Robert Eggers Movies Ranked: Which One Is His Best?

The trailer for director Robert Eggers’ new film, Werwulf just released, with the film set to have its wide release this Christmas. That means it’s the perfect time to rank all of the director’s films from bottom to top. I say it like that because all of his movies are awesome, and it’s a shame one of them has to be in the lowest place.

4. ‘The Witch’

The Witch is Eggers’ debut feature, and to the vast majority of audiences, this film was a hit. It’s beautifully shot, the commitment to period accuracy in the dialogue, like all of his films, is inspired, the performances are wonderful, it’s genuinely frightening, the list goes on. Eggers, on the other hand, absolutely loathes this movie.

The expression “you’re your own worst critic” has never been more true than it has with this film, and its director. Which may feel like a shame considering how astonishingly put together the film truly is, especially for a debut filmmaker. On the other hand, though, it shows Eggers’ commitment to his craft, as well as his commitment to improving on himself with each subsequent film.

3. ‘The Northman’

‘The Northman’Credit: Universal Pictures/Focus Features

The Northman is a period retelling of the Scandinavian story of Amleth, which later became Shakespeare’s inspiration for Hamlet. We follow Alexander Skarsgård as the most impossibly in-shape Viking you’ve ever seen venturing on a quest for revenge.

The film boasts some of the most excitingly choreographed action sequences of this decade, with several sequences containing shots that go on for extended periods of time with dozens of extras fighting in brutal exterior conditions, and various sharp objects being thrown every which way. It’s the film of Eggers that certainly boasts the most blockbuster spectacle, even with its more arthouse sensibilities that are characteristic of his other works.

In a lot of ways, The Northman could serve as a really great introduction to Eggers’ work for someone who isn’t that familiar with him. The story is one we’ve seen before, and the more slow-paced, occasionally surrealist elements to his other works are not as outwardly present in the film. It’s certainly one heck of an action film.

2. ‘Nosferatu’

‘Nosferatu’Credit: Focus Features/Universal Studios

Eggers’ 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu takes several fascinating liberties with the original story. The original German film from 1922 was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The film was even ordered destroyed after Stoker’s widow sued the filmmakers for unauthorized repurposing. Thankfully, some prints of the film survived, and over the years Nosferatu has seen several large-scale adaptations.

Eggers’ version is the first one in a long time to feel like it’s going for something truly unique, both aesthetically and thematically. Quite a few of the more sympathetic traits to Nosferatu as a character are stripped away here in favor of a more pure evil. Much of that focus is also directed towards Lily Rose Depp’s character, who in previous adaptations is relatively shallow.

Bill Skarsgård’s turn as the character is utterly transformative, and the inclusion of Eggers regular Willem Dafoe alongside Aaron Taylor Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Nicholas Hoult make the film’s cast one for the books.

1. ‘The Lighthouse’

‘The Lighthouse’Credit: A24

The Lighthouse is an immediate classic. Released in the final quarter of 2019, after a really promising festival run, it seemed like a film that, for many people, would make or break their enjoyment of Eggers’ style for good. People who loved The Witch would certainly be pleased, but those who didn’t might hang up their hats on trying to get on his work’s wavelength.

Yet, somehow, despite a lot of the quirks and genuinely bizarre imagery and tone of the film, it wound up being a widespread crowdpleaser. It remains to this day both his most critically acclaimed film and anecdotally the one that I hear people outside of film circles talk about the most.

Eggers’ balance of comedy and horror is so unbelievably strong in The Lighthouse, and it's a trait that I miss seeing from him. His films since, as well as The Witch, are incredibly serious, and often tonally dreadful. Which serves them well, obviously; however, The Lighthouse is so hysterical on top of the scares and uneasiness that it’s impossible not to love.

Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson both give the performances of their respective careers in the film, and for as tight of a location and as small of a cast as it has, your attention never wavers. It’s a modern masterpiece.

What’s Next With Werwulf ?

The trailer for Werwulf really impressed me. I was already excited for the film by the names attached alone, but the utter insanity on display in the new footage multiplied my anticipation tenfold. I can’t wait to see it.