American writer/director Robert Eggers has taken on the challenge of remaking one of the most iconic films ever made and succeeded in making it his own. He uses an almost monochromatic palette and a generous 133-minute running time to reveal his version. He has also cast several current “it” actors such as Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgård and Aaron Taylor-Johnson to make it even more relevant to a modern audience.

Skarsgård’s take on Count Orlok (the renamed Dracula character from the silent film) is one of implied menace and the voice he delivers is super creepy. As the film progresses and he emerges from the shadows, he becomes even more disturbing. This eventually leads to a final scene that could only exist in the current film world. It will be shocking even for those with a deep vocabulary of onscreen horror.

Decades in the making and much more than just an easy remake, Eggers delivers a languid take on the classic film Nosferatu in which he turns it into a gothic nightmare with many parables that are relevant to current times. It takes effort as an audience member but it’s designed to come to life in the dark recesses of your brain. It drills in and yet never loses the ability to shock.
Rob Hudson
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Starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney and Willem Dafoe, Nosferatu will be released in Aussie cinemas 1 January 2025!
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An action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder.

With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

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Two lighthouse keepers, Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Thomas Howard (Robert Pattinson) share the duties of keeping a lighthouse located on a small and isolated island operational. Their daily grind is harsh and almost overwhelming. As the story progresses more and more crazy sets in until you feel the two men becoming increasingly unhinged.

Dafoe is fantastic as the grizzled old man with a wonderfully cadenced delivery and a timeworn sea tale for every occasion. Pattinson surprisingly holds his own as the new recruit Howard. The tensions between the two grow as the solitude of the location leaches away their civility and sanity in equal parts. It’s this escalation of hostilities that underlines the feeling of unease.

Building to an unexpected climax, The Lighthouse keeps its aura askew unit the very last frame. This all feels like a triumph over the cliche. There is humour amid the darkness and this all culminates in an abstract but totally suitable end. Add this one to the list of must see films to expand your mental database of 2020 movies.

Rob Hudson
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From Robert Eggers, the visionary filmmaker behind modern horror masterpiece The Witch, comes this hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse is in selected Cinemas February 6.
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Competition will be drawn February 4, winners will be notified by mail.

The Lighthouse will be released in Australian cinemas February 6!
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