#fangoria magazine

[behindthescreamz]

cary elwes and leigh whannell holding billy the puppet and a copy of fangoria magazine’s saw issue at the after party for the new york screening of “saw” (oct. 25, 2004)

[thecoldestrevenge]

[bizarre-dreamz]

[b-skarsgard]

Exclusive Interview: Bill Skarsgård On Making Orlok His Own In NOSFERATU

Bill Skarsgård has been in the Nosferatu loop since writer/director Robert Eggers first began conceiving it almost 10 years ago. This was before Skarsgård had his horror-star-making turn as Pennywise in It, so initially, he auditioned for the part of Friedrich Harding, friend of central couple Thomas and Ellen Hutter. Then he read for and landed the part of Thomas before the project fell apart. Nosferatu, in fact, went through a few stops and starts before finally coming to fruition, with Skarsgård ultimately taking on the titular role of the hundreds-of-years-old vampire Count Orlok.

Eggers’ reimagining of the 1922 silent landmark gives Orlok a new look but the same goal: to possess Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and drain the life from those around her. The film, which also stars Nicholas Hoult as Thomas, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Harding, and Willem Dafoe as occult expert Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, presents Orlok as a resuscitated, centuries-old nobleman driven by obsession as much as bloodlust. (You can read more of this interview in FANGORIA #26, on sale very soon.)

read at the link or under the cut

Do you happen to know what Eggers’ change in thinking was, from seeing you in one of the heroic roles to playing the villain?

I don’t know if there are any heroic roles in the movie [laughs], apart from Ellen, in a way. I don’t know what changed in him, but that’s just how it ended up. At one point I was devastated because when it did finally look like Nosferatu was coming around for the third time, he was looking into other actors for Thomas, and then I heard that Nick got the part, and I was like, OK, what about the Harding role?

I also once read for that one. And then Aaron got it, and I was like, OK, I have to divorce myself from the idea of being part of this movie now, even though I felt so, I don’t know, destined to be a part of it. So it was a surprise and shock to me when he approached me with Orlok. In a lot of ways, it was a much more daunting task to undertake as an actor. It was as terrifying as it was exciting.

This is obviously a very different Orlok than we saw in the previous versions of Nosferatu. How did you view the character when you first took the role, and how did you develop him with Eggers?

Robert had obviously done a lot of thinking about what his Orlok would be like. And when he reached out to me about the possibility of playing him, I think he was a lot more confident that I could do it than I was [laughs]. But I was so thrilled for the opportunity, and I told him, “OK, now we’ll have to convince everyone”; we had to submit to the studio and whatnot.

We had this kind of 10-day workshop where he shared with me a lot of the material he had used for inspiration—different performances in different movies, what Orlok would have been like when he was alive, all that kind of stuff. And also how he saw Orlok’s look, which was quite specific. Then I started working on it.

I began with voice memos, and then I would send little clips of myself doing certain things. This was all before the actual screen test; it was all during COVID. Those 10 days were a very deep dive into the process of developing this guy, and proof for myself that I could do it. It was a great sort of dating phase with Robert as well, to see how we would collaborate. Auditions are usually horrible, but with this particular way of doing it, it was quite creative.

Then the movie fell apart again, so when we actually got to shoot it, I believe it had been two and a half years since I did the tape. So I almost had to restudy what I did for the tape in order to start re-prepping for the movie because, at that point, I was at the same place of, how the hell did I do this, or can I do it? I had to go through all that again, you know?

What were some of Eggers’ specific inspirations for Orlok that he shared with you, and were there any you came up with yourself?

There were a lot of different things. There was a Bulgarian movie called Time of Violence—a great movie, over four hours long, set in Bulgaria in the 17th century. And there’s this guy, the antagonist of the movie, taking over a village and forcibly converting Christians, and it’s incredibly violent and horrible. That performance was something Robert talked a lot about in terms of who Orlok could have been when he was alive. We talked about that one a lot, and various different things—little snippets from here and there.

But that was during the very early stages. Once you start delving deeper into a character, hopefully, you start getting inspiration from whatever it is you’re actually working on, and that creates seeds that come out of it. Robert also wrote a backstory for Orlok, just a few pages, that he shared with me, which was also very helpful.

You said before that there aren’t many heroes in Nosferatu except for Ellen. Would you consider Orlok a villain, or do you see him more as a tragic character?

He’s the romantic lead, isn’t he [laughs]? Yeah, it’s tricky. Is he a villain? Yeah, of course; I mean, he’s Nosferatu, he’s Dracula, he’s one of the most, if not the most iconic horror villain there is. But I think the script has nuances that make it more complex, more layered, in the sense that the movie is sort of a love triangle with Ellen in the middle. She’s torn between a good, stable, benevolent, loving husband and something that is very powerful, very destructive, but also very alluring to her, and you watch her being torn between these two forces.

