Over the decades, each new generation has taken new perspectives into their portrayal of the undead creatures of the night that often lurk in the shadows. Vampires have been depicted with many different faces adopting a range of backstories and representations. Vampires have appeared in every genre from thought-provoking romance, to shockingly violent horror, and gimmicky comedy that they really do come with no limits to the imagination.
Cinema has been intrigued by vampires since the beginning, and as such, there are hundreds of movies centered around them. There are, however, those vampire movies that rise above the rest as movies that truly explore, and test, the imagination of what truly makes a ‘vampire’.
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20 Nosferatu the Vampyre
20th Century Fox
Nosferatu the Vampyre closely follows its predecessor Nosferatu, the 1922 silent movie classic as a book-to-movie adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Jonathon Harker finds himself travelling to Dracula’s castle after being sent by Renfield to sell a property for quite a bit of money. There are many red flags on his journey, crowds falling silent at the mention of Dracula, and no one willing to take Harker to the castle. However, he is not deterred, wanting to provide a better life for his wife. Unfortunately for Harker, Dracula is engrossed by a picture of his wife and makes his way to her, taking with him nothing but death.
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Nosferatu the Vampyre was stylishly executed to present an eery viewing experience for the audience. There is a strange sort of beauty to the movie’s ability to create a feeling of discomfort yet intrigue in both the style and storytelling.
19 Vampire’s Kiss
Helmdale Film Corporation
Vampire’s Kiss is a horror movie with a strong emphasis on dark comedy as it follows the intensely eccentric main character, Peter (Nicolas Cage). Peter is a monster right from the start; he’s a sleazy player who mistreats his staff. He has the misfortune of taking home a vampire who sinks her fangs into him, starting his descent into madness which ultimately ends with his death.
Cage really managed to make this movie his own and can be considered the main driving force towards its eventual success and continued popularity as a cult classic. The movie didn’t do too well when first released, but Vampire’s Kiss clearly shows that poor box office results don’t automatically mean a complete failure!
18 Only Lovers Left Alive
Recorded Picture Company
Only Lovers Left Alive tells the story of two centuries-old vampires, played by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, as they reunite in Detroit. The world around them has turned desolate, and Hiddleston’s character finds himself lacking in motivation and hope for the human race and their undeniable flaws. He reunites with Swinton’s character, his lover of several centuries, but their time together is disrupted and tested by the arrival of her unpredictable younger sister.
This movie moves away from the violence and gore that many other vampire movies seem to contain. It’s a very unique take on vampire movies, as it’s not really focused on the vampire aspect of the movie much at all. More focus is given to the hardly touched-upon theme of eternity. The realities of living life as an eternal immortal and the mentalities and personalities created from living for centuries on end.
17 Day Shift
Netflix
The most recently released movie in this list, Day Shift, was released as a Netflix original movie in 2022. It follows Bud, who uses his pool cleaning job as a front to hide the fact he’s actually a freelance vampire hunter, in-between jobs for an international Union of vampire hunters. It’s an action comedy with an easy-going feel to it that proves to be an entertaining watch.
Granted, there were areas of improvement for the movie which a cleaner-followed plot and stronger script may have solved. However, it quickly earned its place as one of the best vampire movies made. This is all due to its originality, numerous comedic moments, and pretty decent action sequences with imaginative vampire kills.
16 Dracula Untold
Universal Pictures
Dracula is often depicted in movies as a heartless and terrifying monster, devoid of human emotion with nothing more than a desire to torment and kill.
Dracula Untoldcompletely flips the switch on the traditional characterization of Dracula. He risks his own humanity to save the ones he cares for and protect his people. It’s an origin story that shows his pure intentions that led to his unfortunate journey to becoming the most famous vampire of all time.
While still human, Dracula meets a vampire up in the mountains. This vampire strikes a deal with him so that he can temporarily become a vampire to protect his people from the imminent danger of war. Through heart-wrenching events that follow, Dracula drinks the blood of a human in order to save his people. He is then cursed to remain a vampire for the rest of eternity
15 Daybreakers
Lionsgate
Daybreakers is a brilliantly executed movie that plummets you into a world 10 years after a worldwide plague turns the majority of the population into vampires. With the human population dangerously dwindling towards extinction, the main character in the movie, Edward, a hematologist, is desperately trying to work towards a blood substitute. Time is against him, however, as the remaining vampire population is mutating into mindless monsters due to intense starvation. Edward crosses paths with a group of humans who claim to have a cure for vampirism and the movie focuses on their efforts to perfect and distribute the cure before it’s too late.
The plot of Daybreakers is unique and refreshing and maintains fast momentum from start to finish in an excitingly gripping adventure of a race against time.
