Nosferatu director reveals ‘demented’ final moment he cut for being too ‘comical’
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Robert Eggers, the director of Nosferatu, has shared the "twisted" scene that he decided to remove from the movie because it turned out to be "quite funny."
The vampire horror film features Bill Skarsgård in the role of Count Orlok, alongside a talented supporting cast that includes Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp, and Nicholas Hoult.
In just one day since its release in the US on Christmas Day, the film has already shown great success with box office earnings of $11.5 million. It is set to hit theaters in the UK on January 1.
*This section contains spoilers for Nosferatu.*
In an interview with Variety, Eggers talked about the film's concluding scene that features Skarsgård’s Count Orlok and Depp’s character Ellen entwined in a timeless hug.
"I was grappling with how to portray Orlok's downfall, but I always knew that last scene would be the concluding moment," said the 41-year-old director. "It's great to create our unique take on the 'Death and the Maiden' theme. I believe it turned out really well."
As he tried to paint a clearer picture of the scene, Eggers chuckled and remarked, “No, that’s a bit too twisted.”
When prompted to clarify his thoughts, the director elaborated: "If you examine that scene carefully, you'll notice Orlok is still oozing blood from his eyes, ears, and nose. There are also holes filled with maggots on his back. We even set it up for him to bleed from his backside, but it ended up looking pretty funny. When we started filming, we actually had to use a cork to control that!"
The movie has garnered positive feedback from critics, with Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent praising it in a five-star review. She writes: “In Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu, the vampire is reborn. Gone are the days of his shimmering allure, his slow sadness, and his whimsical strangeness. Now, he approaches you – yes, you – as a whisper in the shadows, challenging your deepest desires and labeling your spirit as unnatural.”
"This being thrives on the shame experienced by both believers and non-believers alike. He remains as loyal to us today as he was to FW Murnau, the filmmaker behind the 1922 classic Nosferatu, and to Bram Stoker, whose book Dracula served as the (unofficially determined by courts as copyright infringement) inspiration for the tale."
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Xan Brooks remarked that the film surprisingly fits well with the holiday season in his article for The Independent. He noted, “Strangely enough, this applies to Nosferatu. It shares its timeless, eerie story with such authenticity and passion that it’s like being snuggled in a cozy blanket.”
