Robert Eggers gives a facelift to Nosferatu who was beginning to become anemic in his castle in the Carpathians, in the depths of Romania. After Murnau's silent classic where the disturbing Max Schreck played the vampire in 1922 and the film where Klaus Kinski bit Isabelle Adjani in Werner Herzog's version in 1979, it is Bill Skarsgård, unrecognizable, who cuts his teeth on Lily -Rose Depp.
“Bill has a unique presence,” explains the director. It exudes an immediate charm tinged with eroticism which appears even when it is made up.” Seduction is an important element in the incarnation of a mythical vampire who attracts his prey under his canines. “The public has become accustomed to forms of cinematic horror that are more robust than gothic dramas like the story of Nosferatu,” insists the filmmaker. The modernization of the story had to involve a metamorphosis of the vampire.” He got down to it with firm dentures.
Wild, dirty and sexy
“I wanted to show him as a wild animal, repugnant and fascinating at the same time,” explains the director. Sexuality and bestiality seemed to me to be crucial elements to give depth to this version of the vampire. I especially didn't want him to remind us of Edward Cullen played by Robert Pattinson in the saga. Twilight “. His blood drinker evokes Vlad Tepes, a 15th century Romanian ruler nicknamed “Vlad the Impaler” who inspired the novelist Bram Stoker to write Dracula. “His portraits influenced me,” admits Robert Eggers. The Nosferatu of my film is a mixture of many references including the Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola. But I didn’t want to review any version before starting mine.”
Bill Skarsgård had to undergo several hours of makeup before each day of filming before becoming the sinister Count Orlok, a fan of hemoglobin. He also agreed to lose weight to obtain the skeletal appearance of Nosferatu. “He was accustomed to this kind of constraints since his performance as Pennywise for Thatexplains the director. He admitted to me that Nosferatu marked for him an important evolution in the incarnation of Evil.
Really scary
Above all, Robert Eggers wanted his vampire to be truly frightening. “ Nosferatu by Murnau was one of the first films I saw on television when I was a child, he remembers. I was terrified by the appearances of the vampire and I would like current audiences to feel the same type of fear when watching my film.” The creature's teeth are a crucial aspect of its appearance. We will politely say that oral hygiene is not his strong point and that we would not like him to come and bite our carotid artery.
The way the vampire speaks is also an important element. “Again, Bill worked like crazy to modify his voice,” says Robert Eggers. An opera singer came to help him achieve a sensual and disturbing timbre.” Enough to send more or less pleasant shivers down our spine at the idea of seeing him tap on the window to bite our necks…
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