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Shadow of the Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire

2000
Horror
1h 32m
A witty, atmospheric, and deliciously feverish tale inspired by the great German film director F. W. Murnau and the making of his unforgettable "Nosferatu." (Lions Gate Films)

Directed by:

E. Elias Merhige

Screenwriter:

Steven Katz

Starring:

Willem Dafoe, Eddie Izzard, Udo Kier, John Malkovich, Catherine McCormack, Cary Elwes, Aden Gillett, Ronan Vibert

Genre:

Horror

Countries:

Luxembourg, UK, USA

Languages:

English, German, Luxembourgish
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Shadow of the Vampire

2000
Horror
1h 32m
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Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 55.24% from 1674 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

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billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 06 Feb 2011
80
77th
Willem Dafoe looks weird without makeup.
Rated 06 Feb 2011
yiannosYiannos
Rated 20 Jul 2014
73
78th
Creative fictionalized reinterpretation of the making of horror classic 'Nosferatu' raises two interesting questions, one playful, the other serious: 1)What if Max Schreck really was a vampire?; and 2)What's film's relationship to culture and time? To answer the second question, Katz and Merhige present us with a tyrannical director by the name of Murnau who will stop at nothing to achieve the perfect film for posterity. But at what cost? It's film making as parasitism.
Rated 20 Jul 2014
faloozaFalooza
Rated 05 Jun 2009
85
95th
Willem Dafoe was put on this earth to be in this movie. Fantastic!
Rated 05 Jun 2009
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 04 Jun 2008
85
89th
Willem Dafoe is flippin great, this movie is just damn gripping, what better a topic than the most famous classic horror movie, the movie that nearly single-handedly created the current vampire myth.
Rated 04 Jun 2008
miss_jesusmiss jesus
Rated 17 Apr 2008
98
98th
It is absolutely ridiculous how well-made this movie is. The acting is astounding, with Malkovich commanding, icy, and captivating, and Dafoe horrible and hilarious. Flawless production design. -2 points for weird editing in a few spots and an ending that I didn't care for, yet apparently Merhige planned carefully. I'm normally a junkie for allegory, but I don't know what Merhige's on about despite the commentary and don't care. This movie is enough fun as the creepy, funny thing it looks like.
Rated 17 Apr 2008
ocelotOcelot
Rated 02 Nov 2014
40
31st
Every source calls this a horror film, but it's very clearly a black comedy, though not a very funny one. It feels too long at even 90 minutes, and I think it's because there's not much to actually do with the concept. It's a "that's a movie" idea, except for when it comes time to actually make it into a movie. Willem Dafoe is great, but he doesn't actually get anything to do. Perhaps there was potential here, but it has been wasted, or maybe it's just exactly as good as it can be.
Rated 02 Nov 2014
kojilessKojiless
Rated 20 Aug 2012
91
94th
Willem Dafoe in the role he was born for...300 years ago!!! Mwahahahahahahahahhahaahah... Ahem.
Rated 20 Aug 2012
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 27 Jul 2016
76
69th
Considering it has to carry the weight of Murnau's masterpiece & the expressionist era stylistics Merhige does a pretty fine job with this crazy vampire story. The tone is really subtly nailed here and it manages to be both comedic and genuinely creepy. The scene in which a drunken vampire explains his feelings about the Bram Stoker novel is a brilliant example of this. Sad, funny and scary all at once. Dafoe is really extraordinary and Malkovich is just decent.
Rated 27 Jul 2016
barraocBarraoc
Rated 02 Sep 2016
80
85th
The perfect tribute to the classic vampire film Nosferatu, and laced with dark humour, which is always good. Dafoe is brilliant as Max Schreck and Malkovich is perfect as obsessed director Murnau, who will do just about anything for his art.
Rated 02 Sep 2016
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 19 Oct 2016
77
51st
