Which is to say, you probably recognize the story of Eggers' Nosferatu: the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) wants to buy a house in the fictional German port town of Wisborg, so newly hired agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is sent by his boss Knock (Simon McBurney) to close the deal.

“Nosferatu” clearly made a strong impression on filmmaker Robert Eggers, who’s been talking about remaking it since the success of his 2015 debut film “The Witch,” and his new version (opening in theaters on Christmas Day) is nearly as mesmerizing as Murnau’s.