Director Robert Eggars 2024 film, Nosferatu is a masterpiece of Gothic Storytelling Tropes. The director’s prowess and skill was evident as far back as his first feature, The Witch (2015), which was a masterclass in dread and gothic stylings. And, after seeing the film in the theater and then buying it on Blu-ray, I had a question, or at least one question:
Why do I love Gothic Storytelling?
I think it goes back to feeling like an “other” or an “outsider”. Gothic stories speak to me in a way most other stories do not. Gothic stories seem to embrace the “other” and the weirdness that is inherent in some of us.
But hold on…what do I mean by Gothic Storytelling?
Origin of the Gothic Tradition
The Gothic tradition of stories can be traced back to at least one novel: The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story by Horace Walpole, published in 1764 and regarded as the very first Gothic novel. Here is what Wikipedia says about it:
Set in a haunted castle, the novel merged medievalism and terror in a style that has endured ever since. The aesthetic of the book has shaped modern-day gothic books, films, art, music, and the goth subculture.[1]
Walpole was so fascinated by medieval history that he even built a fake Gothic castle called Strawberry Hill.
In Eggers’ dark Gothic tale, this influence is evident when we first glimpse Count Orlok’s medieval castle in all its glory.
However, the larger story is that Walpole’s tale and creation of this genre informed and inspired many famous authors, such as Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, and, in my humble opinion, the greatest Gothic author of all time, Edgar Allan Poe.
Poe influenced me more than any other author, perhaps, other than Robert E. Howard and his immortal creation, Conan the Cimmerian. To a strange little Black kid like myself growing up in the seventies, reading Poe’s twisted and macabre works was like pouring fairy dust into my brain, shaking it up, and then allowing it to seep out over the years into the interests I had.
Poe made me love classic Horror films, from Universal monster ones, to technicolor Hammer Studio Dracula films, Horror comics and TV series like The Munsters, The Adams Family, Dark Shadows, and of course the wonderful Kolchak: The Night Stalker TV series and made-for-tv films that preceded it, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973), all starring Darren McGavin as the intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak (Shout out to the Dad from A Christmas Story – 1983)!
Each of these stories, in their different media, used Gothic Storytelling to a long-lasting effect, exploding my young brain and making me into the wonderfully weird, well-read (I think!), and strange human writing these words!
Exploring Gothic Tropes
Gothic Storytelling is built upon certain tropes that are used to provide suspense, tension, and fear, along with revolving themes such as death, grief, belief, superstition, love, injustice, powerlessness, wealth/poverty, class conflicts, gender issues, mental illness, loyalty, betrayal, and vengeance. Gothic Storytelling also features many tropes across different kinds of genres, resulting in interesting and visceral layers that can be added to a story to great effect. Some tropes are:
- The Grotesque
- Dark Subject Matter
- The Supernatural/and or Creatures
- Gothic Environments
- Women or Persons in Distress
- A Sense of Isolation
- Suspense, Mystery, Tension, Fear, Dread
- Heightened/Exaggerated Emotions
- Psychic Link/Connection or Ability
- Gothic or Formalized Language
These tropes are not always present, but some variation or combination often exists. In addition, there are several Gothic Genres that come from the Gothic Storytelling tradition:
- Gothic Romance
- Gothic Horror
- Gothic Historical
- Gothic Science Fiction
- Gothic Steampunk
- Gothic Fantasy
- Gothic Thriller
- Gothic Cozy Mystery (sometimes with Paranormal elements)
Where to Watch Nosferatu
Nosferatu – Gothic Storytelling at its Best
Nosferatu (2024) falls into the Gothic Horror genre, and lines up very well with the above-mentioned tropes.
- The Grotesque: Count Orlok is an unnatural creature of the night—the embodiment of evil and a grotesque blight among humanity.
- Dark Subject Matter/The Supernatural/and or Creatures: I placed these two together because by the very nature of vampires inhabiting the story world, the subject matter is dark, and the supernatural permeates the entire story.
- Gothic Environments: Count Orlok’s Castle, and the town of Wisborg are perfect examples of Gothic architecture, as described by Walpole.
- Women or Persons in Distress/Psychic Link/Connection or Ability: Ellen Hutter has a psychic connection with Count Orlok, and as this connection grows, everyone she loves is put in danger, resulting in suspense, mystery, tension, fear, and, of course, dread.
- A Sense of Isolation: As Ellen falls further and further under Orlok’s influence, she becomes more isolated from everyone, including her beloved husband, Thomas.
- Gothic or Formalized Language: Robert Eggars is known for his use of authentic, period language in all of his films, and Nosferatu is no exception. The formalized, Gothic language serves to immerse the audience deeper into the story.
A True Gothic Classic
Nosferatu (2024), written and directed by Robert Eggers, is a powerful and haunting film, made even more so by the overlay of Gothic Tropes that have existed for hundreds of years. It is a film that, upon subsequent viewings, emerges as one of the best Gothic Horror films that has ever been made!
2 Responses
Well done, Kevin! Gothic is not my favorite subgenre of horror, but your column is a very interesting read. Keep up the awesome work!
Loved this, such a good read.