Robert Eggers & His Acutely Authentic Brand of Nightmarish Cinema #141

Listen to this episode from Queen is Dead - A Film, TV and Culture Podcast on Spotify. Hello, Hello, Hello! In what is another one of our director retrospective episodes, Dhruv, Amartya, and Aryan (from America) talk about the 3 feature films directed by much-revered horror director Robert Eggers, whose latest film, “Nosferatu," just recently released this week in India! (We have a whole “Nosferatu" themed ep planned to be recorded and released in the coming week, which includes an extended discussion on the 1922 silent film directed by F.W. Murnau, the 1979 version directed by Werner Herzog, and the 2024, one directed by Eggers!) We begin the episode by positioning Eggers as a (or the) key figure who kickstarted the patented-A24-brand-of-elevated horror cinephiles have increasingly grown weary of now, and how his first film, “The Vvitch,” in particular, sets a template for that specific type of arty horror film that’s never really been replicated as successfully afterward. Except, maybe by himself, with “The Lighthouse" (2019) – his second film, also distributed by A24, that pushes even further into the type of horror film that thrives on ambiguity and atmosphere vs. satisfying generic thrills. And then comes “The Northman" (2022). Listen to the full episode to hear us argue, in detail, about the value (or lack thereof) of his third film, which Aryan—rather worryingly—warns Amartya and Dhruv is better than his recent foray into mainstream cinema, "Nosferatu. TIMECODES Episode Intro - [00:00 – 05:39] Introduction to Robert Eggers - [05:39 – 15:37] Eggers & Horror Cinema Today - [15:37 – 33:29] “The Vvitch" (2015) - [33:29 – 01:10:38] Aryan's Warning for “Nosferatu" - [01:10:38 – 01:12:07] “The Lighthouse" (2019) - [01:12:07 – 01:34:58] “The Northman” (2022) - [01:34:58 - 02:00:57] Episode Outro - [02:00:57 – 02:04:02] Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people! Follow our Instagram page: ⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast PROFILE PIECES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 1. “Robert Eggers’ Historical Visions Go Mainstream" (Sam Knight) - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/04/robert-eggerss-historical-visions-go-mainstream. Follow us on Instagram at: Amartya: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/amartya25/⁠ Dhruv: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/terminalcinema/⁠ Aryan: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aryantalksfilm/⁠ Follow us on Letterboxd at: Amartya - ⁠https://letterboxd.com/amartya/⁠ Dhruv - ⁠https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/⁠ Aryan: ⁠https://letterboxd.com/aryantalksfilms/⁠  Audio Excerpts are taken from the promotional material for The Vvitch, The Lighthouse & The Northman.