Nosferatu
A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Despite a moderate budget of $50.0M, Nosferatu became a financial success, earning $181.8M worldwide—a 264% return.
Nominated for 4 Oscars. 60 wins & 194 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Nosferatu (2024) exemplifies deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Robert Eggers's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 13 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Ellen Hutter
Count Orlok
Thomas Hutter
Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz
Friedrich Harding
Anna Harding
Herr Knock
Main Cast & Characters
Ellen Hutter
Played by Lily-Rose Depp
A young woman plagued by visions who becomes the obsession of Count Orlok. Her connection to the vampire draws her into a dark supernatural battle.
Count Orlok
Played by Bill Skarsgård
An ancient Transylvanian vampire who becomes fixated on Ellen. Embodies death, corruption, and supernatural evil.
Thomas Hutter
Played by Nicholas Hoult
Ellen's devoted husband, a young estate agent who travels to Transylvania and unwittingly brings the vampire's curse home.
Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz
Played by Willem Dafoe
An occult scholar and expert on vampirism who guides the effort to destroy Orlok. Brings knowledge and rationality to supernatural horror.
Friedrich Harding
Played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Thomas's friend and business associate who becomes involved in the fight against Orlok. Represents the rational skeptic forced to believe.
Anna Harding
Played by Emma Corrin
Friedrich's wife and Ellen's close friend. Her faith and compassion contrast with the encroaching darkness.
Herr Knock
Played by Simon McBurney
Thomas's eccentric employer who becomes Orlok's servant and herald. His madness signals the vampire's approach.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Ellen as a young girl experiences a supernatural presence in her bedroom, establishing her psychic vulnerability and the dark connection that will define her fate.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when Thomas is assigned to travel to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok regarding a property transaction, forcing him to leave Ellen despite her ominous premonitions and fears.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Thomas enters Count Orlok's castle and meets the vampire face-to-face, crossing into a supernatural nightmare from which there is no easy return., moving from reaction to action.
At 67 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Orlok arrives in Wisborg on the plague ship, bringing death to the town. Thomas escapes the castle but Orlok is now in Ellen's world - the stakes irrevocably raised as supernatural and domestic worlds collide., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 99 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, A loved one dies from the plague (possibly Ellen's friend or a child), and Ellen realizes that conventional resistance is futile - the vampire cannot be stopped by normal means. Death has entered her home., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 106 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Ellen discovers the ancient text revealing that a woman must willingly offer herself to the vampire and keep him until dawn - synthesizing her psychic connection with the knowledge of how to destroy him., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Nosferatu's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Nosferatu against these established plot points, we can identify how Robert Eggers utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Nosferatu within the fantasy genre.
Robert Eggers's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Robert Eggers films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Nosferatu takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Robert Eggers filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional fantasy films include Thinner, Ella Enchanted and Conan the Barbarian. For more Robert Eggers analyses, see The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Ellen as a young girl experiences a supernatural presence in her bedroom, establishing her psychic vulnerability and the dark connection that will define her fate.
Theme
A character warns that "some doors, once opened, cannot be closed" - foreshadowing the irrevocable consequences of inviting darkness into one's life.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to 1838 Germany: Ellen and Thomas Hutter's loving marriage, his work as a real estate clerk, their bourgeois social circle, and Ellen's mysterious affliction and troubled past.
Disruption
Thomas is assigned to travel to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok regarding a property transaction, forcing him to leave Ellen despite her ominous premonitions and fears.
Resistance
Thomas's journey into the Carpathian Mountains grows increasingly ominous as locals warn him away from Orlok's castle. Ellen remains home, experiencing escalating psychic disturbances and seizures.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Thomas enters Count Orlok's castle and meets the vampire face-to-face, crossing into a supernatural nightmare from which there is no easy return.
Mirror World
Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz (or similar occult expert character) is introduced, representing knowledge of the supernatural realm and providing thematic counterpoint about the price of forbidden knowledge.
Premise
The horror unfolds: Orlok feeds on Thomas and imprisons him; Orlok travels by ship to Wisborg carrying plague; Ellen experiences violent psychic attacks as the vampire approaches, her connection to him intensifying.
Midpoint
Orlok arrives in Wisborg on the plague ship, bringing death to the town. Thomas escapes the castle but Orlok is now in Ellen's world - the stakes irrevocably raised as supernatural and domestic worlds collide.
Opposition
Plague ravages Wisborg; bodies pile in the streets; Thomas returns weakened; Ellen's possession episodes intensify; the vampire claims victims nightly; authorities are helpless; friends and neighbors fall to death and madness.
Collapse
A loved one dies from the plague (possibly Ellen's friend or a child), and Ellen realizes that conventional resistance is futile - the vampire cannot be stopped by normal means. Death has entered her home.
Crisis
Ellen confronts the dark truth: she summoned Orlok years ago through her loneliness and longing. She wrestles with guilt, despair, and the knowledge that only she can end this through ultimate sacrifice.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Ellen discovers the ancient text revealing that a woman must willingly offer herself to the vampire and keep him until dawn - synthesizing her psychic connection with the knowledge of how to destroy him.
Synthesis
Ellen prepares for the final confrontation; she sends Thomas away; opens her window to Orlok; willingly receives the vampire; holds him entranced through the night until the first rays of sunlight destroy him.
Transformation
Ellen lies dead or dying, having sacrificed herself to save Thomas and the town. The curse is broken but the cost is complete - her agency and sacrifice transform her from victim to savior, though peace comes through death.