Nosferatu’s Difficult Ending Took “30 Takes” To Film, Bill Skarsgård Recalls

This article contains spoilers for the ending of Nosferatu (2024).Bill Skarsgård reveals what challenges were faced in filming the end of Nosferatu. The Robert Eggers’ adaptation retells the classic gothic tale of vampire Count Orlok’s obsession with a young woman. It stars a leading cast including Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, and Ralph Ineson. Nosferatu has been critically acclaimed and is thus far heating up the box office. At the time of writing, the film has brought in over $56 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing horror movies of 2024.

Speaking with CinemaBlend, Skarsgård discusses the difficulties he faced in filming the ending of Nosferatu. The actor described the sheer amount of prosthetics he had on when playing the titular vampire, describing himself as being “covered in latex, full body.” For the final scene in the movie, the team had to do 30 takes. This resulted in exhaustion for Skarsgård, as he began sweating through his layers and layers of makeup. The sweat even “created this giant bubble on [his] stomach.” Check out the full quote from Skarsgård below:

In terms of the sweat? Not on the face. There was nothing on the face. Everything is like, I’m covered in latex, full body. The only surface of ME is my eyeballs and the soles of my feet. That was the only thing. Everything was covered. And when we were doing the finale, the final moment of the movie, we did 30 takes of it. Without spoiling it, it’s a lot of physical performance. So you’re completely exhausted, and you’re sweating through. What started happening, because there was nowhere for the sweat to escape, it just created this giant bubble on my stomach. It started growing like a tumor. And then between takes, they had to pierce it. … And then on top of that, fake blood and sweat and saliva. It was a gory mess.

What This Means For Nosferatu

The Ending Is A Technical Feat

The ending of Nosferatu sees Skarsgård’s vampire character come to Ellen’s home for one final time. In a moment that is both violent and passionate, Orlok holds Ellen down to her bed as he feeds on her, sucking blood from her chest. This is the “fake blood” that Skarsgård describes, which is plentiful in this final sequence. Though Ellen has succumbed to Orlok, she also causes his demise, luring him in just before sunrise. As the sunlight floods into Ellen’s room at daybreak, the vampire villain is scalded, withering away and dying atop Ellen.

In this film, this final sequence reads as highly emotional, but it is also interesting to hear how that was counterbalanced by the difficulty of the technical aspects of the scene. Given the amount of prosthetics and practical effects used in the sequence, it makes sense why the production had to shoot the scene so many times. They were also probably looking for a take that would resonate emotionally as much as it did visually, as striking that balance is far from easy in a film like Nosferatu.

Our Take On The Nosferatu Makeup

Nosferatu Should Get Recognized For Its Technical Achievements

Ultimately, I believe that Nosferatu succeeded on both fronts by the end of the film. Skarsgård’s statement is a testament to just how much labor was put into the makeup side of things, in order to craft the “gory” feel that is so essential to the film. As Oscar nominations approach in just a few weeks, it will be interesting to see whether Nosferatu gets recognized for its achievements in the makeup field.

Source: CinemaBlend

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Movies
My Watchlist

Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Runtime

132 Minutes

Character(s)

Count Orlok
, Ellen Hutter
, Thomas Hutter
, Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz
, Friedrich Harding
, Anna Harding
, Knock
, Dr. Wilhelm Sievers
, Dockhand
, Head Nurse

Studio(s)

Regency Enterprises
, 1492 Pictures

Distributor(s)

Focus Features
, Universal Pictures

Expand