Countless subgenres fill up the world of horror movies. From the paranormal to the slasher, one particular genre that has stood the test of time is the ever-evolving, yet beloved vampire genre. Stories of the bloodsucking, nocturnal creatures have continued to intrigue and entertain audiences around the world since their film debut back in 1922’s “Nosferatu.”
While it has been 100 years since “Nosferatu” was introduced to the world, the influence of the silent film has generated a societal love – nay, obsession – with vampires that inspired innumerable live-action and animated films in the years that followed.
In an endless pool of movies that centre around the fanged monsters, narrowing down the best vampire movies is not an easy task, so we’ve rounded up a handful of fan favourites – from recent films like “Morbius” and “Day Shift” to classics like “Twilight” and “Interview With the Vampire” – to satisfy your hunger (or quench your thirst) for a solid vampire movie. Read on for our list of 15 unique vampire movies!
Vampire Movies: "Morbius"
Esteemed doctor Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) has lived the majority of his life with a rare blood disease. In an attempt to cure himself and save others from having the disease in the future, Dr. Morbius experiments with bats and tries to splice their genes. At first, he is cured of the disease, but Dr. Morbius soon finds out that his cure came with a price: he is now a vampire.
Vampire Movies: "What We Do in the Shadows"
In this hilarious mockumentary from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, vampire roommates Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr are the subject of a documentary that seeks to find out the unknown secrets of the creatures. The filmmakers soon discover that the group are just as normal and dysfunctional as regular people, fighting over mundane things like paying rent and doing chores.
Vampire Movies: "Dark Shadows"
A lighthearted adaptation of the 1960s soap opera of the same name, “Dark Shadows” centers around Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), who is cursed by a witch and subsequently turned into a vampire for rejecting her romantic advances in the 1770s. When the town discovers this, he is buried alive and awakens nearly 200 years later in 1972. Living in a modern world he knows nothing about, Barnabas goes to the only place he remembers, the Collinwood estate, where a new family now live.
Vampire Movies: "Night Teeth"
College student Benny is just looking to make some extra money when she takes on a night of chauffeuring around Los Angeles. During the night, he picks up Blaire and Zoe and is ordered by them to drop them off at several nightclubs around the city. Soon, however, Benny finds out that the friends are vampires, and he must fight to get away from them or risk being their next victim.
Vampire Movies: "Blood Red Sky"
When a passenger airplane is hijacked by terrorists, the passengers are left scrambling to regain control of the plane and survive. An ill woman, Nadja, and her son, Elias, are among the passengers, and when the hijackers announce their plans, they attempt to hide. When a terrorist sees this, he shoots Nadja and leaves her for dead, only for her to regain consciousness and reveal that she is a vampire. Now, she is about to foil their whole plan.
Vampire Movies: "Vampire Academy"
Based on the book series of the same name, “Vampire Academy” follows teenager Rosemarie Hathaway, who is a dhampir, aka half-vampire, half-human. Rosemarie is a part of the Moroi group of vampires, who have peacefully cohabited with humans for ages. It is up to Rosemarie to train and protect the Moroi from the rival, evil group of vampires called the Strigoi, while also fighting to save her best friend, Princess Lissa, from their wrath.
Vampire Movies: "Daybreakers"
In the future, a disease outbreak has turned nearly all of Earth’s population into vampires, leaving a small group of humans to fend for themselves. With a small, dwindling human population, the vampires soon find that their blood supply does not support their population, and this deficiency can turn them into wild creatures. Vampire and hematologist Dr. Edward Dalton, however, seeks to find an artificial source that the vampires can feed on.
Vampire Movies: "Day Shift"
Bud Jablonski works as a pool cleaner for a community pool in the San Fernando Valley. In working, he simply wants to provide a stable life for his daughter and pay for her tuition and a set of braces. His pool job is actually not what is bringing in the dough, however. When night falls, Bud is a ruthless vampire killer who is actually a part of a union of vampire hunters, but carrying out the job isn’t as easy as he wishes.
Vampire Movies: The Blade Trilogy
Based on the Marvel character of the same name, the Blade franchise centers around a vengeful vampire hunter named Blade, who seeks justice in slaying the creatures that killed his mother. Throughout the franchise, Blade tackles a series of different conflicts, ranging from stopping feuds between rival groups to fighting against a group of vampires that feed on their own kind.
The Blade Movies in Order
- “Blade”
- “Blade II”
- “Blade: Trinity”
Vampire Movies: "Interview With the Vampire"
In 1791, Louisiana plantation owner Louis de Pointe du Lac is stricken with grief following the loss of his wife and unborn child. During a drunken night of wandering, he is attacked by vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, who asks him if he wants to be a vampire. Louis accepts, but does not enjoy hunting humans to survive, so he drinks animal blood instead. When a plague breaks out, however, Louis feeds on a girl named Claudia. Along with Lestat, he makes her immortal by turning her into a vampire. Two hundred years later, Louis tells his story of survival to reporter Daniel Molloy.
Vampire Movies: "Vampires"
Director John Carpenter, known as the mastermind behind the original “Halloween” movie, brings audiences a thrilling story of a man destined to hunt vampires. When Jack Crow’s parents were killed by vampires, he was taken in by the Catholic Church and trained to become the ultimate master vampire slayer. Now, alongside a team of vampire hunters, Jack is fighting to prevent Jan Valek, the most powerful vampire, from securing a valuable cross.
Vampire Movies: The Underworld Franchise
The Underworld film franchise spans five movies and has garnered a cult following since the release of the first film in 2003. Vampire warrior Selene vengefully hunts Lycans, a species of werewolves, to seek justice years after the group killed her parents when she was a child. Amid her hunting, the vampires and Lycans are in a feud, and Selene falls in love with a human named Michael Corvin, who is being hunted by the werewolf group.
The Underworld Movies in Order
- “Underworld”
- “Underworld: Evolution”
- “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans”
- “Underworld: Awakening”
- “Underworld: Blood Wars”
Vampire Movies: "Vampires vs. the Bronx"
With their neighbourhood on the verge of becoming gentrified, friends Louis, Miguel, and Bobby plan on hosting a block party to raise funds to prevent their local bodega from closing. Real-estate sharks aren’t the only people infiltrating the Bronx, however. As the group fight for their neighbourhood, people start to go missing, and they discover that a blood-thirsty group of vampires are looking to take over.
Vampire Movies: "Bram Stoker's Dracula"
Based on the novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker, Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the horror story earned acclaim from both critics and audiences – even winning multiple Oscars after its release. In 1897, legal practitioner Jonathan Harker takes on Dracula as a client, but little does he know Dracula is a vampire and looking to seduce Jonathan’s fiancée, Mina Murray, whom he believes is his deceased love Elisabeta.