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How one Harry Potter producer helped shape Robert Eggers' Nosferatu by saying "no" to director Chris Columbus
The Devil's Snare scene was "fine" according to the producer, but the refusal of post-production work would shape Columbus' production philosophy more than twenty years later.
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Sometimes movies have a connection that isn’t clear even after you’ve seen both of them. Take Harry Potter and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. From their tones to their subject matter, these two films couldn’t be further apart, yet one scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone helped make Nosferatu the unapologetically weird and atmospheric movie we love.
The common thread between these two films is Chris Columbus. No, not the explorer of dubious morality – the director behind the first two Home Alone films and Mrs. Doubtfire. Columbus would go on to direct the first two Harry Potter movies but a less-than-positive interaction with a producer stuck with him years later.
When he watched the scene with the Devil’s Snare back, Columbus wasn’t entirely satisfied. He turned to one of the executive producers to authorize some post-production CG work to bring it more in line with his vision.
“One of the executives said to me, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter if that [Devil’s Snare] scene is not as good as the other scenes in the film. It’s fine,’” Columbus said in a recent interview. “So I told myself that I’m never going to say if I’m producing for someone else. This is probably going to be the death knell for Maiden Voyage [Columbus’ production company], but our philosophy is we never say no to a director. I’m not kidding.”
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is one of the films that has benefited from that philosophy. The director was allowed to indulge in their vision, creating an atmospheric and wonderfully creepy world. With Chris Columbus as a producer not telling him no, Eggers has made one of the most memorable horror films in recent years – all because a producer on a Harry Potter film said no to some post-production changes.
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