Robert Eggers has a distinct style. The New Hampshire-born director has a knack for folkloric horror films that truly make viewers squirm in their seats. Known for his strict historical accuracy, Eggers conducts intense research before filming each of his pagan folktale-inspired projects.
Here are some of Eggers’ career-defining projects.
“Nosferatu” (2024)
Eggers’ most recent project reimagines F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film of the same title, turning the supernatural story into a dark, gritty historical horror film. Eggers’ use of precise lighting throughout the movie creates an anxiety-inducing atmosphere from start to finish and leaves the audience guessing on what lies beyond the shadows.
“Nosferatu” follows Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), a German real estate agent, as he embarks on a journey into Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). While at Orlok’s castle, Hutter learns that Orlok is a vampire aided by agents of death, who plans to travel to Germany to find and marry a suitable wife.
Back at home, Thomas’ wife, Ellen, begins to have disturbing dreams of a dark, cloaked figure. The audience soon discovers that Ellen is being possessed by Count Orlok himself.
Lily-Rose Depp, who plays Ellen, gathered inspiration for her performance in “Nosferatu” from Isabelle Adjani in the 1981 film “Possession.” Depp’s use of physicality in her acting, such as facial contortions and erratic body movements, makes her moments of possession remarkably believable.
The talented cast, paired with Eggers’ masterful technicality, makes “Nosferatu” an unforgettable adaption and staple of modern horror.
“The Lighthouse” (2019)
Eggers’ most intimate film in his career so far is “The Lighthouse,” which takes place on a remote New England island in the 1890s and follows two caretakers of the facility who descend into madness.
Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) and Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) begin to experience a “living hell” as a cold ocean storm picks up around their lighthouse, isolating them.
With their food depleting and mental fortitude weakening, Winslow and Wake’s minds blur fantasy and reality. Eggers’ use of intense black and white lighting throughout the scenes enhances the feelings of isolation and claustrophobia that build throughout the film.
“The Witch” (2015)
Eggers’ debut feature film takes place on the cursed homestead of a Puritan New England family in the 1600s. As strange occurrences become more frequent, the stability of the family begins to crumble.
The father of the family, William (Ralph Ineson), and his wife, Katherine (Kate Dickie), have five kids: a teenage daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), a pre-teen son, Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson) and a newborn baby, Samuel (Axtun Henry Dube).
When Samuel mysteriously disappears and the twins start hearing their goat, Black Phillip (Daniel Malik), talk to them, unrest befalls the family. As the story progresses, more twisted and gruesome events start to occur, and we learn about a witch who inhabits the woods surrounding the family.
Eggers hit the ground running with his first feature film “The Witch” and established the dark and heavily stylized aspects of his filmmaking, such as raw storytelling and stripped-down, isolated settings.
“The Northman” (2022)
Eggers’ Norse retelling of Hamlet follows the story of Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), after his father, King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke), is brutally murdered by his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang).
After Amleth’s mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), is kidnapped, the prince flees his home. Two decades pass, and Amleth returns to try and rescue his mother, save his kingdom and take the throne as the rightful king.
This bloody and grimy film is one of Eggers’ most visually captivating and shows the beauty of the Scandinavian setting, contrasted with gruesome melee combat.
Eggers, having finally moved away from American folklore in his filmography with “The Northman,” broadened the scope of his films, which often feel claustrophobic and intimate.
Robert Eggers has become the king of dark historical fantasy, and as of 2025, his four feature films have all received both critical and commercial success.
With his film “Werwulf” coming in 2026 and a remake of the 1986 classic “Labyrinth” in the works, Eggers has more spine-chilling directorial projects coming to the silver screen in the near future.
This article was edited by Alia Messina, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella, Emma Brown, Charlie Mennuti, Ella Rousseau and Ariana Kavoossi.
