What better way to capture the holiday spirit than through a dark narrative filled with eroticism, illness, mortality, and an insatiable undead being from Romania?

On a day celebrated by Christians emerges an unholy horror – a perfect alternative for holiday entertainment – in “Nosferatu” (★★★ out of four; rated R; hitting theaters on Christmas Day). This film, helmed by writer/director Robert Eggers, reimagines the classic 1922 horror film inspired by Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” While visually stunning and surprisingly alluring, “Nosferatu” may not reach the same level of originality (or craziness) as Eggers’ acclaimed films “The Witch” and “The Northman,” yet remarkable performances from Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård elevate its eerie beauty-and-the-beast narrative.

Eggers showcases his creativity with a plot that is delightfully simple. Set in the German town of Wisborg in 1838, we follow Ellen Hutter (Depp), a woman with psychic abilities and connections to another realm since childhood, which includes encounters with a sinister figure. She feels an ominous dread concerning her husband, rookie real estate agent Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), who embarks on a work trip to Transylvania.

Who is the vampire in the new ‘Nosferatu?’

A mysterious client, Count Orlok (Skarsgård), plans to relocate and purchase a decaying mansion but is unable to travel himself due to his fragile state, as Thomas’ boss Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) humorously remarks. To secure a promotion, Thomas must journey to Orlok’s castle to finalize the contract. What he encounters is a frail, nightmarish figure whose decaying flesh unnervingly growls when Thomas inadvertently cuts himself with a bread knife.

Eggers keeps Orlok concealed in shadows for a while, only revealing him in all his haunting magnificence later. Skarsgård’s portrayal diverges from the classic Nosferatu, leaning away from Max Schreck’s performance and veering towards a ghoulish Vlad the Impaler. Although Orlok’s appearance doesn’t evoke the same terror as Skarsgård’s take on Pennywise in “It,” the actor’s guttural voice captivates as it echoes throughout the theater. There are also moments of dark humor (“Now are we neighbors,” he dryly asks Thomas in broken English) appended with an unexpectedly refined demeanor as Orlok becomes increasingly fixated on Ellen.

Thomas is unable to confront Orlok in his lair, leading the count to cruise to Germany in a coffin accompanied by countless rats. “He is coming,” Ellen warns her friend Anna (Emma Corrin) and her husband Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who works as a shipman. As Orlok draws nearer, Ellen is plagued by terrifying seizures and episodes of demonic possession. Finally, when the count arrives, he unleashes a plague upon the town – meanwhile, Thomas regains knowledge of just how deeply Orlok has touched Ellen’s life.

Both Skarsgård and Depp deliver captivating performances, especially in scenes that intricately weave together yearning and horror. The film’s emotional weight relies heavily on Depp’s ability to portray a complex spectrum of feelings, oscillating between joy and despair, creating a breathtaking embodiment of passionate turmoil.

Enjoy the ‘Nosferatu’ visuals while you brace for scares

As “Nosferatu” progresses into its latter half, pacing slows, with Thomas, Friedrich, and a scientist named Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) arming themselves with wooden stakes and embarking on a hunt for Orlok. (Dafoe, who portrays an ousted professor deeply enamored with the occult, shines in this role.) Despite its flaws, Eggers’ film offers a splendid feast of horror aesthetics, channeling a nostalgic Universal Monsters vibe as it whisks viewers away to Orlok’s castle. The cinematography is breathtaking as Eggers crafts a sinister atmosphere: particularly memorable is a sequence where an eerie, ghostly carriage mysteriously arrives to reclaim Thomas in a snowy forest that leaves a lasting impression.

Eggers excels in embracing supernatural visuals. One character even devours a whole pigeon’s head. Depp dives deep into her sinister role. As for Skarsgård, he’s so bizarrely captivating that it’s hard to look away from his bushy mustache and grotesque open wounds, even during scenes where he’s draining blood from a victim’s chest (a folklore-based twist from the traditional bite).

Despite being a reimagining of familiar themes, “Nosferatu” boldly brings its distinct eccentricity to the forefront.