“Nosferatu”: A Symphony Of Memes
Count Orlock’s Second Life as a SpongeBob Meme & (2024 Comeback)
By: John Witiw
Robert Eggers, of “The Witch” fame, recently gave audiences a scary ghost story to enjoy on Christmas Day with 2024’s “Nosferatu”, inspired by the 1922 film of the same name. In this take on the story, a young German woman, played by Lily-Rose Depp, finds herself haunted by a vampire and sorcerer that has targeted her for years. While the original 1922 film is arguably one of the most famous silent films ever made, a lot of viewers actually knew the character thanks to a famous, yellow sponge, something Eggers acknowledged. Ultimately, it’s a story that shows meme culture can sometimes give something much more than fifteen minutes of fame.
Of course, “Nosferatu” has its origins in the 1922 film, “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” directed by F. W. Murnau, itself a loose and unauthorized retelling of Bram Stoker’s famous novel, “Dracula.” As film critics are quick to point out, “Nosferatu” is not the title character’s name, which is Graf, or “Count,” Orlock, but rather what he is.
The word is of unclear origins, though it appears in Stoker’s novel, seemingly as another word for “vampire,” but is often thought to mean “plague bearer.” This fits quite nicely with the film’s story, in which Orlock functions like a personification of the plague, even looking like a cross between man and rat. Eventually, he is taken down, not by a stake through the heart, but by the film’s heroine tricking him into staying awake past sunrise, at the cost of her own life.
However, “Nosferatu” would soon take on a new life over the years. The character has appeared in remakes, like 1979’s “Nosferatu the Vampyre,” parodies, like 2000’s “Shadow of the Vampire,” and even a Blue Oyster Cult song. The 1922 movie is even credited with popularizing the idea of vampires being destroyed by sunlight.
While most “Nosferatu” media is aimed at adults, the vampire would become known to children of the 2000s thanks to the “SpongeBob SquarePants” episode, “Graveyard Shift,” which sees the Krusty Krab running 24-hours a day. SpongeBob is elated over never having to leave work, so Squidward spooks him with a ghost story about a deceased employee, the Hash-Slinging Slasher. However, the story then appears to come to life, complete with a mysterious figure haunting the restaurant.
Of course, it turns out that the “ghost” was just a shy fish looking to apply for a job. Everything has a perfectly reasonable explanation, except why the Krusty Krab’s lights were flickering. It’s soon revealed to be old Graf Orlock himself, appearing through stock footage. SpongeBob, Squidward, and their potential new co-worker playfully admonish “Nosferatu,” as he breaks into a sheepish grin.
The Count’s existence isn’t foreshadowed at all beforehand. However, the appearance was timely. The episode first aired on September 6, the birthday of Orlock’s actor, Max Schreck.
Reportedly, the original idea was to have SpongeBob mention a character named “Floorboard Harry” earlier in the episode, who would turn out to have been the one messing with the lights. In the end, it was decided it was funnier to have “Nosferatu” in the role, if only for the randomness of it all. As some fans point out, this also helps the episode end on a joke: SpongeBob and Squidward are terrified by ghost stories throughout the whole ordeal, but treat one of cinema’s most famous vampires in his place like a naughty child.
SpongeBob fans online have often been haunted by the scene, often wondering if the whole thing was meant to be a non-sequitur. Some fans play along with the episode’s final joke and make memes where they substitute “Nosferatu” for some other dangerous horror icon.
A few fans were introduced to the character thanks to the meme and the SpongeBob episode, while others mistakenly thought he was a character made for the show. A few memes poke fun at this, treating the fact that SpongeBob’s vampire acquaintance came from an old German film as some sort of obscure trivia.
In later years, “Nosferatu” would make appearances on the show and its spin-offs, usually by actor Alexander Ward instead of Schreck. He made his return in 2018’s “The Night Patty,” which implies he works at the Krusty Krab’s night shift, explaining his original appearance. Notably, “Squidferatu” has SpongeBob and Squidward visit his castle.
In a nod to his debut episode, the Phantom of the Opera makes a cameo to flicker the lights. A kid version of the vampire also appears in the “Kamp Koral” spin-off.
Funnily enough, children also got to meet the famous vampire in the previous decade with another Nickelodeon series. On the children’s horror anthology series, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” episode “The Tale of the Midnight Madness,” the recurring Dr. Vink saves a dying movie theater with his own silent film based on the character, “Nosferatu the Demon Vampire.” When the owner refuses to “pay the piper” and honor his original deal with Vink, the vampire escapes into the real world, haunting the theater.
Making things worse, unlike the original, Vink’s vampire wins in his film. In the end, however, much like his 1922 film counterpart, “Nosferatu” is vanquished by sunlight. While Vink’s vampire wasn’t quite the 1922 character, the episode is likewise credited with introducing some viewers to the iconic Count Orlock.
What makes this all interesting is that Eggers himself has touched on the SpongeBob episode and pop culture, introducing classic characters to young kids. In a video interview with The Hollywood Reporter, it was brought up to Eggers that many kids knew the character thanks to SpongeBob.
“Whether SpongeBob helped or not, the film already seems to have done well for the unorthodox Christmas film. While the film is still relatively recent, a few memes have popped up highlighting the recent film.”
Eggers admitted he was aware of the episode and touched on his own experience with pop culture osmosis. He highlighted “Muppet Babies” as another similar show that introduced classic characters to children, similarly, using stock footage, pointing out Lon Chaney’s “Phantom of the Opera” as a similar example. In the end, however, he made sure to end the conversation by thanking the yellow sponge for the unintended promotion.
Whether SpongeBob helped or not, the film already seems to have done well for the unorthodox Christmas film. While the film is still relatively recent, a few memes have popped up highlighting the recent film. Some even have Eggers’ version of the character playing with a light switch. Of course, in the end, “Nosferatu” and his goofy grin seen on “SpongeBob SquarePants” aren’t going to be forgotten anytime soon.