One of my favourite things about all three Nosferatu films is how there is such heavy emphasis on disease and plague, which is quite meaningful when you consider the history behind it.
You don't need to be a scholar to know that bubonic plague, which has always been a source of terror and destruction for the peoples of Europe even before and after it crafted its magnum opus with the Black Death, and in all three versions, you'll see imagery that calls back to these dark times.
From legions of rats crawling off ships to white crosses adorning infected houses and countless coffins being paraded down the streets. You even see this in Nosferatu's design as well as in the 1922 and 1979 films, Orlok had pointed ears and fangs on his front incisors rather than his canines, much like a rat! And in the 2024 film, his body is adorned with the symptoms of the illness.
And that's what makes Orlok stand out from other versions of Count Dracula (and such a memorable and terrifying character): he's more than just another embodiment of pure evil, he's the embodiment of a continent's greatest trauma!
