Shadow of the Vampire

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Shadow of the Vampire

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Shadow of the Vampire

John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes, Catherine McCormack, Eddie Izzard

The filming of Nosferatu is hampered by the fact that the star is taking his role far more seriously than what seems humanly possible.

Id: 10899115

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Shadow of the Vampire Recent Reviews
  • xXxHarleyxQuinnxXx
    November 27, 2009
    xXxHarleyxQuinnxXx
    Willem Dafoe is sooo CREEPY!! So much like the original...John Malkovich, who I am usually on the fece on, I like...I was also pleasenty surprised to see Cary Elwes. I always enjoy him. OO THAT willem Dafoe..as in Boondock Saints lol.
  • BloodyKitten
    August 3, 2008
    BloodyKitten
    Very quirky, interesting movie - a gem for fans of classic horror. Slow, atmospheric, and delightfully entertaining.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    June 15, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Interesting approach to the material, Dafoe truly impresses here.
  • ceWEBrity
    May 13, 2008
    ceWEBrity
    I REVIEWED THIS SHIT TWICE and it didn't save either time. Fucking go to hell, Flixster. Here are two things I liked about the movie that I copied from a totally different post I made because I'm lazy and I don't feel like writing about it anymore.

    + Atmosphere. This movie, in ...( read more)terms of composition, is unlike few others. As dumb as this will surely seem, it's like a silent movie with sound - the image is placed at the forefront and what the characters are saying is secondary. Some of the best scenes of the movie come when Murnau is filming his movie and what we are seeing is shown in grainy black-and-white film, interwoven with the "real" scenes in color. I think it's a reminder of some of the things that we take for granted about black and white film...The stimuli are different, sure, but the starkness of the image can make what you're seeing all the more visceral. The first time this technique is used, Murnau is filming the vampire's first appearance, and it is downright chilling to watch him emerge from the shadows.

    The movie is very Gothic, not in the meaning of the term that most of us know, but in that it's evocative of crumbling European castles and creatures lurking in the shadows. It successfully captures two tones: that of the original Nosferatu, and something completely new, bleak and haunted and totally beautiful. It seems shallow to praise a movie so heavily for its aesthetic, but Shadow of the Vampire is truly remarkable work.

    + Willem Dafoe. This is the role that really brought Dafoe to the forefront for me. To be honest, I never paid any attention to him in anything else he's been in, even though people claim he's a real acting chameleon and stuff like that. His work in Shadow of the Vampire as Max Schreck, however, is too good to be ignored. It is a truly incredible immersion of an actor into his role, standing well among the work of DDL's much loved Daniel Plainview or any other transformative performance in recent years. Frankly, for him to have lost the Supporting Actor Oscar to Benicio Del Toro's work in Traffic is a travesty; Benny is good, but it was a boring role and he's done far better work in a lot of other movies. Dafoe is unforgettable. He is the only actor to have nailed his accent, for one. Regrettably, a lot of the other accents are God-awful; between this and Mary Reilly, John Malkovich seems unable to do much with his voice.

    Dafoe must have watched Nosferatu a hundred times to prepare for this role. He moves like a vampire, looks like a vampire (thanks in part to the awesome makeup), talks like a vampire (a great feat considering Nosferatu didn't have any sound) and acts like a vampire, in more meanings of the term than one. There are so many dimensions to this role: black humor, longing, primal fear, vengeance, theatrics... the character is compelling enough as it is, and Dafoe nails every single one of these aspects effortlessly. You simply forget that it is a person playing this creature.


    I think this movie is an acquired taste, and no matter how much I praise it, there are going to be people who it doesn't quite gel with. I don't really have a problem with that; it just depends on what you're watching a movie to see. But if you're looking for something of dark, fundamental beauty, Shadow of the Vampire is tough to beat. And for those concerned, it is only 86 minutes long, so you really don't have much to lose.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    September 15, 2007
    MidnightMadwoman
    I love revisionist horror movies and this is a really noteworthy entry. I love how Murnau is portrayed as so completely dedicated to his movie that he's willing to feed this actress to an actual vampire for the sake of realism. This movie is almost like an inside joke for old hor...( read more)ror nerds as much as it is a love letter to the source material. This is so great.
  • raidermatty
    November 19, 2009
    raidermatty
    Willem Dafoe(In his Oscar Nominated Performance!) is Superb as Max Shrek aka Nosferatu!.Based on the making of the 1922 German Expressionistic silent classic.The ingenious premise in this Historical Fiction is.What if Shrek was a real Vampire?.Loads of fun for moviegoers,as well,...( read more)as cinephiles!
  • whispersofecstacy
    November 12, 2009
    whispersofecstacy
    A great spin on a vampire story.
  • holocaustoinfer
    November 8, 2009
    holocaustoinfer
    Nosferatu, creepy as the original
  • bradsteph
    October 26, 2009
    bradsteph
    A brilliant movie with John Malkovich trying to direct the film Nosferatu but having to overcome many difficulties during its filming. One of his main ones is the fact that his leading man does not like the sunlight and will not mix with the other cast and crew. It doesn't help...( read more) that one of the crew goes mad and that the director has promised the leading lady to his vampire at the end of the movie without her knowledge. Willem Dafoe is brilliant as the Count and Malkovich brings his malevolent humour to the proceedings. I want to watch the original movie after seeing this as I'm sure I'll view it differently.
  • Dracula787
    October 24, 2009
    Dracula787
    This is the film that famously looked at the making of the 1922 classic Nosferatu and posed the question: ?what if Max Schrek were actually a vampire.? Such a concept could easily lead to a one note novelty film, but the people behind it have actually delivered a pretty intellig...( read more)ent take on vampirism and filmmaking. Willem Dafoe received an Oscar nomination for his work in the film. Dafoe?s performance is indeed interesting, especially if you?re familiar with what Dafoe normally looks and sounds like, but I?m not sure I?d be as impressed otherwise. This is actually a pretty deliberately paced and quiet film, this gives the film a unique feel but it also kind of made the film a bit harder to get into. Perhaps I just wasn?t in the mood for this when I popped it in the DVD player, but I sort of respected this more than I liked it.
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