What I appreciated most about Nosferatu

This film is almost entirely irony free. I didn't detect any winking. There were certainly no postmodern/deconstructionist one-liners to undercut scenes. When Ellen was possessed and in a trance, convulsing and contorting and speaking in strange voices, nobody made a, "That just happened!" remark to cut the knees out from under the tense, spooky, dreadful atmosphere. They maintain everything to the hilt.

The actors' performances are all done with conviction and drive. Sometimes I did think they went just a little over the top, just a little too melodramatic, but never so much that it became overly comical, and always, always, always I appreciated their willingness to risk looking silly or melodramatic. They took big risks and I think it paid off with an ominous, oppressive, truly horrifying film. It was such a breath of fresh air (ironically, given the plague in the film) to see a movie push for authenticity in storytelling and committing to the drama.