Summary
- Bill Skarsgård is starring in a 2024 Nosferatu remake, redeeming his past vampire role in Hemlock Grove.
- Directed by Robert Eggers, Nosferatu tells a gothic tale of obsession and horror, with Skarsgård as Count Orlok.
- Nosferatu can bolster Skarsgård’s horror streak, following success as Pennywise and Henry Deaver.
Bill Skarsgård is starring in two horror remakes in 2024, but one, in particular, can make up for an 11-year-old vampire flop he starred in. The horror genre continues to seize the trend of reboots, remakes, and sequels, and 2024 has many of them waiting to be released. Bill Skarsgård is starring in two of these, one of them a remake of a vampire classic: F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, released in 1922, an unauthorized and unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel, and which is adding to an ongoing trend of vampire stories on the big screen.
Directed by Robert Eggers, Nosferatu is described as a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and a “terrifying” vampire who has become infatuated with her, unleashing horror for her and those around her. Starring in Nosferatu are Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, the woman haunted by vampire Count Orlok, played by Bill Skarsgård, and Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter, a Jonathan Harker-like character. Nosferatu isn’t the first time Bill Skarsgård plays a vampire, as he did so 11 years ago, but Count Orlok can make up for that past failure.
Bill Skarsgård Has Now Played 3 Iconic Horror Characters In Just 7 Years
With two of his upcoming movies in 2024, Bill Skarsgård will have played three very different iconic horror characters in less than a decade.
Bill Skarsgård’s Nosferatu Is Already Better Than His Hemlock Grove Vampire
Bill Skarsgård Played Upir Roman Godfrey In Hemlock Grove
In 2013, Bill Skarsgård played Roman Godfrey in Netflix’s horror TV series Hemlock Grove. Based on Brian McGreevy’s 2012 novel of the same name, Hemlock Grove took viewers to the fictional title town in Pennsylvania to meet the Godfrey family, the wealthiest in Hemlock Grove, led by Olivia Godfrey (Famke Janssen). Olivia’s son and heir to the Godfrey empire was Roman, and she also had a daughter, Shelley, who, after dying when she was a baby, was brought back in a very Frankenstein way. Shelley’s past wasn’t the only secret Olivia Godfrey kept, as she and Roman were “upirs”, a type of vampire.
Hemlock Grove
was one of Netflix’s first original TV shows but was removed in 2022.
Hemlock Grove
’s story and characters were inconsistent, it addressed some controversial topics (and didn’t do it well), and it got more chaotic and messier as it progressed.
Roman’s “upir” nature didn’t fully manifest until the end of Hemlock Grove season 1, and for the next two seasons, he struggled with it as he was driven to feed and kill. The concept of Hemlock Grove, which combined three classic monsters (vampires, Frankenstein’s monster, and werewolves through Roman’s friend Peter Rumancek), along with the murder mystery in season 1, was enough to draw the audience’s attention, but the series didn’t do much to keep it. Hemlock Grove’s story and characters were inconsistent, it addressed some controversial topics (and didn’t do it well), and it got more chaotic and messier as it progressed.
Count Orlok has a better-structured story and mythology, and the movie has a clearer purpose than Hemlock Grove.
Roman Godfrey was also a problematic character and the whole “upir” mythology was never fully explained (nor was it in the book), adding to the inconsistency and mess of Hemlock Grove. Because of this and more, Nosferatu is already better than Hemlock Grove and Skarsgård’s Roman Godfrey, as Count Orlok has a better-structured story and mythology, and the movie has a clearer purpose than Hemlock Grove, which felt directionless.
Nosferatu Can Continue Bill Skarsgård’s Great Horror Streak
Bill Skarsgård Has An Impressive Track Record In The Horror Genre
Nosferatu
has the potential to continue Bill Skarsgård’s successful horror streak, even if
The Crow
crashes and burns.
Although Bill Skarsgård has shown his acting range in projects from different genres, he has earned a place in the horror genre. Skarsgård’s reign in the horror genre started in 2017 when he played Pennywise in Andy Muschietti’s It and It Chapter Two, and in 2022 he had a minor role in Barbarian. On TV, along with Hemlock Grove, Skarsgård played Henry Deaver/The Kid in Castle Rock, inspired by the stories and characters of Stephen King. In addition to Nosferatu, Skarsgård’s other horror role in 2024 is The Crow, the remake of the 1994 cult classic.
Nosferatu has the potential to continue Bill Skarsgård’s successful horror streak, even if The Crow crashes and burns (which could still be a success in Skarsgård’s career thanks to his performance, even if the movie in general fails). The first Nosferatu footage shown at CinemaCon 2024 has received a lot of praise and Robert Eggers is known for his unique vision in horror movies, so there’s a big chance that it will be another success in Bill Skarsgård’s career in horror, as well as the one that redeems his messy vampire from Hemlock Grove.
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Nosferatu (2024)
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.
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Hemlock Grove
Set in small-town Pennsylvania, Hemlock Grove explores the lives of the titular town’s residents as they deal with a series of strange, brutal murders. Two young men, Roman Godfrey and Peter Rumancek, set out to uncover what is actually going on while dealing with their respective supernatural secrets. The series stars Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron, Famke Janssen, Penelope Mitchell, Lili Taylor, and Dougray Scott.
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