It has now been over a month since Robert Eggers‘ (The Witch) critically acclaimed remake of the classic horror film, Nosferatu, was released in theaters. It has even become such a big box office that it has gained four Oscar nominations, including for Best Cinematography. The fantasy-horror director flawlessly cast Count Orlok from It‘s Pennywise the Clown (2017), Bill Skarsgård. Skarsgård blew everyone away with his sinister performance as the ancient vampire, so that it was hard to grasp that it was him under all that makeup. He was initially cast as Thomas Hutter until Eggers was impressed by his performance as Pennywise.
He told Screen Daily, “Things change, things develop. In It Chapter Two, there’s a scene where Skarsgard plays Pennywise as a middle-aged man, and he had so much weight and so much darkness, and I thought, ‘Maybe Bill’s Orlok?’” They both built a character together, and Skarsgård reinvented the iconic vampire. Yet this wasn’t the first time he played a bloodsucker. In 2013, Netflix released an original supernatural horror series, Hemlock Grove, in which he played a brooding vampire that launched him to gain notoriety in the horror genre.
What Is ‘Hemlock Grove’ About?
Hemlock Grove opens with a teenage girl getting brutally murdered in a small Pennsylvania town named Hemlock Grove. Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) has just moved into town with his mother, Linda (Lili Taylor). Similar to the late David Lynch’s cult classic mystery TV show, Twin Peaks, the town is filled with secrets and supernatural beings. Including Peter, a werewolf in hiding who befriends Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgård), a wealthy high school teenager who unknowingly is an Upir (half-human and half-vampire). Roman is the son of a wealthy family in town, with his parents being Olivia (Famke Janssen) and Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott). Shortly after Peter and Roman meet, the two begin to find out about each other, with Roman finally being able to understand his desire for human blood.
Adapted from Brian McGreevy’s novel of the same name, much of the lore was influenced by Transylvania folklore. He utilized that with the Upirs and werewolves, which are also based on the Ukraine and Roma culture. Roman was born with a caul on his body and, in Roman mythology, that is a sign that a child will be destined for greatness. His mother, Olivia, is an Upir and the matriarch of the Godfrey family who manages to keep her cravings in check while also manipulating Roman to sexually assault his cousin/half-sister. At first, Roman comes off as a privileged rich kid until we see the emotional relationship he has with his sister Shelley, and his loyal friendship with Peter. Throughout the series, he wrestles with that duality of human and vampire, and how to control his cravings from acting out into a beast. Skarsgård’s performance as Roman opened the doors for him to show his acting versatility as well as land him a place in the horror genre.
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How Count Orlok Differs From Roman Godfrey in ‘Hemlock Grove’
While Bill Skarsgård’s portrayal of Count Orlok in Nosferatu was phenomenal beyond belief, his performance as Roman introduced us to his versatility in channeling that duality of empathy and malevolence. Skarsgård’s Count Orlok is far different from Roman; Orlok is much more sinister and lacks any type of humanity, but his sly charisma makes you question whether you can trust him. Meanwhile, he is engaging as Roman as he wrestles with the monster within during his most vulnerable moments. Unlike Orlok, Roman is not as scary a vampire. Robert Eggers wanted to make vampires terrifying again, so he and the creative team went with the rotten and decaying look, rather than the modern, handsome vampire look that we are accustomed to.
It’s an old-school vampire versus a modern-day vampire as his menacing performance as the Count was completely astounding. In Nosferatu, he immersed himself in costume and makeup, but with Roman, he used his intense and relaxed aura to channel a new kind of evil. It was both haunting and inviting with his snake-like ability to expand his jaw when he was ready to tear off the flesh of a human. Roman’s durability, psychic abilities, and the power to modify other’s memories further differentiate him from Count Orlok, but also show how great Skarsgård is in the horror genre. His ability to take on many versatile roles just shows that there is still much more that we will see of him.
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