Nosferatu Fashion: The Stylised Clothing Behind The Gothic Horror

Fur coats, corsets, delicately placed flowers and a plague of rats. Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024) creates a world in which gore and beauty have a love affair. This sense of supernatural is achieved through the attention to detail in the costumes. From Ellen’s subtly sensual nightgowns to Count Orlock’s layers of fur, Nosferatu’s costumes perfectly display the relationship between human and spirit, and science and gothic in this stylised horror. 

The film is set in 1830’s Germany. A time period in which regency had just ended and the Victorian era was just starting. I could really sense a feeling of changing time periods in the costumes of the film, they had an instability to them that was fascinating - and they were almost entirely accurate to the time as well, with most pieces being handmade for the film alone. The specific accuracy of the German costumes help in allowing Count Orlock to stand out from the others. High up in his faraway castle, Orlock’s 300 year old wardrobe consists of detailed fur jackets typically worn by Romanian Dukes and Nobles from the 16th Century. These jackets used to be used to highlight one’s status, however in Nosferatu, Orlock hides behind his multiple thick coats in order to shield his withering body from any unsuspecting visitors. The streamlined black overcoats of  the German men are a complete opposite to his shaggy and exaggerated look. This succeeds in setting Orlock apart from other characters and presenting him as an unusual and spooky presence who disturbs the stability of early Victorian Germany. 

I cannot discuss the costumes in this film without analysing the main character, Ellen, and the character journey she and her wardrobe undertake. She starts the film in a starched white nightgown that flows around her body with ease. The film’s costume designer, Linda Muir, told Spencer Williams that the purpose of the nightgowns in Ellen’s opening scenes were to present the audience with an ethereal and otherworldly character. The low cut neckline of these nightgowns combined with the almost translucent white emphasise that ethereal image and helps the audience gauge Ellen’s character for the film. As the film progresses, Ellen’s costumes demonstrate her change in character as Orlock’s possession takes over. In the dinner party scene with the Hardings, Ellen’s dress is a traditional post-regency style dress in lilac with embroidered flowers. However, her costumes darken in colour and embellishment as the film progresses, reaching their gothic peak in Ellen’s black mourning crepe and jet black outfit. This costume’s crepe also highlights Ellen’s growing maturity, demonstrating to the audience the importance of her final decision in the film. According to Muir, Ellen’s palette mirrors Count Orlock’s which highlights the sense of ambiguity in Ellen’s position between human and spiritual worlds. 

The costumes of the Harding women make Ellen stand out more, the abundance of white ruffles, lace and pastel fabrics worn by Anna and her two daughters present a sense of religious purity and value. Anna’s doll-like wardrobe demonstrates Friedrich Harding’s adoration of her as a prized item. This is huge contrast to Ellen’s dark and less detailed wardrobe, which highlights not only the class difference between the two women, but also Ellen’s refusal to conform to society’s standards of dress. She is not present in this period of society, therefore her clothes do not fit in with other characters but stand out. 

Overall, Muir’s attention to detail in the costuming throughout Nosferatu is impressive to see, both in visual appeal on the screen, and in historical accuracy. The costumes help us to understand the different worlds between Victorian Germany and freezing Romania. They also succeed in showing how Ellen sits between these two worlds, while also belonging to neither. These costumes tell a story within the film about love, gore, fragility, disease, and the growing tension between science and supernatural that continues to shine on the screen today!