Hold on, how does Nosferatu actually link to Count Dracula? The vampire lore, explained

The mega-creepy vampire movie Nosferatu has us all in a chokehold right now. But the lore behind how Nosferatu connects to Count Dracula is deeply confusing. The widow of the author of the Dracula book literally tried to get all copies of the original Nosferatu film destroyed? Here’s an easy-to-read explanation of how Count Dracula actually connects to Nosferatu.

Nosferatu was also inspired by the Dracula book

So, the new Nosferatu movie with Bill Skarsgård and our fav nepo baby Lily-Rose Depp is a remake of the 1922 cult horror movie Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens). It’s a silent German black-and-white film, which Letterbox obsessives and horror nerds fangirl over. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was an unauthorised retelling of the original 1897 Dracula book.

Orlok is pretty much just Dracula with a name change

Thankfully Nosferatu still features plenty of fine men in linen shirts
(Image via Universal Pictures)

The English A-Level students among you may know that the novel Dracula is inspired by traditional Transylvanian folklore, but takes place in England. Most of the main characters are posh Victorian British people. The German makers of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror wanted to tell the vampire story in Germany with German characters. Count Dracula was renamed Count Orlok because it sounded more German (and because it looked less like Nosferatu was copying the Dracula book).

The word “nosferatu”, for your information, is an archaic Romanian word for “vampire”.

The widow of the Dracula author got all the copies of the original Nosferatu film destroyed?!

Most Read

The real-life event that inspired main character Gi-hun’s entire story in Squid Game

Wait, is Squid Game based on a true story? All the real life inspiration explained

If you love Squid Game, here are six more Netflix shows to binge that have the same vibe

Really. Florence Balcombe, the widow of the Dracula author Bram Stoker, sued the makers of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror for copying her husband’s book without asking her permission or paying her. The court very dramatically ordered all copies of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror to be destroyed. But obviously that didn’t quite work out, because horror nerds have been geeking out over it for a hundred years now.

The new Nosferatu movie shakes up parts of the Dracula book

It’s not exactly a comedy
(Image via Universal Pictures)

The vague plot and general vibes of Nosferatu and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror are the same as the Dracula book. But the makers of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror changed up some characters from the Dracula book.

Nosferatu mostly takes place in Germany, not England. The film skips most of the boring side characters that pad out the Dracula book. Dracula looks vaguely human (and kind of hot?) so he can blend in with humans and drink their blood. Count Orlok looks way more monstrous and flat-out kills his victims. Dracula’s backstory is that he used to be a human military leader, but got turned into a vampire. Orlok’s origin story is way more extreme. He’s a literal demon and is besties with Satan. Sure.

By the way, both the novel Dracula and the 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror are so old that they’re now in the public domain. So the new Nosferatu movie can adapt them both without worrying so much about copyright infringement.

For all the latest news and drama and drops, quizzes and memes, like The Tab on Facebook. 

Featured image of Nosferatu via Universal Pictures.