Count Orlok's Perspective on Nosferatu Presents an Engrossing Revulsion
Count Orlok's Perspective on Nosferatu Presents an Engrossing Revulsion
Following a recent viewing of filmmaker Robert Eggers' version of Nosferatu in Los Angeles, horror maestro Guillermo del Toro participated in a Q&A session with Eggers. During this discussion, Eggers shared insights about his interpretation of the vampire tale, revealing that Count Orlok does not feed from his victim's jugular vein, but rather, he targets the stomach.
Eggers describes, "Count Orlok is moving through the navel instead of the heart. And the vampire is consuming from people's breasts, which isn't simple with a ribcage, but due to 'old hag,' ancient lore often portrays the vampire feeding from the heart's blood if they're not merely suffocating their prey."
Exact references to this 'old hag' lore are unspecified, but Eggers intends to draw parallels between traditional European vampire mythology and various supernatural creatures linked to sleep paralysis throughout global folklore. These creatures are often represented as sitting atop their victims' chests. Eggers' notion of blood-drinking vampires is unusual, albeit biologically implausible.
Orlok is supposed to navigate around the breastbone to access the heart, according to Eggers. This would require vampires to invade the relatively weak abdomen initially, before rising upwards and into their victim's heart. It's reminiscent of that classic joke, "The fastest path to a man's heart is through his fourth and fifth rib,” but without witnessing Orlok's feeding process, we're left questioning how a centuries-old vampire manages to sufficiently feed without inadvertently disemboweling their victims. This could be a plausible scenario, given the violent imagery it suggests, drawing inspiration from the Italian zombie horror films of the 1970s.
Focus Features maintains secrecy regarding Bill Skarsgård's Count Orlok in promotional material leading up to the film's Christmas release. However, comments from Eggers and del Toro may provide clues to his appearance.
During their dialogue, Eggers confides that Orlok's complexion is "red-faced," citing, "There are scenes where his face is actually red, illuminated by fire so you can't really see it, but we've pooled blood beneath his skin in certain locations to evoke that image." This recalls Buffy the Vampire Slayer's recurring blood-stained vampire, the Master, who was once deemed to have "fruit punch mouth" by the titular hero in her first season finale.
In addition, del Toro describes Orlok as resembling "an unwholesomely reanimated corpse." He further explains, "I believe this is possibly one of two films where I've seen a vampire characterized this way; the other being The Vourdalak which was released earlier this year." It's also confirmed that Orlok sports a mustache, mirroring the ornamental facial hair of historical figure Vlad Tepes. Although Count Dracula was famed for his mustache in Bram Stoker's original tale, only John Carradine portrayed the role with a mustache on-screen (unless we consider William Marshall as Prince Mamuwalde in Blacula).
In sum, Count Orlok for the 2024's retelling is envisioned as a skeletal, gory corpse with a mustache, who presumably eviscerates his victims by reaching upward and into their stomachs. Eggers seems to have drawn inspiration for this character from the infamous exploitation film Anthropophagus, featuring George Eastman as a mustachioed, corpse-like villain named Klaus. Eggers is proof that inspiration should come from the best sources.
Eggers' unique interpretation of Count Orlok in the 2024 retelling of 'Nosferatu' also finds inspiration in various future technology developments, as he envisions Orlok navigating through his victims' bodies using advanced sensory systems, much like how Io9 often discusses advanced technology in relation to movies and the future.
Furthermore, in the film's promotional materials, Orlok is depicted with a mustache, echoing Io9's fascination with the impact of technology on historical figures and their modern-day counterparts, as seen in articles exploring how technology might alter the appearance of famous figures in a not-so-distant future.