20 best vampire movies

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

From silent classics to pseudo-documentary comedy horror.

1. Nosferatu. Symphony of Horror

• Germany, 1922.
• Horror.
• Duration: 94 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

A young real estate agent Thomas Hutter travels to distant Transylvania to meet with Count Orlok. Later it turns out that the count does not look like a person at all and looks like a terrible monster with a hooked nose and protruding ears. An infernal creature attacks the main character, but he manages to escape. However, it's too early to relax - after all, the ghoul decided to sow death in Thomas's hometown.

Ghouls met in the cinema before the appearance of "Nosferatu", for example, in "Vampire of the Desert" (1913) based on the poem by Rudyard Kipling, "Wanderer beyond the grave" (1915) and the silent series "Vampires" (1915).

Still, it is "Nosferatu" by the German director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau that is considered the founder of vampire cinema. The film laid the visual foundations of the genre - black cloaks, a night forest, a gloomy Gothic castle. From the same picture came the idea of the destructiveness of sunlight for blood-sucking.

Of course, now "Nosferatu" is unlikely to scare anyone. But once the film struck the audience with its realism. The bike went on for a long time, as if the performer of the role of Count Orlok, Max Shrek, was not an actor, but a real vampire, whom Murnau fed with members of the film crew. Thriller "Shadow of the Vampire" (2000) with John Malkovich and Willem Defoe is a free fantasy based on this story.

2. Dracula

• USA, 1931.
• Horror.
• Duration: 75 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

Real estate agent Renfield travels to Transylvania on a deal with Count Dracula, who wants to buy the old Carfax Abbey in London. The main character ignores the warnings of local residents that his client is a dangerous vampire, and becomes an unwitting servant of a bloodsucker.

The image of Count Dracula performed by Bela Lugosi has become canonical. This influenced the work of actor Christopher Lee in 1958 "Dracula" (one of the famous "Hammer" horror films).

3. Vampire Ball (Fearless Vampire Slayers)

• Great Britain, USA, 1967.
• Horror comedy film.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

Professor Abronsius has been trying unsuccessfully for many years to prove the existence of vampires to the scientific world. In search of weighty arguments, he, together with his assistant Alfred, goes to distant Transylvania. And this is the most exciting and eerie journey in their lives.

Roman Polanski's first color film is one of the most famous parodies of the vampire genre. Although the director's intention was somewhat different: he wanted to create an eerie fairy tale.

4. Blood for Dracula

• Italy, France, 1974.
• Black comedy, horror film.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 2.

Count Dracula is literally dying of hunger. In Transylvania there are no blameless young ladies, whose blood is so necessary for a vampire to maintain its existence. On the advice of a faithful servant, the ghoul travels to Italy - as it seems to him, a country of strict Catholic morals. He hopes to find as many virgins as his heart desires.

Blood for Dracula (also known as Andy Warhol's Dracula) is an iconic film directed by underground filmmaker Paul Morrissey in collaboration with legendary Andy Warhol. Secondary roles were played by cult directors: the master of Italian neorealism Vittorio de Sica and Roman Polanski. The latter happened to be on the set by accident: he was creating his absurd comedy “What?” Nearby.

5. Hunger

• Great Britain, USA, 1983.
• Erotic thriller.
• Duration: 97 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 7.

The beautiful and immortal vampire Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve) lives in New York with her lover John (David Bowie). Miriam turned him into a vampire several hundred years ago, promising eternal life. But John begins to age quickly and realizes that his beloved deceived him. In desperation, he seeks help from the gerontologist Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon).

The debut work of director Tony Scott (Ridley Scott's younger brother) is not only an incredibly beautiful story of bloodlust, but a landmark for the gothic subculture. The film's soundtrack, a single from the Bauhaus Bela Lugosi’s Dead band, was released four years before the film's release. It is believed that it was this song that gave rise to the so-called gothic style in music. Moreover, the film "Hunger" made the composition even more popular.

6. It's almost dark

• USA, 1987.
• Thriller.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The plot revolves around a vampire gang that travels across America in an old van and kills people along the way. One day the vampire May falls in love with a simple guy Caleb and turns him. Now he must prove that he is worthy to become a real vampire, and also bite someone. However, the young man refuses, and Mei is forced to protect him from her own clanmates.

The original vampire thriller Katherine Bigelow - the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director - could have played Johnny Depp. But in the end, the role went to Adrian Pasdar (now known as Glenn Talbot in the series Agents of SHIELD).

