Robert Eggers’ wildly popular horror movie Nosferatu is, like all his movies, a completely stand-alone movie, but sharp-eared viewers will notice that the movie’s extended cut actually contains a brief reference to Eggers’ next movie, which is due out in 2026. Based on F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent horror masterpiece Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, Eggers’ 2024 adaptation became a box office hit and a critical sensation. Led by captivating performances from both Lily-Rose Depp and Bill Skarsgård, Nosferatu is by far the highest-grossing and most popular of Eggers’ four films.

So far in his brief career, Robert Eggers has taken on pieces of folklore from different parts of the world, specifically as they relate to horror elements and supernatural creatures. In the course of exploring the mythology behind witches, mermaids, vampires, Eggers also creates an immersive setting that captures the essence and minutiae of distinct time periods and locations. In Nosferatu, he explored the folklore of both Romania and Western Europe as they relate to vampires, but in the course of doing so he managed to sneak in a mention of the next creature he will create a world around.

Nosferatu’s Extended Cut Features Orlok Briefly Mentioning Werewolves

Orlok Expands Upon The Peasant Ceremony That Thomas Saw

One of the most chilling scenes in Nosferatu is Thomas Hutter’s (Nicholas Hoult) introduction to Count Orlok, the mysterious Transylvanian nobleman that his boss has sent him to transact with. While seated at Orlok’s table, Thomas asks about a peasant ritual that he observed while staying at the inn at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains in which Orlok’s castle is nestled. Thomas saw a group of peasants lead a naked maiden on horseback into a graveyard until the horse stopped; they unearthed the coffin in the grave it stopped at and killed the creature inside, which was a vampire.

In the theatrical cut of the movie, Orlok dismisses the ritual as little more than peasant supersтιтion, and quickly grows angry when Thomas presses him further, ending the conversation. In Nosferatu‘s extended cut, Orlok delivers a brief monologue about the supersтιтions the locals attribute to the night; it’s a specific point in time where evil of all kinds is released upon the world, and he specifically mentions that, “Devil’s magic bids the wolf to speak with tongues of men.” Orlok is directly referring to werewolves, albeit in his roundabout, ancient manner of speech and without using that term.

What Orlok’s Extended Monologue Is Referring To

Orlok Speaks To The Darkest Elements Of Romanian Mythology

In his monologue, Orlok refers to the night as “Sfântul Andrei”, which is a reference to the Feast of Saint Andrew, one of the apostles of Jesus and the patron saint of Romania itself. The night that Thomas stayed at the inn was the eve of that day, and Orlok’s monologue describes what the peasantry believe occurs on that night. In addition to wolves speaking like men, he calls it “the darkest witching night” and a night where every nightmare is free to walk the Earth.

There’s a pretty clear line to be drawn between the night Orlok speaks of, which comes the night before the Feast of Saint Andrew, and our own modern Halloween, which comes the night before All Saints’ Day. The origin of our holiday lies in the same Christian roots as the Romanian supersтιтions of which Orlok speaks, which is why the day is now ᴀssociated with vampires, witches, and werewolves. It’s a great addition to Orlok’s character, as he gives a terrifying chuckle after describing those very evils.

Robert Eggers Is Directing A Werewolf Movie After Nosferatu

The Auteur Will Take On Another Mystical Creature Next

The mention of “wolves that speak with the tongues of men” is particularly poignant, as Robert Eggers recently announced his next movie would be his take on werewolves. His already-тιтled movie Werwulf is set to release on Christmas Day 2026, two years to the day after Nosferatu hit theaters. Like Nosferatu set the general concept of vampires in a much more grounded folklore and location in the world, Werwulf will do the same for werewolves.

It has already been reported that Eggers’ Werwulf will be set in 13th-century England, and the entire movie will feature genuine Old English dialogue, subтιтled for modern audiences. The immersive effect that he’s achieved in each of his other movies will surely be on display, and if the dread and horror he conjured with a vampire is any indication, Eggers’ take on a werewolf should be similarly frightening. The setting (and Eggers’ lack of interest in franchises) makes it clear that Werwulf won’t connect to Nosferatu, but the concept did get a sneaky reference in the Gothic horror’s extended cut.