Shadow of the Vampire
“An unspeakable horror. A creative genius. Captured for eternity.”
Director F.W. Murnau makes a Faustian pact with a vampire to get him to star in his 1922 film "Nosferatu."
Details
Release Date: 8/30/2000
Runtime: 95 minutes
Languages: English, German
Director: E. Elias Merhige
Budget: $8.0M
Revenue: $8.3M
Production
Companies: BBC Film, Saturn Films, Long Shot Pictures, Pilgrim Films, Delux Productions, Film Fund Luxembourg
Countries: Luxembourg, United Kingdom, United States of America
Where to watch · US
Trailer
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Reviews
John Chard
Did I kill one of your people, Murnau? I can't remember. F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) is filming Nosferatu (1922), but isn't reclusive star Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) taking his role of the vampire way too seriously? In some ways it's a curate's egg of a film. It certainly helps if you are a lover of old classic film and have some knowledge of the source material at the film's core. It's a fabulous concept that the screenplay is based around, that the star of the film may actually be a real vampire, and the whole production is executed with consummate skill (Dafoe was deservedly Oscar nominated as were make-up artists Ann Buchanan & Amber Sibley). But come the end it fizzles out and proves to not have delivered on its devilishly intriguing premise. Fun, though, and tech credits all round keep one well involved. 6/10
