Bet you never thought one of the most acclaimed directors of our time would be giving props to a certain yellow sponge for making audiences connect with his latest film. That’s exactly what happened at the Los Angeles premiere of horror director Robert Eggers' upcoming filmNosferatu.On the carpet,The Hollywood Reporterasked Eggers if he knew ofSpongeBob SquarePants’references to Count Orlok that introduced the iconic vampire to many kids.
In oneparticularly hilarious episodeof the famous Nickelodeon cartoon titled “Graveyard Shift,” SpongeBob is spooked by a ghost story told by his coworker Squidward after their boss Mr. Krabs decides to keep the Krusty Krab open for 24 hours. By the end of the episode, SpongeBob realizes that every spooky detail of the story he thought was coming true had a practical explanation, except for the flickering lights.
The punchline of the episode is thatthey find Count Orlok, whom they all call Nosferatu, was the one flickering the lightsin the form of a funnily animated still from the 1922 horror film.The filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter he was familiar with theSpongeBobepisode that introduced the classic character to kids in a lighthearted way andthanked the cartoon, among others, for keeping classic imagery alive.
“There was a show calledMuppet Babieswhen I was a kid that would play little clips of like Lon Chaney’sPhantom of the Operaand early versions ofCyrano de Bergeracand stuff;that weird cartoon gave me exposure to a lot of movies that I watched when I was a little olderwith memories fromMuppet Babies. So, thanksSpongeBob.” - Robert Eggers via THR
The Hollywood Reporter also talked to starr Nicholas Hoult, who gave his thoughts on the vampire’s appearance.
“I’ve got to go back and watch moreSpongeBob. And I like that that’s people’s introduction to it and hopefully this will be a reintroduction to it in a different way.” - Nicholas Hoult
Check out Eggers' answer below.
The humor of the cartoon featuring the yellow sponge and his best starfish friend is unmatched when it comes to kids' content, which is largely due to its ability to appeal to all ages in its jokes and gags. While many might find it odd that the cartoon included a still from a 1922 movie for an episode’s stinger, if you watch more than one episode of the long-running cartoon, you’ll see that the show is built upon references and odd images that don’t quite fit the vibe of the colorful animation.
Even thoughfilming with more than 5,000 trained ratssounds kind of absurdly funny,SpongeBob SquarePants’version of Count Orlok is a much more tame version than the 2024Nosferatufilm. However, the kids that grew up watching those episodes ofSpongeBobare now even more excited and aware of the upcoming horror film thanks to the genius humor of the show’s creators. Eggers has created a classic vampire for modern adult audiences, and if any kids are interested in the film because ofSpongeBob, then they’re in for a major shock.
