Dec 1st, 2025
I still can’t get enough of Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024). I know he’s the “undead,” the antagonist of the story, a grotesque walking corpse covered in wounds and decay, but somehow his portrayal captivates me so much. It’s strange to admit, but I feel like I’ve fallen for the character.
It’s been almost four months since I first watched the movie, and I still can’t move on. I’m kind of obsessed.
The story itself is quite similar to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897).There’s always been a debate about whether Nosferatu is just a copy-paste of Stoker’s novel, but honestly, that doesn’t bother me. Both stories are fantastic in their own unique ways. The film follows a newly married couple, Thomas Hutter and Ellen. Thomas, who works at a real-estate company, is assigned by his supervisor, Herr Knock, to close a deal with a mysterious client living in the remote Carpathian mountains. Ellen is worried about the whole thing, but Thomas eventually leaves.
During his absence, Ellen stays with Thomas’s friend, Herr Harding. Unbeknownst to Thomas, the “client” he’s about to meet is a blood-sucking vampire who is already drawn to Ellen. From there, a series of unfortunate events unfolds for the couple and the people around them, Ellen begins having strange dreams, starts sleep-walking, and everything slowly descends into dread.
Anyway, that’s the brief plot. I’ll let you watch the rest yourself.
So, the real reason I’m writing this… let’s not forget: I’m kind of obsessed with Count Orlok :)
There’s this one scene where Orlok haunts Ellen. It’s so beautifully captured; moonlight pouring into the room through an open window, the stillness of the night, the quiet tension. In that moment, Orlok delivers his lines almost rhythmically, like reciting poetry. The lines “I am an appetite, nothing more” and “Your passion is bound to me” still echo in my mind.
And the next scene, where Orlok seduces Ellen? Absolutely mesmerizing. The dialogue is superb; poetic, dark, and beautifully performed. I even find myself repeating this line out loud:
”O’er centuries, a loathsome beast, I lay within the darkest pit. Till you did wake me, enchantress, and stirred me from my grave. You are my affliction.”
If he ever whispered those words to me, I’d probably drop dead into his arms. And don’t get me started on that deep, dark voice; the heavy, almost asthmatic breathing, it’s intoxicating.
Sorry if this writing sounds a little over the top… I’m just pouring out my feelings for Count Orlok.
If you haven’t watched Nosferatu yet, please do. It’s one of the masterpieces Robert Eggers has given us along with The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and The Northman (2022). I’ve watched all of them, and they’re brilliant.
And if you haven’t watched Dracula (1992), watch it too. It’s a little tacky at times (for me, at least), but still amazing… It feels like you’re reading the book on screen.
Lastly, please read Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The novel is so underrated, romantic, chivalrous, haunting, and beautifully written.
Anyway… here’s another wandering monologue about a movie that lingered in my brain far longer than expected, thanks to Count Orlok.
Wandering Monologues 