Fans of Robert Eggers' vampire film Nosferatu are unhappy with people laughing in the theater during scenes not meant to be funny, and they are voicing their discontent. The growing online discourse about theater etiquette is revealing a strong divide in reactions among viewers. Some found Nosferatu to be hilariously camp, while others could not understand what was so amusing.
Some of those who were not tickled by the 2024 gothic horror film felt that their theater experience was ruined by the chuckles around them.
Nosferatu, released on Christmas Day 2024, is a direct remake of the 1922 film by F. W. Murnau's of the same name. The original was inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula, published in 1897.
This makes the new film a pretty classic vampire movie and fans of the genre know that it can be heavily dramatic and come off to some as camp to the point of being irresistibly funny. On X, user @ellomelissa confessed that "it felt really campy to me… like count orlak saying 'nowwww we arrrrree neighborrrrrs' that is hilarious !!!"
This is far from the first work of dramatic vampire-themed fiction to produce strong opposing reactions in the public. Just ask people how they feel about the Twilight novels. The newest wave of discussion has already reached the point that people are cracking jokes about it.
For those who enjoyed the movie as intended, hearing laughter during scenes that were provoking very different emotions in themselves disrupted their viewing experience. People who really connected with the tragic themes were baffled and upset, and some took it as far as declaring that something is rotten in today's society.
"i came back from my local nosferatu screening, and the most horrific part was the reaction of the audience," wrote X user @postnuclearjoan. "i think that, in part, the philistinism of today is a symptom of people not knowing how to react appropriately in front of a piece of art. laughing at poignant scenes."
Some might say that there is no right way to react to art, but maybe we're just philistines. Regardless, it may be valid to request that irony-poisoned, chronically online haters wait to see Nosferatu in their homes if they intend to treat it as a joke.
"nosferatu is INCREDIBLE. but please, dear god, if you cannot take anything seriously do not see this movie in theaters," suggested @joelmillerrs. "the whole audience laughed at every single possession scene, genuinely why can none of you appreciate art anymore??"
There have been plenty of online discussions about how people should behave in the theater over the years, and even some before the internet existed. It's normal for people to complain about viewers talking during the movie, leaving their seats too much, spoiling it for others in the lobby, or bringing their infants. In the modern age, the new scourge of the theater is those who can't go two hours without looking at their phones.
Laughing too hard or during scenes not generally understood to be funny has also been listed as a problem. Travel media outlet Thrillist advises that theater-goers at least avoid "laughing at the volume of the dialogue" so other people can hear the actors.
People laughing during Nosferatu sparked a return to this discourse on X, though more users complained about those using their phones and being disruptive in other ways than giggling.
User @skywalkerspadme griped that "there were multiple people going on their phones and f*cking around during my showing of nosferatu… like legit at one point the guy next to me FELL ASLEEP and his friend had to fill him in on what happened."
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