Robert Eggers Reveals the Chilling Folklore Behind Orlok’s Mustache

Orlok is an ancient vampire who comes to the town of Wisborg to spread fear and drain the life from his victims. He is inspired by Count Dracula from the novel Dracula, but with a scarier and more monstrous appearance.

In the original 1922 ‘Nosferatu,’ Count Orlok had a creepy look with a bald, pale head, sharp teeth, long claw-like fingers, and a skeletal face that made him seem otherworldly.

In Robert Eggers’ new ‘Nosferatu,’ the character has a fresh and unique design. When Thomas Hutter (played by Nicholas Hoult) discovers Orlok in his sarcophagus, the vampire is revealed with a bushy mustache, a skeletal face, decaying skin, and even a striking full-frontal nude scene.

Bill Skarsgård is unrecognizable as Orlok which only speaks for the skills and dedication of the makeup and prosthetics department. The vampire appears as a putrid half-decayed corpse and it’s completely and utterly revolting. Eggers is not the only director who returns vampires to their original roots, as the first Slavic vampires were described as basically walking bloated corpses, but he certainly dared to make one controversial choice – he gave him a mustache.

Eggers explained that the mustaches which were criticized by some fans were an ode to folklore and Orlok’s home region.

Eggers explained that he aimed to create a scarier vampire by drawing inspiration from folklore, which portrayed vampires as decaying, undead corpses. To reflect this, he envisioned Count Orlok as a dead Transylvanian nobleman, complete with a historically accurate Hungarian costume, long sleeves, high-heeled shoes, a furry hat, and most importantly, a mustache.

Eggers emphasized that a mustache was essential because it’s deeply rooted in Transylvanian culture, even referencing Vlad the Impaler and Dracula’s original description in Bram Stoker’s novel.

There was going to be some good stuff there, and the vampire of folklore is a putrid, walking undead corpse. And so the question then became, ‘What does a dead Transylvanian nobleman look like?’ That means this complex Hungarian costume with very long sleeves, strange high-heeled shoes and a furry hat. It also means a mustache.

No matter what, there’s no way this guy can’t have a mustache. Try to find a Transylvanian person who’s of age who can grow a mustache that doesn’t have a mustache. It’s part of the culture. If you don’t want to bother Googling, think of Vlad the Impaler. Even Bram Stoker had the sense to give Dracula a mustache in the book.

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And Speaking of Bill Skarsgård, Eggers was afraid that Skarsgård wouldn’t get the credits that he was due, because the actor was completely lost in the character. And I have to agree with this one, at first you can’t find Skarsgård’s features in the ancient vampire at all until you focus on the eyes.

I’ll say that Bill has so transformed, I’m fearful that he might not get the credit he deserves because he just… he’s not there. He felt like honoring who had come before him. It’s all very subtle … But I think the main thing is that he’s even more a folk vampire. In my opinion he looks like a dead Transylvanian nobleman, and in a way that we’ve never actually seen what an actual dead Transylvanian nobleman would look like and be dressed like.

Fans can look forward to more scenes of Count Orlok in the Blu-ray and DVD release of the film, which includes an extended cut. This version will feature a shot of Orlok from the back that was shown in the trailer but cut from the theatrical release.

Eggers explained that while the shot was great, it was removed to keep Orlok more mysterious and maintain tension. However, it will be included in the extended version for fans to enjoy.

It’s one of those annoying things for film dorks because it’s not in the movie. It’s a really cool shot, really liked the shot, but where it was intended, it was ruining some tension to know that [Orlok] was around. We needed to keep him more mysterious. But if you would wish to purchase the Blu-ray, it is in the extended version of the film.

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