Polygon.com / 24.12.24

Nosferatu director needed Bill Skarsgård's vampire to look like a creepy corpse

Count Orlok looms over Nosferatu like the Cloverfield monster. While he is among the first voices we hear, and the first faces we see, the full reveal of Orloks form comes much later. When we see him in all his glory with all the sores, sylphlike limbs, and ponderous movements he looks like a reanimated corpse. Bill Skarsgårds mannerisms mark a striking difference from the comparatively youthful (and alive) Ellen, played by Lily-Rose Depp. This was exactly as director Robert Eggers hoped. I enjoy the fact that he is represented like a folk vampire, Eggers told Polygon ahead of the films premiere. These early folk vampires look like corpses, and theyre in this state of putrefaction. Eggers said the goal for Orloks look wasnt really to be a flip of the bird (or the bat, as the case may be) to noted resplendent vamp like Twilights Edward Cullen or True Bloods Bill Compton. Rather, it was yet another expression of Eggers constant aim: historical accuracy and immersion. His directive was W...
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