By REBECCA SAYCE
From Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla to Interview with the Vampire, From Dusk Till Dawn and even the Twilight franchise, vampires have been intrinsically linked to sexuality. Despite the vampire’s ghoulish nature, the beast’s blood-sucking creature proves to be alluring to us mere mortals – something that has seen the horror subgenre thrive since the days of early cinema. Few films are a testament to the enduring popularity of vampire movies than NOSFERATU, which more than 100 years since F.W. Murnau terrified audiences with his homage to Bram Stoker’s villain, has hit the big screen once more.
Robert Eggers’ passion project has been more than ten years in the making, bringing Count Orlok to a new generation who may not be acquainted with the 1922 film. Much of his film remains true to the original, following Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) as he ventures to a remote village in the Carpathian Mountains to facilitate the purchase of a property back in Germany for the reclusive Count (Bill Skarsgård). After he arrives at the Count’s home, he discovers the aristocrat’s true vampiric nature and escapes the castle’s confines to return to Wisborg and his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), with whom the Count harbors an obsession. In addition to its narrative, Eggers’ NOSFERATU stays true to many of the conventions of the vampire subgenre, such as the enticing nature of the deadly creature of the night. But it transforms the notion of sexual freedom through the vampire with a dark twist that tackles a taboo subject cinema often shies away from and offers a nuanced look at how sex and sexuality can be both liberating and confining.
NOSFERATU (2024) begins with Ellen reacting to an ethereal voice calling out to her, as she moans in what could be perceived as a sexual manner. In the dead of night, she goes outside and writhes on the floor as the voice continues to speak to her. The sexually charged scene is tinged with darkness, not just in its setting and dim lighting, but as Ellen’s pleasure turns to pain and she violently convulses while the non-diegetic music reaches a deafening crescendo. It introduces the juxtaposed nature of pleasure and violence that runs throughout the movie, centered on Ellen’s relationship with Count Orlok and the devastation it has wreaked upon her life.
Soon after, we see Ellen and Thomas in their bright and cozy home – a stark contrast to the vast, empty garden in which Ellen was introduced. Her character is often seen in close-ups while in her home, making her appear as a powerful presence in the scene, whereas in the garden, she is seen in long shots that make her seem vulnerable. Ellen’s relationship with the disembodied voice appears entirely different from that of hers with Thomas. While her encounter with the as-yet-unnamed voice is animalistic and passionate, her marriage to Thomas is loving and affectionate, yet not as sexually charged. Ellen is distraught to learn that Thomas needs to travel to the home of Count Orlok in the Carpathian region, and she admits that she has experienced dreams that she is marrying death, and though terrified, it was the happiest she had ever been. It unites the idea of pleasure and pain, while also foreshadowing the tragic end her character will meet and the insidious reasons behind her terrible visions.
NOSFERATU’s marketing kept much of the titular monster in the shadows, saving his grand reveal for the cinema experience. And when Thomas arrives at Orlok’s castle, he is still lurking in the shadows. The audience only sees glimpses of his clawed hands, rotting skin, and sallow eyes as his voice reverberates across the dinner table while the duo peruses the property contracts. It portrays Orlok as monstrous as it relies on the viewers’ engrained fear of the unknown and the uncanny to repel them. But as he speaks, his voice is recognizable from the opening scene and it’s impossible not to picture Ellen’s titillation when simultaneously feeling repulsed by Orlok’s presence.
Thomas also reacts to Orlok in fear even before learning of his true nature, recoiling and dripping with sweat as the Count asks to look at an injury he sustains. Thomas’ fear reaches its peak when, after days of nightmares, he discovers Orlok’s resting place deep in the castle’s crypts. Orlok chases Thomas through the building, eventually feeding from him. Unlike traditional vampire films where the monster bites the neck of its victims, Orlok feeds from Thomas’ chest while thrusting and contorting on top of him, simulating sexual intercourse. Thomas’ euphoric reaction mirrors Ellen’s in NOSFERATU’s opening scene, perpetuating the common convention within vampire horror that the creature’s bloodlust is a metaphor for sexual activity, with the act of feeding consisting of penetration and the exchange of bodily fluids.
Orlok’s titillating experiences with both Ellen and Thomas position him among the legions of queer-coded vampires in pop culture. Orlok may be represented as more monstrous in appearance than your average suave, sophisticated, conventionally attractive vampire which can, in turn, be seen to represent queer sexual relationships as villainous and depraved. This is especially pertinent given the additional taboo that Orlok is technically dead and the humans engaging in intercourse with him would be committing necrophilia. However, the erotic scenes he shares with Thomas and Ellen are not just used to convey horror, but also the undeniable attraction his human victims feel when in his presence. Like many vampire films before it, NOSFERATU presents the monster as a queer, sexual being that sexually liberates his human victims.
