Shadow of the Vampire

It was okay. Not what I thought it would be. Too much of a nod to classic cinema production, and not enough humor/horror. But it had it's moments and I can cross it off the list of movies I wanted to see.

Definitely one of the better vampire movies out there. Malkovich and Dafoe are fantastic. I have no idea why, but finding a hard copy of this gem is almost impossible.

Honestly this is more interesting and way more fun than some run of the mill "making of" movie. The idea of an ancient vampire getting just as bewitched by the camera as all of the humans is just great.

A fun and interesting concept. A mix of suspense, thrills and whimsy. It's theatre meets film and history meets fantasy in this reimagining of the making of the original Nosfaratu.

Poetically scripted and well performed that instills filmic passion with a unique twist that further compels us to revisit its mythically horrific benchmark. (B+)

By far one of the best films about filmmaking. An excellent and imaginative blend of film history and fantasy, as well as a genuine love-letter to early cinema.

Shadow of a Vampire is a film that tries to be many things all at once: dramatic retelling of the making of Nosferatu, dark comedy, horror, and character study. The problem is it does not take the time to do any of those things well. The "making of" aspect of the film has both a reverence for the early days of filmmaking, but also shows it to be a bit hackneyed, as well, which undercuts the Murnau character's final speech at the end of the film. Are we supposed to be in awe of Murnau or not? I was not by the end of the film. Quite the opposite, in fact. The dark comedy will land with some, but a person watching this film wholly for the comedic bits will find themselves unamused by the other scenes of the film that are serious. The tonal whiplash is strong with this film. The horror is played for dry laughs. There is no weight to the scenes. It is like, "That scamp Schreck is feeding on the crew again. Lol!" Why everyone who is left of the cast and crew are not abandoning ship when people start to die is a mystery unexplored. The show must go on, I guess. Lastly, you would think this film would at least lean into being a character study of Murnau and/or Schreck, especially with the talents of Malkvich and Dafoe respectively, but we don't spend as much time with them as we want to. We get quick scenes of character development but not enough to really invest you in the film's characters, No one in this film is sympathetic or as interesting as they should be. That said, Willem Dafoe is excellent as Max Schreck, the film is beautiful to look at, and the soundtrack is fantastic.

Shadow of the Vampire is a fantastic, engrossing film. Outstanding performances from Willem Dafoe (incredibly creepy and unnerving portrayal of 'real' vampire Count Orlok) and John Malkovich make this a much watch for any fan of vampire films, especially considering the biopic nature of this movie documenting the actual filming of Nosferatu.

Including the cast, what can be most appreciated and appreciated about this film is how it combines reality and fiction, to show what could be the origin of the expressionist classic Nosferatu. As a curiosity, it's worth the effort.

"Shadow of the Vampire" is a "historical fiction" about the making of the 1922 F. W. Murnau silent film "Nosferatu," and to really enjoy the piece the viewer should first watch the earlier film (which is surprisingly good in its own right.) The cast is uniformly strong, but John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe are standouts.