Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Sees Bill Skarsgård as the Terrifying Vampire Count Orlok
Robert Eggers, one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in recent years, has become especially popular in the horror genre. His latest project, Nosferatu, is a remake of the 1922 classic German expressionist movie of the same name, itself an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Bill Skarsgård as the legendary vampire.
Nosferatu takes the audience to 1838 to meet Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), a young woman haunted by nightmares of a mysterious and terrifying creature. When her husband, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), is sent to Transylvania to sell a house to Count Orlok, the latter terrifies the former, unleashing a real nightmare as Orlok is the creature haunting Ellen and wanting to take her.
Despite Orlok’s presence being what kicks the movie’s story off, he isn’t seen often, repeating the best trick of 2017’s It. Skarsgård’s big break not just in the horror genre but in general was in Muschietti’s It, the first big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name.
Pennywise and Count Orlok may not have much screen time, but it’s what makes them more terrifying. Without Pennywise getting much screen time, both It movies focus more on the journey of the Losers to confront and defeat the creature. Similarly, Nosferatu repeats this trick by not giving Orlok much screen time and keeping him in the shadows in most of his appearances.
Keeping Count Orlok’s appearance a secret until Nosferatu was released was a wise move by Robert Eggers and company. Nosferatu completely avoided a similar situation to the backlash and debate Pennywise received, and it created more interest and anticipation around the film. Nosferatu kept its best tricks and elements a secret until the end, making each viewer’s experience a lot better and more complete.
The remake is scheduled for release on December 25, 2024, and will run for 132 minutes.
