PETA Plans To Protest a Screening of ‘Nosferatu’ Due to the Film Depicting Rats as the Harbingers of Death

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As a lifelong horror enthusiast who’s seen more than my fair share of films featuring creatures of the night, I must say that Nosferatu has left an indelible mark on me. The film is a masterful blend of terror and beauty, expertly crafted by Robert Eggers. The use of rats in the film, while initially unsettling, adds to the overall atmosphere of dread and impending doom.

On December 2, 2024, Nosferatu made its world debut in Berlin, with a U.S. theater release scheduled for December 25, 2024. This movie has garnered positive reviews from critics.

94% out of 67 film critics on Rotten Tomatoes praised the movie, averaging an 8.3 out of 10 rating. The consensus statement is: “Masterfully created by Robert Eggers, Nosferatu delivers a chilling and spellbinding horror experience.” Metacritic also gave the film a favorable review, scoring it 83/100 based on 25 reviews, which suggests “overwhelming praise” or “universal acclaim.

Despite the enthusiasm for the movie, some people aren’t happy with it. PETA plans to stage a demonstration at an Academy screening of Nosferatu this coming Sunday. They will send a person dressed as a large rat to the Samuel Goldwyn Theater to voice their opposition to the use of 5,000 live rats in a scene depicting them swarming London, symbolizing the spread of the bubonic plague.

According to Lauren Thomasson, head of animal welfare for film and television at PETA, “Rats are not any more dangerous to us in reality than fictional vampires. Showing them as harbingers of death only prevents audiences from appreciating their intelligence, sociability, and affectionate nature. The real problem on set lies with directors who subject animals to stressful and chaotic situations. PETA encourages people to discard these harmful stereotypes and instead treat rats with the respect they truly deserve.

Following an initial viewing, director Robert Eggers talked about the rat scene with Guillermo del Toro. Eggers clarified that when you view rats closely, they’re genuine, but in the backdrop, they’re computer-generated. They were well-trained. I didn’t know rats are incontinent, so the odor was overpowering.

Craig Lathrop stated, “We didn’t lose any rats during filming. We kept them secure within plexiglass enclosures for safety reasons. The horses were positioned on one side of the street, while the rats were placed on the opposite side, to prevent accidents and ensure everyone stayed safe.

PETA highlights the fact that rats are sociable creatures who form strong bonds within their families, delight in playtime, and even exhibit laughter-like sounds when tickled. Furthermore, they note that rats have a lower propensity than dogs or cats to transmit illnesses.

Nosferatu is a modern reinterpretation of the 1922 German film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, boasting an impressive ensemble cast consisting of Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe.

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2024-12-07 10:13