Count Orlok

Count Orlok
Nosferatu character
Max Schreck as Count Orlok
First appearance	Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
Created by	F. W. Murnau Albin Grau Henrik Galeen
Based on	Count Dracula by Bram Stoker
Portrayed by	Max Schreck (1922) Klaus Kinski (1979 & 1988) Alexander Ward (SpongeBob SquarePants) Doug Jones (2023) Bill Skarsgård (2024)
In-universe information
Aliases	Count Dracula The Bird of Death Nosferatu
Species	Vampire
Gender	Male
Nationality	Romanian

Count Orlok (German: Graf Orlok; Romanian: Contele Orlok) is a fictional character who originally appeared in the silent film Nosferatu (1922) directed by F. W. Murnau, as well as its subsequent remakes, which is based on Bram Stoker's character Count Dracula. In the original 1922 film, Count Orlok is portrayed by German actor Max Schreck, whose appearance influenced numerous subsequent vampire designs, including those of Salem's Lot, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Blade film franchise.

As Nosferatu is an unauthorized and unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, character names were changed in an attempt to avoid accusations of copyright infringement, including changing Count Dracula's name to Count Orlok which, according to historian Matei Cazacu [ro], derives from the Romanian vârcolac,^[1] while David Annwn Jones links it phonetically to the Hungarian ordog. Jones also notes how orlok is an archaic form of the Dutch oorlog, meaning "war".^[2] The character is nevertheless referred to as "Nosferatu" in the film's publicity material and in director F. W. Murnau's annotated copy of the script.^[3] The character is referred to as Dracula in the public domain version of the film.^{[citation needed]}

In Werner Herzog's 1979 remake, Nosferatu the Vampyre, the character names revert to those used in the original novel,^[4] while the 2023 and 2024 remakes maintain the names used in the original 1922 film. In the 1988 sequel to the 1979 film, Vampire in Venice, the character is referred to as "Nosferatu".

The character was largely conceived by Prana Film founder and occultist artist Albin Grau. Grau claimed he was inspired to shoot Nosferatu after meeting a farmer during the Serbian campaign, who stated that his father had been a vampire.^[5][6][7]

Grau had a strong influence on Orlok's look, which was inspired by Hugo Steiner-Prag [de]'s illustrations for Gustav Meyrink's The Golem.^[8][9] He may have also been influenced by the corpses he saw in the trenches of the First World War.^[7] Further links to the war have been noticed in Orlok's association with rats, which were a persistent nuisance in the trenches,^[10] and the character suddenly appearing enveloped in thick smoke, which has been linked to the poison gas used during the conflict.^[7] Grau also had the character correspond with Knock through letters filled with Enochian, hermetic and alchemical symbols.^[11]

The character was played by Max Schreck, whose military experiences during the First World War have been thought to have influenced his performance.^[7] According to Grau's diary entries, Schreck, when in full makeup, was "shunned" by the Slovak assistants on set.^[8] His portrayal of Orlok was the first to depict vampires as being fatally vulnerable to sunlight. Previous vampire portrayals had shown them being uncomfortable with sunlight, but not mortally susceptible.^[12]

In Nosferatu, the Count is described in the fictional book Of Vampyres, Ghastly Spirits, Witchcraft, and the Seven Deadly Sins as a hematophagous creature that dwells in dank caves, tombs and coffins filled with soil gathered from graveyards containing the victims of the Black Death. The book elaborates that Orlok originated from the "seed of Belial", an entity described in the Dead Sea Scrolls as one of four Satanic archdemons. David Annwn Jones notes that this is in contrast to Count Dracula, upon whom the character was based, as Orlok is never stated to have once been human or of being an undead revenant, being instead a creature of demonic lineage who sleeps in coffins merely for the sake of protection against sunlight and convenience in transporting the rats under his command.^[13] The film contains no references to a Dracula-like noble ancestry and does not feature any brides or gypsy henchmen, with Orlok's lust for the character of Ellen Hutter being his only human affiliation. Jones further comments that:

