New York filmmaking team Thursday Shoots has released a new short film titled Nosferatu’s Fantasy Football League. The project asks a simple question: what does Nosferatu do in his free time? The answer, according to the film, is sitting at a draft table with his league mates.
Charlie DesJardin wrote and directed the short. Kevin Etherson plays the Count, joining DesJardin, Tom A. Capps, Phillip Russell, Michael Mercadante, Joe Jungermann, Anthony Volpe, and Crystal DesJardin at the table. DesJardin, Capps, Etherson, Russell, and Mercadante produced the film, with Jungermann serving as associate producer. The production crew includes Nicole Dark and Kim Dallas on camera, Dakota Nelson and Dom Brocc for G&E and AC, Capps on editing, and Mercadante on color grading.
Makeup and effects were handled by Charlie Vancil and Jackie Green. Thursday Shoots, which counts more than 100 festival screenings and over 30 awards across its body of work, presents the short as a blend of horror iconography and sports comedy.
The choice of Orlok is rooted in legal history. F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stoker’s widow, Florence, sued the production, and a German court ordered the destruction of all prints in 1925. Copies that had already crossed borders survived, placing the character in the public domain. This status means Count Orlok belongs to everybody, requiring no studio clearance for rights. Additionally, the character’s silhouette remains instantly recognizable, ensuring the vampire’s continued presence in independent comedy.