AHFW takes a trippy trip to 2000 and a look back at E. Elias Merhige’s highly memorable “Shadow of the Vampire” starring Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich. Merhige’s flick is part-drama, part-comedy and part-horror, as it retells director F.W. Murnau’s (Malkovich) making of “Nosferatu” (1922). The wrinkle is that Murnau personally hires actor Max Schreck (Dafoe) to play Count Orlok, but this unknown thespian displays bizarre behavior and – for some reason – never removes his makeup.
Mmm, it makes you think that maybe…..
Well, don’t speculate, we recommend that you see this multiple-tone triumph of a film that runs just 92 minutes, but long enough to earn two Oscar nominations. Both involve Dafoe, as he grabbed a Best Supporting Actor nod, and Ann Buchanan and Amber Sibley garnered a Best Makeup nomination.
Malkovich is at the top of this game as well, and he’s the perfect fit as the ultra-determined Mr. Murnau.
⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Image credits: Lionsgate Films; Trailer credits: Horror Lover
