Nosferatu | 2024


- Locations |
- Czech Republic;
- Romania
- DIRECTOR |
- Robert Eggers
Robert Eggers' revisiting of the 1922 silent classic was filmed mainly in the Czech Republic but does manage to include a glimpse or two of Transylvania, which today is part of Romania.
Director Robert Eggers reimagines the unauthorised (hence the name changes) silent version of Dracula as an extravagantly dark Gothic fairy tale.
The production was made largely in the Czech Republic, based at Prague's famous Barrandov Studios but one touch of authenticity is the decrepit castle of Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), to which Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is dispatched. This, in wide shots at least, is Corvin Castle (also known as Hunyadi Castle), Hunedoara which really is in the region known as Transylvania – now a part of central Romania.
The 15th century castle, much revamped in the 17th century, went on to suffer the ravages of a fire and years of neglect and its subsequent restoration owes perhaps more to Gothic Romanticism than architectural accuracy. What might horrify historians is just right for the screen.
It seems that tour guides will tell you that Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Dracula, who gave his name to the Bram Stoker character) was once imprisoned here but, if you were a tour guide in Transylvania, you would say that, wouldn't you? I guess it's the equivalent of "Queen Elizabeth I once slept here", which is claimed for every ancient pile in England.
You might recognise Corvin's turreted silhouette, which fits the film's demands perfectly, as the abbey in Corin Hardy's The Nun, the 2018 spin-off from The Conjuring franchise.
The castle is now open as a museum, with admission charge. It's a nine mile bus ride from the city of Deva, which is accessible by rail from the capital Bucharest (an eight hour journey), or from Sibiu and Timisoara which are closer.

While Corvin is used for the long shots, two castles in the Czech Republic stood in during much of the filming. The gatehouse and courtyard are those of the 13th century Hrad Pernstejn (Pernstejn Castle), perched above the village of Nedvedice, southeast of Prague toward Brno, South Moravia.
Unknown to Eggers when it was chosen for filming, Pernstejn had also been the setting for Werner Herzog’s 1979 remake Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht, with Klaus Kinski as the vampire. By a stroke of good fortune, this film uses different parts of the castle so there's no embarrassing sense of déja vu.
You can also see Pernstejn (albeit enhanced almost unrecognisably with extensive CGI) in Stephen Sommers's Van Helsing, and again in Timur Bekmambetov's hyperactive 2008 adventure Wanted, with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy.

More of Orlok's gloomy retreat was filmed in Rozmitál Castle, in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem, about 50 miles southwest of Prague in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The 13th century Gothic castle, rebuilt in the 16th century, is privately owned but does host events and you can book a guided tour.

As Hutter makes his way to the remote ruin, the area of towering rock pillars through which he passes is Prachov Rocks, the remnants of an eroded sandstone plateau, northwest of the historic town of Jicin. The area, picturesquely known as Bohemian Paradise, has been a nature reserve since the 1950s, seen onscreen in the likes of Van Helsing, Hellboy, TV's Carnival Row and the pre-Disney 1976 Czech version of The Little Mermaid.
While Hutter is away from home, his wife Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) succumbs to morbid fears while walking with her friend Anna Harding (Emma Corrin) along the beach at Tušť in South Bohemia, towards the Austrian border. By the way, if you're visiting the area, this is to the east of Český Krumlov, the beautiful Medieval village seen in 2005 horror Hostel.

The cells and the corridors of Dr Sievers' (Ralph Ineson) sanatorium, overflowing with the crazed and the plague-infected, can be found in Prague itself. It's the Invalidovna, Sokolovská 24/136, in the Karlin district northeast of the Old Town.
The complex was built in 1737 to house disabled war veterans, based on the idea of Les Invalides in Paris.
In 1935, the patients were moved to another facility and the building taken over for use by the Czech army, but after being damaged by a disastrous flood on 2002 it was closed and shuttered, while extensive renovations were carried out. Guided tours can be booked in advance. It's easy to find, as it gives its name to the local metro station, Invalidovna.
The facility also provided the crypt in which Orlok rests at 'Schloss Grunewald'. Previously, it was seen in Hellboy, and as the asylum where Salieri (F Murray Abraham) was incarcerated in Milos Forman's Oscar-winning Amadeus.
Impressively, the streets of the fictitious German town of 'Wisborg' are a huge set built at Barrandov Studios. A shout out to Production Designer Craig Lathrop – I was convinced that was a genuine practical location.