Originally published at crisis magazine
Catholics don’t have much cause to go to the movies—and Robert Eggers’ remake of the classic silent film Nosferatu is at once an argument for and against this. Eggers presents a hauntingly beautiful film about horrifically ugly things and, in so doing, makes a compelling case to retain a spiritual center in a world where the spiritual has been relegated to a place of unimportance.
Though Nosferatu contains indefensible sexual content (which easily disqualifies it from unconditional viewing), it is, notwithstanding, a noteworthy instance of a mainstream film leaning into the truths of ancient principles instead of the lies of modern propaganda. Though, in reviewing this piece of “elevated horror,” the question is begged whether horror as an art form has any place for Catholics.
In 1995, for the centenary of cinematography, the Vatican recommended 45 significant films for Catholics. F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent-era Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is the only horror film on the list. The film, starring Max Schreck as the titular vampire, is considered the first horror movie and an exemplar of German Expressionism in its distorting shadows and presentation of inward emotion as opposed to outward realism.
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