Sunday Scaries: Will ‘Nosferatu’ Be Able to Put Academy Members Under Its Spell?

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! This time around, we’re looking at what one of the biggest horror titles of 2024 could do in terms of the Academy Awards…

Nosferatu is nearly here. Yes, Count Orlok is coming, asking audiences to succumb to the darkness with Robert Eggers‘ long brewing adaptation. The film is a critical success already, with commercial success poised to be next. As such, Oscar speculation is now brewing, especially since the movie has arguably even exceeded expectations. Is that realistic? Well, I think it is, but really only in the technical categories, as the Academy still figures out what to do with well regarded horror.

My review here for Nosferatu began like so:

Succumb to the darkness. That’s been the Focus Features marketing slogan for Nosferatu. It’s an apt one, too, as this Robert Eggers passion project does not shy away from the darkness of the Dracula type story, nor does it avoid the seduction. There’s plenty of gross moments in the film, but it also has an element of longing that really plays. Eggers brings his unique precision and craftsmanship to the vampire tale, making it the sort of feel-bad holiday offering that cinephiles should go nuts over.

Nosferatu is Eggers with no filter. It proves that he’s a good match for the material, befitting his longstanding interest in making this movie, but it also means that this is not quite a mainstream horror flick. Gross and weird, while also being classically haunting is perfect for the arthouse, especially given Eggers’ instincts. The multiplex? Well, that can be a harder sell. At the same time, anyone who gets bored with this one either is unfamiliar with his previous outings, has no patience for a story breathing, or just doesn’t get what he’s putting down. Being on the Eggers wavelength is key here.

Now, the film has been almost universally praised. That’s huge, since without that, voters would easily dismiss it. This allows it to be a contender, which we’ve seen in certain precursor categories, as well as with the Oscar shortlists that were revealed a handful of days ago. It’s not turning into some kind of huge awards juggernaut, but it has not been forgotten about, either, which is worth taking note of as well.

If this were a period piece and not genre fare, these reviews would suggest Oscar glory for the movie. Hell, even The Lighthouse managed a surprise Best Cinematography nomination. So, Eggers’ technical prowess (alongside DP Jarin Blaschke) has been noticed before. Is Nosferatu a harder sell? In some ways yes, due to genre and gore, etc, but in other ways, the classical nature of it is a help. That makes the calculus here a bit more complicated than I would have said earlier on in the year, when the flick was just an interesting X factor.

My best guess is that below the line categories are where Nosferatu can make its stand. Above the line seems like a hard road, especially with The Substance scratching some of the genre itch. Now, the shortlists gave this one some hope, but look to Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, and Best Original Score. One or two of these categories could come through, especially if the film does well at the box office. Right now, I have the movie getting nominated in Costume Design as well as Makeup & Hairstyling. Will that hold? We shall see.

Time will tell how Nosferatu does, but in the tech fields, the flick is right there. It’s up to the Academy to decide whether they will succumb to the darkness or not. Right now, it’s promising. When it hits theaters in a few days, the next phase will begin. Stay tuned to find out if Count Orlok will get invited to the Oscars or not…

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!