“It looked like s*xual assault”: Lily-Rose Depp’s ‘Nosferatu’ Pushes Things Too Far With One Nicholas Hoult Scene That’s Utterly Disturbing

There’s a saying: “What you see is not always what you get.” This couldn’t be more accurate in Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’ bold reimagining of the classic vampiric tale. From the eerie shadows that stretch across every frame to the unsettling, almost hypnotic tension building between the characters, this film takes the audience into an abyss where the ordinary turns disturbingly nightmarish. 

Bill Skarsgård slips into the skin of Count Orlok, the ancient vampire who makes Nosferatu a tale of pure dread. But even with his haunting presence and a star-studded cast that includes Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Willem Dafoe, one particular scene lingers in your mind far longer than you’d like.

The final sacrifice: Nosferatu’s haunting conclusion

Some stories leave a mark on our psyche, not just for their chilling content but for the raw emotions they stir. Nosferatu is one of those timeless pieces, a tale drenched in despair, desperation, and sacrifice. Its finale is a dark dance between love, death, and an ancient curse.

The cursed Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) arrives from Transylvania to spread death, and with him, the plague descends upon Germany, an invisible but palpable killer. His arrival sets a series of tragic events in motion. Anna (Emma Corrin) and her daughters fall victim to the dark, setting the stage for an audacious plan to end the nightmare.

Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) devises a way to destroy the vampire’s coffin before sunrise, making it so that Orlok has no place to return to. Meanwhile, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), fueled by rage, vows to pierce the Count’s heart with an iron stake.

But tragedy strikes hard and fast. After Anna’s funeral, Harding, her grieving husband, succumbs to the plague and dies atop her corpse in their mausoleum. The weight of the disease is felt on every level as the trio of Thomas, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), and the professor move forward with their plan, only to be met with a devastating turn of events. They discover that the coffin doesn’t contain Orlok, but his minion, Herr Knock—who eerily serves as a decoy. The discovery ignites fury in Thomas, who races back to Ellen’s side.

Depp’s role in this twisted drama is nothing short of heartbreaking. With Orlok on his way, she prepares to fulfill her final, dreadful role in the story. In her bedroom, she offers herself to the creature, allowing him to drink her blood from her chest. Orlok, distracted, doesn’t realize that dawn is creeping upon him. His eyes begin to bleed, and it’s in those last, desperate moments that he is finally undone—dying atop Ellen, the very one he sought to consume.

By the time Thomas, Dr. Siever (Ralph Ineson), and the professor arrive, Ellen is already slipping away, drained of life. Ellen’s sacrifice, in the end, is the only thing that can end the plague and rid the world of Orlok’s terror.

Fans react to Nosferatu’s chest-biting: Robert Eggers explains the folkloric choice behind Orlok’s bloodlust

Fans might argue that biting their chests instead of their necks made me wince in discomfort so hard, that it still sends a shiver down my spine just thinking about it.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, director Robert Eggers sheds light on Count Orlok’s chilling choice to drink blood from his victims’ chests in Nosferatu. According to him, this decision was rooted in a folkloric approach to vampire lore. The old tales he drew from often described victims feeling the vampire’s bite in their chest rather than their necks.

As Eggers puts it:

You’ll notice that [in this film] Orlok drinks blood from the heart, not the neck. Now obviously you can’t pierce a breastbone, so it doesn’t really make sense. It makes much more sense to drink someone’s blood from their neck.

But many fans were left deeply shaken by the shot, feeling more than just fear—they felt discomfort, even disgust. The discomfort was real, and it wasn’t just a byproduct of the disturbing imagery. The sound of the sucking, the sharp gasps, and even the unsettling presence of rats all added to a sensory experience that felt inescapable.

Let’s read a few fans’ comments:

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The act of biting, drawing blood, and the inherent exchange of life force have long been viewed through a lens of sexuality. In this dark and twisted take on vampirism, there’s more than just a blood-sucking villain—there’s a deeper, more uncomfortable question being asked about the nature of desire, control, and the line between pleasure and pain. And whether you love it or hate it, you can’t help but feel the weight of that question long after Nosferatu ends.

Plus, Rotten Tomatoes has currently handed it an eye-popping 87% approval rating, with critics lauding Eggers’ direction as nothing less than hypnotic. It’s been described as “exciting, repulsive, and beautiful”–a heady mix of fear and fascination that leaves you both terrified and mesmerized.

Although the Golden Globes may have snubbed Nosferatu, don’t be surprised if Eggers’ film eventually sinks its teeth into the Oscar race.

Nosferatu is now haunting theaters near you.