Top 10 Vampire Films

In recent years vampire films are a lot less frequent as they used to be thanks to a certain Twilight saga pissing all over vampire lore. Since then we have seen a decline in the vampire genre and it looks as though films about bloodsucking creatures of the night have lost their popularity. However, there was a time when vampire films were popular, up until recent years vampires were some of the most beloved of the supernatural creatures (zombies now seem to be taking the top spot). As a big fan of vampire films, I have decided to compose a list of my top 10 vampire flicks, before the genre became worn out, before the Twilight saga.

10. From Dusk Till Dawn (Robert Rodriguez, 1996)

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are known for collaborating together on numerous projects over the years, and From Dusk Till Dawn is one of their most memorable ones. It follows the Gecko Brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino), two criminals who attempt to cross the border into Mexico by forcing a family to take them in their RV. Once they arrive in Mexico, the brothers and the family led by pastor Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) must wait in the Titty Twister Bar from dusk till dawn before being picked up. Unfortunately for them, the bar is filled with vampires. A fun, black-comedy with a memorable script from Tarantino and appearances from horror and B-movie legends such as Tom Savini and Danny Trejo from the always entertaining director Robert Rodriguez. The film has been recently adapted into a television series which isn't so bad and spawned two sequels that I haven't seen, but they don't sound too promising.

9. The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983)

Tony Scott's stylish vampire film saw ancient vampire Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) as she attempts to seduce scientist, Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon) following the death of her former lover John (David Bowie). This dark fantasy is more of a gothic romance than horror and the vampires of The Hunger differ from the ones we're used to, mainly due to their lack of fangs. However, Miriam is just as bloodthirsty as any vampire and Deneuve is excellent as the seductive vampire. Despite his role being smaller than expected, the late David Bowie gives a brilliant performance as vampire and musician and vampire John and both he and Deneuve are two of the most stylish vampires to ever grace the big screen. The film also has one of my favourite opening scenes ever as the two vampires stalk a nightclub to the tune of Bauhaus' Bela Lugosi's Dead.

8. Near Dark (Kathyrn Bigelow, 1987)

What do you get when you cross vampires and bikers with elements of the western genre? The answer is Kathyrn Bigelow's gritty vampire flick Near Dark which sees teenager Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) join with a group of roaming vampires after falling in love with one of their members Mae (Jenny Wright). For me, the real highlights of this film were Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen as Severen and Jesse Hooker respectively. The former is a psychotic and blood thirsty killer and Paxton is entertaining as always while the latter is the charming leader of the group who is suspicious of the young Caleb. One of the more grittier vampire films, it follows the transition from human to vampire and the reluctance to feed on human blood. Since its release almost 30 years ago, Near Dark has become a cult film.

7. Fright Night (Tom Holland, 1985)

Teenager Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is your average American 80's teenager from the suburbs, only his next door neighbour is a vampire. That is the premise of Fright Night and what follows is one of the most entertaining vampire comedies of all time, mainly due to Planet of the Apes star Roddy McDowell as Peter Vincent, actor turned vampire hunter. Chris Sarandon is extremely charismatic as the mysterious vampire next door, Jerry Dandridge who begins to target Charlie's loved ones, succeeding in turning his friend 'Evil' Ed Thompson (Stephen Geoffreys) into a vampire. It is both creepy yet funny and like almost every 80's vampire film has become a cult classic due to memorable performances from McDowell and Sarandon. It even spawned a remake in 2011 with Colin Farrell as Jerry and David Tennant as Peter Vincent, while being thoroughly entertaining and very bloody, it was still no match for the original.

6. The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987)

The last 80's vampire film on the list, released in the same year as Near Dark, this iconic vampire film sees brothers Sam and Michael Emerson (Corey Haim and Jason Patric respectively) moving to the sunny town of Santa Carla only to find it infested with vampires. Before Joel Schumacher went and ruined Batman, he gave us a pretty brilliant vampire film that has gone on to become a massive cult classic. Corey Feldman stands out in one of the highlights of his careers as Edgar Frog, one half of the self proclaimed vampire hunters the Frog Brothers. Kiefer Sutherland is also excellent as David, the menacing leader of the psycho pack of vampires who reside in an underground hotel. Full of twists and turns with some memorable death scenes and music, The Lost Boys is the king of 80's vampire films.

