Shadow of the Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire is a 2000 dramatic horror film from American director E. Elias Merhige. The movie follows the production of the original Nosferatu film, where the star takes his role as a vampire literally. The movie explores themes of dedication, showmanship and art.www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/s/shadowofthevampire.q.shtmlF.W. Murneau's Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror acted as inspiration for many filmmakers, including Werner Herzog and his own take on the legend, Nosferatu the Vampyre.www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

Shadow of the Vampire won a number of awards after its release. For his portrayal of Max Schreck, Willem Dafoe won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards from the 2001 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Awards, 2001 Fantasporto and the 2000 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. Writer Steven Katz won Best Screenplay at the 2001 Bram Stoker Awards and director Merhige won the Prix Tournage at the 2000 Avignon Film Festival.www.imdb.com/title/tt0189998/awards

Shadow of the Vampire follows F.W. Murneau as he readies himself for the production of Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror. Obsessed with obtaining the most realistic horror on-screen, Murneau pushes his crew to stay at a remote castle where the film is being shot and employs unorthodox tactics to get the tone he wants. When the star, Max Schreck, arrives in full costume, tensions are raised. Schreck insists that he is actually a vampire, putting the crew on edge as he seems to pop in out of no where and eats bats plucked out of the sky.www.allmovie.com/work/shadow-of-the-vampire-201815

• John Malkovich as Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
• Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck
• Udo Kier as Albin Grau
• Cary Elwes as Fritz Arno Wagner
• Catherine McCormack as Greta Schröder
• Eddie Izzard as Gustav von Wangenhein
• Aden Gillett as Henrik Galeen
• Nicholas Elliott as Paul
• Ronan Vibert as Wolfgang Müller
• Sophie Langevin as Elke
• Myriam Muller as Maria
• Milos Hlavac as Innkeeperwww.imdb.com/title/tt0189998/

“Through layers of makeup depicting the rat-faced, undead Schreck, a vampire who turns not into a bat but, worse, a demanding prima donna, Dafoe doesn't go over the top, though he does plant his flag at the summit.” - Mark Bourne, DVD Journalwww.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/s/shadowofthevampire.q.shtml

“Wholly absorbing and inspired in parts, this carefully crafted curio dares to suggest that Murnau made a Faustian pact with an actual vampire to play the title role in exchange for the neck of the film's leading lady at production's end.” - Todd McCarthy, Varietywww.variety.com/review/VE1117786583?refcatid=31