| Nosferatu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Eggers |
| Screenplay by | Robert Eggers |
| Based on | Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror byHenrik Galeen Dracula byBram Stoker |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke |
| Edited by | Louise Ford |
| Music by | Robin Carolan |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 132 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[2] |
| Box office | $182 million[3][4] |
Nosferatu is a 2024 AmericanGothichorror film written and directed byRobert Eggers. It is a remake ofNosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922), which was in turn inspired byBram Stoker's novelDracula (1897). It starsBill Skarsgård,Nicholas Hoult,Lily-Rose Depp,Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Emma Corrin, andWillem Dafoe.
Development began in 2015, when Eggers planned to make it his second film; he described it as a passion project, but eventually opted to delay its production. Skarsgård and Depp were cast in lead roles in September 2022. Filming took place primarily atBarrandov Studios inPrague between February and May 2023.
Nosferatu had its world premiere in Berlin on December 2, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States byFocus Features on December 25. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $182 million worldwide on a $50 million budget, becoming Eggers' highest-grossing film. At the97th Academy Awards, the film earned nominations forBest Cinematography,Best Costume Design,Best Production Design, andBest Makeup and Hairstyling.
A young girl named Ellen prays for a companion to ease her loneliness. She inadvertently contacts a powerful being known as theNosferatu, forging a psychic link between them.
In 1838, Ellen has marriedThomas Hutter, and they live in Wisburg,Germany. Thomas is sent to Transylvania by his employer, Herr Knock, to sell the decrepit Grünewald Manor to the reclusiveCount Orlok. He leaves her with his friend Friedrich Harding and his pregnant wife Anna, who have two daughters. Unbeknownst to Thomas, Knock is actually in league with Orlok.
Arriving in a Transylvaniahamlet, Thomas is shunned by the locals when he mentions Castle Orlok. That night, he witnesses a group ofRoma exhuming and staking an alleged vampire's corpse, which gushes blood. He wakes up to the hamlet deserted and his horse gone. He continues on foot until a mysterious carriage takes him to Orlok's castle.
Distracted by Orlok's appearance during dinner, Thomas cuts his hand, which agitates the Count. He wakes up on the floor of the dining room the next morning. Orlok completes the home sale and takes Thomas' locket, containing a lock of Ellen's hair. Thomas discovers bite marks on his chest and becomes increasingly ill and fearful. While attempting to escape the castle, he ends up in a crypt where he finds the Count asleep in a coffin, naked and decayed. When Orlok awakens and gives pursuit, Thomas falls into a river and is rescued byEastern Orthodoxnuns. They explain that Orlok became a vampire after making a pact withthe Devil. Orlok sets sail for Wisburg inside his coffin on a ship withplague-carrying rats.
Meanwhile, Ellen, under Orlok's influence, begins suffering from seizures and sleepwalking. Her doctor, Wilhelm Sievers, consults with his former mentor, Albin Eberhart von Franz, a Swiss scientist ostracized for hisoccult beliefs. Von Franz confirms that Ellen is under the Nosferatu's demonic influence. Knock is institutionalized after killing and eating sheep raw. Von Franz reveals that sunlight will kill the Nosferatu.
Thomas returns to Wisburg as Orlok's plague ravages the populace. Knock escapes and escorts Orlok to Grünewald Manor. Orlok appears to Ellen in her nightmares and tells her that Thomas "sold" her to him for his commission of the home sale (he could not read the documents as they were in Orlok's language). He demands that she submit to him in three days or he will kill Thomas. She awakes to find Anna being attacked by plague-infested rats. Ellen berates Thomas for allowing Orlok to take advantage of him, resulting in them having troubled sex. Orlok retaliates by killing Anna and her children. Upon seeing Orlok's bites on Thomas, Friedrich realizes the couple was telling the truth. Mad with grief, Friedrich dies from the plague at his family's graves.
Von Franz's research suggests that a fair maiden's willing sacrifice can destroy Nosferatu. Knowing that only she can stop the plague, Ellen conspires with von Franz to keep Thomas away. Thomas, von Franz, and Sievers go to Grünewald Manor, where they accidentally kill Knock after finding him sleeping in Orlok's coffin. Thomas realizes the deception as Ellen summons Orlok and allows him to feed on her until sunrise. Distracted by her, Orlok is killed by the sunrise. Thomas returns and holds Ellen's hand as she dies, while von Franz confirms that her sacrifice has freed them from the Nosferatu.