This is really cool, but really uneven. Dafoe is excellent, and every scene he's in exudes just the right mix of humour and genuine unsettling creepiness. It's surreal and captivating. The rest of it is ok, but pales in comparison, especially since Malkovich plays Murneau a little too far into crazy land, rather than just really obsessed which seems to be what the script is going for. Still, he has his moments and the film as a whole works quite well.
Rated 19 Oct 2016
afx237viafx237vi
Rated 27 Feb 2011
45
29th
Dafoe camps it up big-style as Count Orlock, which is kinda fun, but I thought the plot got increasingly preposterous as the film progressed. The bit where he catches the bat of thin air just made me roll my eyes. A bit more ambiguity about whether he is a vampire or whether he's just the world's most intense method actor would've made it altogether creepier. It also has pacing issues, despite being only 81 minutes long - the first half really drags. Malkovich and Elwes were good, though.
Rated 27 Feb 2011
nobambanobamba
Rated 31 Oct 2021
70
76th
Willem Dafoe is creepy to the next level with a powerful presence. I'm not sure what to think about John Malkovich's manic FW Murnau. Dafoe's interest in McCormack seems a bit bolted on to the plot. This film probably requires that you're familiar with the source material in order to have the most appeal. Fav scenes: Dafoe snatching a bat; Malkovich confronting Dafoe in the cellar/coffin room, before realizing the impracticality of his threat to an immortal powerful vampire.
Rated 31 Oct 2021
offlineozofflineoz
Rated 23 Mar 2020
65
51st
Welcome to the first of my Under Quarantine Film Reviews. An entertaining love letter to old expressionist horror but lacking in certain areas. However, both the leads more than made up for it, until Cary Elwes shows up. I want to punch his face.
Rated 23 Mar 2020
thedenizenTheDenizen
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
75th
Dafoe is pretty awesome as Schreck/Nosferatu, but Malkovich totally steals the show with his portrayal of F.W. Murnau. Clever stuff and a great ending.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
td888td888
Rated 08 Jul 2012
70
76th
Nicolas Cage is the producer of this. How come he is always involved in weird, borderline crazy stuff?
Rated 08 Jul 2012
snallygastersnallygaster
Rated 07 Feb 2014
59
62nd
"... and everything will be shot at night!" / "but sir, this is 1921. We don't have the technology to shoot at night; the actors won't show up on film!" / "That's okay, neither will the vampire!" [ba dum tish]
Rated 07 Feb 2014
glmglm
Rated 01 Jul 2011
76
57th
75.750
Rated 01 Jul 2011
telemecusTelemecus
Rated 03 Jan 2014
56
66th
The interplay between the scenes of the classic film and this one are delightful.
Rated 03 Jan 2014
ag0stomesmerAg0stoMesmer
Rated 02 Jan 2014
3
73rd
It's clear a lot of love went into making this, probably bump up on a re-watch.
Rated 02 Jan 2014
rttntomatoesrttntomatoes
Rated 20 Dec 2013
81
58th
Shadow of the Vampire is frightening, compelling, and funny, and features an excellent performance by Willem Dafoe.
Rated 20 Dec 2013
mucowmucow
Rated 23 Nov 2011
72
68th
6 minutes of opening credits!? What the hell!?
Rated 23 Nov 2011
damildamil
Rated 24 Jan 2012
65
54th
I like the idea a lot, especially because I loved Nosferatu (1922). It also has some great character actors, like Willem Dafoe, John Malkovich and Eddie Izzard. Despite these things, I didn't love the film. It was decent and well-made, but it was perhaps a little too 'silly' for me and failed to really hold my interest. Still, this shouldn't put people off. It's worth a watch, for sure.
Rated 24 Jan 2012
mervtaylorMerv_Taylor
Rated 15 Jun 2012
82
51st
Not as good as I'd hoped
Rated 15 Jun 2012
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 07 Jan 2012
99
97th
Outstanding evocation of 20s German/silent film-making combines with Malkovich's wonderfully controlled portrait of obsessive madness, and Dafoe's career-best, astonishing portrait of creepy 'actor' Max Schreck. Combines hysterically funny vignettes with witty commentary on the economics and mechanics of movie-making with moments involving Dafoe which are genuinely terrifying. Art direction and cinematography unique and distinctive, almost sepia at times. A winner all the way.
Rated 07 Jan 2012
aneyaney
Rated 08 Jan 2012
75
83rd
Simply wonderful. Dafoe is amazing.
Rated 08 Jan 2012
filliganFilligan
Rated 01 Nov 2014
62
12th
