In the novel, Count Barlow is portrayed as a very human person, almost indistinguishible from the average man. He is portrayed as manipulative and intelligent. In the film version, the count is portrayed like a monsterous creature, in vein of the famous Nosferatu. Fangs of various lengths hang from his mouth and he has dark gray skin and piercing yellow eyes. He is very hideous and shocking in the film, and never talks.