5. 30 Days of Night (David Slade, 2007)

Based off Steve Niles' comic book miniseries of the same name, this horrific vampire romp sees a small Alaskan town being invaded by vampires during their annual thirty days of nightfall. What makes this film so memorable his how terrifying the vampires are, they are not the charismatic and sensual blood suckers we are used to. They are relentless and bloodthirsty monsters with pale white skin and black eyes led by the brutal Marlow (Danny Huston). Josh Hartnett and Melissa George play Eben and Stella Oleson and are forced to combat the monstrous vampires while Ben Foster plays the maniacal stranger, a Reinfield type character who works with the vampires. Lots of blood and terrifying vampires, 30 Days of Night is one of the darker films on our list (as you can tell from the title) and is a milestone in the vampire hall of fame.

4. Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, it follows a troubled young boy named Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) who befriends his new neighbour, the mysterious Eli (Lena Leandersson) only to discover that she is a vampire. The two young leads both display immense talent in this Swedish vampire romance and really make the characters convincing and likable from start to finish. Eli is a vampire who does anything for survival, killing innocent locals but her relationship with Oskar shows that she is more than just some monster. It is interesting seeing the two contrasting characters have such excellent chemistry and watching them develop is a pleasure to watch. It was remade for American audiences in 2010 with Let Me In starring Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smith McPhee in the lead roles, being one of the better horror remakes. Darkly beautiful and gripping, Let The Right One In is a modern classic.

3. Horror of Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1958)

The first of Hammer's Dracula series sees the duo of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing team up as the eponymous vampire and his rival Van Helsing respectively. Loosely adapted from Bram Stoker's iconic novel, it sees Van Helsing hunting down the count after the death of fellow vampire hunter Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen). The film puts more emphasis on the character of Arthur Holmwood (Michael Gough) who takes up a lot of Jonathan's role from the novel as in this version it is he and Van Helsing who race to save Mina from the sinister Count Dracula. With plenty of adaptations of Dracula over the years, I chose this one as it marks the first time Christopher Lee took on the role and since then his portrayal has become one of the most memorable. It also introduced the Counts signature hiss. In classic Hammer style, the film is gothic and somewhat bloody and is one of Lee's finest roles.

2. Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922)

An unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, this German expressionist film has become one of the highlights of Weimar cinema and to this day is still as unsettling as ever. It is essentially the Dracula story only with names switched, the vampire is renamed Count Orlock for example while the town is changed from London to Wisborg. Max Shreck's performance as the terrifying Orlock has become iconic, from his rat-like appearance to his creepy movements his character is one of the most unsettling in cinematic history. Memorable moments such as Orlock's shadow being cast on the wall and him standing in the frame of the door are just as unsettling today as they were back then. The film was made by F.W. Murnau, one of the pioneers of German expressionist cinema, and its gothic style, exaggerated performances and distorted sets make Nosferatu not only one of the best vampire films ever but also an expressionist masterpiece.

1. Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931)

Of all the adaptations of Bram Stoker's acclaimed novel, this one has to be my favourite. Although it does differ a lot from the book and certain characters are omitted, it marks the first time Bela Lugosi played the titular Count. Lugosi's performance set the standard for the modern vampire and has gone on to inspire multiple other performances and parodies, since then he has become an iconic figure in cinematic history. It is one of the first Universal studios horror films along with James Whale's Frankenstein and although Lugosi excelled in the role, he would only play the character once more onscreen in Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. If not for Lugosi's performance as Count Dracula, I believe that vampire films would have been very different, even the character of Dracula could have been very different in later adaptations. Tod Browning's Dracula, to me, is the greatest vampire film of all time.

So there are ten of the best vampire films from over the years that I recommend you all watch if you haven't already. I had this post planned for later in the week, after my next 'what if?' post but after hearing the horrible news of David Bowie's death this morning and due to his role in one of the films on the list I decided to write it up today. I would just like to briefly say that Bowie was an icon who excelled in his music and acting career, he inspired millions and is recognisable worldwide, rest in piece. If you want to read more about Mr. Bowie, my friend Liam did a great post on him which you can read here. Until next time!