Ehhhhhh, from its absurd opening titles sequence to its lacklustre resolution, Shadow of the Vampire takes an interesting concept and bungles it. Dafoe and Malkovich are great, but the film is too amateurish - in a bad way - to get into. Some scenes are poorly shot, lit, or even out of focus, and it's hard to ignore. It's pretty distracting, actually. Even the ending, which conceptually is great, falls apart at the hands of lesser technical artistry.
Rated 01 Nov 2014
spleenspleen
Rated 01 Mar 2012
71
44th
Interesting exercise in breaking the fourth wall that fails soon after the opening credits where it becomes a very dull period piece. The movie in my head was much cooler though.
Rated 01 Mar 2012
metzmetz
Rated 22 Feb 2012
70
88th
Extraordinary performances.
Rated 22 Feb 2012
friendo55friendo55
Rated 16 Feb 2012
82
54th
Fun omage to 1922's Nosferatu - Malkovich is fantastic.
Rated 16 Feb 2012
paxtonPaxton
Rated 29 Jan 2012
70
64th
One of my all time favorite casts.
Rated 29 Jan 2012
manwhonosemanwhonose
Rated 17 Dec 2017
92
60th
This is a genuinely interesting and wonderfully warped version of film history. In parts, it's really quite creepy and genuinely funny, and Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich are very, very good.
Rated 17 Dec 2017
honestthiefHonest_Thief
Rated 20 Jul 2022
4
63rd
the camera gaze is a hungry beast that unlike Orlok can imbue its victims with immortality after it had its fill
Rated 20 Jul 2022
bruhcringeBruhCringe
Rated 06 Nov 2021
56
20th
Оценка - 56 Общая - 55 Нарратив - 1 Сценарий - 2 Режиссура - 2 Постановка - 3 Целостность - 2 Монтаж - 2 Выполнение своей цели - 1 Флоу - 1 Личное - 1 Атмосфера - 2 Эмоции - 2 Актерская игра - 4 Саундтрек - 2 Синематографи - 2 Визуал - 2 Звук - 3 Продакшн дизайн - 3 Костюмы - 4 Грим - 4
Rated 06 Nov 2021
honeybHoneyB
Rated 13 Apr 2021
70
41st
Nice homage to movies in general. Like when he looks for a real vampire to play a vampire in a movie because he wants to give him eternal life.
Rated 13 Apr 2021
evilmangoesEvilMangoes
Rated 29 Oct 2019
87
65th
A-
Rated 29 Oct 2019
bondyBondy
Rated 24 Oct 2019
7
62nd
Cool concept, cool aesthetics, cool story, and a very cool Willem Dafoe.
Rated 24 Oct 2019
braddad68braddad68
Rated 18 Oct 2019
94
74th
Finally saw this one and LOVED it! Dafoe was amazing as the vampire. Malkovich was also great in his role. Eerie but super entertaining movie.
Rated 18 Oct 2019
prestobixPrestoBix
Rated 11 Oct 2019
83
73rd
Seen 2x
Rated 11 Oct 2019
gatoquentegatoquente
Rated 12 Apr 2019
76
9th
Action was not delivered smoothly making it unrealistic. My SCORING: 99-96=Great; 95-90=Very good; 89-85=Good; 84-80=So-so; 79-70=Boring; Below 70=Forget it.
Rated 12 Apr 2019
frederFreder
Rated 16 Aug 2018
20
19th
When you read the description for this movie, you think that it's just GOT to be great, right? But it isn't.
Rated 16 Aug 2018
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 01 Mar 2014
70
56th
Weird and enjoyable. Probably helps if you've seen Nosferatu beforehand but it's not necessary. Malkovich and Dafoe are great.
Rated 01 Mar 2014
metalhankmetalhank
Rated 17 Mar 2017
34
2nd
I don't get all the love for this flick. I agree it is well made, but my god what a snoozefest, really a struggle to stay awake. Maybe will give it another watch in the future.
Rated 17 Mar 2017
tipar822tipar822
Rated 03 Dec 2016
55
61st
Interesting ideas but the treatment it is kind of boring sometimes. And not Horror on it, at least the amount it is not that much creepy.
Rated 03 Dec 2016
maartenmaarten
Rated 03 Jan 2016
55
44th
I love the cast, but the story really doesn't work for me :/
Rated 03 Jan 2016
fra_paolofra paolo
Rated 01 Aug 2015
69
78th
Dark meditation on the need to die for one's art, featuring a neat conceit that unfortunately gets abandoned at the last.
Rated 01 Aug 2015
parallaxParallax
Rated 29 Jan 2015
58
8th
The horror fails (if that was ever the point) but there is some humor in the camp portrayed by its leads.
Rated 29 Jan 2015
closedmouthclosedmouth
Rated 15 Jan 2015
80
69th
It has some problems; Merhige struggles to build much tension in the first half and has no idea what to do with Dafoe's purely comedic performance, but he has a strong visual sense and a beautiful editing rhythm, so I wasn't especially bothered. It gets better as it goes along and the ending is marvellous. The conceptual layers of what Dafoe is playing rival that of Downey in Tropic Thunder. Actor playing character playing actor playing who the character really is.
Rated 15 Jan 2015
jspidahjspidah
Rated 04 Nov 2014
75
72nd
