‘SpongeBob’s contribution to society is invaluable’: A horror director thanks the cartoon character for helping his movie

SpongeBob SquarePants lives in a pineapple under the sea, but that doesn’t stop him from being an influencer. In fact, a critically acclaimed horror director recently showered the yellow and porous one with praise for helping to draw attention to his upcoming movie.

At this point, SpongeBob SquarePants is a cultural institution. For 25 years, SpongeBob and his pals, such as Patrick Star and Squidward Tentacles, have entertained audiences – young and old – with their unique brand of sharp, witty humor. Despite the madcap adventures and outrageous premises on display, SpongeBob has also been responsible for introducing audiences to other important elements of pop culture, such as Nosferatu.

In the cartoon, Nosferatu works at the Krusty Krab as a night shift manager and appears sporadically throughout the show. The child version of the character, Kidferatu, also shows up in the prequel series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years. For many young audiences, SpongeBob acted as their first introduction to the vampire also known as Count Orlok. Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this bloodsucker debuted in F. W. Murnau’s 1922 horror Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, and has become a seminal part of vampire lore and mythology – even if his name isn’t as universally renowned as Dracula.

Now, Robert Eggers, the director behind the 2024 Nosferatu remake, has thanked SpongeBob for being partially responsible for a generation of fans knowing who Count Orlok is. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Eggers admitted he knew all about Nosferatu’s appearances on the Nickelodeon animated series. He added: 

“There was a show called Muppet Babies when I was a kid that would play little clips of Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera and early versions of Cyrano de Bergerac and stuff; that weird cartoon gave me exposure to a lot of movies that I watched when I was a little older with memories from Muppet Babies. So, thanks, SpongeBob.”

Nicholas Hoult, who plays Thomas Hutter in the Nosferatu remake, also tipped his imaginary hat to the feisty yellow sponge. He said, “I’ve got to go back and watch more SpongeBob. And I like that that’s people’s introduction to it and hopefully this will be a reintroduction to it in a different way.”

X users weighed in Eggers’ gratitude toward SpongeBob as well. One commentator wrote, “SpongeBob’s contribution to society is invaluable,” while another mentioned how Nosferatu’s appearances scared them as a child. Other commentators joked that Eggers needs to include the famous sponge in his celebratory speech if he wins an Academy Award for his newest movie. Well, that isn’t outside the realm of possibility either, since the Nosferatu remake holds a sensational 94% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. If that doesn’t scream Oscar buzz, then what does?

After seeing Nosferatu, producer Chris Columbus called Eggers “a young Stanley Kubrick.” Judging by the reception toward the filmmaker’s latest release and his previous work, it’s understandable how Columbus could make this connection. Yet, no one will be talking about Kubrick if Eggers wins the big prize. Instead, it’ll be SpongeBob SquarePants in the headlines – and rightfully so. Who else played a bigger role in introducing Nosferatu to a generation of viewers?