7. The Lost Boys

• USA, 1987.
• Horror comedy film.
• Duration: 93 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Brothers Sam and Michael Emerson move with their mother from Arizona to Santa Carla, California. There, older brother Michael meets a gang of vampire bikers, after which he changes beyond recognition.

A number of critics believe that the ironic thriller directed by Joel Schumacher, along with "Hunger" and "It's Almost Dark", made vampires popular in popular culture. And recently there were rumors that viewers will soon see the series-restart of the legendary film.

8. Night of Fear

• USA, 1985.
• Comedy horror film, thriller.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Young horror fan Charlie suddenly realizes that his neighbor is a real vampire. The latter does not like at all that he was revealed, and he is determined to kill the curious teenager. Charlie asks for help from the host of the "Fear Night" program Peter Vincent, who supposedly knows everything and even more about vampires.

The comedy thriller Tom Holland - the director of the first part of the famous franchise about the evil doll-killer Chucky - became one of the most popular horror films of the time. Based on it, novelizations, comics and computer games were created.

In 2011, a remake was released - not the most successful, but with the participation of Colin Farrell and David Tennant, dressed in leather from head to toe.

9. Kiss of the vampire

• USA, 1988.
• Comedy, fantasy, horror film.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 9.

The black comedy directed by Robert Bierman is the story of the successful literary agent Peter Law (Nicolas Cage). After the main character was bitten by a beautiful girl, he began to turn into a terrible bloodsucker. At the same time, it is not very clear where in Peter's story the truth ends and the fantasies caused by schizophrenic hallucinations begin.

The movie spawned one of the most famous memes You Don’t Say? ("Come on", "What are you talking about?"). Nicolas Cage's face helps to express emotions about the obvious things someone has said.

10. Dracula

• USA, 1992.
• Horror movie, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 128 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Once, Prince Vlad Dracula (Gary Oldman) was famous for his feats of arms, but, having lost his beloved, he renounced his faith and became a vampire. Several centuries later, Dracula accidentally sees the girl Mina (Winona Ryder), like two drops of water similar to his unfortunate wife. Deciding that he has met the reincarnation of his wife, the ghoul tries to charm the beauty. But Mina already has a fiance, Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), who is not going to give in to her Dracula without a fight. And in this young man will be helped by Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins).

Francis Ford Coppola's innovation is that he transformed the plot of Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula", adding a love line to the classic basis. The character has become deeper - now he is not just a soulless monster, but a complex hero capable of changes.

11. Interview with the vampire

• USA, 1994.
• Drama, fantasy.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

An aspiring reporter (Christian Slater) interviews vampire Louis (Brad Pitt). Ghoul talks about his 200-year life, full of suffering due to the loss of loved ones. The journalist learns about how Louis traveled with Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), a little vampire who is destined to remain a child forever. Louis also explains that he connects him with the ghoul Lestat (Tom Cruise).

Paramount Pictures Corporation bought the rights to film the novel by Anne Rice back in 1976, but the film was not given the green light for a long time. The vampire Lestat was supposed to be played by John Travolta, but when director Neil Jordan began working on the tape, the actor was no longer suitable for the role in terms of age.

And the series "Vampire Chronicles" by Anne Rice is waiting for a global restart - it is already known that Dee Johnson will be the showrunner of the new project.

12. From Dusk Till Dawn

• USA, 1996.
• Horror movie, action movie.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

Brothers Richard and Seth Gekko make their way to the Mexican border - there they are promised to be taken under the wing of local mafiosi. On the way, the heroes with their hostages - the Fuller family - stop at a strip bar that works from dusk to dawn. It quickly turns out that the establishment belongs to a clan of bloodthirsty vampires who kill bikers and truckers.

Quentin Tarantino's crazy idea to combine ghouls and gangster movies was the reason why "From Dusk Till Dawn" is mistakenly considered to be a director's work. Formally, Tarantino is only the scriptwriter. And the director of the film is Quentin's friend Robert Rodriguez, whom they met a couple of years before filming. Nevertheless, Tarantino's contribution to the creation of the tape is so great that the picture can be considered an equal joint work.

13. Blade

• USA, 1998.
• Horror movie, action movie.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Eric Brooks, nicknamed Blade (Wesley Snipes), is half human, half vampire. Thanks to vampire genes, the hero is incredibly strong and agile. At the same time, he, unlike purebred ghouls, experiences human emotions. Blade's main opponent is the ghoul Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff).

