How Nosferatu's experiential marketing tactics bring gothic horror to the holidays

Nearly 100 years after the original, Nosferatu is back—and this time for the holiday season. We should specify, though, that it’s in time for the Christmas season, since we all know that Dracula occasionally crosses paths with Santa.

Despite this, it’s gearing up to have an impactful release at the box office after a handful of positive reviews during early screenings and the notoriety of the cast involved. With attention spans stretched into multiple directions leading up to Christmas, Nosferatu had a unique challenge (since it isn’t a family-oriented movie)—connect with audiences and transport them into the gothic atmosphere of 1838 Transylvania and get them excited for a new take on a high-budget horror classic… in the heart of December.

To accomplish this, Focus Featured invited influencers and moviegoers alike to experience an immersive Nosferatu experience at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, blending the real world with the one in the movie.

The experience had many thematic elements including props, experiential actors, interactive elements, and music that transported you out of Los Angeles and into Transylvania as a part of a tour through a graveyard leading to Count Orlok’s estate.

According to their website, photos and videos were encouraged as guests were invited to “An open world immersive experience where you will be transported into the gothic ambiance of the film. Explore carefully curated dark spaces filled with screen used props, occult artifacts, eerie soundscapes, and strange inhabitants.”

Upon arrival, guests immediately witnessed the movie text treatment in its signature font with a silhouette of a hand projected on the building they were about to enter:

The Grimm Life Collective also posted a full walk-through of the experience which garnered 47K views, thousands of likes and hundreds of comments in only four days:Som

Immersive experiences—at least for a pop-up or weekend prior to the release of the film—are becoming a staple of any movie marketing strategy. Even for a “small” one like this (at least in terms of number of nights open), the impact can be realized.

As attendees share photos of the intricately-designed photo ops and broadcast their experience on Instagram and TikTok, they serve as new channels that drive awareness for the film.

Better yet, their enthusiasm for a pulse-pounding experience like this one (a night in a cemetery? Come on…) can translate to enthusiasm for the movie in theaters.

The limited ticket release for the event may also cast psychological benefits. If you wanted to go and missed out on a ticket to the live event, you might be feeling a bit of FOMO and more incentivized to buy a ticket a ticket to the next best thing—Nosferatu in theaters on December 25th.