Warning: Spoilers ahead for Robert Eggers' Nosferatu!Robert Eggers’Nosferatuhas ignited a fresh conversation about the vampire mythos, departing from the romanticized portrayals that have dominated cinema since the 1970s. Instead,Nosferatuis a stunning remakethat puts the terror back into vampire lore. While classic adaptations likeDracula(1979) leaned into a tragic love story that helped to influence countless writers and directors, Eggers' film delves into the complicated reality of Count Orlok’s coercion.
With the help ofNosferatu’s stellar castperformances, Eggers explores the complexities of Ellen’s agency and the unsettling nature of their twisted connection.This reimagining of the vampire legend challenges audiences to confront the darker aspects of desire and the insidious nature of evil, offering a chilling and impactful cinematic experience inNosferatu’s shocking scenes.
Dracula & Mina’s Relationship Has Been Romanticized In Movies Since 1979
This Started As An Interesting Trope But Now Reflects An Oversaturated Vampire Culture
While the story of the German expressionist filmNosferatuhas key differences fromDracula,it is still, as an unofficial adaptation at the time, inseparable from the original novel. Both texts have seen reinterpretations that add layers of sympathy to their malevolent Count. Interestingly, two key examples of this were released in the same year: John Badham’sDracula,starring Frank Langella, and Werner Herzog’sNosferatu the Vampyre,both screened in 1979.Draculaeven had the tagline of“A Love Story,”while Herzog reinterpretsNosferatu the Vampyre’s Orlok to be a more tragic figure than in Max Schreck’s originalNosferatu actor portrayalin 1922.
Eggers made the right move by usingNosferatucounterculturally in a subgenre overwhelmed by the romanticization of vampires
These sympathetic layers added to Dracula’s character have become interwoven withDracula’s lore over the years. Perhaps the best product of this is Francis Ford Coppola’sBram Stoker’s Dracula,which takes the romance to a Shakespearean level of tragedy. However, when overdone, this reduces Mina (or Ellen) to a romantic object for both Dracula (Orlok) and Jonathan (Thomas). She deserves more than this, especially since, in the novel, she has control over the entire epistolary narrative. Eggers made the right move by usingNosferatucounterculturally in a subgenre overwhelmed by the romanticization of vampires since the work of Anne Rice.
Nosferatu Shows The Reality Of Count Orlok’s Coercion
Orlok’s Monstrosity Is Both Predatory And Liberating
Robert Eggers’Nosferatuportrays acomplex relationship between Ellen and Count Orlokwhile showing the horrifying reality. Lily-Rose Depp toldIndieWirethat in preparation for the role,Eggers gave her a book on demonic sexual awakening, which she used as her“Bible”on set. In interviews, Depp has consistently acknowledged that the movie is just as much a love story about Ellen and Orlok as it is about her devotion to Thomas. It is equally relevant that Eggers has Ellen calling out to“anything”in a moment of spiritual desperation, which gives Orlok access to her.
“The Blood Is The Life”: Nosferatu Quote Meaning & How It Connects To Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Knock, the insane estate agent in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu, repeatedly shouts a key quote from the original movie and other Dracula adaptations.
Ellen also asks the Professor whether evil comes from within or beyond, showing Orlok is a manifestation of true evil that the post-Enlightenment characters of the movie do not want to acknowledge. He is also a manifestation of her repressed desire. However, this alone is a reductive reading.Eggers makes the effort to strip the eroticism from Orlok’s characterization, contributing to the horror of his connection to Ellen. His coercion, such as threatening her with the death of her loved ones if she does not“submit,”vitally complicates a wholly romantic reading.
Her somnambulism and intense bodily hysteria – which could have socially ostracized her were it not for Anna’s loyalty – are traits that can be exploited.
This bleak display of coercion shows the harrowing reality of what being under Dracula’s“thrall”really means. Orlok takes advantage of Ellen’s vulnerability and uses her apparent specialness to groom her. Her somnambulism and intense bodily hysteria – which could have socially ostracized her were it not for Anna’s loyalty – are traits that can be exploited. Whereas the Professor talks about her special nature in a positive way, saying she would have been Priestess of Isis in“heathen times,”Orlok’s acknowledgment of her uniqueness is portrayed in a comparatively unhealthy way.
Eggers’ Nosferatu Gives Ellen Her Agency Back In Nosferatu
Ellen Reflects The Original Mina Who Helms The Entire Story
With the horrifying aspects of Ellen and Orlok’s connection in mind, it would be easy to paint Ellen as merely a victim of his machinations and a passive sacrifice in the story. However, Eggers does not fall into this trap either and instead opts to give Ellen her agency. The original screenplay (viaDeadline) reveals even more of the complex feelings within Ellen. Ultimately, Ellen triumphs in the fight against Orlok by using her assumed submission to distract him until daylight:“Ellen looks at him. She has a fiery reckoning in her eyes. She has won.”
This 1981 Horror Film Secretly Made Lily-Rose Depp’s Terrifying Nosferatu Performance Even Better
Lily-Rose Depp gave a shocking performance as Ellen Hutter in Nosferatu, and the 1981 horror film Possession helped her bring her character to life.
Eggers also shows agency by having Ellen initiate her relationship with Orlok at the beginning. However, this is not designed to victimize but to emphasize how Orlok preys on vulnerabilities. This is true to Dracula in Stoker’s novel; for example, Dracula preys on Renfield by buying a property next to the mental hospital. He also finally has access to Mina, but only when the Crew of Light unwisely leaves her alone. Simultaneously,Mina has power as a“New Woman”of the Victorian era and as the compiler of the story. Eggers’Nosferatumovie honors these coexisting traits in Ellen.
Nosferatu’s Complex Romance Is An Improvement On Past Dracula Adaptations
Eggers' Orlok Sits Vitally Uncomfortably Between Monster And Anti-Hero
The triumph of Robert Eggers’Nosferatuis in its refined complexities. This is one reason why Eggers adaptedNosferatuinstead of merelyDracula.By doing so, he is able to take inspiration from Stoker while interweaving the fairytale elements ofNosferatu,freeing it from its Victorian constraints to truly speak to the eternal, as well asRomanian folklore inNosferatu. However, this does not discount the contextual details ofDraculaand the 19th century, which only further reinforces the brilliance of centering Ellen in the story. This blend of influences makes for a vast improvement in the simplifications and misconceptions inDracula’s pop-cultural lore.
Nosferatu Ending Explained: What Happens In Ellen And Orlok’s Final Encounter
Robert Eggers' 2024 gothic horror movie sees an ancient vampiric evil curse curse a young woman and her loved ones in 1830s Germany.
Nosferatu and Ellen’s complex romance exists in an uncomfortable liminal space between predatory and liberating, which in itself is extremely gothic. Although Ellen is Count Orlok’s prey, she has a sexual ambivalence about him that is certainly in the subtext of Stoker’sDracula,though arguably more expressed by Jonathan’s diary and letters.
Eggers also allows for other pieces of sexual uncertainty. For example, there is a moment when Ellen and Anna share a bed, which some viewers consider sexually charged. However, it also exists in the context of more typically intimate homosocial relationships of the period, as seen in other titles likeJane EyreandGreat Expectations.Eggers shows just enough for the audience to read it subtextually, which is a simmering underlying energy that permeatesNosferatu.