How was it working with the heavy prosthetics that transformed you into Orlok?

David White did the prosthetics and the design, and he’s incredibly talented. And Stuart Richards and his wife were the ones who applied it on me every day. You tend to become very close to those people, because they’re the ones you spend the most time with when you’re playing a character like this. Just immensely talented, and very, very sweet.

And then there’s the process of getting it on for the first time and you’re like, OK, what works and what doesn’t work? How do my face and my expressions translate onto this new face that they’ve glued on top of mine? It becomes a whole process where you need to familiarize yourself with how your performance is being translated through the prosthetics. But I never felt like Orlok without the makeup, so the prosthetics and the costume were all pieces that I needed to perform him.

Since you were attached to the role for a few years, did the concept of Orlok change at all from the beginning to what we see in the final film?

Actually, not too much. Robert shared with me, when I was being considered for the role, a digital drawing he had made of Orlok, and that was pretty close to what he ended up looking like in the actual movie. Obviously, there were little changes here and there, but the essence of it, the mustache and so forth, stayed pretty close.

A lot of the character’s look is, what did a Romanian or Hungarian nobleman look like in the 16th century? As you probably know, Robert does extensive research and tries to be as historically accurate as possible in anything he does. So, the look is a representation of that. It’s a historically accurate Romanian nobleman [laughs]. And the same with the costumes. It was pretty specific, and what Orlok looks like in the movie is pretty close to what Robert initially envisioned.

Can you talk about working with Lily-Rose Depp?

It was an absolute pleasure working with Lily. I haven’t seen many people with such raw talent as she possesses, and how much she gives to the movie. It’s not an easy role at all; it was so emotionally demanding, and the way she could just turn it on every single time, take after take, was awe-inspiring.

The first few scenes I did with her, I wasn’t even acting; I was just a shadow hand behind the camera. And I could just see how gifted she was, and the nuances she brought. Then once we started doing scenes together, I couldn’t appreciate it as much because I was also performing, and we were dancing together. But she’s incredible, and an undeniable force in the movie. •

[fanofspooky]

Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man doing a Fangoria advertisement

[ruinedholograms]

Alien (1979)

[evildeadboy]

FANGORIA>>>>

[agravenimage]

inside fangoria’s october 1988 issue #78 HELLRAISER 2.

[archivegems]

Fangoria Magazine, 1985

[impressionism]

Hey! Interview with The Vampire got nominated for best television series from Fangoria so um, go vote! Idk if they were nominated last time for S1 but Fangoria is an established horror fan magazine since 1979 so I’m happy the show is getting some recognition within the horror space.

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

[tohkaphobia]

meganfox.com

[tallaxia]

In the Mouth of Madness - German Fangoria 01/1995

I scanned an article with Interviews from my german Fangoria. The Film was released as "Die Mächte des Wahnsinns" and is one of my favourites from John Carpenter!

[ruinedholograms]

Alien (1979)

[yosemitesbaby]

fangoria magazine: jennifer’s body edition (2009)

“if you lose your heart to jennifer… well, that’s not all you lose”

dir. karyn kusama

[surfindead82]

A Weekend of Horrors. Los Angeles, 2002

One of my favorite memories, ever, was when I attended Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in 2002. It was my first horror convention and it rocked my fucking world! Walking in the convention center, I was filled with geeky joy. Like really, I spazzed, big time! It was overwhelming to witness what seemed like thousands of other horror fans young and old wearing shirts with images from domestic and foreign slasher, monster, and zombie flicks. Hundreds of vendors selling horror movies from around the world on VHS and the newest media format, DVD. Tables were set up blanketed in horror movie swag! I knew right then my measly bank account would not be safe this weekend. It really wasn't as I recall I overdrew a significant amount, no regrets!

There was a moment when the noisy crowd seemed to quiet in a wave headed right towards me, and I wondered what was going on? As the silence spread in my direction, so did the people part. That's when I saw. . .him. Bruce Campbell, THE KING of horror movie royalty, was parting this crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea in that old movie about rules. Bruce was the main reason I was attending. He was my favorite actor, from my favorite film series, The Evil Dead. I had actually written Mr. Campbell several years earlier when I gained access to the internet using a free AOL trial. I wrote, “Dear Bruce Campbell, I would like you to send me your autograph.” Months later I received a post card with a black and white publicity photo from when he starred in the FOX television series, Brisco County Jr. On the back was written, “Hey” followed by his autograph. SWOON. Eventually, he passed right in front of me, followed by convention staff. I nearly fainted.

Bruce was there this weekend to give a panel talking about the paperback edition of his autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor, as well as promoting his upcoming film projects, Buba Ho-Tep, and his directorial debut, The man with the Screaming Brain.

