So, having rewatched Shadow of the Vampire for this Horror 2000 feature, I wish I had rewatched it sooner because while it would have definitely been on my list, it would NOT have wound up this high. I love the movie, but do I Top 6 love this movie? Not really.

Shadow of the Vampire chronicles the making of the original horror/vampire film Nosferatu, with one minor change. The film's director, F.W. Murnau (John Malovich) instead of hiring seasoned German actor Max Schreck, goes behind everyone's back and hires a local (whom everyone thinks is Schreck), someone he knows to truly be a vampire, in order to get the most realistic performance. The production is then plagued by disappearances and injuries, and Murnau himself slowly loses his mind until finally he becomes totally unaware of his surroundings, concerned only with what is happening in his frame.

Schreck, or the supposed Schreck, is played brilliantly by Willem Dafoe, the perfect choice for any role where the character has to do nothing be look and be incredibly creepy in less of a horror movie sort of way than a serial rapist sort of way. But his performance is very good, fully enveloping himself in the role as he always does, bringing Count Orlock to life in a way no one else could. The yin to Dafoe's yang is John Malkovich who plays crazy about as well as an Arkham patient. Murnau's progression from inspired film maker to psychotic German tyrant with no regard for others is slow and well thought out, presenting us with a clear change from point A to point crazy.

Notable also is the really cool camera style. Much of the film takes place on set so we get to see several scenes of Nosferatu play out in front of Murnau and his lens. The really cool part is that when we see the cameras point of view, the frame irises in, the color disappears in favor of the super high contrast 1920s black and white, and there's more grain on the film than on a small beach. It's even more interesting if you've ever bothered to sit down with Nosferatu on your own since you'll see the shots from that almost documentary style as they're being filmed. It's very cool. And there is one shot in the film that isn't on the set that mimics the iconic shadow on the stairwell shot from the 1922 film.

The story itself doesn't play to the typical horror genre as much as it turns out to be a drama about a horror film. There is horror there, but you won't be jumping out of your chair or expecting ghouls or monsters to jump out from behind every corner. What you will get is a really interesting character study, some great acting from both the leads as well as the recognizable support, and just a solid, albeit a little slow, film.