Robert Eggers has given his audiences a film where an eerie gothic story takes place with the 2024 reboot of Nosferatu. Eggers, known and praised for his direction style in films, brings about a spine-chilling and visually gorgeous take on one of the most iconic vampire legends.
Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, stars Bill Skarsgård as the frightening Count Orlok, along with Lilly-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Nosferatu is a gothic story that deals with obsession and fright and is set in a mysterious world filled with castles that are cursed, landscapes that are equally eerie, and places that are haunted.
Robert Eggers’ adaptation of Nosferatu combines the atmospheric aesthetic of Murnau’s 1922 silent classic film by combining some real-world locations and using studio sets to transfer its viewers to a world that is both aesthetically pleasing and horrifying at the same time.
From castles in Transylvanian to Czech, this extensive list explores all of the filming locations of Nosferatu and the level of artistry that went into reinventing its plaguing world.
1. Romania: A Gothic Dream Come True
Romania is a place that is filled with nothing but ambiances that scream “gothic” out loud everywhere one might go. It is a place where several forests are deep and eerie looking, with multiple foggy-like landscapes. The most important feature that a Gothic story might require is an abundance of extremely ancient architecture.
Romania is one of the many real-life places where Eggers filmed parts of Nosferatu.
A fun fact: Parts of Bram Stoker’s Dracula were also filmed in Romania, which makes Nosferatu being filmed here a little bit more special.
2. Pernštejn Castle: A Nod to the legacy of Nosferatu:
The Pernštejn Castle, located once again in Czechia, gave out some of the extra added shots to the home of Count Orlok.
The Pernštejn Castle is a filming location previously used in the 1979 adaptation of Nosferatu: The Vampyre directed by Werner Herzog.
It is unknown if Robert Eggers’ decision to involve the Pernštejn Castle in his adaptation of Nosferatu was supposed to be a thoughtful homage to the 1979 version of the story.
3. Rožmitál Castle: The Vampire’s Interior World
Rožmitál Castle was also added to the home of Count Orlok. Its vast and majestic interiors brought a royal yet frightening aura to the vampire’s home, complementing the exteriors filmed at the Corvin and Pernštejn Castles. All blended, these in-real-life locations established a profound layer that added to the visually stunning look of Orlok’s haunting and terrifying home.
4. Corvin Castle: Count Orlok’s Haunting Abode
The Corvin Castle, located somewhere in Central Romania’s Transylvania, acts as another setting, with it being the home of Count Orlok. Corvin Castle is known to be one of Europe’s largest castles.
This Gothic castle quite effortlessly exemplifies the darkness, which directly links to the atmosphere crucial to the telling of Nosferatu.
In Nosferatu, the Corvin Castle is staged as a castle slowly but steadily decaying, carrying infested rats. But in reality, it is quite a popular tourist attraction.
5. Czechia: The Heart of Wisborg
The fictional town of Wisborg in Nosferatu, where the story progresses, was made in Czechia, mainly in Prague.
Czechia is widely known and recognized for its classic architecture and rich historical background. The streets in Prague were perfectly ideal for giving the film a gothic look and ambiance.
Many shots added a level of authenticity and reality, which gave depth to the fictional town of Wisborg.
6. Invalidovna: The Crypt of Count Orlok
Situated in Prague, the historic Invalidovna building was the filming location for Count Orlok’s crypt in Egger’s Nosferatu. It was built somewhere around the 1700s. Like in any gothic movie you would expect, Invalidovna brings out an eerie setting for scenes that involve Count Orlok’s gloomy influence over the fictional town of Wisborg.
The architecture in Invalidovna makes it an outstanding add-on to the setting and storytelling of the film.
7. Prachov Rocks: The Journey to Orlok’s Lair
Nicholas Hoult plays a character named Thomas in Nosferatu, who sets on a terrifying journey to the castle of Count Orlok, making his way through the Prachov Rocks, an intense but purely natural creation in Czechia.
These gigantic rock pillars are surrounded by heavy and deep forests, thus adding a sense of uncanniness to Egger’s film.
Alongside being featured in Nosferatu, the Prachov Rocks are also a popular hiking destination.
8. A Lake in Czechia
One of the most visually striking scenes in Nosferatu is a scene near the shore of the sea, but in reality, just a foggy lake.
Because Czechia is filled with a lot of land, Eggers masterfully recreated this faux sea by filming on the lakeside and getting in real sand from elsewhere to create the ambiance of a seashore.
9. Barrandov Studios
While most of the locations in Egger’s Nosferatu are real-life places where people can visit, many of the shots and camera lenses worked inside the Barrandov Studios in Prague.
It is important to note that Egger used 5,000 rats alive for the film to bring in a realistic atmosphere linked to Nosferatu, but the scenes involving the rats had to be filmed in the Barrandov Studio and not in real-life locations.
Directed by Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu exquisitely mixes some of the most beautiful looking real-world locations along with creating haunting and artistic scenes right inside the studio to get in on a gothic film look just right in the 21st century while still attaching a period-worthy look.
From using three different castles to creating a faux lake, Eggers has nailed down it all in his making of Nosferatu.
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