Nosferatu isn’t the same as Dracula but they have one big connection

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu remake is currently scaring the living daylights out of audiences and breathing new life into the vampire genre – but contrary to popular belief, Count Orlok and Dracula are two different beings…just about.

Way before Bill Skarsgård was freaking everyone out with his uncanny ability to transform himself, Nosferatu was skulking around.

The Count has been around since 1922, serving as another huge step in the vampire journey that would eventually lead us to the likes of Lestat de Lioncourt and Edward Cullen. But before all that, there was also Dracula.

Despite what some might think, Nosferatu and Dracula aren’t the same person. However, the two share a deep connection… and a lawsuit.

Nosferatu is actually inspired by Dracula

Although the two figures are incredibly similar, they are not the same. However, the character of Nosferatu (Count Orlok) was inspired by Bram Stoker’s creation to the point of plagiarism.

Dracula came first, with Stoker’s novel having been published in 1897. Although not the first vampire in literature (vampires can be traced back as early as 1819), Dracula has since become the blueprint for the creature.

Film Arts Guild

It should come as no surprise then that the original vampire movie, F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu in 1922, was directly influenced by Dracula. Technically speaking, it was an unofficial adaptation of Stoker’s story with smaller details changed, including the name of the titular vampire.

However, Stoker’s heirs sued for copyright infringement not long after Nosferatu’s release, and all copies were ordered to be destroyed after a court ruled in their favor.

Thankfully, copies of the film survived. Nowadays, it’s considered a landmark of the horror genre, and one of the most cited examples of German Expressionism.

For more, find out where Nosferatu is streaming, why Nosferatu’s scariest scene is one you’ll never see coming, and why the true story behind Nosferatu is almost too unhinged to believe.