In the world of art everything inspires everything else, which can lead to some… interesting connections. Director Robert Eggers recently gave thanks to the Nickelodeon cartoon “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Why, you ask? For introducing kids to the legendary vampire Count Orlok, or as they call him “Nosferatu!”
The vampire became a running gag, appearing 5 times on the show, mixing the cartoonish animation with edited footage from the 1922 horror film “Nosferatu.” His first appearance was in season 2 episode 16 “”Graveyard Shift,” which was written by Doug Lawrence, Jay Lender, and Dan Povenmire.
The “SpongeBob” Connection
At the Los Angeles premiere of Eggers “Nosferatu” remake, the director was asked if he knew about the shows’ impact on the character.
He confirmed he knew about the bit, and explained “There was a show called “Muppet Babies” when I was a kid that would play little clips of Lon Chaney’s “Phantom of the Opera” and early versions of “Cyrano de Bergerac” and stuff; that weird cartoon gave me exposure to a lot of movies that I watched when I was a little older with memories from Muppet Babies. So, thanks SpongeBob,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The cast of the film was also in on the reference. “I’ve got to go back and watch more SpongeBob,” said star Nicholas Hoult. “And I like that that’s people’s introduction to it and hopefully this will be a reintroduction to it in a different way.”
Eggers’ “Nosferatu”
The upcoming film is Eggers’ take on F. W. Murnau’s 1922 horror classic of the same name. The movie has been remade once before by Werner Herzog in 1979 as “Nosferatu the Vampyre.” Each version centers around a young woman who becomes the object of desire for the terrifying vampire Count Orlok.
This version stars Houl as Thomas Hutter, Lily-Rose Depp as his wife Ellen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding, Emma Corrin as Ann Harding, Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, Simon McBurney as Herr Knock, and Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers. Bill Skarsgård stars as Count Orlok, a role previously performed by Max Schreck and Klaus Kinski.
The film hits theaters nationwide on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2024. “Definitely take the whole family, the younger the better,” Eggers jokes about the release date. (And that sarcophagus would make the PERFECT holiday gift!)
“I certainly hope that people come spend their Christmas mornings with us in the theaters,” Depp adds. “I feel like this movie is so incredibly immersive and transportive and I feel like that’s just the most fun thing you could do on Christmas is go to the theater and let yourself be whisked away to another world.”
You can read our review of “Nosferatu” here, and check out the trailer below:
