The 2024 remake of the classic 1922 horror film “Nosferatu” concludes with a provocative act of self-sacrifice that may leave some viewers perplexed. This iteration reveals the tale of Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), an estate agent sent to a castle nestled in the Carpathian mountains to finalize the sale of a mansion in Germany belonging to the enigmatic Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård).
Soon after arriving, Thomas learns that Orlok is a vampire infatuated with his wife, Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp). While her husband remains imprisoned in the castle, Ellen suffers nightly torments from visions of Orlok, leading to unsettling convulsions as if he possesses her.
The depths of despair and sacrifice echo through Ellen’s bond with the enigmatic Count (Photo: Nosferatu/Maiden Voyage Pictures Studio 8)As Orlok makes his way to Germany, Ellen’s plight intensifies; he begins to prey on her closest friends and demands her as his lover. He even unleashes a plague that devastates the city of Wisborg.
The film’s poignant conclusion brings out a profound, ancient connection between Ellen and the Count, culminating in her act of self-sacrifice.
Ellen Hutter’s Connection to Count Orlok
A foreboding opening scene features a young Ellen invoking a “guardian angel, a spirit of comfort, a spirit of any celestial sphere, anything” to alleviate her profound loneliness and despair.
Orlok appears in a grotesque form, causing Ellen to convulse on the ground. A title card follows, indicating “years later,” as the narrative progresses.
Later, Ellen confides in her friend, Professor Von Franz (Willem Dafoe), about her lifelong ability to connect with the supernatural and her clairvoyant skills, which allowed her to foresee events such as her parents’ demise.
This gift facilitated her summons to Orlok and the initiation of their psychic, sexual bond. It becomes apparent that Orlok orchestrated Thomas’s personal visit to finalize the mansion sale to deceive him into signing divorce documents in an incomprehensible language.
Ellen’s Sacrifice to Defeat Orlok
Von Franz uncovers an ancient tome in Orlok’s servant Herr Knock’s (Simon McBurney) office, revealing that the only way to vanquish Orlok and end the plague is for a woman to offer herself at night, diverting the vampire from the dawn.
Ellen consents to this sacrifice, fully aware that her husband would oppose the plan. Instead, Von Franz deceives Thomas into believing that burning Orlok’s coffin will be effective, and they proceed to the mansion.
While Thomas is absent, Ellen opens her window for Orlok, inviting him into her bed. They engage in a sexual encounter while he consumes her blood, slowly draining her life.
While her act of sacrifice may confuse viewers, Ellen undertakes it to atone for initiating their relationship and her indirect role in the plague that Orlok has unleashed on Wisborg.
By doing so, she reclaims her agency, refusing to remain his victim. She manipulates Orlok’s obsession by offering him what he desires, knowing he will find it irresistible.
Engrossed in feeding on Ellen, Orlok remains oblivious to the sun’s first rays piercing through the window. As blood streams from his eyes and mouth, he lets out a harrowing scream, his form grotesquely transforming into a decayed, shrunken corpse.
