"Shadow of a Vampire" can't make its mind up about being an art film or a run-of-the-mill horror shtick. There is little horror after the novelty of the Dr. Orlock character wears off and, unfortunately, the intended caricature of the filming of "Nosferatu" is presented much too seriously to be considered campy or laughable. So "Shadow of a Vampire", while conceptually interesting, is the worst kind of a put-on, one where everyone already knows everything. How could it have been improved? For one, make Dr. Orlock more than a stick figure who comes out only at night to frighten his fellow cast members. If all we know of the Willem Dafoe character is that he has a reprehensible snicker, very long fingernails, and a compulsion to drink the blood of his leading lady, then we really don't care what happens to him. For another, develop the characters beyond just what happens when they are being filmed. The lead actor, Gustav, mysteriously vanishes after his sequences with Dr. Orlock, the leading lady, Greta, shows up only in the beginning and at the end, and there are glimpses of drug-seeking behavior in director F.W. Murna and in the star actress, for which the film never explores. Finally, don't depend merely on the black and white images to create a dramatic effect when a lame script and soundtrack can't help you. John Malkovich as Murna tries mightily to lift this film beyond its ill-conceived storyline but even he cannot rescue what looks and talks like a turkey.
Review of Shadow of the Vampire
