Nosferatu's story follows Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), a haunted young woman, as she finds herself the object of a terrifying vampire's infatuation. Bill Skarsgård plays Count Orlok, the vampire, in the film, and marketing materials have thus far kept his appearance hidden.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Eggers provides the best idea yet of what Count Orlok will actually look like in Nosferatu, teasing that he approached the vampire in a way that all previous Dracula films did not. The director calls Orlok "more of a folk vampire," meaning that he looks like an actual corpse rather than a more traditional movie vampire. As for his clothes, Eggers takes a logical approach and pulls from real Transylvanian history. Check out his comments on Count Orlok's appearance below:

This Orlok is more of a folk vampire than any other film version. That means he's a dead person. And he’s not like, “I look great and I'm dead.” Folk vampires in some ways are more visually similar to zombies.

The reason why he looks the way he looks and he dresses the way he's dressed is because for the first time in a Dracula or Nosferatu story, this guy looks like a dead Transylvanian nobleman. Every single thing he's wearing down to the heels on his shoes is what he would've worn. That's never been done.

The article also reveals that the debut of Count Orlok's appearance in the film is done gradually. Eggers has a strong reason for this, citing elements relating to storytelling and to audience expectations:

My thinking is that if you invite someone to your castle and you don't want them to know that you're dead, you're trying to be hidden. That also hopefully increases the anticipation of the reveal. We all know our imaginations are always stronger than what the filmmaker can provide. It was a challenge for me to go against my instincts in showing the monster.

What Count Orlok's Dead Appearance Means For Nosferatu

Robert Eggers' Film Aims To Repeat A Longlegs Marketing Trick

Eggers' previous films include The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and The Northman (2022), and each of these movies have established that the filmmaker has a unique visual and storytelling style, especially when it comes to horror. As a corpse, Count Orlok in Nosferatu won't be a sexy kind of vampire as seen in Twilight (2008), nor will he be a bat-like monster as seen in The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023). Instead, Orlok will seemingly be a more grounded vampire as would appear in a terrifying folk tale, and that is right in line with Eggers' previous work.

On a commercial level, these Count Orlok teases could help Nosferatu succeed at the box office. Director Osgood Perkins' Longlegs became a major success in theaters this summer after its marketing campaign hyped Nicolas Cage's transformation without ever actually showing him. It's clear that a similar approach is being taken with Nosferatu, though it remains to be seen whether this will translate into box office success.

Our Take On Count Orlok in Nosferatu

Eggers' New Film Has An Effective Horror Atmosphere ing Its New Vampire

Though it's easy to see the mystery around Count Orlok as a marketing ploy aiming to recapture the hype around Longlegs earlier this year, Eggers' filmography suggests that the vampire will be truly terrifying. Trailers for the film have oozed with atmosphere and a sense of dread, and it certainly seems like Count Orlok's appearance will be only one component of a very tense experience. Count Orlok will likely not appear in any Nosferatu marketing materials prior to the film's release, and each new tidbit of information about the character only makes the film all the more exciting.

Source: Vanity Fair