Shadow of the Vampire

This is an absolutely fabulous "what if" story about the personalities involved in the making of the 1922 German horror film Nosferatu. You will remember that, late last year, Shadow was about to be released "wide," that is, to a larger number of theatres across the United States. Then those plans were scrapped at the last minute...literally. We were all expecting to be able to go and see it on the scheduled weekend and it just didn't show up. How disappointing.

Now, Shadow of the Vampire is out on DVD and the world is a better place for it. John Malkovich (F.W. Murnau) and Willem Dafoe (Max Schreck) are both spectacular here. The film's director, E. Elias Merhige (Begotten) is in tip-top form. Shadow is riveting from beginning to end and is best enjoyed when seen either directly after viewing or having discreet knowledge of the original Nosferatu. (Wayne Public Library fans, please note that we have both DVD's in our collection!)

Rounding out the DVD are revealing interviews with Nicolas Cage (producer), Dafoe, and Mehige. The featurette on the making of Shadow is also wonderful. This DVD should not be missed at any cost. Shadow of the Vampire was one of the best films of 2000 and if you missed it because you could not see it in a theatre, you will be robbing yourself of a wonderful experience by not viewing or purchasing the DVD.

For more information, go to the Shadow of the Vampire web site.