Willem Dafoeis a cinematic treasure. Ever since his breakthrough in Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning film,Platoon,Dafoe has been gracing our screens with iconic and remarkable performances. His filmography is impressively long. He’s appeared in big-budget flicks like the recently releasedBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceand 2002’sSpider-Man. His performance as the maniacal Green Goblin ranks as one of the greatest and most iconic villains in cinema.
Dafoe has also appeared in “smaller”, beloved films likeThe Boondock Saints, American Psycho,The Florida Project,The Grand Budapest Hotel,Poor Things,and so much more. But buried among these dozens upon dozens of films on Dafoe’s resume are five little vampire movies. One of them you’ve undoubtedly heard of: 2024’s highly-anticipated film,Nosferatu.How does this film compare to Dafoe’s other vampire movies? Let’s take a look. Here are all 5 vampire flicks featuring Willem Dafoe ranked by Rotten Tomatoes, including the newly releasedNosferatu.
5’Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant' (2009)
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistantis a loose adaptation of theVampire Bloodbook trilogy, also known as theCirque du Freaktrilogy, the first trilogy in The Saga of Darren Shan. It follows a teenager who joins a traveling sideshow of strange and monstrous creatures, the Cirque du Freak, after being transformed into a vampire. Dafoe plays the supporting character Gavner Purl, an uptight vampire who looks down on humans.
An Unworthy Adaptation
Cirque du Freakreceived negative reviews, as you may see from its 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also a box office disaster, prompting Universal to scrap its plans for three proposed sequels. Maybe this film would’ve performed a little better if they had given it a more alluring title, likeVampire Bloodrather thanCirque du Freak.
Willem Dafoe’s Most Unique Performances, Ranked
Willem Dafoe is one of modern filmmaking’s most diverse actors. Based on eccentricity, here are some of his most unique performances.
4’The Hunger' (1983)
Long before his breakthrough role inPlatoon,Willem Dafoe appeared in 1983’sThe Hunger.A loose adaptation of the eponymous novel by Whitley Strieber,The Hungercenters on a love triangle between a vampire couple and a human doctor, who specializes in sleep and aging research. This movie features a couple of big names, such as Susan Sarandon as the human doctor and music legend David Bowie as a vampire.
A Small but Memorable Role in a Forgettable Movie
Dafoe had a brief appearance in the film, as a young man who harasses Bowie’s character.The Hungerdidn’t perform well critically or commercially, scoring a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. But in the years since its release,The Hungerhas become a cult classic.Warner Bros. has plans to develop a remake, which will hopefully fare better than its predecessor.
3’Daybreakers' (2010)
Daybreakers
Daybreakersis an intriguing mix of sci-fi and horror. It takes the concept of a global pandemic to a new level, after an infected vampire bat starts a plague that transforms most of the world’s population into vampires. Set in a futuristic world overrun by vampires,Daybreakersfollows a corporation that’s researching a substitute for human blood while trying to capture the remaining humans.
Overshadowed by ‘Twilight’
Daybrakersfeatures some notable names, such as Ethan Hawke and Sam Neil, both of whom play vampires. Shockingly, Willem Dafoe does not play a vampire. He plays a human who’s been cured of his vampire sickness and is now leading a rebellion of human survivors.Daybreakersscored decently well with critics, wracking up a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Unfortunately, this film was released during the vampire craze ofTwilight,causing it to go overlooked.Daybreakerswas also overshadowed by other major releases at the time, includingAvatarandSherlock Holmesstarring Robert Downey Jr.
2’Shadow of the Vampire' (2001)
Shadow of the Vampire
Interestingly,Shadow of the Vampireis closely linked toNosferatu.It captures the making of the 1922 silent film and includes all its real-life players, such as the movie’s director, F. W. Murnau, played here by John Malkovich. While shooting the film, the cast and crew ofNosferatubegin to suspect that their lead actor, Max Schreck,might actually be a vampire. Max Schreck is the actor who plays the iconic vampire Count Orlok in the real movie. But don’t worry, Schreck wasn’treallya vampire. This is just a fun, fictionalized story behind the production ofNosferatu.
An Academy Award-Nominated Performance
Max Schreck/Count Orlock is played here by Willem Dafoe. His performance was lauded by critics, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. This was Dafoe’s second nomination in this category (the first beingPlatoon),though he wound up losing to Benicio del Toro’s roleinTraffic.
Dafoe’s performance eerily resembled Schrek’s portrayal from the original film, aided in part by his phenomenal makeup team, who earned also an Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup (they lost toHow the Grinch Stole Christmaswith Jim Carrey).Shadow of the Vampireis regarded as one of Dafoe’s best movies and performances, scoring a solid 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
7 Reasons Nosferatu Will Be the Movie to Watch This Christmas
Vampires and Christmas usually don’t mix, but in the case of Robert Eggers’s ‘Nosferatu,’ it’s the perfect combination.
1’Nosferatu' (2024)
2024’sNosferatuis the latest remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name.Although it’s a plagiarized rip-off of Bram Stocker’sDracula, Nosferatuhas forged its own cinematic legacy in the 100+ years since its release. 1922’sNosferatuis viewed as a cinematic masterpiece and a major influence on the horror genre and the vampire subgenre. And this 2024 remake is shaping up to be just as good. It’s attracting a lot of hype and fanfare – and also a lot of good reviews. At the time of writing, 2024’sNosferatuhas scored an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes among 124 critics. Seductive and frightening, it pays homage to the 1922 original while standing as its own great film, providing a modern update to this horror classic.
From Vampire to Hunter
Nosferatuwas written and directed by Robert Eggers, who’s made a name for himself in the horror genre with movies likeThe WitchandThe Lighthouse.Eggers' latest entry features a star-studded cast that includes horror icon Bill Skarsgård as the famous titular character, alongside Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Oh, and there’s also Willem Dafoe, who plays Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, a Van Helsing-type vampire hunter who’s actually an original character in this film.Nosferatujust released on Christmas and will undoubtedly haunt everyone’s holidays for the rest of the year – and maybe even beyond that.
