In Robert Eggers’ new take on the 1922 horror film Nosferatu, actor Bill Skarsgård shows a stunning change as he plays the creepy Count Orlok. To achieve this change, the prosthetics and makeup team had to work together expertly to combine realistic historical detail with spooky horror aesthetics.
The lead prosthetics artist, David White, noticed a dramatic difference in Skarsgård during the first makeup session. White remembers that a nice, friendly young man started to fade away, and someone else was taking his place. After four hours, Skarsgård had become a dark figure.
The outward change required a lot of work. Skarsgård used about 60 different artificial pieces, including 10 made just for his face and head. White said the application process was like a quick stop in a car race. A team of 16 spent four hours putting on the prosthetics for the head and hands.
After wearing a lot of prosthetics, as Pennywise in “It,” Skarsgård has learned how to handle long makeup practices. White observes that the actor goes into a “meditation world” to save energy for his performance.
Fans are talking about Orlok’s look, especially his mustache and hair, which are different from the original movie. White explains that these decisions were based on historical truth, using director Eggers’ 16th-century illustrations of noblemen. “White says it’s very likely that any nobleman, including Orlok, would have had a mustache like that.”
The makeup staff had extra difficulties creating the film’s special look. Makeup head Traci Loader created a faded color scheme that resembles a never-ending starry scene. Based on her work on other Eggers projects like “The Lighthouse” and “The Witch,” Loader applied special lighting methods and color ideas to her makeup.
The loader says, “Be careful with reds and purples in black and white.” When using candles, any yellows or reds should not be orange-based but blue-based instead.
This careful focus on detail also applied to Ellen, played by Lily-Rose Depp. The makeup artist created four lighter makeup looks to show Ellen’s decline, using silicone-based products for a realistic effect. “We aimed to make it true to that period,” Loader says. “At that time, they didn’t wear much beauty makeup. “It was more of a correction.”
The film shows Orlok to the audience in a careful and planned way. White worked closely with his team to slowly reveal Orlok’s rot and deterioration through careful lighting and camera techniques, which added more horror to this new version of the vampire classic.
