and poet Sjón, and came together after Eggers had met with star Alexander Skarsgård (Infinity Pool / The Stand) – with the two agreeing that they wanted to work together on a historical Viking film.

Skarsgård, who also acted as a producer on the project, stars as Amleth – a former child-prince who managed to escape from his kingdom in AD892, when his despicable uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang – The Square) murdered his father King Aurandill (Ethan Hawke – The Black Phone), taking everything his brother owned including his wife Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman – The Others) – Amleth’s mother. As an adult Amleth is now a powerful viking warrior, and following an encounter with a seeress in a village he has invaded, he is reminded of the revenge-oath he made as a child – and embarks on a mission to hunt down his uncle.

The Northman also stars Anya Taylor-Joy (The VVitch) – returning to work with Eggers as Olga. a sorceress who joins Amleth on his journey, while also featuring a notable guest role from another Eggers regular Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), as well as Icelandic singer Björk who plays the Seeress. Typically, The Northman is no run of the mill historical sword and sandals adventure film from Eggers. It is highly stylised in its presentation – another visually stunning movie with the usual highly impressive attention to period detail we have come to expect. While the beautiful cinematography of the film is highlighted perfectly by the sumptuous looking final sword fight, which takes place at the base of an active volcano. KZ

Nosferatu (2024)

Nosferatu is a visual gothic masterpiece from Eggers, and perhaps his defining picture to date. Recreating the vintage 1922 German expressionist Horror had been a labour of love for the film-maker, who had directed a stage version of the story way back when he was a student. And bringing a new version of the classic tale – which had been an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula – to the screen, had been in development and under consideration since Eggers first found success with The VVitch. And it would be the first filmed interpretation of the story since Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre in 1979.

Watching Eggers’s Nosferatu, it is undoubtedly clear just what creating the very best version of this story has meant to the director. He creates a rich and deep visual splendour, perhaps the finest interpretation of an on screen gothic vision we have ever experienced. Eggers also brings together another fine ensemble cast to bring his version of the screenplay to life. Lily-Rose Depp (Silent Night) stars as Ellen Hutter, wife to German estate agent Thomas (Nicholas Hoult – Renfield) – who in the winter of 1838 is tasked to travel from their town of Wisborg, deep into the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania in order to finalise a property sale at the castle of the mysterious and reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård – It).

The vampire Count keeps Thomas prisoner and feeds on him, while plotting his own to journey to Wisborg – where he will seduce Ellen who he shares a telepathic connection with, while also delivering a terrible plague to the town. A fine supporting cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals) and the once-again returning actors – Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson (The VVitch) – create a thoroughly engaging narrative, while the visual gothic imagery and cinematography really take centre stage as Eggers takes a deep, dark dive into vampire-lore and occult mythology. Filmed on 35mm in desaturated colour to create a unique colour-palate, Eggers also once again chose to use just candlelight to light certain internal scenes – often relying on shadows to add to the visual mysticism and tone. KZ

Words by Mark Bates