What actually happens
A girl prays for company and gets a vampire
The story starts with a lonely young girl named Ellen who prays for a companion. She accidentally contacts a powerful being called Nosferatu, and the two of them end up psychically linked. Years later, in 1838, she is married to Thomas Hutter, and the couple live in Wisburg, Germany. His employer, Herr Knock, sends Thomas to Transylvania with a property deal for the reclusive Count Orlok: the decrepit Grünewald Manor. Thomas doesn't know that Knock is secretly working with the Count. Before leaving, he trusts Ellen to his friend Friedrich Harding and Friedrich's pregnant wife, Anna, who have two daughters.
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Thomas visits the world's worst client
When Thomas reaches a hamlet in Transylvania, the locals shun him for mentioning Castle Orlok. That night he watches a group of Roma dig up and stake a corpse that gushes blood. The next morning the hamlet is empty and his horse is gone, so he walks until a mysterious carriage takes him to the castle. At dinner he cuts his hand while staring at Orlok, which upsets the Count. Orlok completes the sale and takes Thomas's locket with a lock of Ellen's hair in it. Thomas finds bite marks on his chest and gets sicker. Trying to escape, he finds Orlok asleep in a coffin in the crypt, naked and decayed. When Orlok wakes and chases him, Thomas falls into a river and is pulled out by nuns, who tell him Orlok became a vampire in a pact with the Devil. Orlok then ships himself to Wisburg in his coffin, aboard a vessel carrying plague rats.
The plague arrives before the husband does
Back in Wisburg, Orlok's hold on Ellen gives her seizures and makes her sleepwalk. Her doctor, Wilhelm Sievers, asks his old mentor, Albin Eberhart von Franz, a Swiss scientist shunned for his belief in the occult. Von Franz agrees that Nosferatu is behind it and adds that sunlight will kill him. Knock is locked up after killing and eating sheep raw. Thomas gets back to Wisburg as the plague begins killing people. Knock escapes and brings Orlok to Grünewald Manor. Orlok tells Ellen in a nightmare that Thomas sold her to him in exchange for his commission and demands that she submit within three days, or he will kill Thomas. Ellen blames Thomas for being used. Orlok then kills Anna and her children, and Friedrich, finally believing the couple, dies of the plague at his family's graves.
A fair maiden volunteers
Von Franz has found that a willing sacrifice by a fair maiden can destroy Nosferatu. Ellen decides she is the only one who can end the plague, so she works with von Franz to keep Thomas away. The men go to Grünewald Manor and accidentally kill Knock, who was asleep in Orlok's coffin. Thomas realizes the trick as Ellen calls Orlok to her. This is the scene people brace for, and it comes at the very end: Ellen lets Orlok feed on her until sunrise, and he is so absorbed in her that the sun catches him. Thomas comes back and holds her hand while she dies, and von Franz tells him the sacrifice has released them from Nosferatu.
The ending, explained
Ellen allows Orlok to feed on her until dawn, and the sunrise kills him because she has his attention. Thomas gets back in time to hold her hand as she dies, and von Franz tells him her sacrifice has ended Nosferatu's hold over them. Before that, Orlok killed Anna and her children, Friedrich died of the plague at their graves, and Knock was killed by Thomas, von Franz and Sievers when they found him in Orlok's coffin. Thomas is left alive and widowed.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies, though a pigeon does.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Nosferatu scary?
Nosferatu is a 6 out of 10. The fear lasts about a night and comes from a slow gothic atmosphere, a plague of rats and some jump scares.
How does Nosferatu end?
Ellen lets Orlok feed on her until sunrise, and the sun destroys him. Ellen dies holding Thomas's hand, and von Franz confirms her sacrifice freed them from Nosferatu.
Does the dog die in Nosferatu?
No dog dies in Nosferatu. A pigeon does die: a character bites its head off while it is alive, and the scene is graphic. The cats in the movie are not harmed.
Is there a post-credits scene in Nosferatu?
No. Nosferatu has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
Why does Ellen sacrifice herself in Nosferatu?
In Nosferatu, von Franz's research says a fair maiden who offers herself willingly can destroy the vampire. Ellen knows only she can stop the plague, so she keeps Thomas away and lets Orlok feed on her until the sun rises.
