About this product

Product Information

Set in 1922 in Eastern Europe, the filming of a classic vampire movie is put on hold amid sinister rumours... The cast and crew seem to be dropping down dead at a quick rate.

Product Identifiers

ProducerNicolas Cage

EAN5055002530531

eBay Product ID (ePID)61611309

Product Key Features

ActorEddie Izzard, Willem Dafoe, John Malkovich, Udo Kier, Catherine Mccormack, Cary Elwes, Aden Gillett

Film/TV TitleShadow of the Vampire

DirectorE. Elias Merhige

LanguageEnglish

Run Time91 Mins

Aspect Ratio16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen

Release Year2007

FormatDVD

FeaturesWidescreen

GenreHorror/Occult, General

Additional Product Features

Number of Discs1

Certificate15

Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States of America

Additional InformationE. Elias Mehrige's SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE explores the fictional premise that the star of director F.W. Murnau's 1922 German expressionist horror film, NOSFERATU, was an actual vampire. When the dictatorial Murnau (John Malkovich) sets about filming his monster masterpiece, he makes a Faustian deal and enlists the grotesque, reclusive Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) to play the rodentlike Count Orlok. Schreck proceeds to both horrify and fascinate the unwitting cast and crew---including producer Albin Grau (Udo Kier), actor Gustav von Wangenheim (Eddie Izzard), and actress Greta Schroeder (Catherine McCormack)--who, at first, believe Schreck is merely an eccentric actor. As the production continues, however, mysterious accidents and deaths begin to reveal why Schreck never gets any makeup.<BR>From its lavish opening sequence to Murnau's filming of the final scene, Mehrige's movie serves as a tribute not only to the original NOSFERATU but to the art of cinema itself. Because Murnau's project is a silent film, the overbearing director can coax and shout at his actors during the takes, making for some cleverly comical scenes. Although Malkovich, Izzard, and Kier are excellent in their roles, SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE could simply not exist without Dafoe's hideous and hilarious performance, which ranks among the finest of the versatile actor's career.

ReviewsPremiere - ...A movie lover's movie....Dafoe's portrayal of vampire Schreck is remarkable -- frightening and funny and completely sui generis..., Entertainment Weekly - "...[A] delicious premise....[Dafoe's] exciting performance shades terrifying thirst with poignant, century-old tristesse..." -- Rating: B+, Movieline - ...[A] stylish pastiche....[Dafoe] gives a breathtaking performance..., Los Angeles Times - ...Dafoe's Schreck combines crazy dignity, towering presence and an unstoppable blood lust to create the kind of presence you just don't see every day..., Sight and Sound - ...SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE stands witness to the enduring iconic potency of the great classics of the horror genre...

ScreenwriterSteven Katz

Sound sourceDolby Digital

Movie/TV TitleShadow Of The Vampire