Folk horror master Robert Eggers' latest featureNosferatufocuses on one of the oldest and most iconic movie monsters, and introduces a modern scream king as the latest incarnation of the unsettling Count Orlok.Bill Skarsgård’s mustachioed Transylvanian noblemanis a terrifying and well-envisioned modern interpretation of the typically bald, pale vampire, and noticeably different from the other actors who have portrayed the character. While Count Orlok originated in F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent German Expressionist filmNosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, the character has been seen in multiple movies over the last century.
While the character of Dracula has been adapted ad nauseam, Count Orlok hasn’t generated the mainstream appeal of his more debonair counterpart.Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horroris itself an adaptationof Bram Stoker’s original gothic horror novelDracula, and is distinct in a number of ways. Count Orlok is unique among vampire depictions, and it takes genuine malevolence and creepiness to play such a grotesque creature. As a result, only a few talented actors have ever been given the opportunity to embody the nefarious Count Orlok.
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Robert Eggers' 2024 gothic horror movie sees an ancient vampiric evil curse curse a young woman and her loved ones in 1830s Germany.
5Max Schreck (1922)
The Original Iconic Interpretation That Set The Standard
Just as Bela Lugosi set the standard for Dracula’s on-screen appearance in 1931, German actor Max Schreck created a character so distinct forNosferatu: A Symphony of Horrorthat it has been accepted as the standard visual guideline for every portrayal after it. The German actor specialized in playing unusual characters, but never had any role as famous as that of Count Orlok.Schreck’s Count Orlok is distinct in that he does not even appear human, which is one of the greatest differences between Orlok and Dracula.
Rumors of the time suggested that the eccentric and unusual Schreck didn’t actually exist, and that he was actually a pseudonym for German film icon Alfred Abel.
The bald, all-white face with bat-like ears, massive eyebrows and rat-like front teethmake it clear that Count Orlok may be disguised as a Transylvanian nobleman, but in reality he is something far fouler. Schreck’s interpretation also introduced the distinct long fingers and fingernails of Count Orlok, which is something that further distorts the notion of his humanity, and is one of the most enduring features of Count Orlok in his on-screen portrayals.
4Klaus Kinski (1979)
The German Actor Portrayed A Different Version Of The Count InNosferatu The Vampyre
Werner Herzog’s 1979 movieNosferatu The Vampyreis unique in thatit simultaneously adapts the original Bram Stoker Dracula movie and remakes the original 1922Nosferatu. Kinski portrays the vampiric Count in the movie, but his name is indeed Dracula, not Orlok, despite sharing a title with the 1922 silent film. The other primary characters are the Harkers, as in the novel, not the Hutters, making it a strange yet successful amalgam of the two stories.
Klaus Kinski was a German actor infamous for his intensity and eccentricity on and off set, which was accented by a history of mental illness during his long and prolific acting career. It’s clear thatKinski and Herzog modeled their Count Dracula after Schreck’s Count Orlok, given how closely they adapted many of Orlok’s most distinct features. The bald head, animalistic facial features, and unsettlingly long fingers all made it into the 1979 version of Orlok.
3Klaus Kinski (1988)
Kinski Reprised His Role InVampire In Venice
Kinski once again played a version of Orlok in the 1988 Italian movieVampire in Venice, orNosferatu in Venice. The movie was originally intended to be a sequel to Herzog’s 1979 movie with Kinski attached, but budget and directorial changes made it a stand-alone film.Kinski infamously terrorized the set during shooting, clashing with the original director, Mario Caiano, to the point that Caiano quit the film, ignoring rehearsal directions, demanding lighting changes, and driving the crew away with his erratic behavior.
Vampire in Venice(somewhat bafflingly) also featured legendary American actors Donald Pleasence and Christopher Plummer in its cast.
The movie itself was an unmitigated disaster, as director Augusto Caminito cut together the final movie after just six weeks of filming, despite not actually having filmed all of his rewrites. However, it did bring a new iteration of Orlok to the big screen. In lieu of the more creature-like Orlok from Herzog’sNosferatu, Kinski’s vampire count (referred to as neither Dracula nor Orlok, but simply as ‘Nosferatu’)adopts some of the more human characteristics of vampires' past, including a human face and flowing white hair. Orlok’s rat-like fangs are still in place for Kinski’s final portrayal, though.
2Willem Dafoe (2000)
Dafoe Played Count Orlok InShadow Of The Vampire
Willem Dafoe plays the sort of Van Helsing role of eccentric Professor Von Franz in Robert Eggers’Nosferatu, but decades before that he played the titular vampire himself.Shadow of the Vampireis an interesting sort of meta movie that chronicles the making of the originalNosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Willem Dafoe plays Max Schreck, who is eventually revealed to bea real vampire that terrorizes the crew of the movie. Dafoe earned acclaim for his performance as Schreck-as-Orlok, and obviously his appearance is meant to approximate the original movie version of the unholy Count.
1Bill Skarsgård (2024)
The Scream King Haunts Robert Eggers' 2024 Adaptation
For his interpretation of Count Orlok, director Robert Eggers chose an actor whose resume had plenty of proof that he could pull off the despicable undead creature. Bill Skarsgård gained fame as a horror king with his unsettling portrayal of Pennywise the Clown in Andy Muschietti’s remake of Stephen King’sIT, butSkarsgård’s performance as Count Orlokmay even surpass his previous role in sheer creepiness.Skarsgård commands the screen as the lithe and lascivious reanimated corpse, with his rotten flesh, guttural speaking voice, and Count Orlok’s trademark spider-like fingers.
Nosferatu
Cast
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.
