One screening of Robert Eggers' brilliantly chilling Nosferatu simply isn't enough. You have to go back again to savour the delicious Gothic details of the world that Eggers creates, from the hand-spun costumes to the moldering, isolated, mountain-top castles. Eggers is renowned for the immersive qualities of his horror movies and Nosferatu is no exception, spinning a memorably horrific story of the union between the imperilled Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) and the monstrous vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard).
The movie is a marvel of aesthetic design and it subtly incorporates several real-world locations to weave its tale of slow-burning dread. Here is your guide to the places featured in the movie and the fictional environments that they represent.
POSSIBLE NOSFERATU SPOILERS AHEAD
1. Invalidovna, Prague (Schloss Grünewald exterior shots)
The true horror of Nosferatu becomes apparent when the fetid Orlok reveals his plan to relocate from the Carpathian mountains to the German town of Wisborg. There he plans to make Ellen Hutter his undead companion, and in the process, he obliterates the town with a host of plague-ridden rats, imported on the vessel Orlok uses to transport himself from Transylvania to Germany.
Orlok takes up residence within the crypt at the forbidding Schloss Grünewald, from whose vantage point he can stretch his ominous shadow across the entire town, which results in one of the film's most jaw-dropping images. In reality, Grünewald is the Invalidovna complex, which can be found within the Karlin neighbourhood in the beautiful and historic centre of Prague, the Czech capital.
Nosferatu was filmed at Invalidovna in the first half of 2023, transforming the multifaceted building into a harbinger of dread. The Invalidovna is also known as Invalides or the House of the Disabled, built by Czech architect Kilian Ignaz Dienzenhofer in the Baroque style in the early 1700s. The fascinating building is open to the public and guided tours unspool its rich history.
2. Corvin Castle, Romania (Orlok's castle exterior shots)
This gorgeous building looks anything but in the hands of Robert Eggers and his expert cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. It looms with pure menace from its location in the remote, snow-bound Carpathians and reveals itself to Ellen's unsuspecting realtor husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) as he journeys to make the property deal with the mysterious Orlok.
The movie allows us a few tangible glimpses of the historic exterior, especially when Orlok's haunted carriage guides Thomas over the moat up to the main castle keep in a wondrously spectral and eerie sequence. It is here that Orlok resides, feared by the local peasantry. Corvin Castle (also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle) is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Romania, having occupied a magnificent position for centuries. That said, the current castle is a redesign of the original plan following a devastating fire.
Construction of the original site began in 1446 by the order of Voivode (a member of the royal bloodline) of Transylvania, John Hunyadi. Count Orlok's design owes itself to the influence of these former noble lords: Eggers has been explicit about how this Orlok is styled after infamous Transylvanian individuals like Vlad Tepes, better known as the brutal Vlad the Impaler.
3. Pernštejn Castle, Czech Republic (Orlok's castle exteriors)
This historic site looms large in Nosferatu cinematic lore: it was previously used as a location in Werner Herzog's 1979 movie, which starred Klaus Kinski in the Orlok role. (In that film, the character's name reverts to Dracula, as per the Bram Stoker novel that originally inspired Nosferatu.) Robert Eggers says he was unaware of this, telling Empire Magazine: “I’d been consciously not watching [Herzog's] film, so it didn’t occur to me.” That said, Eggers was able to use different areas of the site: “We were able to use the Herzog castle without using the Herzog castle, which was kind of awesome."
Located in the South Moravian district of the Czech Republic, the history of Pernštejn Castle dates from the mid-to-late 13th century and was founded by the Lords of Medlov. It's assumed that the structure's name derives from the German name, Bärenstein – the "Bear Rock". In the words of the official website: 'The Late Gothic and Early Renaissance form of the castle... has not been affected by further rebuilding and is a unique example of the transformation of a medieval fortress into a luxurious Renaissance seat.' The castle is used primarily in the shots of Orlok's gatekeep and courtyard.
4. Rožmitál Castle, Czech Republic (castle interiors and exteriors)
This ancient pile is located in the heart of the Czech Republic in Central Bohemia, some 70 miles south of Prague. Rožmitál Castle is interwoven into the fabric of several scenes involving castles, lending more grandeur and authentically archaic menace to Eggers' movie. Little wonder it radiates such mystery: the place dates from 1230 and was designed in the Gothic style by Oldřich, who hailed from the Buzic dynasty.
Oldřich was the first noble who explicitly designated himself, 'of Rožmitál', in other words, his royal lineage. It was Zdeněk Lev of Rožmitál who constructed the main building of the current castle and the location still proudly bears the Rožmitál standard to this day.
5. Barrandov Studios, Prague (interior shots for Wisborg and other locations)
Much of Nosferatu's claustrophobia stems from its atmospheric interior shots, which often deploy natural light sources like oil lamps and candles for powerful effect. One can almost breathe in the environment created by Eggers and his crew, and the world-famous Barrandov Studios allowed the filmmaker the canvas to realise his vision.
Many large-scale Hollywood productions are shot at Barrandov, given that the Czech Republic offers generous tax incentives to leading filmmakers. Located in the southeast of Prague, the complex was founded in 1931, boasting nine soundstages plus another four in the nearby district of Hostivař. There is also a generous backlot area for exterior filming. The teeming location also houses SFX and set design workshops, costume departments and more.
Movies that have been shot at Barrandov include Amadeus (1984), Hellboy (2004), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Snowpiercer (2013) and Jojo Rabbit (2020).
Check out these incredible locations in the context of the film itself. Visit the link below to book your tickets for Nosferatu.
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