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In July 2015, the remake ofNosferatu (1922) was announced withRobert Eggers writing and directing. Jay Van Hoy andLars Knudsen were slated to produce the film for Studio 8.[5] In November 2016, Eggers expressed surprise that theNosferatu remake was his second planned film, saying, "It feels ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to doNosferatu next. I was really planning on waiting a while, but that's how fate shook out."[6] During an interview withDen of Geek around the release ofThe Lighthouse (2019), Eggers revealed that although he had dedicated a lot of time to bringing the story into the 21st century, he did not know when or if it would happen. He said that he "spent so many years and so much time [...] it would be a real shame if it never happened".[7]
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Eggers's early fascination withNosferatu ignited a passion for filmmaking that would shape his career. He became inspired by both Henrik Galeen's screenplay and Bram Stoker's 1897 novelDracula and with high school classmate Ashley Kelly-Tata adapted the story for the stage, performing it at their school. Their production caught the eye of Edouard Langlois, who invited them to transfer it toNew York City'sEdwin Booth Theatre.[8] Eggers stated that "vampirism and Dracula is the thing that I've been thinking about and looking at for a long time". "I had readMontague Summers as a teenager, and many other authors of vampire lore, but I think, until I set out to makeNosferatu, I was still too contaminated by the cinematic tropes. And so, you're infusing things you're reading with cinematic tropes that aren't there. In doing the research to write this script, I needed to be disciplined to forget what I knew. And then, you start looking at the really early vampire accounts, and you're like, 'They're not even drinking blood, they're just strangling people, or suffocating people, or fucking them to death.' And that was really interesting".[9] He also decided to let Orlok drink from the victims' chest instead of their neck, as old folklores often imagined vampires drinking blood from the chest right above the heart.[10]
The character ofOrlok is partially inspired byVlad Dracula, the 15th-centuryVoivode of Wallachia, after whom the original Dracula was named.[11] Eschewing the monstrous appearance of Murnau's Orlok or theAnglo-literary vampire appearance, Eggers preferred the appearance of afolk vampire, claiming that "there's never been a version of Dracula orNosferatu dressed like aTransylvanian nobleman with authenticHungarian attire from the 16th century." The count was written more like an undead corpse, instead of looking sexy or as an actual monster, an element from early vampire myths. Costume designerLinda Muir sought inspiration from the Transylvanian military from around 1560 to the mid-1600s, incorporating pieces of clothing such asdolman,mente orkolpak into Orlok's costume.[12][13] Eggers explained that Orlok was given a mustache because "there's no way this guy can't have a mustache". In old Transylvanian culture, all men who could grow a mustache would have a mustache.[14] According to prosthetic makeup effects designer David White, Orlok's physique was partially influenced byÖtzi, anatural mummy discovered in 1991 in theÖtztal Alps: "[Eggers] really wanted the feeling of Orlok having had all life sucked from him, every last drop of blood."[15] Conceptualizing Orlok as an ancient Romanian count, Eggers made the decision to have him speak a reconstructed form of theDacian language in the film,[16] whileRomanian andRomani are spoken by other Transylvanian residents.[12] The film also makes a nod to directorVictor Sjöström's silent classic,The Phantom Carriage (1921).[11] Eggers also explored the work of French neurologistJean-Martin Charcot and his findings on so-calledhysteria[9] and took inspiration fromAndrzej Żuławski's filmsPossession (1981),The Devil (1972) andThe Third Part of the Night (1971).[17]
In August 2017, actressAnya Taylor-Joy was cast, reteaming with Eggers afterThe Witch (2015);[18] she was still attached to the project in 2020, though her specific role had not been announced.[19]Harry Styles had been cast to star opposite Taylor-Joy,[20] but dropped out of the project in 2021 citing scheduling concerns.[21][22]
Eggers initially considered several talents to play the role of Count Orlok, includingDaniel Day-Lewis andMads Mikkelsen.[23] Finally, on September 30, 2022, it was announced that Swedish actorBill Skarsgård would star in the role of Count Orlok, whom Eggers had also had in mind for the film adaptation years earlier.[24] However, before he was offered the role of the film's titular vampire, Skarsgård had originallyauditioned for and been offered the role ofThomas Hutter. After many failed attempts to make the film, Skarsgård's portrayal ofPennywise inIt (2017) andIt Chapter Two (2019) attracted popularity, aiding the recasting decision.[25][26] The addition of actressLily-Rose Depp, replacing Anya Taylor-Joy, was also announced on September 30, 2022.[24][27] Casting director Kharmel Cochrane originally texted Depp and apologized to her in advance, dismissing her as a serious contender for the role of Ellen Hutter because she thought Depp couldn't act as she hadn't seen anything that showed her capable of doing that in addition to thenepotism accusations of her work because of her fatherJohnny Depp's influence, but Cochrane changed her mind once Lily-Rose auditioned and proved her wrong.[27]Nicholas Hoult entered negotiations to join the cast in October 2022,[28] and had been officially cast the following month.[29]