An expensive and large-scale action movie based on Marvel comics has grown into a whole trilogy. One of the films in the franchise was directed by Guillermo del Toro. In recent years, there have been many rumors about the restart of "Blade", but none of them has not yet been officially confirmed.

14. Twilight

• USA, 2008.
• Melodrama, fantasy.
• Duration: 121 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 2.

17-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves to her father in the American town of Forks. At the new school, the girl meets Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a silent handsome man with unusually pale skin. The young man behaves strangely in front of Bella. Soon they grow closer, and the main character discovers Edward's secret - he is a 108-year-old vampire. Young people fall in love, but there are many obstacles on the way to their happiness.

Director Catherine Hardwicke, who previously directed mostly independent dramas about growing up (Thirteen, Kings of Dogtown), created the first part of the saga based on the bestselling novel by Stephenie Meyer in her characteristic chamber style.

Since its release, Twilight has become a cultural phenomenon. The following parts, given to less talented directors, turned out to be worse. In comparison, the first film adaptation of the franchise is full of unforgettable original findings. For example, the vampire baseball scene to the song Muse Supermassive Black Hole is a shameful pleasure.

15. Thirst

• Republic of Korea, 2009.
• Drama, fantasy.
• Duration: 133 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

Hyun Sang Hyun, a virtuous and considerate Catholic priest, works in a hospital to help incurable patients. The protagonist travels to Africa to test an experimental vaccine against a deadly virus. As a result, the priest turns into a vampire and returns to Korea, where he tries to lead a normal life, restraining his irresistible thirst for human blood.

This film is worth paying attention to everyone who loves modern South Korean cinema and who likes free interpretations of classical literature (in this case, the plot is based on the novel by Emil Zola "Teresa Raken").

16. Let me in. Saga

• UK, USA, 2010.
• Horror film, drama.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

12-year-old Owen (Cody Smith-McPhee) meets a girl Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz). She becomes the only person with whom he can find a common language. Meanwhile, brutal murders begin to take place in the city. Owen learns that his best friend is a vampire for more than one hundred years.

The novel by the Swedish writer Jun Aivide Lindqvist has a fortunate fate. The book was filmed in 2008 at home, and two years later - in the United States.

The title of the painting "Let Me In" refers to the Swedish folk belief, which was reflected in the plot of "Dracula" by Bram Stoker: the vampire must receive an invitation from the inhabitant of the house to get there.

And the word "saga" in the title should not be feared - it was added by Russian localizers to lure Twilight fans into the cinemas.

17. Byzantium

• UK, USA, Ireland, 2012.
• Drama, fantasy, thriller.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

Clara (Gemma Arterton) and Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) move to a provincial English town. Local residents are trying to understand who they are - two sisters or a mother and daughter?

This is another dark vampire drama with famous actors from the director of "Interview with the Vampire" Neil Jordan.

18. Only lovers will survive

• Great Britain, Germany, 2013.
• Fantasy, drama.
• Duration: 123 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) are vampires who have been in love with each other for centuries. In order not to kill people, they get fresh blood from hospitals. Trouble begins when Eva's younger sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska) arrives in town.

The main aesthetic of world cinema, Jim Jarmusch, embodied in his fantasy drama the ideal postmodern view of vampires. And the ghouls in his film are much more human than humans.

19. The girl returns home alone at night

• USA, 2014.
• Horror movie, melodrama.
• Duration: 101 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 0.

The independent drama directed by Ana Lili Amirpur is set in a fictional Iranian city. A strange woman in a black chador wanders the streets full of the gloomy atmosphere of neo-noir in search of victims.

The festival hit "A Girl Returns Home Alone at Night" is a stylish mix of different genres: Hollywood noir, Western, classic horror. Among other things, this is also a highly social statement. The tape asks the question in a straightforward way: what will happen if a potential prey suddenly turns into a predator?

20. Real ghouls

• New Zealand, USA, 2014.
• Comedy, horror film.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

The mock-documentary film tells the story of four vampires leading a secluded life in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The ghouls never adapted to the realities of the 21st century. They are quite happy with this until the newly converted vampire Nick comes to them. He shows them how to use the Internet and other modern technologies.

The hilariously funny picture of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, shot by their own script, amusingly deconstructs the "vampire myth". Recommended for everyone who is tired of overly pretentious dramas about ghouls, and simply for connoisseurs of original black humor.