What are the best vampire movies?
We all know and love Nosferatu (1923), Dracula (1931), Fright Night, The Lost Boys, and other classics of vampire cinema—that’s why I’m not gonna lay the usual “best vampire movies” listicle on ya. I figure you’ve probably already seen most of the usual suspects, anyway, and you might appreciate some deeper cuts that are equally worth watching.
So, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s ferocious take on the bloodsucker genre, From Dusk Till Dawn, grab a shovel (and maybe a stake) and we’ll unearth 10 lesser-known classics buried in the cinematic dirt.
Horror of Dracula (1958)
While Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula is still the most iconic, Christopher Lee’s more feral approach in Horror of Dracula is the more modern of the two, portraying the Count as an insatiable red-eyed demon feeding on the scraps of Victorian England. Hammer Films’ technicolor blood-letting reignited the old Universal classics and tweaked the familiar legends just enough to make them scary again. The studio went back to the well a few too many times, even sending Vlad into the swinging ‘70s, but their first crack at Stoker’s story remains the best.
Where to stream Horror of Dracula
Black Sunday (1960)
Director Mario Bava plays fast and loose with the vampire mythology in Black Sunday, tossing in some witchcraft and reincarnation to this story of a princess (played by Euro-horror star Barbara Steele) haunted by a supernatural curse. The opening spiked mask sequence is still a shocker and Bava’s talent for combining innovative camerawork with gross-out effects made him a titan in the horror genre. Some movies are all mood and no substance. Black Sunday nails both.
Where to stream Black Sunday
Daughters of Darkness (1971)
Speaking of mood, Daughters of Darkness sets a uniquely creepy one, stranding a pair of honeymooners in an empty eastern European hotel. Well, almost empty except for the Countess and her nearly mute traveling companion. Seducing each of the newlyweds in turn, the Countess preys on their emotional weaknesses as much as their physical ones as she looks to extend their stay, permanently! With a frigid modern aesthetic that predates The Shining by a decade and cleverly updates the usual gothic cliches, Daughters of Darkness is a kinky, pansexual, soft-focus fever dream.
Where to stream Daughters of Darkness
Martin (1977)
Another outlier in the traditional vampire filmography, George Romero’s Martin introduces us to a troubled 20-something convinced that he’s an authentic bloodsucker. Only his approach is far more technical than sinking fangs into his victims’ neck. Armed with hypodermic needles and a can-do attitude, Martin stalks his prey under the cloudy grey skies of Pennsylvania with effects provided by the legendary Tom Savini. Romero never delivers a conventional horror film, and Martin is a perfect example of his anti-Hollywood approach.
Where to stream Martin
The Hunger (1983)
The late Tony Scott (brother of Ridley) hit the ground running with this adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s novel that most critics dismissed as MTV Vampires. But The Hunger has aged like a billionaire on stem cells, with its quick cut opening club scene (set to Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosi’s Dead, no less) setting the stage for a glamorous take on the undead top 1% lifestyle. Starring Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon, whose lesbian interlude here set tongues wagging, the film’s ace in the hole is David Bowie, whose aging affliction makes him unrecognizable under make-up artist Dick Smith’s prosthetics. It’s sad, mournful, poetic and unforgettable.
Where to stream The Hunger
Lifeforce (1985)
Tired of vampires that live in castles and eat dirt? Try Lifeforce, Tobe Hooper’s gonzo epic produced by Cannon Films that imports its body-swapper blood suckers from outer space, causing anarchy in the UK on a scale few ‘80s movies can match. Actress Mathilda May spends almost the entire running time bare-ass naked feeding off unsuspecting Brits while the government follows a trail of dried out zombies left in her wake. No fangs, no wooden stakes, just a never-ending light show of cosmic rays, energy beams and overacting on a grand scale.
Where to stream Lifeforce
Vamp (1986)
Dripping in blood and ‘80s-infused neon, Vamp is a one-crazy-night horror-comedy featuring Grace Jones as the star of a strip club designed to separate customers from more than just their money. It keeps things fun and flirty while adding some real pizzazz via Jones’ elaborate performance art-inspired costumes. The influence on From Dusk Till Dawn is inescapable, but this one never wallows in the red stuff, preferring to stick with a Ferris Bueller smarminess that worked for the era and still works now.
Where to stream Vamp
Near Dark (1987)
Rushed through theaters but finding an audience during the video boom, Near Dark isn’t the first vampire western but it’s by far the best. Go ahead, watch Billy the Kid vs. Dracula and get back to me! Adopted by a clan of wandering vamps—played by Aliens veterans Bill Paxton, Lance Henrisken and Jenette Goldstein—a naïve cowboy is indoctrinated into the undead lifestyle. Trouble is, once you join up, it’s hell getting out. Directed with brute force by Katheryn Bigelow, this tragic teen romance stomps all over the sparkly rejects from Twilight and features the best use of a Cramps tune in movie history.
Where to stream Near Dark
The Addiction (1995)
Walking the same back alleys as Martin, Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction also centers around a pseudo-vampire trying to figure out the vampire playbook. Lili Taylor plays a philosophy student convinced she’s been infected but unsure of the moral and ethical implications. Luckily, Christopher Walken shows up to lay down some ground rules and inspire a thesis presentation the faculty won’t soon forget. Cheap but elegant, no one shoots New York like Ferrara. And The Addiction manages to mock its own art film pretensions of the modern vampire’s existential crisis.
Where to stream The Addiction
Let the Right One In (2008)
Is this one still flying under the radar? Regardless, I never miss a chance to pimp Let the Right One In (and to a lesser degree Matt Reeve’s American remake Let Me In) which captures the loneliness of childhood in a way a straight dramatic film never could. Oskar’s relationship with the androgynous girl next door—who just so happens to be a vampire—captures the exquisitely painful transition from innocence to adulthood with a haunting tenderness. That doesn’t mean there’s not some shocks along the way. Matt Reeve’s version smooths some rough edges but lacks the Norwegian chill of the original.
Where to stream Let the Right One In
Best vampire movies FAQ
What is considered the best vampire movie ever?
F.W. Murnau’s silent version Nosferatu (1922) is universally admired as a cinematic innovator with one of the creepiest bloodsuckers ever put on screen. Each of its remakes—including Werner Herzog’s 1979 version and the latest take from Robert Eggers—are worthwhile chillers too.
What are the most visually stunning vampire movies?
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) is a feast for the senses, using only practical effects, miniatures and trick photography to bring its story of the Count back from the dead. But you have to throw in the frozen landscape of 30 Days of Night as well.
Which vampire movies are considered classics?
The first Dracula (1931), while establishing much of the vampire lore, is a bit of a slog to get through today. You’re better off checking out Hammer’s The Brides of Dracula (1960), Salem’s Lot (1979), Fright Night (1985), and hitting the boardwalk with The Lost Boys (1987).
