Viewers of Nosferatu have been left shocked after finally seeing what Bill Skargard looks like as the horrifying Count Orlok.
This follows years of secrecy, with the studio working tirelessly since development initially began in 2015 to make sure the first time you see the horrifying vampire is in the cinemas.
Now, two weeks out from the film’s release in the UK, and the reveal seems to have delivered for audiences.
For those living under a rock, 125-year-old spoilers lie ahead.
Based on Dracula, Nosferatu was originally a 1922 silent film. Robert Eggers decided to remake the movie over 100 years later.
Set in the 1800s, it follows an estate agent, Thomas Hutter, who is sent to a far-off land of Transylvania to sell some property to a mysterious count. When it turns out that Count Orlok is actually a terrible evil come to take away Thomas’ bride, Ellen, a race begins to save her soul from the evil vampire.
The whole cast have received praise for their performances, but Bill Skarsgard’s transformative take on the Count received particular praise.
One tweet about the film said: “FINALLY watched nosferatu! how the f*ck was that Bill Skarsgard.”
This was a commonly held reaction, with many saying this transformation is even further from what he actually looks like than his performance as Pennywise in It.
The (admittedly dark) first official look at Count Orlok (Universal Pictures)
Fans were split between calling for him to sweep awards season, and being shocked that it is actually him.
One reply said: “Hot take but he deserves to be Oscar nominated for his haunting and mesmerizing performance as Orlok.”
Another said: “i didn’t like it when i first saw it, but now i think i love it? it grows with you overtime.”
A third viewer said: “I love that they never ACTUALLY let us see him clearly until the very end.”
Another part of his transformation that had fans raving was Skarsgard’s voice as the evil Count.
Skarsgard has an iconic performance as the Count (Universal)
One fan tweeted: “The accent and voice he does for Nosferatu was so good. Made me smile in the theatre.
“Was just badass sounding, especially when we first entered the castle.”
Skarsgard actually worked with an opera coach to prepare for the film, lowering his voice by an octave in the process.
Skarsgard said in an interview with USA Entertainment when the idea of artificially modulating his voice came up: “I was like, ‘Please, please don't. You can amplify it and you can make it echo-y and you can project it more.’
“But I wanted that piece of the performance to be me.”
He then worked with Ásgerður Júníusdóttir, an Icelandic opera singer, saying: “A lot of it was just the technicality of rooting the voice as deep as you can in your body and using your entire body to make the voice resonate.”
Nosferatu is in cinemas now.
English (US) ·