Where NOSFERATU subverts audience expectations is in Orlok’s obsession with Ellen and the nature of their relationship. As she continues to suffer from night terrors and convulsions, Ellen reveals that she first began experiencing these visions when she was far younger. She later confirms what this admission alluded to – that Orlok first visited her and fed from her as a child. When we consider Ellen’s and Thomas’ sexual reactions to Orlok feeding and his nightly visitations in Ellen’s dreams, he can be seen to represent child sexual abuse (CSA) within the narrative. This is furthered when he discovers Thomas’ locket, containing a lock of Ellen’s hair. He comments that it smells like lilacs, which are traditionally symbolic of youth, innocence and purity. In a later scene, we see Orlok kill Clara (Adéla Hesová) and Louise Harding (Milena Konstantinova), the children of Ellen and Thomas’ friends Anna (Emma Corrin) and Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), after draining their blood. This can be seen to further confirm Orlok’s predatory behavior toward children, as we are shown his brutal and animalistic slaughter of his ‘prey.’
Ellen says that she cannot remember exactly what happened to her as a child, and that pieces of her memory have come back over time, which positions her as a victim of CSA repressing their trauma. Other aspects of Ellen’s behavior can be seen to represent the long-term effects of CSA on an adult victim: emotions such as fear, shame, humiliation, self-blame and guilt (per The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists). Ellen experiences recurring nightmares and flashbacks of the abuse and exhibits symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which can manifest in victims of CSA: emotional dysregulation, dissociation, negative self-image and self-destructive relationships. While her marriage with Thomas is initially seen as positive and loving, as Orlok travels to Germany and Ellen’s visions worsen, she lashes out at Thomas and claims that “he (Thomas) could never please her” like “he (Orlok)” could. This scene is important to the narrative and its overall message when dealing with CSA for multiple reasons.
Firstly, it can be seen to show how victims of abuse – whether it be sexual, physical or verbal – can then go on to repeat that same pattern of abuse with future partners. Ellen begins to contort as if possessed while shouting at Thomas, making her appear as monstrous as Orlok and thus aligning her with NOSFERTU’s villain. Additionally, she berates Thomas into having sex with her, an action which can be seen to mimic the abuse she has experienced as she coerces her husband into a sexual act without his explicit consent.
Secondly, this scene introduces a difficult notion that many films that cover CSA do not explore: the complex feelings victims can have toward their abusers. While Ellen recognizes Orlok’s monstrous nature and his horrifying behavior towards her, in this scene, she positively compares his sexuality to Thomas while emasculating her husband. Ellen’s apparent ‘love’ for Orlok can be seen to represent her as a victim of grooming, with research from Barnardos identifying that tactics used by predators who groom people of any age include forming a bond with their victim, which means when the abuse follows, they feel guilt about severing this relationship. Additionally, research by the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR) found that many victims continue a relationship with their abuser due to varying reactions to trauma, and reasoned that some victims may still feel affection for their abuser while also recognizing their disdain for the abuse that they suffer. In NOSFERATU we do not see how Orlok groomed Ellen as a child, but as an adult, we see him isolate her from her loved ones by threatening to take their lives if she does not pledge herself to him willingly. Barnardos identifies that once sexual abuse has begun, a perpetrator may use secret, blame and threats to force their victim into silence and participation, which Orlok achieves by threatening the lives of those close to Ellen. Despite this, scenes shared with Ellen and Orlok see them framed close together, with Orlok explaining his love for Ellen and how he “cannot be complete without her.”
NOSFERATU’s final scene sees Ellen dupe Thomas as well as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) and Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe), who have been treating Ellen and their loved ones when afflicted by Orlok’s grasp. They travel to Orlok’s home to set it – and his coffin – ablaze so he cannot return to the soil from his hometown he needs to rest in each day at sunrise. However, Ellen instead lures Orlok away from the castle, determined to end his life herself. The PCAR states that many abuse victims may maintain a relationship with their abuser to reclaim their identity and sexuality after their abuse, an act which can be attributed to the finale of NOSFERATU.
NOSFERATU offers a unique representation of sexuality in that it shows both its sensuous and sinister side, while also exploring the grey area that can exist in-between. Count Orlok can be seen to conform to the conventional queer-coded vampire who acts to sexually liberate the conservative protagonists, in this case, while also acting as a metaphor for the reprehensible act of CSA. His encounters with Thomas, Ellen and even Anna are framed as sexually charged – with Ellen in one scene saying the vampire is “crawling like a snake inside her body.” When he drinks blood from victims, it involves sharing bodily fluids with his victims, penetration and thrusting on top of them. However, when Ellen reveals Orlok fed from her as a child, her emotional outbursts, night terrors and repressed memories can in turn be attributed to her being a victim of CSA. Despite this, she still shows a clear fondness for Orlok which sees NOSFERATU tackle the complex emotions a victim of CSA and grooming can feel toward their abuser. This is not to say NOSFERATU’S representation of sexuality and CSA is perfect. If we consider Orlok’s bisexuality/pansexuality in the narrative, the film can be seen to enforce the outdated notion of queer people abusing children based solely on their sexuality. It can also be seen to enforce the myth that children are abused by the “monstrous stranger” when studies have shown that victims of CSA are often victimized by someone close to them.
Ultimately, NOSFERATU offers a nuanced look at a spectrum of sexuality, from sensuality and consent to coercion, violence, and rape. It transforms vampires from purely being metaphorical of sexual liberation to a complex, darker figure that makes them feel monstrous once more.
NOSFERATU (2024) is currently available for purchase across most major streaming platforms.
