Warning: This article contains spoilers for Nosferatu.

At the end of , I assumed that Count Orlok's fate had to do with classic vampire lore, yet a recent Robert Eggers interview has proved that this isn't quite true. Based on the 1922 movie, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, 2024's Nosferatu tells the story of Ellen Hutter, a young newlywed who is haunted by horrifying dreams. , and comes back with tragic news. Since premiering at the end of 2024, Nosferatu has earned strong critical praise.

with the original Nosferatu story. While the movie is full of scares and horror, it also subverts expectations at just about every turn. For example, Bill Skarsgård's Count Orlok is not a bald, pale-faced creature but an imposing moustached man covered in furs. Ellen is certainly Orlok's victim, but she also can't resist his call. Even the end of Nosferatu switches up what audiences expect through Count Orlok's death.

At the end of Nosferatu, Ellen defeats Count Orlok by inviting him into her home and making love to him until the sun rises, after which, he dies. Watching this scene, . Past vampire stories have often emphasized vampires' aversion to sunlight, and Orlok himself only appeared at night, sleeping in his coffin during the day. Therefore, I had no doubts about Orlok's sun-caused demise.

In fact, Orlok's death made plenty of sense to me in terms of story as well. Ellen sacrifices herself for the greater good of those she loves and the city at large. She allows Orlok in as a trick, distracting him enough that he forgets about the time. It is a bittersweet sort of moment, as before they both die. However, it turns out this isn't exactly the case.

It is easy to assume that Orlok dies by sunlight in Nosferatu, but the truth is subtly different. In an interview with The New York Times, Eggers explains that in the original Nosferatu movie, Orlok's death coincides with the sunrise, and Eggers wanted to repeat that magical final moment. However, he makes it clear that it isn't the sunlight that kills him, and in fact, the 1922 movie partly created that myth. , but the fact that "in folklore...the vampire must be in their grave by the first cockcrow."

This minute change in Orlok's death actually says a lot about Orlok and vampires in general. The rule of vampires being averse to sunlight is a somewhat arbitrary myth, as it has little symbolic meaning. It simply implies that vampires are creatures of the night. However, . This hints that vampires are not of this world and are living on borrowed time. As Eggers says, it is the "purity of dawn," that Orlok cannot handle, not the light itself.

Overall, Eggers' revelation about the sunlight and the original Nosferatu totally changes my view of vampires in media. There have been countless iterations of vampire stories, each of which puts its own spin on the blood-sucking creatures. However, , and worse, be misinterpreted. Honestly, Eggers' clarification shows how Nosferatu is dedicated to a far older and more accurate version of vampires.

Ultimately, , and how that makes the movie better. By defying more obvious vampire tropes and focusing on folklore more than realism or surprise, it makes Nosferatu feel refreshing and authentic. Overall, I'm impressed with Eggers' attention to detail and hope he makes more movies like in the future.