This is buoyed completely by its actors, but it was so much goddamn fun that I didn't mind the lack of substance. I'm a big Dafoe fan and he knocks it out of the park.
Rated 04 Nov 2014
lazynicklazynick
Rated 17 Oct 2010
99
85th
amazing
Rated 17 Oct 2010
senoritasenorita
Rated 12 May 2014
88
69th
if it doesn't inframe, it does not exist.
Rated 12 May 2014
auritechauritech
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
50th
Weighed down by a ridiculous ending, an interesting exercise otherwise.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
jsopanenjsopanen
Rated 17 Jan 2008
66
92nd
A must see for vampire freaks. Beatiful, moody and interesting.
Rated 17 Jan 2008
manhattaManhatta
Rated 30 Dec 2007
75
50th
I always thought Dafoe had a lot of similarities to Klaus Kinski, so it was cool to see him in basically the same role. This isn't a remake, but a movie about making a movie, and one of the more entertaining ones. John Malkovich is so fun to watch in this.
Rated 30 Dec 2007
shmendrekShmendrek
Rated 24 Sep 2007
3
61st
I remember really enjoying this when it first came out, but I haven't seen it in the seven years since. 3 seems about right.
Rated 24 Sep 2007
dustydDustyd
Rated 16 Sep 2007
85
94th
Brilliant film has a lot of good acting and one performance for the history books.
Rated 16 Sep 2007
jonquilljonquill
Rated 12 Sep 2007
92
90th
This is the movie where I actually did want to be John Malkovitch.
Rated 12 Sep 2007
stflyst_fly
Rated 23 Aug 2007
85
86th
Very Good
Rated 23 Aug 2007
martrynmartryn
Rated 15 Aug 2007
75
65th
Great throwback to the classic horror vampire films of years past.
Rated 15 Aug 2007
irishtuffguyirishtuffguy
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
75th
Eddie Izzard's facial expressions are classic. This flick is a mock documentary of the making of Nosferatu. William Dafoe makes a good vampire.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
vince_leoVince Leo
Rated 14 Aug 2007
54
26th
Despite the eccentric performances by the leads and original idea for a story, there probably won't be enough for anyone else but a true fan to care.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
fudgiebfudgieb
Rated 14 Aug 2007
61
21st
I think I need to see this one again.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
teknicolorteknicolor
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
94th
A great cast tells a great story. I loved it.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
joypjoyp
Rated 06 Mar 2008
86
25th
The script girl... I'll eat her later.
Rated 06 Mar 2008
joshstew06JoshStew06
Rated 14 Aug 2007
74
50th
A very interesting watch. Funny too.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
yilbyilb
Rated 14 Aug 2007
10
2nd
Well, i really liked the making movie scenes which to me were quite exciting. Now all the between scenes & the historical fiction angle were only moderately interesting. A cute clever idea that somehow never becomes interesting enough to merit all this screen time. Ditto the endless opening credits which are only less interesting than a box of rocks.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
willofgaiawillofgaia
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
58th
A must-see for Nosferatu lovers. So wonderfully over-the-top and balances comedy and mystery expertly.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
cheesebadgerCheesebadger
Rated 07 Aug 2007
75
47th
Very very engaging.
Rated 07 Aug 2007
boobjuiceBoobjuice
Rated 21 Jul 2007
70
66th
A unique idea elevated by a great cast and script.
Rated 21 Jul 2007
turinturin
Rated 13 Jul 2007
73
75th
A unique film which has to be watched together with Murnau's 'Nosferatu' to be fully appreciated.
Rated 13 Jul 2007
woozybWoozyB
Rated 11 Jun 2007
85
73rd
Witty and disturbing, it makes a play off horror movies and film history, as well as the deals and trials people make in order to seek their passions.
Rated 11 Jun 2007
krankstakranksta
Rated 16 May 2007
65
26th
Somewhat disappointing.
Rated 16 May 2007
monstergearMonsterGear
Rated 30 Apr 2007
79
55th
Such a clever idea, and well-executed.
Rated 30 Apr 2007
jimmynmujimmynmu
Rated 03 Mar 2007
85
82nd
A fictional look at the making of Nosferatu. This is a fantastic film, humorous and dark. Great peformances by Dafoe and Malkovich.
Rated 03 Mar 2007
prowlerprowler
Rated 29 Mar 2009
42
39th
