The Bold New Terrifying Vision of Count Orlock in NOSFERATU Discusses By Robert Eggers and Bill Skarsgård

Director Robert Eggers and actor Bill Skarsgård are taking Count Orlok in a bold and terrifying new direction in their reimagining of Nosferatu.

The film’s revamped version of the iconic vampire is grotesque, eerie, and steeped in folklore, and it’s sparking conversation among those who have seen the film, especially about that controversial mustache.

In this retelling, audiences encounter Count Orlok in all his decayed glory when Nicholas Hoult’s Thomas Hutter discovers the vampire in his sarcophagus.

Skarsgård’s portrayal is brought to life through extensive prosthetics, revealing a skeletal face, rotting skin, and a bushy mustache. It’s a far cry from the silent horror of Max Schreck’s 1922 performance, but Eggers embraced the creative challenge of reinventing the character.

For Skarsgård, who is known for his unnerving turn as Pennywise in It, embodying Orlok was a new kind of challenge. Initially, the actor had doubts about whether the layers of prosthetics would allow his performance to shine through.

Skarsgård shared with Entertainment Weekly: “I was worried that I couldn’t perform through it, that it would feel like giant prosthetic pieces. There was definitely a stage where I was like, ‘I look like the f–ing Grinch or a f–ing goblin.’ I did not like at all how it was translating.”

Skarsgård explained how his experience playing Pennywise shaped his approach to Orlok, saying: “Pennywise was the biggest leap I’d taken at the time, but Orlok is an even bigger one. This character is so far removed from who I am as a person.”

Eggers was clear from the beginning about his vision for Orlok, but that vision didn’t align with Skarsgård’s natural features. The director enlisted prosthetic designer David White to sculpt the vampire’s decayed, undead look while ensuring Skarsgård’s performance wouldn’t be overshadowed.

Eggers explained: “I knew what I wanted Orlok to look like. It happened to be that Bill doesn’t really look like that. Bill joked, ‘I didn’t look like this guy when he was alive,’ which was sort of my intention.”

And then there’s the mustache, which is a deliberate nod to Eastern European folklore and history. In an interview with Variety, Eggers explained:

“The folklore vampire is a putrid, walking undead corpse. I asked myself, ‘What does a dead Transylvanian nobleman look like?’ The answer included long sleeves, high-heeled shoes, and, of course, a mustache.”

Eggers added, “If you don’t want to bother Googling, think of Vlad the Impaler. Even Bram Stoker gave Dracula a mustache in the book. It’s part of the culture. There’s no way this guy doesn’t have one.”

The film concludes with Orlok’s death, a moment Eggers infused with macabre details. After being exposed to sunlight, Orlok perishes atop Ellen Hutter, bleeding from every orifice.

Eggers revealed, “If you look closely, he’s bleeding out of his eyes, ears, and nose. We even rigged it so he’d bleed out of his anus, but it was comically distracting, so we literally had to put a cork in it.”

Eggers’ Nosferatu is a a gothic tale of obsession and terror, paying homage to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 classic while carving out its own unique identity. Skarsgård’s Orlok is a nightmarish embodiment of undead horror, and I appreciated the folkloric authenticity.