Rating: 
Summary: A realistic one...
Review: Well, it wasn't so scary but it looked really realistic! John Malcovich and Willem Dafoe are really into their roles and they give out a very good result. A director tries to shoot a horror film with a real vampire in it and in exchange for his very important contribution, the director gives the vampire the opportunity to drink the blood of an actress! Thrilling but not something special!
Rating: 
Summary: "The German theatre needs you, Schreck...."
Review: First off, this is not a horror film.
It's actually a funny, well-executed movie about the making of a classic silent horror film, NOSFERATU.
SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE's take is that the director, F.W. Murnau, hired a genuine vampire to play his Count.Director Murnau is played by John Malkovich and there's nothing I like more in a movie than to see John Malkovich yell at someone. When I watch IN THE LINE OF FIRE, I rerun the scene where he's frothing on the phone at Clint Eastwood at least a half-dozen times. Nobody freaks out like Malkovich. And he gets the chance to yell at just about everyone: his crew, his actors, even the vampire he tries to control.
The Count is played by Willem Dafoe, almost unrecognizable in his makeup until he smiles or peels his eyes. His scenes with Malkovich are priceless, whether arguing over missing crew members or which one of them is the greater monster. These guys are just so good together. I found a very subtle but hilarious humor at work here. The scene where the Count snatches a bat out of the air, bites its head off and then [drinks] it dry as the producer and writer watch and admire his dedication to the role--believing he's just "method acting"--is hilarious. What makes this film special is that it doesn't play as a comedy. It maintains its straight face and creepy atmosphere.
And it's so much more fun because of it.
"And...begin!"
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This movie is working with the premise that Max Schrek, who played the vampire in the classic Nosferatu really was a vampire. The premise works and does so brilliantly. Malkovich is more frightening than the vampire as he plays a man so hell bent on making the perfect vampire movie that he has no problem with risking the lives of his crew, especially his leading lady to do it. William Dafoe plays a vampire so old that he can barely remember life as a man and he is stunning, especially in his monolouge on the movie set. Both he and Malkovich should've won Oscars for their peformances. The movie is spooky, inteligent and yes, even funny in places.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting twist on vampire flicks...
Review: This film is a fictionalized version of the making of the classic film, "Nosferatu." I say fictionalized because there is a plot twist toward the end of the film that makes this movie hard to believe. Hard to believe, but interesting nonetheless. Willem Dafoe is Max Schreck, a method actor who has agreed to play the vampire in F.W. Murnau's film, "Nosferatu." The cast and crew are stunned by his appearence and habits, but the man holds a darker secret that must be seen to be believed. John Malkovich, an excellent actor, plays Murnau flamboyantly and keeps him obsessed with his art. But it is Dafoe that steals the show, even getting an Oscar nomination for his part. The buildup to the dramatic climax is excellent, but the film runs out of fuel a little too early and the viewer is left with a half-full cup of a movie experience.
Rating: 
Summary: DREADFUL...yet not full of dread.
Review: This movie is so full of bad acting & bad accents that one wonders if there's some unspoken contest being perpetrated upon the film public by the powers-that-be in Hollywood: How rotten can we make this stuff before they stop paying to watch? Malkovitch playing another cartoony 2-dimensional lisping wierdie is particularly painful to watch. I'm sure I saw him in a good performance years ago. I just can't remember what. What's most irksome about this amateurish venture, though, is the desecration of a great director. ...
Rating:
Summary: not as good as it could have been
Review: Shadow of the Vampire is a great premise...legendary directory Murnau, when casting Nosferatu, actually casts a vampire in the title role. But it wasn't carried off that well. Malkovitch, while normally is a great actor, plays this role uninspired and vapid. He bores the watcher. Cast Dafoe as Shrek/Nosferatu was brilliant. While normally I dislike Dafoe, he does do a great job here. really, the movie plods along with wooden acting and bad writing.