Willem Dafoe joined the cast in January 2023, re-teaming with Eggers afterThe Lighthouse andThe Northman (2022);[30] Dafoe had not only previously portrayedMax Schreck/Count Orlok inShadow of the Vampire (2000), but had been slated to play the role again for Eggers.[23][31]Emma Corrin would join the cast the following month.[32]Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Simon McBurney andRalph Ineson were announced as joining cast at the start of production in late February 2023.[33][34] RomanianTikTok personalityBunica Gherghina was cast as the elderly lady at the Transylvanian inn.[35] Additionally, the film features around 5,000 trainedrats.[36]
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Nosferatu was shot on35mm film in color by cinematographerJarin Blaschke, adopting a desaturated look using special filters.[37][38]Principal photography began in the Czech Republic on February 20, 2023,[39] with filming taking place atBarrandov Studios inPrague by March.[40] Later that month, the crew was shooting on location at the 14th-centuryRožmitál pod Třemšínem Castle inRožmitál pod Třemšínem,Pernštejn Castle[41] and Prague'sInvalidovna complex, aBaroque building registered as a national landmark.[42] Some exterior shots were captured inCorvin Castle[43] in Romania.[44] Filming wrapped on May 19, 2023.[45][46]
To prepare for playing Count Orlok, Skarsgård lost a significant amount of weight and, refusing to have his voice digitally modulated, worked with the Icelandic opera singerÁsgerður Júníusdóttir to lower his vocal range and character, incorporatingMongolian throat singing into his lines,[47] and spent up to six hours a day havingprosthetic makeup applied. Skarsgård likened his experience to "conjuring pure evil".[25] Hoult said he felt "real fear" when wolves on set had to be restrained before filming chase scenes with him.[48] The film makes use of several custom-madeprops, some of which were kept by the actors after filming. Eggers gifted Depp the prop of Ellen's locket,[49] and Hoult kept and framed Orlok's prosthetic penis worn by Skarsgård in the film.[50]
The scene of Hutter's arrival in the Transylvanian village was captured in one shot. The sequence is made up of nonprofessionalRomani actors, musicians and dancers and features an appearance by Czech musician and actorJordan Haj. Roughly 30 takes were filmed of what Eggers said was all "very carefully choreographed and rehearsed ahead of time in a warehouse in Prague". The village set was built outside of Prague and was based on the crew's studies ofvernaculararchitecture museums in Romania and Transylvania.[51] In a November 2024 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Eggers stated that the production used practical rain machines, wind tunnels, and vintage lenses to "evoke a tactile feeling of dread" instead of using digital effects.[52]
VFX supervisor Angela Barson said that the goal of the visual effects team was to digitally match the dark gothic aesthetic across 253 shots, or 90 of the 132 minutes of screentime.[53][54] She worked closely with production designer Craig Lathrop to work out which sets would be locations, or builds and where VFX would take over and with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke to make sure all the plates were framed, lit and captured to give the best possible final result.[55] This is editorLouise Ford's fourth feature with Eggers.[56]
The score is provided by British/Irish film composer and music producer Robin Carolan. Carolan made his film scoring debut in 2022, working with Eggers onthe soundtrack forThe Northman; onNosferatu, he intentionally moved away from the typical horror score, focusing on capturing the story's melancholic and tragic elements.[57] He also credited his obsessive listening toSky Ferreira's 2019 single "Downhill Lullaby" for putting him "in a certain mood" for some of Ellen's scenes.[12]
With "Goodbye" and "Increase thy Thunders", the first two pieces of music from the film were released byBack Lot Music in late September 2024. The full soundtrack album with a total of 43 pieces of music is scheduled to be released on vinyl and two CDs bySacred Bones Records andWaxwork Records.[57] At the helm as conductor is British-born Daniel Pioro.[57] Carolan and Eggers struggled to perfect their sound, a process marked by their meticulous attention to detail, which Carolan describes as "almost telepathic".[57]
Nosferatu had itsworld premiere on December 2, 2024, at theZoo Palast cinema inBerlin, Germany.[58] The film was theatrically released in the United States byFocus Features and internationally byUniversal Pictures on December 25, 2024.[59][60] The film was shown inIMAX,[61] as well as inDolby Cinema,[62] and screened in 35mm in some theatres, includingGrauman's Chinese Theatre inCalifornia.[63]