14 Let Me In
Overture Films
Let Me In is another book-to-movie adaption of the Swedish novel ‘Let the Right One In’. Let Me In is just as impressive an adaptation as the original. It follows the same plot as the original but provides a fresh perspective.
The film achieves a subtle approach to the telling of bullied schoolboy Owen and vampire Abby. It’s the steady pace and eery mood throughout that helps add intensity to the most violent moments of the movie.
The casting was spot on. Kodi Smit-McPhee perfectly exudes the uncomfortable awkward nature of Owen. Neglected by his mother and bullied by his peers; he longs for some kind of connection. Furthermore, Chloe Moretz does just as great a job of creating a truly terrifying character with such an innocent-appearing exterior.
13 Byzantium
IFC Films
Byzantium is a movie adaptation taking roots from the theatre and takes on a modern view of vampirism. It tells the story of mother and daughter duo, Clara and Eleanor, who turned after they actively seek out an immortal life. They don’t have it easy and live on the run from an ancient order of vampires determined for them to meet an undesirable fate. While on the run, they find themselves in a sleepy British seaside town in an attempt to hide from those that pursue them. Unfortunately for them, their secret doesn’t stay hidden for long and drama follows with fatal repercussions.
Byzantium has more drama than action, as it concentrates on exploring the mother-daughter relationship, twisted by vampirism and finding themselves consistently on the run for 200 years.
12 Lost Boys
Warner Bros.
The campy horror teen movie that doesn’t quite feel like a stereotypical teen movie, The Lost Boys perfectly blends humor with horror. It’s got just the right ratio between somewhat shocking violent moments while having just the right level of comedic relief dotted throughout. It’s graced with some exceptional performances from some top-tier young stars of the 80s that helped create something truly unique.
The Lost Boys pushed the boundaries of its time in all the best kinds of ways and went completely over-the-top in creating a movie that has, so far, truly stood the test of time to remain one of the top vampire movies ever made. Its quirky extravagance easily remains entertaining to modern-day audiences to the extent that any remake would be an injustice.
11 Blade II
New Line Cinema
While the second installment in the Blade franchise didn’t hit the mark quite as well as the first, that does not mean that it doesn’t provide the goods! Blade II sure did amp up the vampire-fighting action that was so well-received in the first movie.
Wesley Snipes returns as the half-vampire with a grudge against the world and pure hatred for the monsters he hunts. However, in an interesting turn of events, a deadly plague spreading like wildfire through the vampire race leads Blade to have no choice but to join forces with the vampires. The plague causes the victim to have a deadly and unquenchable thirst for blood, from vampires and humans alike. Blade must work in harmony with the vampires if they have any chance of stopping it before the eradication of both the human and the vampire race.
10 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Sony Pictures
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans jumps outside the time frame of the other four movies in the franchise. Lucian’s origin story is told, and you gain empathy for the once-misunderstood character, once you are able to fully appreciate his backstory that leads to his actions against the vampire race.
It’s a refreshing break from the modern-day timeline of the two proceeding movies and builds a better picture of the conflict between the two races. You’re taken back to the time when Lycans were enslaved by the aristocratic vampire race. Lucian’s love for the vampire daughter of Victor is exposed and in doing so, Victor’s true nature is also further exposed. Victor kills his own daughter for daring to fall in love with a Lycan. This event only fuels Lucian’s hatred for vampires and spurs him on to end their entire race.
9 Underworld: Evolution
Underworld: Evolution is the second installment of the Underworld movie franchise. The movie takes place soon after the events of the first Underworld movie, where Selena kills Viktor after learning the truth of her past.
Underworld: Evolution takes the viewers into a much deeper exploration of Selena’s past and the deceit that lies within it. It’s a fast-paced movie with both Selena and Michael, the vampire-Lycan hybrid, working towards a way to secure the future for both species.
This movie doesn’t pack the same punch as the first movie, however, it’s an undeniably interesting watch that fills in the gaps left behind by Underworld. Underworld: Evolution was not well received by critics however since its release has gained a cult following.
8 Thirst
CJ Entertainment
Park Chan-wook’s Thirst is an ironically yet immensely appropriately titled movie. It explores the insatiable thirst for blood the characters adopt as they turn into creatures of the night. However, it shows that their needs are not so two-dimensional. It highlights their remaining human desires, especially through the character of Sang-hyun.
The film also takes a refreshing look at the ‘vampire’ character as a whole. Sang-hyun is a priest-turned-vampire who proves to be a great tool for the movie to explore themes of sin and forbidden love. There is no familiarity to his character as a vampire; he’s not particularly romantic or suave and dresses very plainly. Sang-hyun doesn’t follow the overly executed general approach to vampires in movies and almost comes across as a normal, everyday guy, just looking to make a connection.
