“The Final Scene of Nosferatu is Graphic, Bloody, and Fierce – Capturing the Essence of Vampires”

The 2024 version of “Nosferatu” has many standout moments, but for me, the highlight was the intense and gruesome scene involving Lily-Rose Depp and Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd. This particular scene, filled with blood and lust, is a stark departure from the typical romanticized vampire encounters seen before. After building up tension with two hours of eerie gothic horror, the shocking climax certainly delivers a memorable experience. Say goodbye to the charming vampire stereotypes; this film brings back the raw and unsettling nature of these creatures.

Warning: Major spoilers for the new Nosferatu film ahead.

Robert Eggers, the writer and director known for his unique horror creations like “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” helms this adaptation. The movie is a modern take on the classic 1922 silent film “Nosferatu,” which itself was an unauthorized twist on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” from 1897. In this rendition, Nicholas Hoult portrays Thomas Hunter while Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen Hunter, a newly married couple in 1838 Germany. After Ellen unwittingly becomes the target of the sinister Count Orlok (portrayed by Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd) due to a childhood wish, the story takes a dark turn.

As the plot unfolds, Count Orlok captures Thomas, revealing his true vampire nature. Although Thomas manages to escape, he is left weakened, and the danger persists as Orlok sets out to bring a deadly plague to their town. With her loved ones falling victim to the vampire’s curse, Ellen realizes that the only way to end the terror is to exploit Orlok’s infatuation with her and lead him to his demise.

So Ellen sets up a distraction for her doting husband, and then she finally does what Orlok has been imploring her to do: She calls to him. When he appears in her bedroom, she promises herself to him. Mind, body, and soul. But mostly, in this case, body.

Ellen lies back on her bed. Orlok climbs atop her body, in order to drink her blood. It’s not entirely clear whether he’s also, you know, literally having sex with her while he drinks her blood, but it hardly matters. Eggers films it like a sex scene, with nudity, caressing, and shot-reverse-shots of the lovers. Depp and Skarsgard perform it like a sex scene, with labored breaths, sensual moans, and—in Skarsgard’s case—pelvic thrusts. Penetration or not, it’s a sex scene.

But it’s also a gory, visceral death scene. Orlok is literally devouring Ellen as a meal. He chomps a huge hole in her chest, the blood starts flowing, and Orlok starts slurping. It’s primal. It’s carnal. It’s savage. It’s absolutely disgusting, and yet, uncomfortably titillating. And that’s everything vampires should be.

Edward Cullen and the Twilight gang did a lot of damage to the vampire rep in the 2010s. Sure, those vampires were sexy—but they were too sexy. They were aloof, untouchable, and most importantly, not at all gross. They were so clean and well-groomed that they literally sparkled. That’s the opposite of primal and disgusting! Vampires are supposed to represent the basest of our carnal desires.

Thankfully, this version of Nosferatu is correcting Twilight‘s wrongs. Skarsgard’s Orlok isn’t the object of desire—he is desire. Desire isn’t pretty. It’s animalistic, raw, and messy. It’s sweat, skin, and fluids. It’s consumption at its very worst. When Orlok dies—burned up by the morning sun—it’s because he wasn’t strong enough to resist the siren call of his most primal urges. And I think that’s beautiful.