The film was released on digital platforms on January 21, 2025.[64] An extended version was also released on4K Ultra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD on February 18, 2025, byStudio Distribution Services.[65] The extension apparently amounts to about 4 minutes of footage. It primarily provides a fuller explanation of supernatural events and Romanian folk-law, relevant to the story.
Nosferatu grossed $95.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $86.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $182 million.[3][4] It became Focus Features' second highest-grossing domestic release and third highest-worldwide,[66] andDeadline Hollywood calculated the film made a net profit of $70 million.[67]
In the United States and Canada,Nosferatu was released alongsideA Complete Unknown,Babygirl, andThe Fire Inside and was originally projected to gross around $25 million from 2,992 theaters in its five-day opening weekend.[2] After making $11.55 million onits first day and $7.6 million on its second, estimates were raised to $42 million. It went on to debut to $21.7 million in its opening weekend (and a total of $40.8 million over the five days), finishing in third behindSonic the Hedgehog 3 andMufasa: The Lion King.[68] In its second weekend, the film made $13.1 million, finishing third again.[69] It made a respective $6.9 million and $4.1 million in its third and fourth weekends, dropping out of the box office top ten in its fifth after adding $2 million.[70][71][72]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 85% of 381 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Marvelously orchestrated by director Robert Eggers,Nosferatu is a behemoth of a horror film that is equal parts repulsive and seductive."[73]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 59 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[74] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the movie an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[68]
The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney praised the direction, screenplay and performances, calling the film "exciting, repulsive and beautiful", and added that "It's thrilling to experience a movie so assured in the way it builds and sustains fear, so hypnotically scary as it grabs you by the throat and never lets go."[75]IndieWire'sDavid Ehrlich similarly praised the direction and singled out Depp's performance, before stating that "like all of Eggers' films, of whichNosferatu is the richest and most fully realized, it draws a spellbinding power from the friction it finds between historical social mores and the eternal human thirsts they exist to keep in check."[76]
Matt Zoller Seitz ofRoger Ebert gave the movie a perfect 4/4, stating, "Technically and logistically, this movie is an awesome achievement. The wind, the rain, and the darkness seem to do Nosferatu’s bidding. The force of the monster’s unknowable malevolence seems to distort the movie itself, making it shudder and break down. It’s made with the most modern filmmaking technology but feels like an artifact from another century, like one of those inscribed tablets that adventurers find in a tomb and insist on translating aloud even though there’s a drawing of a terrifying demon on it. It reminded me of being a child and seeing the original “The Exorcist” and feeling as if I was seeing a documentary record of evil, one that was itself cursed, and that I should not even be looking at, because by looking at it, I ran the risk of releasing that evil into the world."[77]
John Mulderig atCatholic Review noted: "Film buffs will easily recognize that the atmospheric horror yarnNosferatu (Focus) is both a variation on and an homage to the eponymous 1922 ... foundational film[;] however, the newcomer is both artistically flawed and, ultimately, morally unbridled. ... [']Nosferatu eventually goes off the ethical rails altogether as it moves toward a conclusion bogged down by the muddled metaphysics espoused by Von Franz".[78]
In July 2025,The Hollywood Reporter ranked the film at number 13 on its list of the "25 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century."[79]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 20, 2024 | Best Original Score – Horror/Thriller Film | Robin Carolan | Won | [80] |
| National Board of Review | December 4, 2024 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Won | [81] |
| Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards | December 8, 2024 | Best Horror or Thriller Feature | Nosferatu | Nominated | [82] |
| Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller | Bill Skarsgård | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Nosferatu | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop | Nominated | |||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2024 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Won | [83] |
| Best Score | Robin Carolan | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerova | Nominated | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 9, 2024 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Won | [84] |
