Review of Shadow of the Vampire (2000) by Cory C — 14 Aug 2008

'Shadow of the Vampire' is a fantastic concept, even if it doesn't make for a particularly great movie. Exploring the idea that Max Schreck's haunting performance was a result of the fact that he was a real life vampire, this fictitious look at the making of cinema's most famous vampire picture is a unique idea headlined by a fantastic showing from Willem Dafoe. It oftentimes doesn't feel like an actual movie, and the choppiness makes for an awkward pacing, but it works to an extent.

John Malkovich is excellent as Murnau, whose own obsessiveness to see 'Nosferatu' through to the end becomes dangerous and deadly. But if you do see this movie, see it for Dafoe's brilliant turn as Schreck. His transformation is at once disturbing and amusing, the Oscar nomination he received was very much deserved. But in the end, 'Shadow of the Vampire' is not so much about vampires but a story that asks the question: which is more dangerous? The consumed actor or obsessive director? And what is a vampire? Schreck embodied the physical attributes down to the last detail, but perhaps there was something more dangerous on that set. Murnau and his camera.