Though invisibility and partial invisibility and, presumably, the ability to communicate with and transform into animals are shared, other of Dracula's aspects of magic are jettisoned in favour of Enochian script and spells. ... In all but the active consumption of blood, Orlok ... [is] closer to the devilish entities in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968), William Friedkin's The Exorcist and Richard Donner's The Omen (1976) than to Stoker's vampire.^[14]

Count Orlok is a vampire from Transylvania known as the "Bird of Death" who dwells alone in a vast castle hidden among the rugged peaks in a lost corner of the Carpathian Mountains. The castle and its master, forgotten by the world for centuries, are swathed in shadows and exhibit a highly sinister feel due to years of neglect. The local peasants live in terror of phantoms and werewolves haunting the region and never venture out after dark.

In 1838, Orlok forms a pact with the housing agent Knock, promising him wealth in exchange for a house in the (fictional) city of Wisborg, Germany. Orlok receives Knock's employee, Thomas Hutter, and almost reveals his true nature after Hutter accidentally cuts his finger, causing the Count to briefly lose control. Orlok then feeds off Hutter after he collapses from shock. When Hutter regains consciousness, Orlok signs the documents to purchase the house and notices a miniature portrait of Hutter's wife, Ellen, remarking that she has a "lovely neck."

After Hutter discovers Orlok's vampiric nature, the Count attempts to feed off him again, but is repelled when he telepathically senses Ellen's distress. The next morning, Orlok is discovered "sleeping" in a filthy coffin filled with earth. Hutter then witnesses Orlok loading a cart with several coffins filled with soil, one of which he then hides in, and they are driven off to be loaded onto the ship Empusa headed for Wisborg.

On board the Empusa, he kills every crew member. His journey by sea spreads plague throughout Europe. Upon his arrival in Wisborg, Orlok infests the city with rats that sleep in his coffins, and countless people fall victim to the plague, forcing the local authorities to declare a quarantine and provoking hysteria among the citizens. Ellen and Hutter know the causes of the plague but fear they are powerless to stop the vampire. Ellen learns from The Book of the Vampires that the Nosferatu can be vanquished only if a woman pure in heart willingly allows him to feed on her long enough to prevent him from seeking shelter from sunrise. Ellen coaxes Orlok to her room and lies in bed whilst he drinks from her neck. The sun rises, and Orlok is burned away in a cloud of smoke. Knock is able to sense that Orlok is dead and Ellen dies soon after.

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Some authors have compared Orlok's appearance to stereotypical caricatures of Jewish people from the time in which Nosferatu was produced. His features have also been compared to those of a rat or a mouse, the former of which Jews were often equated with.^[15] Others have said that perceived associations between Orlok and antisemitic stereotypes are unlikely to have been conscious decisions, citing director F. W. Murnau's protectiveness of Jewish cast members and status as a homosexual, which would have made him "presumably more sensitive to the persecution of a subgroup inside the larger German society".^[16][17]

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Roger Ebert praised Schreck's performance as Orlok, noting that it "avoids most of the theatrical touches that would distract from all the later performances ... The vampire should come across not like a flamboyant actor but like a man suffering from a dread curse".^[18]

The character was portrayed by Klaus Kinski in Werner Herzog's 1979 remake Nosferatu the Vampyre. Herzog described this incarnation as "not a monster, but an ambivalent, masterful force of change. When the plague threatens, people throw their property into the streets; they discard their bourgeois trappings. A re‐evaluation of life and its meaning takes place."^[20] Kinski described him as "a man without free will. He cannot choose, and he cannot cease to be. He is a kind of incarnation of evil, but he is also a man who is suffering, suffering for love. This makes it so much more dramatic, more double‐edged."^[20]

Kinski's make-up was an imitation of Max Schreck's in the 1922 original and was applied by Japanese artist Reiko Kruk. Although Kinski fought with Herzog and others during the making of other films, he got along with Kruk, and the four-hour makeup sessions proceeded without any outbursts from Kinski himself.^[21]