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerova | Nominated | |||
| Best Visual Effects | Nosferatu | Nominated | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2024 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Robert Eggers | Nominated | [85] |
| Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Robin Carolan | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction / Production Design | Nosferatu | Won | |||
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 15, 2024 | Best Horror Film | Nosferatu | Won | [86] |
| Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerova | Won | |||
| Best Visual Effects | Nosferatu | Nominated | |||
| San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle | December 15, 2024 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | [87] |
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop | Nominated | |||
| New York Film Critics Online | December 16, 2024 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | [88] |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | December 16, 2024 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | [89] |
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Villain of the Year | Count Orlok (as portrayed by Bill Skarsgård) | Nominated | |||
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 6, 2025 | Best Film | Nosferatu | Nominated | [90] |
| Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Robin Carolan | Nominated | |||
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January 7, 2025 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Robert Eggers | Nominated | [91] |
| Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | January 26, 2025 | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Lily-Rose Depp | Nominated | [92] |
| Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop, Beatrice Brentnerova | Nominated | |||
| Best Ensemble: Motion Picture | Nosferatu | Won | |||
| British Society of Cinematographers | February 1, 2025 | Best Cinematography in a Feature Film | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | [93] |
| London Critics Circle Film Awards | February 2, 2025 | Film of the Year | Nosferatu | Nominated | [94] |
| British / Irish Performer of the Year | Nicholas Hoult | Nominated | |||
| Technical Achievement Award | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | |||
| Set Decorators Society of America | February 2, 2025 | Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film | Beatrice Brentnerova, Craig Lathrop | Nominated | [95] |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | February 6, 2025 | Excellence in Period Film | Linda Muir | Won | [96] |
| Critics' Choice Awards | February 7, 2025 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Won | [97] |
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerova | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Nosferatu | Nominated | |||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | February 11, 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature | Angela Barson, Lisa Renney, David Scott, Dave Cook, Pavel Ságner | Nominated | [98] |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists | February 12, 2025 | David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent | Robin Carolan | Nominated | [99] |
| British Academy Film Awards | February 16, 2025 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | [100] |
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hair | David White,Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music | Robin Carolan | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop and Beatrice Brentnerova | Nominated | |||
| Golden Reel Awards | February 23, 2025 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Effects / Foley | Damian Volpe, Michael Fentum, Damian Volpe, Samir Foco, Mariusz Glabinski, Heikki Kossi, Joel Raabe | Nominated | [101] |
| Academy Awards | March 2, 2025 | Best Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke | Nominated | [102] |
| Best Costume Design | Linda Muir | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Craig Lathrop | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | David White, Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton | Nominated | |||
| Golden Trailer Awards | May 29, 2025 | Best Original Score | Focus Features / Wild Card Creative Group (for "Devourance H") | Nominated | [103][104] |
| Best Horror TV Spot (for a Feature Film) | Focus Features / Seismic Productions (for "Masterpiece of Horror") | Nominated | |||
| Focus Features / AV Squad (for "Little Dream") | Nominated | ||||
| Best Horror/Thriller TrailerByte for a Feature Film | Focus Features / GrandSon (for "One by One") | Nominated | |||
| Best Viral Campaign for a Feature Film | Focus Features / Bond (for "TV Campaign") | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | August 7, 2025 | Best Horror Movie | Nosferatu | Nominated | [105] |
| Best Actor in a Horror Movie | Bill Skarsgård | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Horror Movie | Lily-Rose Depp | Nominated |
When he's doing his spells he speaks ancient Dacian, which is a dead language, and the Dacians were most likely the people who became the ethnic Romanians in Romania.
