The entire plot of Nosferatu revolves around Bill Skarsgard's Count Orlok wanting Lily-Rose Depp's Ellen more than anything in the world and stopping at nothing to get her; however, the reasons behind his lust are not entirely spelled out.
After a successful theatrical run (the movie grossed $178 million on a $50 million budget) that lasted longer than most Focus Features titles, Nosferatu began streaming on Peacock, allowing an entirely new audience to experience the fantasy horror.
The movie is directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman) and follows a vampire as he sacrifices everything to reach a woman who unknowingly calls out to him (read a full plot breakdown of Nosferatu here).
Why Does Count Orlok Want Ellen?
Nosferatu's story largely explores Count Orlok's infatuation with Ellen and the actions he takes to get her.
He goes as far as forcing Ellen's husband to unknowingly give her over to him, sending a plague to Germany through rats to cause mass chaos, and killing everyone in his path just to have her. However, the movie never makes it entirely clear why Orlok does this.
The film opens with Ellen calling out to something, whether it be a higher power or some unseen presence, and that essentially awakens Orlok and causes his quest for her to begin.
Orlok is a vampire, but as viewers can see when looking at his character design, it seems as though he is almost dying. His skin is rotting and he appears old, implying that he needs something major to keep him alive and/or save him from certain death.
The film also implies that Ellen unknowingly holds some sort of power. As mentioned, she called out to Orlok at the beginning of Nosferatu, and since her words were able to reach and awaken Orlok, it seems as though she has more power than she or anyone else knows.
It is possible that Orlok felt Ellen's psychic powers during her calling and realized that she may be able to help him. After all, when Ellen finally gave herself up to Orlok to stop him, he did not just physically lay with her. He also literally bit into her body and sucked her blood as vampires often do.
The most likely explanation is that Orlok felt as though Ellen was of a higher power, which would make her blood (and perhaps even her soul) more effective for his body.
At one point in Nosferatu, Orlok even explained to Ellen that she was bigger than a normal person. He specifically said, "Love is inferior to you. I told you, you are not of humankind."
This line directly implies that Orlok believed Ellen was different from anyone else in the entire world. It is possible that he did not even want her for sexual purposes (which is what the surface of the movie implies) but instead for her blood, thinking it would be more effective than anyone else's.
Does Ellen Die In Nosferatu?
The ending of Nosferatu (a movie that has a stacked cast of A-list actors) is a rather tragic one that cannot be described as happy.
After Ellen learns that the only way to stop Count Orlok is to willingly give herself to him, the pair spends the entire night together. As mentioned, they did have a sexual encounter, but the entire time that happened, Count Orlok bit into her and sucked her blood.
By the time morning came, Orlok sucked too much of Ellen's blood for her to survive. Ellen perished, but she did make an ultimate sacrifice that resulted in Count Orlok dying as well.
Although she and Orlok both died, the city and the world were both saved. It is also worth mentioning that the final shot of Nosferatu featured Ellen and Orlok lying in the bed together, locked in a final embrace that tied their fates together for eternity.
Nosferatu is streaming on Peacock.