After I composed myself from basking in Bruce glory, I went to meet more horror icons, as well as buy some merch and movies. I found a booth ran by Rotten-Cotton, who specialized in making officially licensed shirts, stickers, and patches of Italian and B-grade horror movies. I bought a Return of the Living Dead shirt with a drawing of the character Trash, and a button up Dawn of The Dead work shirt. At different booths, I purchased DVD copies of Battle Royale, and Ichi The Killer (probably bootlegs). At another table, I bought a VHS copy of a Japanese movie I'd never heard of called Stacy: Attack of the Schoolgirl Zombies (definitely a bootleg).

There were a boat-load of horror celebs I wanted to meet. I started with Heather Langenkamp, the first Freddy Krueger final girl, from A Nightmare On Elm Street. It was an honor to meet her. She was really sweet, and I stepped on her foot when standing for a photo op with her. I moved on to Bill Moseley who was famous for playing Leatherface's brother, “Chop-Top” in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Part 2. He had already filmed Rob Zombie's directorial debut House of a 1000 Corpses, but it was in limbo at the time and hadn't been released yet. He had us cracking up, yapping in his Chop-Top voice. Furthermore, he kindly signed a photo with one of his famous TCM2 lines, “Lick my plate, you dog dick!”

There were several famous people attending not as guests, but as fans. I spotted, director of The Blues Brothers and Twilight Zone the Movie, John Landis. Porn star Ron Jeremy (yuck). Mick Garris who adapted many Steven king books to film, and Michael Berryman, who starred in The Hills Have Eyes, Weird Science, Star Trek IV: The Voyage home. Actually, I later found out Michael was a guest. I just happened to see him walking around and asked if he'd take a picture with me. He did, with his large hands across my neck, mock strangelingly.

After I was released from Michael Berryman's clutches, I was looking around just taking everything in when I made eye contact with someone very recognizable, whom I had no idea would be attending. Glenn Shadix! Most known for his role as Otho in Beetlejuice. I was stoked and he could tell! He gave me a huge smile, and gestured me over. I exclaimed something like, “oh man, I had no idea you were going to be here! I love you!” Glenn laughed and we talked for a few minutes. He was an angel of a human. I was more than a bit heartbroken when he passed away in 2010. Rest in piece, Glenn, I still freaking love you.

I met some legends that weekend. George A, Romero, the man who invented the modern zombie. Who made the classics, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. I like his other movies too, Martin, The Crazies, Season of the Witch etc. I was sure to catch his panel discussion, where he told us about his being fired from directing the Resident Evil movie. He said it was because after The Matrix became a hit the studio wanted him to rewrite his script and make a more action packed, more "Matrixy" Resident Evil film. He told them her doesn't make those types of movies. In the same room as George was make up effects legend and actor Tom Savini. Of course, I appreciate his contributions to gore and make up effects for Friday the 13th, Dawn and Day of the Dead, and Maniac. But I was psyched to meet Sex Machine! The leather clad biker with the cock revolver, from one of my favorite movies, From Dusk Till Dawn!

There was a moment I truly wish I had used my camera for. I saw Tom summon George Romero over to him to show him an action figure made after his biker bandit char-acter from Dawn of the Dead. There were these two legends of horror in the middle of this room, smiling ear to ear, giggling like children at a toy. I felt like I was the only person besides them who witnessed this precious 60 seconds.

It was now time to meet Bruce Campbell, formally. I bought a copy of his book for him to sign. It went like this. I walked up to his table and said, “Hi, can you sign this?” I handed him the paperback, he replied “easy-peasy.” and signed it Writing “Hey, Brad” followed by his familiar signature, just like the one from that postcard years before.

So star-struck was I, that I'd forgotten to have him sign a photo from Army Darkness I bought for my mom. So I later got back in line and had him sign, “To, Julie. . . Gimme Some Sugar.” A favorite quote from Army. Bruce's panel discussion was one of the funniest events I've seen in my life. It was beyond brilliant! My favorite moment was when he reenacted the scene from Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, where his hand, after being bitten by his girlfriend turned deadite, becomes possessed, and starts attacking him. Here was Bruce punching himself, pulling his hair and even did a front flip, landing hard on his back!

There was a Q&A session where he addressed the most important question. When the hell was Evil Dead 3 coming out?! He told us, his loyal fans, that the problem was there was no money in it since the third film Army of Darkness was a theatrical flop. However, he would reprise his role as Ash if he were given the opportunity to do so. We never did get an Evil Dead 3. We got an amazing series that lasted 3 seasons, Ash VS Evil Dead.

After the convention wrapped up there was a cocktail party with Elvira Mistress of the Dark. We couldn't afford that, so instead we went to a rock and roll wrestling show. Featuring a luchador wrestling match followed by a performance by The Ghastly ones. Topping off the bill was a Misfits tribute band called Plan 9. It was a great way to end the day. I've been fortunate to attend a few other horror conventions since then. Met more remarkable horror celebs, but that Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in August of '02 is a highlight of my life!

-Surfindead

More info on that Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors here: