How far would an obsessed director go to achieve realism? F.W. Murnau, the renowned German filmmaker, seems to have everything under control when he hires a mysterious actor by the name of Max Schreck to portray his most memorable villain, Count Orlock. But when members of the crew start disappearing, suspicion abounds and the survivors begin to wonder about Murnau's state of mind. Has Murnau hired a real vampire to play Nosferatu...and who will be his next victim?

Debuting to raves at the 2000 Cannes Film festival and then major success on the festival circuit, Shadow Of The Vampire hit theaters in early 2001. Though lauded by critics and nominated for two Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting actor nom for Willem Dafoe as Schreck, Shadow unfortunately failed to reach a wide audience.

But on May 29^th, Universal Studios gives film fans another chance to see this very special and overlooked film, with the release of a feature-loaded special edition DVD. With an excellent transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks as well as a wealth of extras, Shadow Of The Vampire is ripe to be discovered on DVD. (Read the review.)

In honor of this new release, DVDFILE had the opportunity to chat with director E. Elias Merhige and discuss making the film, the cast, working with producer Nicolas Cage and the impact of the DVD format on moviemaking. So come with us into the lair of Nosferatu...if you dare.