The 2024 version of Nosferatu is full of symbolism and subtle moments of foreshadowing, among them one detail about Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and Count Orlok's (Bill Skarsgård) ending. Robert Eggers has become one of the most interesting horror filmmakers, and in 2024, he carried on with his title of Master of Horror with a remake of the 1922 German expressionist film Nosferatu. Directed by F.W. Murnau, Nosferatu is an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and it's now regarded as a horror classic.

Nosferatu has a tragic ending for both Ellen and Orlok, but it was subtly foreshadowed throughout the movie.

Ellen & Von Franz Being Associated With Cats & Orlok Being Associated With Rats Foreshadowed Their Endings

Ellen & Orlok Aren’t Meant To Have A Happy Ending

Throughout Nosferatu, Ellen and Professor Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) are associated with cats. Von Franz is Nosferatu’s equivalent to Dracula’s Dr. Van Helsing, and as such, he’s key to figuring out who has been tormenting Ellen and the best solution to get rid of it. Due to his area of expertise and his unusual methods, Von Franz is a controversial figure within the world of Nosferatu, as he’s an expert in alchemy, mysticism, and the occult. It’s Von Franz who tells everyone Ellen is under the spell of Orlok, and that more horrors will come.

Ellen has a pet cat that even Von Franz points out, with Ellen telling him the cat has no master.

Von Franz is right, and when Orlok arrives from Transylvania, he brings with him a plague, carried by lots and lots of rats that were on the ship that brought him closer to Ellen. Orlok is heavily associated with rats throughout Nosferatu, while, on the other hand, Ellen and Von Franz are associated with cats. Ellen has a pet cat that even Von Franz points out, with Ellen telling him the cat has no master. Von Franz also has a pet cat, which is fitting for both, as they are the ones hunting and ultimately killing Orlok, like cats do with rats.

The cats are autonomous, as is she, as she resisted Orlok’s influence as much as she could.

To further add to this, Orlok also has a connection to dogs, as seen with those guarding his castle. However, Orlok is in control of the dogs, which makes Ellen’s comment on her cat having no master quite relevant: the cats are autonomous, as is she, as she resisted Orlok’s influence as much as she could, while the dogs were fully under Orlok’s spell and control.

Nosferatu's Cats Also Reflect Ellen & Von Franz' Openness To Magic & The Supernatural

Cats Have A Lot More Meaning Than They Might Seem

Although Von Franz doesn’t have any supernatural abilities or skills, and doesn’t have a connection to it like Ellen does, he’s aware of it, understanding, and open to the supernatural.

Cats in Nosferatu and their association with Ellen and Orlok are also representative of these two characters’ link to the supernatural and magic, according to these animals’ meaning in folklore. Ellen is in tune with the supernatural: she summoned Orlok without even knowing it, she bonded with him, and she went into disturbing trances. Although Von Franz doesn’t have any supernatural abilities or skills, and doesn’t have a connection to it like Ellen does, he’s aware of it, understanding, and open to the supernatural, having studied it for years.

Dogs, on the other hand, represent loyalty, protection, guidance, and also a connection to the spiritual realm, so it’s not surprising that they were Orlok’s chosen animal to keep him safe. Rats have represented death, disease, and have been seen as trickster creatures in many cultures, all also very fitting with Orlok, his abilities, and his actions. Through these animals, Nosferatu told us Ellen and Orlok would have a tragic ending, and ultimately, the cat triumphed over the rat.