F.W. Murnau: ( John Malkovich) Why him, you monster, why not the script girl?
Max Schreck: ( Willem Dafoe ) Oh. The script girl. I'll eat her later.
So, the question you have to ask yourself is... was Max Schreck a vampire, or was he just a method actor who got a little too into his roles? That's been debated forever, it's the stuff of legends, and the really cool thing, the thing that I think about in the middle of the night when I am enjoying one of my fits of insomnia, what if he was a really a vampire? Hey, throughout my whole life, weird stuff has happened, the Bermuda Triangle, the ghost of flight 401, Area 51, so what if he was an actual, honest to goodness, walking talking, acting... vampire? This movie lets you in on the story of, what if? It has some genuinely funny moments, and some moments when you'll squirm just thinking about what you have just seen! Willem Dafoe was nominated for an Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor, for his portrayal of Max Schreck, and in my opinion, he should have one, because I can't imagine anyone else in this role, just as I doubt that anyone else could have played, Count Orlock, in Nosferatu, the way Max Schreck did!
This is a movie to watch in a dark room, to feel the full affect.
Here is a little treat... the full version of the original film.
Nosferatu. 1922.
