Watching a character like Count Dracula evolve over the past century and the context in which the public thinks of the Transylvanian vampire is fascinating.

This symbol of the innate evil in humanity — and how it can manifest in regular, everyday people — has become a Halloween costume, a Sesame Street resident, a sugary cereal mascot and a cartoon character voiced by Adam Sandler.

But when you go back and look at the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, or the Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee, or the 1992 Coppola film starring Gary Oldman, you see that this vampire is pretty terrifying. And now acclaimed filmmaker Robert Eggers is here to remind us that, yes, this story and character is scary.

“Nosferatu,” a remake of the 1922 German expressionist film that itself was an unauthorized adaptation of Stoker’s 1897 novel, is Eggers’ fourth feature and continues his exploration of horror, folklore and mythology with beautiful filmmaking technique and penchant for historical accuracy.

The story follows Thomas Hutter (played by Nicolas Hault), an estate agent in 1830s Germany who travels to Transylvania for a fateful meeting with Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), a prospective client who wishes to purchase an abandoned mansion in Hutter’s hometown.

In his absence, Hutter’s new bride, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), is left under the care of their friends, Friedrich and Anna Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin). Plagued by horrific visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen soon encounters an evil force that’s far beyond her control, and only Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) — a controversial expert in alchemy, mysticism and the occult — can help save her.

“Nosferatu” is a slow burn in the best way, if you have the patience for it. With Eggers’ dedication to historical accuracy in everything from the sets and language to the costumes, hair and makeup, the audience is immersed in the 1830s and must live there with its grimy atmosphere and dark, candle-lit rooms and rats crawling along the sewer-lined streets.

And it’s in this setting that feels so cold and otherworldly that the horrors slowly build. Yes, there are a few jump scares, but it’s that sense of dread from Orlok’s presence that doesn’t let go for the entire runtime. Eggers’ use of long takes with steady camera movements keeps the viewer stuck in the scene — wanting to run away but not wanting to look away either.

While the entire cast does wonderful work here — I imagine it’s tough to deliver sentences structured as it was 200 years ago while wearing 17 layers of black clothing — but it’s Depp and Skarsgård at the center of it who captivates everyone’s attention. Skarsgård is unrecognizable as the Count between the makeup effects, vocal performance and physical presence, and Depp switches between terror and lunacy and lust and devastation — often multiple times in a scene.

Surely living up to the original film’s expressionist roots, so much of the movie’s mood and tone is exuded through the practical use of light and shadow, a monotone color scheme evoking black-and-white cinematography and dipping into the silent era with instrumental music and reaction shots alluding to something far scarier than could be dreamt up with CGI effects.

And while there are tangents that draw out the slow burn longer than it needs to be — Dr. Sievers (played by Eggers’ regular Ralph Ineson) in an asylum dealing with Herr Knock, the owner of the brokerage firm and Count Orlok’s devoted servant who eats live animals, for example — the film moves almost in a dream-like state that practically lulls the audience into a trance before springing the horrors on them.

The best sequence of the film happens early on when Thomas first arrives at Orlok’s castle. From walking up a dirt road to approaching in a carriage drawn by black horses to walking up the castle steps to finding himself inside in the Count’s presence, each new setting seamlessly transitioned into from the last.

It’s as if Thomas has gone unconscious and lost time, suddenly finding himself in a situation he has no idea how he got into. That’s the best way to experience “Nosferatu” — slow and steady, dream-like and in a trance, then face to face with the horrors you knew were coming but appeared without warning all the same.