Robert Eggers explains Count Orlok's mustache in Nosferatu

Nosferatu has once again cemented Robert Eggers' position as one of the finest in his craft, and it is already attracting rave reviews from critics around the world. The movie was released on December 25, 2024, and currently holds an 87% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. It has also garnered praise for the performances of Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård.

The critical acclaim of the movie also stems from Robert Eggers' deep and detailed research into the subject matter, for which he even delved into vampire folklore and came out with some small but significant changes that are crucial to making Nosferatu the masterpiece it is.

One such seemingly peculiar change is giving Count Orlok (Skarsgård) a mustache, which is quite unlike any vampire representation before. Eggers explained in a recent interview with Variety that all Transylvanian men in the time period had mustaches and that is the natural way someone from that time would look.

This not only made Skarsgård's Count Orlok different from all the existing representations of the famed character but it also added more folklore accuracy to the film. Perhaps these small but important changes are what set Robert Eggers' work apart.

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What did Robert Eggers say about Count Orlok's mustache in Nosferatu?

While it is already a stand-out topic and the remake of one of the greatest horror movies ever, Nosferatu will draw attention to Count Orlok's mustache, which is perhaps as unique as it gets for vampires. Over the years, there were many representations of Count Orlok, but none quite resembled this new version imagined by Robert Eggers.

Speaking about delving deeper than just the original movie and Bram Stroker's classic vampire story, Eggers told Variety:

"So to try to make a more scary vampire than we’ve had in quite some time, I went back to the folklore. It’s something that I like anyway, but the early folk vampire was written about by people who believed that vampires existed. 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?”"

This pondering led him down the line to recreate a Transylvanian man from the exact time period when the narrative is set in.

He expanded:

"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."

This goes to show the unique vision and approach of the director, which in turn, makes it much more intriguing.

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Nosferatu is currently available for viewing in your nearest theatres. Stay tuned for more updates.