There are certain genres of film that started as a sub-genre but became so popular, so iconic, that they grew into something all of their own. One of the best examples is the vampire movie, originally part of the horror genre. They’ve gained such popularity and breadth of content that they now stand by themselves, with enough great examples to shake a stake at.
We thought it was time to brush the cobwebs off these coffins and take a look at some of the best vampire movies ever made. This isn’t exhaustive, of course, partly because great vampire movies just keep being made, and it’s impossible to keep up. With that said, swish your cape and read below for some of the most fangtastic flicks around.
10A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Skateboards And Style
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is like no vampire movie you’ve ever seen before. Released in 2014, this black-and-white Persian language film is one part vampire horror movie to one part western. There really isn’t another film like it.
The title plays on the notion that a girl walking home alone at night is vulnerable, but in this case is our vampire. Dressed in a chador, she strikes an image unlike any other movie vampire, especially when you realize she isn’t floating along the streets. She’s using a skateboard.
9Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Not Bram Stoker’s At All
Has there ever been a movie that strayed so far from the source material while including the author’s name in the title? If there is, Bram Stoker’s Dracula certainly gives it a run for its money. Bram Stoker would hardly recognize his original Dracula story in this 1992 movie.
That said, it doesn’t matter that it throws the source material out the window because what we got is so absurdly excellent. The cast is beyond reproach, with the likes of Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins at their best. Don’t even get us started on the costumes; we’ll be here until the sun comes up and turns us all to ash.
8Only Lovers Left Alive
If you didn’t already know that there was a vampire movie starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, of Loki fame, then you’re probably now scrambling to find out where you may watch it, and watch it you should. Only Lovers Left Alive is an unusual film but an interesting stand-out in the genre.
Tackling themes of self-indulgence, ennui, and what the future could possibly mean when you have an endless amount of it, the film is delightfully offbeat. But there’s no escaping that Swinton and Hiddleston are the main draw, and they do give truly fantastic performances.
7What We Do In The Shadows
We’re Vampires, We Don’t Put Down Towels
What We Do In The Shadows is, at this point, best known as the hilarious television series starring Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, and Harvey Guillén. But we wouldn’t have it without the original movie, which established the format of a mockumentary following a group of vampires sharing a house.
Headed up by, and starring, powerhouse comedy duo Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the original What We Do In The Shadows is a delight. Unconstrained by the sitcom format, it has room to take its time with its gags and let them breathe. This is a perfect example that vampire movies don’t necessarily have to be horror movies.
6Blade And Blade 2
Marvel Movies Before The MCU
It’s easy to forget now, with just how much of acatalog the MCUhas built, but there were Marvel movies before the MCU came along. Yes, there were some awful Fantastic Four movies and X-Men films of varying quality, but the best were Blade and Blade 2.
Wesley Snipes brought the half-vampire vampire hunter to life, and both movies drip with a techno style unique to the time. With all the multiverse shenanigans happening in the MCU, it seems like they would have used him for a cameo by now, but time will tell. Oh, and don’t ask about Blade Trinity. We do not talk about Blade Trinity.
5Saltburn
Super, But Not Supernatural
Saltburn is one of the best movies in recent memory, but you’re probably asking why it’s on a vampire list. It has no fangs, no bats, none of the trappings! Well, aside from a scene we won’t say too much about where the protagonist identifies himself as a vampire, we look to the authority on the matter. Writer, director, and producer Emerald Fennell says it’s a vampire movie, so a vampire movie it is.
It raises the question of what a vampire is. Yes, it’s a supernatural creature of the night—fangs, drinking blood, sleeping in coffins, all of that good stuff. But a vampire is fundamentally a predator and a parasite, and there may be no movie that shows this idea better than Saltburn.
4Dracula - 1931
The Original Dracula
The 1931 Dracula film wasn’t actually the first vampire movie made, but it was the first one with the most iconic vampire of them all. The Count is played by the legendary Bela Lugosi, who actually originated the role on Broadway before the film was ever made.
There’s no denying that the film does feel a little dated by modern standards, but it remains a classic that kickstarted a film franchise like no other. If you’re a vampire fan and you haven’t seen it yet, you owe it to yourself to see the original Dracula in all of his glory.
3Let The Right One In
Twelve, For A Very Long Time
Let The Right One In is a singular experience. The vampire isn’t an old-world count, a creeping monster, or a social predator. It’s a 12-year-old child; they just happen to have been 12 for 200 years. Eli is one of the most unique vampires in all of cinema, their frozen age providing the “monster” with a vulnerability we don’t usually expect.
The Swedish film is as much a bizarre romance as it is a horror film, featuring the growing bond between Eli and Oskar. The movie never wants you to feel entirely comfortable, driving home themes of isolation at every turn.
2The Lost Boys
Sleep All Day, Party All Night
Very few vampire movies are as distinctly of their time as The Lost Boys, dripping in 1980’s style and fashion. For any other film, that could make it feel dated, but The Lost Boys remains an iconic film in part because of it.
This genre-defying story about brotherhood, a rough and rowdy gang of vampires, and, in a sense, the American dream, isn’t just a must-watch vampire film. It’s a must-watch film, end of sentence. Pop some popcorn and peroxide your mullet, your next movie night is going to be a blast.
1Nosferatu
A Symphony Of Horror
It’s hard to believe that is seminal piece of cinema is over 100 years old, released in 1922, but it’s true. And yet, it remains consistently referenced not only in other vampire movies but also in media of all kinds. That’s even more astounding when you remember that Nosferatu is a silent movie.
Count Orlok, or Nosferatu if you prefer, was a vampire like none before. Distinctly inhuman, both in appearance and behavior, he served as a mold for a new type of bloodsucker who was far more monstrous than the seductive Dracula. Which is ironic, since it was considered an unauthorized interpretation of Dracula, so much so that a judge ruled all copies of the film should be destroyed for copyright infringement.
Fortunately, some copies of the film survived the purge, allowing Nosferatu to serve as inspiration for horror movies for the next 100 years and more. Very few films have had as large and long-lasting an impact as Nosferatu, and it’s amazing to think how close it came to being lost forever.