Rating:
Summary: A great film, but for the ending
Review: This movie was an exercise of the mind. For the most part, it avoided Hollywood horror movie cliches and focused, instead, on blurry lines. What is the line between art and science? With the exception of actors, the real Murnau made everyone on his sets wear labcoats and goggles because he viewed filmmaking as a science, not an art. Malkovich does a wonderful job playing a tortured soul trying to create something as subjective as a film through the objective lens of science. He butts heads with the actors and his own crew, who don't share his view on filmmaking. Max Schreck, with his unorthodox acting methods, quickly becomes Murnau's nemesis. What is the line between genius and lunacy? Was Max Schreck the Uber-Artiste, or a madman? Was Murnau's relentless pursuit of scientific achievement a result of brilliance in action, or merely obsessive ravings? More than anything, "Shadow" is the story of two men. Neither one may be in their right mind, but both believe they have ultimate control of a final product. The artist, the scientist... are they really so different? The ending IS different. It wraps up so nicely, and that's a problem. For a film that brought up serious philosophical questions, the end seems cut-and-dry. In real life, strange, unexplained incidents plagued the set of the movie. Noone ever knew what really happened. After shooting was wrapped up, Murnau and Schreck parted ways. Murnau had almost made it in Hollywood when he died in a car accident in 1931. Schreck had a long career that lasted until his death from a heart attack in 1936. To compensate for the lack of exciting facts, "Shadow" wraps up in Hollywood fashion: low in intellect, large in bang. It's as though it was written by a test audience. But in Hollywood, who can tell what's real?
Rating: 
Summary: Would someone please keep Willem Dafoe away from me.
Review: Wow. This was a tremendous story. Willem Dafoe is really convincing while Malkovich is great as the success driven director. In this film, we see an amoral movie director(Malkovich) who has hired a real life vampire(Dafoe) to star in his newest film. Of course, the vampire just won't cooperate and things steadily become worse until finally, a violent showdown ensues. As for Dafoe, he is simply devilish. He looks and acts the part of Nosferatu perfectly. This is a great vampire movie and contains some morbid elements of humor. Hope you enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Not One of the Better Vampire Movies
Review: The idea behind "Shadow of the Vampire" was pretty good. There are mysterious problems on the set while the filming of the classic story "Nosferatu" and eventually we learn the problem is our lead man really is a vampire. The final conclusion of the movie is outright ridiculous. It was almost like they decided they better wrap up the movie . . . well, this will do. The movie is somewhat strange and very slow paced. It's interesting for maybe one viewing but I can't imagine sitting through it twice.
Rating:
Summary: Iris in....see the movie and you'll get it...
Review: Let's start off by getting the talent out of the way. The cast in this film is top notch with John Malkovich(Con Air, Being John Malkovich) as F.W. Murnau. Murnau was the director of "Nosferatu", that's the really old(early 1900's) one with the creepy vamp with pointed ears. Which is basically what this movie is about. But in this movie about a movie, the actor Max Schreck(who is actually played by Willem Dafoe a.k.a The Green Goblin) who is set to play Count Orlock(their version of Dracula...they had to change the name because Bram Stoker's widow wouldn't give them the rights) takes his role a little too seriously. Crew members vanish, but as they say the show must go on. Carey Elwes(Robin Hood: Men In Tights) has a supporting role which is a lot of fun as well. Catherine McCormack plays the female lead in this movie and the one they make in the movie(get that?)! Review: Considering how small a budget this movie used, I wasn't able to look away for a second. The screenplay was written with Dafoe as the vampire and it fits him perfectly. Watching him creep around the set is worth the money if you are a fan of the genre. Malkovich has a captivating screen presence that leaves you hanging on every word. The idea for this movie was terrific, and I'm a horror movie fan anyway. I absolutely loved this movie up until the last 10 min. or so. I felt the ending copped out a bit, but I won't go into details. The DVD is a little short on extras, but still interesting info here and there. Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
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