Bill Skarsgård’s new horror film gives us his best villain since Stephen King’s $1.1 billion franchise

Summary

• Bill Skarsgård will star in the upcoming horror remake of Nosferatu as Count Orlok, demonstrating his talent for embodying complex and chilling characters.
• Set for release in December 2024, this new horror film is directed by Robert Eggers, who is known for directing acclaimed horror films such as The Witch and The Lighthouse.
• Count Orlok is set to be Bill Skarsgård’s best villain role since Pennywise in the Stephen King franchise, cementing his place as the ultimate horror antagonist.

Bill Skarsgård is playing an antagonist in an upcoming horror film, which could turn out to be his best villain role since his incarnation in Stephen King’s $1.1 billion hit franchise. In recent years, Bill Skarsgård has taken on numerous negative roles in films such as John Wick: Chapter 4, The Eternalsand A barbarian. While the actor has done an incredible job bringing these antagonistic characters to life, his incarnation in Stephen King’s acclaimed franchise stands out as the benchmark for his acting.

It’s been almost half a decade since Skarsgård last played the Stephen King villain, and since then he’s played many other antagonists on the big screen. However, it’s still hard not to associate him with Stephen King’s character because of the indelible mark he left with his performance and the depth with which the film adaptation portrays the villain. However, as impactful as his portrayal of Stephen King’s villain may have been, Bill Skarsgård’s take on a new villain in a horror remake of a timeless classic could prove to be just as good (if not better).

Count Orlok sounds like the perfect Bill Skarsgård horror villain after Pennywise

Count Olok may end up being Bill Skarsgård’s ultimate horror villain

Bill Skarsgård will portray Count Orlok in the upcoming Nosferatu adaptation. Mistakenly known as the titular Nosferatu, the antagonistic character is perfect for Bill Skarsgård, considering how he previously demonstrated his ability to embody complex and chilling characters like Pennywise in the Stephen King adaptation THAT. Set for a December 25, 2024 release, the film is directed by Robert Eggers, who has a proven track record of making memorable, critically acclaimed horror films such as The witch and The lighthouse.

While most details surrounding the Nosferatu remake are still under wraps, CinemaCon footage of the film gave a glimpse of how closely it adapts its source material. The chilling footage opens with a hand grasping Ellen Hutter’s (Lily-Rose Depp) throat as she clasps her hands and prays, “Come to me. Come to me, hear my call.“In what follows, Ellen interacts with Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe) in a hospital and asks him if evil is coming”from within us or beyond us.“Announcing the arrival of Nosferatu, the Professor says:”he is coming.”

By introducing Nosferatu as a looming threat without fully revealing its form, the film perfectly builds anticipation for Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of the sinister character.

While the footage doesn’t explicitly show Bill Skarsgård’s titular character, it ends with a brief scene in which Nosferatu wears a black cape-like robe and slowly turns around. By introducing Nosferatu as a looming threat without fully revealing its form, the film perfectly builds anticipation for Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of the sinister character. How he will portray the character remains to be seen, but his impressive track record of capturing the essence of menacing characters like Pennywise, combined with Robert Eggers’ ability to encapsulate the German Expressionism of the originaleffectively selling Nosferatu as a promising adaptation.

Bill Skarsgård’s next horror movie villain still can’t beat IT’s box office success

Nosferatu’s appeal may be relatively more niche than IT

Robert Eggers’ films, especially those in the horror genre, generally garner upbeat reviews, but lack the mass appeal that drives many Stephen King adaptations like THAT. Therefore, it seems unlikely Nosferatu will earn $1 billion at the box office. However, this does not necessarily mean Nosferatu it won’t be a profitable venture for the filmmakers behind it. As CinemaCon footage suggests, Nosferatu still has artistic merit, atmospheric storytelling and talented leads Bill Skarsgård which is to be expected from an adaptation of the classic 1922 film, which is likely to attract many viewers.