As I was watching Nosferatu (2024), I was gripped by an utterly tormenting feeling. I squirmed throughout the whole film, digging my nails deep into the seat, simmering with a singular desire: for the love of God, give them an Airwaves gum, I can't take it anymore!!! The constant, caricatural wheezing pretty much sums up this new iteration of F.W. Murnau's masterpiece: noisy yet utterly hollow, lacking style despite its intricate craftsmanship, and not at all scary. The jumpscares, shadows (the big nod to the 1922 original), and other tricks from the horror arsenal are quickly exhausted, becoming cliché and laughable. What’s truly frightening, however, is what Nosferatu seeks to tell us in 2024 about vampires – or, more accurately, what it ends up saying (to the West) about us (the Near East).

Dora Leu

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Graduated with a BA in film directing and a MA in film studies from UNATC; she's also studied history of art. Also collaborates with the Acoperisul de Sticla film magazine and is a former coordinator of FILM MENU. She's dedicated herself to '60-'70s Japanese cinema and Irish post-punk music bands. Still keeps a picture of Leslie Cheung in her wallet.

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