Kinski's portrayal was praised by Roger Ebert, who wrote that there is "nothing pleasant about Herzog's vampire", which was "played totally without ego by Klaus Kinski ... [who] does honor to the seriousness of vampires. ... if they were real, here is how they must look",^[22] while Fabio Giovannini [it] describes Kinski's portrayal as "without doubt, the most repugnant vampire in cinematic history".^[23] David Annwn Jones notes how Kinski's character plays down the demonic aspects of the original Orlok and approaches Dracula more closely, as he mentions his noble lineage and has the ability to create more vampires from his victims.^[24] Simon Bacon, in comparing Kinski's performance to Schreck's, notes:

Kinski's Dracula not only builds upon the bestial nature of Schreck's vampire – he is visibly ancient and inhuman – but adds a world weariness and melancholy to his persona in keeping with the introspection of the 1970s New German Cinema movement. ... While Schreck's movements are rigid and arch, mirroring the gothic architecture that so often surrounds him, Kinski's posture is rounded as if he were constricting from within and his movements are generally slow and pained.^[25]

In the 1988 pseudo-sequel to the 1979 remake, Vampire in Venice, the vampire, played by Kinski once again, is portrayed as a "Byronic hero" seeking death by making love to a virgin woman. The film includes several innovations in the vampire myth, showing the monster as being able to walk around in daylight, cast a reflection in mirrors and is undeterred by crosses.^[26] Kinski initially refused to shave his head and wear fake fangs for the role, though conceded and wore Orlok's traditional rat-like fangs for several scenes.^[27] Matthew Edwards stated that "Kinski paints his sadistic vampire with a sneering disgust for those around him",^[28] while Roberto Curti stated that Kinski's performance "drowns the film".^[29]

Orlok was played by Doug Jones in the 2023 remake. In an interview with Dread Central, he stated: "I don't think Orlok realizes how much he's faded. In his mind, he's still the dashing count he once was, and that dichotomy fascinated me". His makeup was restricted to his face and hands, and took four hours to apply. Regarding his portrayal, Jones said: "The farther you get from human, the harder it is to play, ... Orlok's humanity is still there, buried under layers of torment and hunger. That's where the real performance comes from—his desires, regrets, and fears".^[30] Director David Lee Fisher explained that this interpretation of Orlok was deliberately distanced from Kinski's portrayal and approached Shreck's original performance more closely, being "an elemental force of nature ... definitely destructive, but not necessarily evil".^[31]

Jone's performance received mixed responses, with Tarryn Gaherty of Collider praising him as one of the best aspects of the film, "masterfully combin[ing] physical acting with prosthetics and practical effects",^[32] while Jennie Kermode of Eye For Film compared him unfavourably to prior Orlok performers, stating "he cannot capture the same air of uncanny charisma [as Max Schreck], which the film really depends on; neither can he compel the viewer’s attention as Klaus Kinski did in his attempts".^[33]

Bill Skarsgård played Orlok in Robert Eggers' 2024 remake. This incarnation is portrayed as a former Solomonar who had made a pact with Satan in a bid for immortality.^[34]

Skarsgård was originally set to play Thomas Hutter, but Eggers decided to cast him as Orlok after seeing his performance as Pennywise in It Chapter Two. Eggers' intention was to distance his Orlok from conventional cinematic vampires and to draw inspiration from folklore, resulting in a "hulking brute with a booming voice — less vampire, more undead Transylvanian nobleman", while still retaining details recalling Schreck's portrayal, such as fingernails, posture and the shape of the head.^[35] The makeup was applied by David White, who modeled the skin tone on that of a 17th-18th century wax sculpture.^[36] Orlok's design in this film is partially inspired by Vlad Dracula, whom the original Dracula was named after,^[37] with Eggers stating that "there's never been a version of Dracula or Nosferatu dressed like a Transylvanian nobleman with authentic Hungarian attire from the 16th century." Costume designer Linda Muir sought inspiration from the Transylvanian military from around 1560 to the mid-1600s, incorporating pieces of clothing such as dolman, mente fur coat, or kolpak into Orlok's costume.^[38] Skarsgård, having refused to have his voice digitally modulated, was trained to lower his voice by Icelandic opera singer Ásgerður Júníusdóttir, incorporating Mongolian throat singing into his lines.^[39] Inspired by Orlok being an ancient Romanian count, Eggers decided to have him speak a reconstructed form of the Dacian language in the film.^[40]

