Nosferatu Ending Explained: Your Biggest Questions Answered

Now in theaters, Nosferatu brings The Witch director Robert Eggers’ take on the classic vampire story to the big screen. Bill Skarsgård plays the titular Count alongside Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, the young woman haunted by the centuries-old demon. Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Emma Corrin also star in Eggers’ 2022 follow-up to The Northman, a project that has been a decade in the making.

If you have any questions about the Nosferatu ending, we’ll go over everything you need to know below, but be warned: there are some Major Nosferatu spoilers So tread carefully if you don’t want to know what’s happening.

Nosferatu ending explained

Nosferatu (2024) — (Image credit: Universal)

After Count Orlok arrives in Germany from Transylvania, he kills Anna and her two young daughters and a plague spreads through the city and a plan is put into action to bring him down. Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz says that they must destroy Orlok’s coffin so that he has nowhere to return when the sun rises, while Thomas says that he will stick an iron stake in the Count’s chest.

After Anna’s funeral, Harding succumbs to the plague and dies on his late wife’s body in the mausoleum. Thomas, Ellen, the professor and Dr. They find the bodies and burn them.

Thomas, the professor, and Dr. They take Ellen home and then head to Orlok’s castle. In the chapel they find the sarcophagus and drive an iron stake into the body inside – only it is not Orlok, but rather Mr. Knock, Thomas’ boss and Orlok’s servant, who serves as a decoy. He tells the group that Orlok went to Ellen and the professor kills him.

Thomas realizes that the professor knew all along that Orlok wouldn’t be there. He angrily rushes back to Ellen as the professor sets the chapel on fire.

Meanwhile, Ellen waits for Orlok in her bedroom. She says she is ready to receive him, and he says that means “the covenant is fulfilled” and “the oath is sworn again” – in short, she has agreed to let him drink her blood. They kiss and Orlok undresses her to drink from her breast. Distracted and in a frenzy, Orlok doesn’t notice as dawn breaks. When he realizes what has happened, his eyes begin to bleed and he dies on Ellen.

Thomas, Dr. Siever and the professor arrive just as Ellen is also dying of blood loss. As the sun rises over the city, the professor announces that her sacrifice has broken the curse and ended the plague, and the film ends.

What happens to Count Orlok? How will he be defeated?

Nosferatu (2024)

(Image credit: Universal)

After speaking with the professor, Ellen realizes that she is the only one who can defeat Count Orlok. She must willingly give herself to him and allow him to drink her blood, as she is the only one who has enough power over him to distract him. Physical strength and violence are not enough – he can only be defeated by desire.

What happens to Ellen? Is she dying?

Lily Rose Depp in Nosferatu

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

After Ellen decides to sacrifice herself to save the city and allows Count Orlok to feed from the heart, thereby rekindling the bond with him she formed in her youth, she succumbs to her blood loss and dies just as Thomas arrives, too late to save her.