The Marketing of “Nosferatu”
Would you see a 2 hour+ gothic horror film on Christmas Day? Even if you won’t, Focus Features is betting that vampire enthusiasts will when Nosferatu, the latest remake of the 1922 classic vampire film, opens on December 25. Directed by Robert Eggers, Nosferatu is being marketed as high-brow gothic horror. Whether the movie is any good remains to be seen, but so far the marketing of the movie deserves an A+. Elements include:
🧛 Thematic Easter eggs: Tickets for Nosferatu are available for purchase on Fandango. To enrich the user experience, Fandango has incorporated a feature where selected seats are depicted as miniature coffins during the booking process (if you look closely, you can see spooky pentagrams on each coffin). This aligns with the film’s gothic theme. So cool!
🦇Immersive experience event: From Dec. 16 to 18, Focus, in collaboration with Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting, launched “Nosferatu: The Immersive Experience.” This live event at the Masonic Lodge in Hollywood Forever Cemetery provided attendees with an interactive journey into the film’s gothic universe, blending live performances with thematic environments.
🧛 Limited-edition merchandise: including a Nosferatu-themed $4,000 casket and a $20,000 sarcophagus bed replica. Yes, you heard that right: you can buy a real casket as well as a sarcophagus bed, modeled after Count Orlok’s coffin from the film. These unusual items clearly target collectors with disposable incomes and enthusiasts of the vampire genre.
🦇Unusual distribution date: Focus is counting on Nosferatu to stand apart from typical Christmas Day movies. Had Nosferatu been distributed during Halloween (the logical choice), the movie would have competed with known popular franchises such as Smile 2. Also, Focus views Nosferatu as a prestige film befitting a holiday release.
🧛 The big reveal: in its trailers, Focus has carefully avoided revealing Bill Skarsgård’s transformation into Count Orlok. You have to see the movie for the reveal. This suspense-building approach intensifies curiosity. Skarsgård’s portrayal, rooted in Romanian folklore and marked by hours of makeup work, promises to be a memorable re-imagining.
Focus doesn’t need to appeal to everyone. The key is attracting fans of the vampire genre. Vampire genre enthusiasts will support vampire movies depending on the quality, originality, and tone of the content. Nosferatu has the potential to resonate with fans by embracing the genre’s Gothic roots. So far, its marketing is slowly permeating the digital world like a vampiric cloud. I am onboard.