Peter Bradshaw described Skarsgård's portrayal as "opaque and forbiddingly gruesome without being necessarily as scary as could be expected",^[41] while Matt Zoller Seitz described it as Skarsgård's "best work yet" which is best thought not "as a performance, but a repugnant yet strangely mesmerizing obscenity, excavated from a tomb and placed in front of the camera".^[42] Wesley Morris described it as "the grossest-looking, ooziest, most cooked, most rotted, most mustached, least-living Dracula I can recall. ... This 'Nosferatu' dares you to feel seduced and sick over the seduction".^[43]

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Orlok's design influenced that of Kurt Barlow in the 1979 miniseries Salem's Lot, with producer Richard Kobritz stating:

We went back to the old German Nosferatu concept where he is the essence of evil, and not anything romantic or smarmy, or, you know, the rouge-cheeked, widow-peaked Dracula. I wanted nothing suave or sexual, because I just didn't think it'd work; we've seen too much of it.^[44]

Orlok-like vampires have also appeared alongside their more conventional counterparts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Blade film franchise, where they are, according to Simon Bacon, "utilised in order to convey a formidable antagonist in contrast to the increasingly humanised vampires that surround both Buffy and Blade; a return to the monstrosity that underpins the mythology".^[45]

Orlok, referred to as "Nosferatu", was included in the 2002 SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Graveyard Shift". Writer and storyboard director Jay Lender had initially wanted to create an original character called "Floorboard Harry", but replaced him with Orlok as a tribute to the magazine series Famous Monsters of Filmland, which he had enjoyed as a child and where he had first seen images of Orlok. According to Polygon writer James Grebey, "it's entirely possible that more people have seen Count Orlok in that episode of SpongeBob than have seen Nosferatu". The character would appear in some subsequent episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants, and a child version of the character named "Kidferatu" features in Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years.^[46] Robert Eggers, the director of the 2024 Nosferatu remake, credited SpongeBob SquarePants with introducing Count Orlok to younger audiences.^[47]

• Count Dracula
• Nosferatu (word)
• Kurt Barlow
• The Master (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

• Annwn Jones, David (2023). "F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu". In Annwn Jones, D (ed.). Vampires on the Silent Screen: Cinema's First Age of Vampires 1897–1922. Wakefield: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 167–201. ISBN 978-3031386428.
• Bacon, Simon (2022). Nosferatu in the 21st Century: A Critical Study. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 9781800855175.
• Cazacu, Matei (2017). Dracula. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-34725-0.
• Churton, Tobias (2014). The Beast in Berlin: Art, Sex and Magick in the Weimar Republic. Inner Traditions.
• Curti, Roberto (2019). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1980-1989. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1476672434.
• Edwards, Matthew (2016). Klaus Kinski, Beast of Cinema: Critical Essays and Fellow Filmmaker Interviews. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786498970.
• Eisner, Lotte H. (1973). Murnau. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520022850.
• Giesen, Rolf (2019). The Nosferatu Story: The Seminal Horror Film, Its Predecessors and Its Enduring Legacy. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-7298-4.
• Giovannini, Fabio (1997). Il libro dei vampiri. Dal mito di Dracula alla presenza quotidiana (in Italian). Edizioni Dedalo. ISBN 9788822045386.
• Jackson, Kevin (2013). Nosferatu eine Symphonie des Grauens. British Film Institute. ISBN 978-1844576500.
• Magistrale, Tony (2005). Abject Terrors: Surveying the Modern and Postmodern Horror Film. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-0820470566.
• Prager, Brad (2012). A Companion to Werner Herzog. Wiley. ISBN 9781444361407.
• Scivally, Bruce (2015). Dracula FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Count from Transylvania. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-61713-636-8.

• Media related to Count Orlok at Wikimedia Commons