loved the whole 'film=immortality' idea, the story was quite good. dafoe and malkovich are awesome, especially when they share the screen space. unfortunately some of the writing and acting was weak, it felt like a made-for-TV movie.
Rated 29 Mar 2009
mortellomortello
Rated 05 Nov 2010
75
38th
Willem Dafoe became Max Schreck, as if the character was indeed a real person
Rated 05 Nov 2010
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 19 Feb 2007
55
49th
Good film.
Rated 19 Feb 2007
weirdyodaweirdyoda
Rated 04 Oct 2010
81
66th
Really amazing concept.
Rated 04 Oct 2010
hellboy76hellboy76
Rated 21 Sep 2010
68
65th
Clever little film with some top notch acting.
Rated 21 Sep 2010
davidblastDavidBlast
Rated 21 Jun 2010
80
80th
'If it is not in frame it does not exist'. Delightfully dark meditation over obsession and art, with loads of meta-fun for the film buff. Dafoe and Malkovich seem to revel in their respectable parts, and the film traverses the narrow path between the devilishly funny, and the thought provokingly serious. Also Dan Jones score is a gem.
Rated 21 Jun 2010
snakefood89SNAKEFOOD89
Rated 02 Dec 2009
77
17th
don't think everyone here saw the same movie.. great acting, but major lack of plot and character development, pretty much know whats gonna happen in the whole movie in the first 20mins, which i didnt like. furthermore the best actor does have to go to dafoe, who saved the film for me. also really liked Cary Elwes who played the replacement hot-shot camera man. that guy added a bit of light to this morbid suicide of a film.
Rated 02 Dec 2009
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 25 Sep 2009
2
21st
Though I like the determination theme, this film came off somewhat dull. In its entire runtime it goes almost nowhere, emotionally if not literally. Murnau is portrayed as completely despicable, and as good as Willem Dafoe may be, he's not enough. The dialogue felt very artificial, with Malkovich periodically spouting little cliche anecdotes about the cinema. Fantastic art direction and editing, though.
Rated 25 Sep 2009
teftef
Rated 09 Sep 2009
85
75th
I believe the ending is meant for us to question who is truly the monster.
Rated 09 Sep 2009
jane53jane53
Rated 27 Aug 2009
100
89th
Deadly good!
Rated 27 Aug 2009
pigletPiglet
Rated 23 Jul 2009
75
79th
Dafoe is frighteningly good.
Rated 23 Jul 2009
lady_moeLady Moe
Rated 20 Jan 2011
87
72nd
Shadow of the Vampire stars John Malkovocih as director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and Willem DaFoe as Max Schreck (Orlock). It tells the story of F.W. Murnau while he is making his "Symphony of Horror", the 1922 vampire film "Nosferatu". The trick is that the movie Shadow of the Vampire plays on the idea that Max Schreck's performance as the vampire was so real, that what if he was actually a vampire himself? The movie takes this and runs with it. Great performances by both Malkovich and DaFoe.
Rated 20 Jan 2011
rthornhillrthornhill
Rated 25 Mar 2009
86
51st
Pretty good movie within a movie....Recommended.
Rated 25 Mar 2009
luciusgoreluciusgore
Rated 18 Feb 2009
35
65th
"...if you like your horror thoughtful and provoking, this is your movie."
Rated 18 Feb 2009
joojooJooJoo
Rated 23 Jan 2009
4
56th
A mixing of legend/fact/fiction - a neat mythology of sorts - on the making of Nosferatu. The premise and combined talents pretty much guaranteed my enjoyment but my interest was waning in the last 20 minutes, just slightly, even with a runtime as short as they come.
Rated 23 Jan 2009
rebekah_hallRebekah Hall
Rated 23 Oct 2008
15
2nd
I has forced to watch this in flim and lit. Very unpleasant, there are WAY better vampire movies.
Rated 23 Oct 2008
jesseJesse
Rated 23 Oct 2008
30
6th
Um...
Rated 23 Oct 2008
tathieltathiel
Rated 11 Oct 2008
80
67th
Good movie. Malkovich is just great as Murnau, but the film has its lengths.
Rated 11 Oct 2008
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 08 Sep 2008
70
53rd
Dafoe's finest hour. Unfortunately, the ending putters to a flawed and confusing stop.
Rated 08 Sep 2008
babbigwenBabbiGwen
Rated 27 Jun 2008
62
17th
This film mostly made me feel uncomfortable and sleepy.
Rated 27 Jun 2008
vandelay1Vandelay1
Rated 27 Jun 2008
87
96th
Very Nice
Rated 27 Jun 2008
ktappektappe
Rated 25 Mar 2008
91
76th
All fans of Nosferatu must see this. The fictionalization is inventive and fascinating, and the acting is absolutely spot on.
Rated 25 Mar 2008

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