Nosferatu’s Makeup Effects Designer Breaks Down Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok Prosthetics

Makeup effects designer David White recently discussed the process behind Bill Skarsgård’s transformation into Count Orlok for Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. The gothic horror reimagines F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic as the titular vampire preys upon the residents of a remote seaside village, particularly the haunted Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), a young woman whose husband, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), is unwittingly drawn into the grasp of the ancient creature. Released on Christmas Day by Focus Features, Nosferatu continues to captivate audiences with Egger’s signature atmospheric dread.

In an interview with Variety, White explained the meticulous process of designing Skarsgård’s prosthetics to embody the ageless yet decayed Count Orlok. He drew inspiration from Max Schreck’s 1922 portrayal of the vampire while crafting a wholly original vision for Egger’s remake. Here’s what the designer had to say about the most challenging part of the design:

I would say the most challenging part to develop was the fact that his prosthetic makeup had to work on so many levels, and with only one sculptural look. I had to find interesting ways to meet all the criteria.

I was keen to keep his age ambiguous — ageless, so to speak. I did this by being very particular about the amount of wrinkles and obvious character lines, keeping the look more sparse with no hoods over his eyelids and no eye bags. He also has to be appealing and charismatic to Ellen and able to disguise his filthy rot and decay by keeping in the shadows as cover.

His coloration was also challenging. I devised two very different looks: one when he is in his Sarcophagus — when his “trance State” coloration is puce with bruised red blemishes and dark tones — and the other being his “day look,” which was waxen and sallow.

White also outlined the astonishing number of prosthetics used to bring Count Orlok to life. Read the details below:

Orlok has nine prosthetics for his head and face alone: a neck, back of head, chin, cheeks, bottom and top lip, ears, nose, forehead and nose bridge.

He also has top and bottom hand prosthetics, with eight finger extensions incorporating nails, and two thumbs, each with a blender prosthetic to disguise the edges.

For Orlok’s full-body prosthetic, there are a phenomenal 62 prosthetic pieces that take a team of six to apply.

What Bill Skarsgård’s Intense Nosferatu Transformation Means

What A Transformation From Pennywise To Count Orlok

Bill Skarsgård is no stranger to enduring hours in the makeup chair to embody terrifying, otherworldly creatures. His transformation into Pennywise in the 2017 remake of It required two and a half hours of prosthetic application. For Nosferatu, the process was even more demanding, varying between four and six hours depending on the extent of the look. The actor donned long, pointed nails, pale skin marred with open sores, and eyes that would flash into a milky white trance state as he stalked characters like Thomas and Ellen.

Skarsgård’s Orlok becomes a more humanized yet monstrous nobility, contrasting even with Werner Herzog’s 1979 remake, which retained the bald, sunken-eyed aesthetic of the original.

Eggers envisioned a Count Orlok with a more aristocratic air. As White explained, “Orlok was of noble stature, [so] Robert really wanted him to have a mustache and forelock,” a distinct departure from the original version, which was practically hairless except for some bushy and expressive eyebrows. Skarsgård’s Orlok becomes a more humanized yet monstrous nobility, contrasting even with Werner Herzog’s 1979 remake, which retained the bald, sunken-eyed aesthetic of the original.

Despite these differences, one signature feature persists across every iteration of Count Orlok: the infamous long nails. In Skarsgård’s portrayal, these elongated, gnarled fingers remain a symbol of predation, reaching ominously from the shadows to ensnare his victims or spread a curse across an entire town. By blending timeless elements like these nails with a fresh interpretation of Orlok’s physicality, Eggers’ Nosferatu preserves the haunting legacy of its lonesome predecessors while crafting a vampire whose haunting presence oozes with ghastly power in this modern iteration.

Our Take On Nosferatu’s Make-Up Design

It’s A Haunting Triumph Of Craft And Performance

Eggers’ Nosferatu is a visual and atmospheric masterpiece with Skarsgård’s transformation into Count Orlok as one of its most haunting aspects. His gnarled nails and skin create an unforgettable portrait of an ancient predator who can be both charismatic and grotesque. As White balances his homage to the 1922 original with fresh additions to the ancient vampire, Nosferatu never shies away from the horror that defines him. Egger’s Count Orlok is a nobleman born out of decay and menace, a vampire who is as compelling as he is horrifying.

Source: Variety