7 Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Columbia Pictures
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a gothic horror classic that captures the essence of the character of Dracula in a truly memorable way. Gary Oldman steals the show with his approach as Dracula. He sets the bar high for any actor proceeding him who dares take on the challenge of even matching his performance of the infamous head honcho of all vampires.
This movie seeps with gothic extravagance and a playful approach to some stunning visual moments. Alongside the hands-on approach taken to any special effects, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an undeniable stand-out movie among vampire movies. It not only suited the grunge aesthetic of the 90s but can still prove entertaining for the modern-day audience.
6 Let the Right One In
Magnolia Pictures
This book-to-movie adaptation really shows off Swedish movie style and talent in creating hard-hitting and highly engaging horror movies in the best way. The book was adapted once more a couple of years after the release of Let the Right One In, in the equally brilliant movie Let Me In, which also finds its place on this list of best vampire movies ever made.
Consistently bullied and desperately lonely 12-year-old Oscar, befriends Eli, the sweet-faced killer who proves to be quite the companion with long-lasting consequences. It’s a brilliant portrayal of youthful innocence tainted unapologetically by the dark truths of the real world. In addition to this, the shockingly brutal violence involved in the movie makes for a memorable watch.
5 Interview with the Vampire
Warner Bros.
Interview With the Vampire was a successful book-to-movie adaption, starring the likes of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Kirsten Dunst. Pitt plays the highly conflicted character of Louis, who is turned into a vampire by Lestat (Cruise) after suffering the loss of both his wife and child. While Lestat seems born for the after-life of a vampire, Louis feels constant guilt for his urges. The story becomes even more interesting after Lestat turns a young child, Claudia (Dunst), into a vampire. This move brings a dysfunctional family dynamic into the mix.
The film is centered around the idea that Louis is recounting his life in modern-day times to an eager journalist who, while unconvinced about Louis’s claims of being a vampire, listens to his story. It’s a simple idea that makes for a brilliant vampire movie.
4 Fright Night
Columbia Pictures
Fright Night is a supernatural horror classic that brings with it the style that only a movie from the 80s can provide.
In the original, teenager Charley Brewster grows increasingly suspicious of his new neighbor. Of course, no one around him is prepared to believe that the new guy on the block is a vampire. This leads Charley to turn to washed-up actor Peter Vincent and the two team up to save the neighborhood from their new vampire neighbor.
There’s no surprise this film did amazingly well on release and has subsequently had both a sequel and a remake. It’s a cult classic that has a strong foothold in its claim to be one of the best vampire movies ever made.
3 From Dusk till Dawn
Dimension Films
From Dusk till Dawn has all the suspense of a great thriller, with vampires thrown in for good measure.
You’re met with the Gecko brothers (Quentin Tarantino and George Clooney) on a wild crime spree on their way to cross the Mexican border. En route, they kidnap a preacher and his children and hide out in a grimy Mexican bar. However, unfortunately for them, there are bigger baddies in the world and they find themselves in a hot spot for vampires.
In a twist of fate, the brothers must team up with their hostages if any of them have a chance of getting out alive! With Tarantino in the mix, before even watching the movie you know it’s going to be an absolute banger. It fared well upon release and has become a well-earned cult classic with subsequent media adaptions.
2 Underworld
Underworld is the first movie of five in the Underworld movie franchise. It opens up an underground age-old battle between vampires and Lycans, kept hidden from the human world. Selene is one of the elite trained killers working for the vampires in their fight against the Lycans. However, with the introduction of a seemingly normal human, Michael Corvin, Selene’s world and everything she once believed about it is turned upside down. Centuries-old deceit is brought straight to the surface, and she finds herself going against her own kind for the sake of their survival. She finds herself dealing with committing treason, falling into forbidden love, and going against everything she has been taught, in this excitingly fast-paced and action-packed first in the Underworld movie franchise.
1 Blade
Blade is a brilliant comic-to-movie adaptation, detailing the story of the half-vampire, vampire hunter vigilante. The casting for Blade was spot on, as Wesley Snipes brings the character into a league of his own. The moody daywalker with a chip on his shoulder determined to rid the world of its vampire infestation. Blade’s mother was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, which grants Blade some remarkable vampire abilities. Unfortunately, it also plagues him with the same thirst for blood that drives vampires, and we see his constant battle to resist this urge throughout the movie. This can only fuel his hatred for the species further.
The movie is fast-paced with some amazing fight scenes dotted throughout that give it grit and style. There’s the repeated theme of stopping the bad guy before he wipes out all of humanity, however, it doesn’t feel unauthentic in its execution.
