Movies to watch in December, including 'Nosferatu' and 'Babygirl'

A vampire classic reimagined, a Bob Dylan biopic and an erotic thriller

Lily-Rose Depp in Robert Eggers' 'Nosferatu' (2024)
Lily-Rose Depp in Robert Eggers' 'Nosferatu' (2024)
(Image credit: Focus Features / Entertainment Pictures / ZUMAPRESS.com / Alamy)

December is shaping up to be a great month at the movies — and let's face it, there is no better place to escape from family gatherings than a darkened theater. They will never find you there. This month's new releases include a magical realism flick about a human-to-beast transformation, an anime addition to a favorite franchise and the origin story of the world's greatest songwriter.

'Nightbitch'

NIGHTBITCH | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures - YouTube NIGHTBITCH | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures - YouTube
Watch On

Based on a popular 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder and directed by Marielle Heller ("Diary of a Teenage Girl,") this dark comedy follows a stay-at-home mom (Amy Adams) who suspects she is becoming a dog. Beneath the absurdity of the premise is a depiction of how much self-sacrifice motherhood can require. So much, it turns out, the mother in question may need to break free and run wild. (Dec. 6 in theaters)

'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim'

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | Official Trailer - YouTube The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | Official Trailer - YouTube
Watch On

Just when you thought there could not possibly be more "Lord of the Rings" movies. This one was not directed by Peter Jackson, though, and deals in an entirely new medium for the film franchise: anime. Set 183 years before Jackson's famous trilogy, this Kenji Kamiyama-helmed project details J.R.R. Tolkien's War of the Rohirrim. (You might remember the Rohirrim as the stylish horse lords introduced in "The Two Towers.") In this entry, a king of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand must defend his kingdom from invaders. (Dec. 13 in theaters)

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

'A Complete Unknown'

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures - YouTube A COMPLETE UNKNOWN | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures - YouTube
Watch On

Biopics about titans of music have seen a lot of traction this past decade ("Bohemian Rhapsody," "Maestro," "Elvis"), so it was only a matter of time before a Bob Dylan joint hit theaters. Timothée Chalamet stars as the beloved singer-songwriter in his salad days, as a 19-year-old in 1960s New York. Director James Mangold revisits a genre in which he has previously seen great acclaim: He also made "Walk the Line," 2005's Johnny Cash biopic starring Joaquin Phoenix. In a somewhat surprising move, Dylan himself recently joined X and gave the movie his blessing. (Dec. 25 in theaters)

'Babygirl'

Babygirl | Official Trailer HD | A24 - YouTube Babygirl | Official Trailer HD | A24 - YouTube
Watch On

Fans of erotic cinema that centers power dynamics — most notably "Secretary" or "50 Shades of Grey" — will be thrilled that hip studio A24 is making an entry into the canon. The seemingly fearless Nicole Kidman, who at age 57 is tackling more oddball roles than ever, stars in "Babygirl" as a powerful CEO in the throes of an affair with a much younger intern at her company. Kidman is "the boss as highly functional control freak," said Variety, but "what she's craving, underneath it all, is the kind of sexuality that's going to break that control apart." (Dec. 25 in theaters)

'Nosferatu'

NOSFERATU - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters December 25 - YouTube NOSFERATU - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters December 25 - YouTube
Watch On

You might think you are tired of vampire movies, but Robert Eggers is about to change your mind. Known for crafting weirdo American-centered period dramas like "The Lighthouse" and "The Witch," the director sets his sights on Europe this time — Transylvania, to be exact, where the titular vampire of the silent-era classic is stalking a young woman. "Faithful as it might seem to F.W. Murnau's 1922 'Nosferatu,' Eggers' lush and rapturously psychosexual riff on the same material isn't a simple remake so much as a seductive reverse shot," said David Ehrlich at IndieWire. "It" clown-star Bill Skarsgård is up to his old freaky tricks as Nosferatu aka Count Orlok, with Lily-Rose Depp portraying his beautiful victim. (Dec. 25 in theaters)

Anya Jaremko-Greenwold has worked as a story editor at The Week since 2024. She previously worked at FLOOD Magazine, Woman's World, First for Women, DGO Magazine and BOMB Magazine. Anya's culture writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Jezebel, Vice and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.