‘Nosferatu’ Director Reveals the “Comical” but Icky Scene Cut From Its End

Warning: The Following Contains SPOILERS for the End of Robert Eggers’Nosferatu

Nosferatu opened with a big splash on Christmas day, earning $11.6 million dollars at the box office, which was way above anyone’s expectations. The vampire flick has been receiving high praise from both fans and critics, mainly due to the performances of Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgård, who plays Count Orlok. Directed by Robert Eggers, the Gothic horror film hearkens back to the original classic in many ways, but with a modern twist, and – according to Eggers – a scene so “demented” it had to be cut from the final edit.

Starring Depp as Ellen Hutter, the closing moments of Nosferatu feature her character embracing a battered Orlok, allowing him to feed on her to keep him distracted until the sun rises. It was at that moment that Eggers told Variety he knew there was one aspect of the scene that had to be cut because not only was it “demented,” but it was too “comical” and didn’t fit with everything that came before it.

“Well, if you look very closely at that shot, Orlok is still bleeding out of his eyes, ears and nose. There are some maggot holes in his back. We also rigged it so that he would be bleeding out of his anus, but it was very comical. When we started rolling, we had to literally put a cork in it.”

He definitely made the right call because the horrifying yet tender moment surely would have been ruined by a bleeding anus and taken away from its overall impact. Yes, it would have made sense, considering Orlok is leaking blood from every other orifice, but to actually witness it on screen probably would have had the opposite effect and caused a large portion of the audience to snicker rather than appreciate what Eggers was trying to do with his phenomenal ending.

Robert Eggers Names His Favorite Horror Movie of 2024

With Nosferatu in the can, Eggers now has four features under his belt, all of which have received critical acclaim. When it comes to what’s next for the director, he told Variety that though he’s penned a lot of screenplays that are “all Robert Eggers-y, for better or for worse,” there’s nothing specific that he has in mind yet for his next project.

That being said, the director was able to share that – despite being busy for most of the year with Nosferatu – he did manage to check out a few horror movies that 2024 had to offer and named which one he enjoyed the most. “I really like The Substance,” he said. “It had a consistent, clear, specific vision and was very well-executed. As a filmmaker, you can’t help but admire that and champion it.”

Perhaps he’ll be inspired to create his own body horror film? It isn’t very likely, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like to see it. Imagine the director of The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and now Nosferatu putting his own spin on the subgenre. What a treat that would be. One can only dream, though, right? As we await word of what Eggers’ next project will be, make sure to check out Nosferatu in theaters now from Focus Features.

Your changes have been saved

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Runtime

2h 12m