Shadow of the Vampire

Part homage to one of cinema's best-known silent films, part winking black comedy, and part old-school horror flick, Shadow of the Vampire is a crafty "what if" fictionalization of the making of Nosferatu, the world's first vampire movie. John Malkovich stars as the classic picture's legendarily obsessive director who promises a real vampire the neck of his leading lady as payment for starring in the picture. Enter a brilliantly uncanny, grotesque and subtly droll Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck, the maniacal method actor who--at least in this version of Hollywood history--turns out to not be an actor at all! Deftly designed to mimic the atmosphere of a silent film, the movie is brimming with clever dialogue and insightful nods to the dawn of modern cinema, and while the structure is annoyingly sloppy at times, the entertainment value perseveres thanks to the inventive concept and spectacular performances from Cary Elwes, Eddie Izzard and Catherine McCormack as the spoiled stage star destined to become somebody's lunch. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)