2024’s Nosferatu Learned A Key Lesson From Bill Skarsgård’s $701 Million Horror Mistake

Summary

• Nosferatu trailer avoids showing Skarsgård’s Count Orlok, creating intrigue and anticipation.
• Not revealing Count Orlok before the movie keeps the mysticism and avoids unnecessary criticism.
• Skarsgård’s previous Pennywise experience might influence the decision to keep Count Orlok hidden.

The first trailer for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu has been released, and it shows that it learned a key lesson from a big mistake made by one of Bill Skarsgård’s most successful horror movies. The trend of remakes continues in the horror genre, and there’s a lot of anticipation and excitement around Robert Eggers’ take on the horror classic Nosferatu. Based on the 1922 silent German Expressionist vampire movie of the same name, which is an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nosferatu is a gothic tale of love, obsession, and blood.

Nosferatu is the story of Ellen Hutler (Lily-Rose Depp) and Count Orlok (Skarsgård), a vampire who becomes infatuated with her, but once he awakes, he unleashes horror around them. Also starring in Nosferatu are Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Simon McBurney, and Ralph Ineson, and most of them can be seen in the first trailer, although briefly. Nosferatu isn’t the first time Skarsgård plays a vampire, so there’s a lot of curiosity around what his Count Orlok looks like, but Nosferatu seems to have learned a key lesson from a Pennywise mistake.

Nosferatu Isn’t Showing Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok (Yet)

The First Nosferatu Trailer Didn’t Show Count Orlok

Skarsgård’s Count Orlok has only been shown partially and either blurred or in the shadows.

Everything about Eggers’ Nosferatu has been quite discreet so far. The official photos released before the first trailer focused on Depp and Dafoe’s characters, and Skarsgård’s Count Orlok has only been shown partially and either blurred or in the shadows. The first trailer for Nosferatu was expected to give the first full look at the new Count Orlok, but instead, the character is only shown quickly from behind and, once more, among the shadows, leaving everyone wondering what Skarsgård’s character looks like – but through this, it proves it learned from a huge Pennywise mistake.

Online reaction to Pennywise’s look before the movie’s release had a negative impact on Skarsgård, saying he felt the studio’s decision was “kind of mean”.

In 2017, Skarsgård played Pennywise in Andy Muschietti’s It, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Skarsgård’s Pennywise was very different from that of Tim Curry in the 1990 miniseries, and despite being more like the book’s description of the character, it sparked some not-so-nice comments from fans. Speaking to Esquire in May 2024, Skarsgård reflected on the moment the studio released the first look at his version of Pennywise, way before the movie’s release. Online reaction to it had a negative impact on Skarsgård, saying he felt the studio’s decision was “kind of mean”.

Although the audience’s reaction to Skarsgård’s Pennywise ultimately changed once It was released and they could see his terrifying performance, Nosferatu is cleverly avoiding a similar situation by not showing Count Orlok yet. It’s unknown if Nosferatu will reveal Count Orlok’s full look before the movie’s release, but so far, it’s doing the right thing in keeping him secret.

Why It’s Better That Nosferatu Doesn’t Show Count Orlok Before Its Release

Nosferatu Is Doing Right By Not Showing Count Orlok Yet

Keeping his appearance a secret creates more interest and curiosity around the movie, drawing a wider audience to it.

Through Dafoe’s character, the Nosferatu trailer establishes that Count Orlok is a mythical figure, so it makes sense that he hasn’t been shown yet. Keeping his appearance a secret also creates more interest and curiosity around the movie, drawing a wider audience to it, and it also avoids unnecessary controversy. Revealing Pennywise’s look before It’s release eased the audience’s curiosity but sparked unnecessary criticism about a new take on the character purely based on his appearance, when the most important thing was Skarsgård’s performance.

Count Orlok’s image is now part of pop culture, and revealing it before Nosferatu’s release would take away the mysticism around him and prompt rushed and potentially harmful assumptions about Skarsgård’s performance, just like what happened with Pennywise. It’s unknown if Nosferatu will fully show Count Orlok in future trailers, but hopefully, and for the sake of the movie and the character, it will be kept a secret until the movie’s release.