123. Nosferatu (2024)

Okay so *wait a second*—*Nosferatu* is *back* again? This time in 2024? Look, I’ve been trying to follow this for like fifteen years now, and I’m still not sure how we got here. First there was *Dracula*, right? Bram Stoker writes that, full of bats and aristocratic bloodsucking and all that. Then Germany goes rogue in the 1920s and makes *Nosferatu*, but it’s not called *Dracula*, even though it’s *clearly* Dracula, because they didn’t *ask permission*. So they change the names and hope nobody notices. Spoiler: the Stoker estate noticed. *Hard.* Lawsuits happen. Copies get burned. And yet somehow Nosferatu survives… because that’s what Nosferatu does. *Now*, in 2024, there’s a new *Nosferatu*—directed by Robert Eggers, no less—and Clay and Amanda are here on *The Rotten Horror Picture Show* podcast to dig into all the shadowy nooks and eerie crannies of this beautifully gothic reimagining. Is it a remake of the illegal remake of *Dracula*? A re-remake of the original that couldn’t legally exist? Is that legal now? Is anything? Does copyright even *mean* anything when every monster has at least three origin stories? Clay and Amanda are unafraid to untangle the legal and artistic roots of the most iconic bald vampire in cinematic history. With moody visuals, creeping dread, and Willem Dafoe’s legacy breathing down everyone’s necks, this new take on *Nosferatu* asks: do we still fear the things we thought we buried? And also: how long before *Nosferatu* joins the MCU? So, if you’re someone who enjoys slow-burn horror, public domain loopholes, and podcasts that know the difference between an homage and an infringement, then this episode is for you. Even if copyright law makes your head hurt. Especially if it does. And be sure to hit up patreon.com/thepenskyfile to hear all the coverage of remakes and reboots this year!