A few thoughts: Maybe not a "horror" movie, but close enough for me to include it, this is a movie for fans of horror. Particularly people familiar with the legend that the actor playing Count Orlok in the 1922 film Nosferatu was actually a vampire. A curious bit of horror lore, a solid script, and an exaggerated account not of what actually happened, but of what could have happened were that story true. The set design, costumes, and reenactments of scenes from the movie are pretty much spot-on, but what makes this movie float is Willem Dafoe's committed and creepy performance as the vampire. It doesn't just feel like an impression, Dafoe manages to make him into a complete and well-rounded character in a movie that's almost entirely theoretical. Malkovich is solid (but a bit stiff), Cary Elwes is distracting, and I liked Udo Kier here. The script is often far better in theory than in practice, and there are some definite issues with pacing, but the end product is one of those movies that I'm just glad exists. It's odd, but in a good way.
Fans of Nosferatu or Willem Dafoe shouldn't let this one slip by. Don't take it too seriously, but it's also an interesting account on the making of silent films.
My grade: B-
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