8 Vampire Films That Do not Suck

Vampire motion pictures are a dime a dozen, and most of them, fairly frankly, suck, when you’ll pardon the very apparent pun. For each Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we get two or three Twilights and a Morbius with a splash of Van Helsing. This can be a disgrace as a result of nothing beats a terrific vampire flick — vampires are scary and infrequently characterize the worst of humanity — murderous blood-sucking demons unable/unwilling to manage their carnal temptations — while mockingly possessing maybe our most sought-after superpower: immortality. When completed proper, a vampire movie can thrill audiences with motion, terror, and romance; if completed poorly, you get sparkly historical beings who gown like youngsters.

That mentioned, right here’s an inventory of my favourite vampire motion pictures and those I discover most entertaining. Be mindful, this isn’t essentially an inventory of the best vampire movies ever produced the place one would discover classics comparable to Nosferatu and the nice Bela Lugosi 1931 characteristic Dracula. That is merely a set of vampire motion pictures I flip to most frequently, particularly round Halloween.

Let’s do that!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)



Proper off the bat, let me simply say that Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula has loads of flaws, essentially the most egregious being the doubtful casting of a younger Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker and Winona Ryder’s overblown efficiency as Mina. And but, the unbelievable manufacturing design, Wojciech Kilar’s terrific rating, and Gary Oldman’s, ah, batty efficiency because the titular Dracula greater than make-up for no matter shortcomings hamper this early 90s flick. An abundance of intercourse and gore might flip off some, however for these on the lookout for a kinda-sorta romantic creature characteristic that kinda-sorta adapts Bram Stoker’s traditional novel, you possibly can’t get a lot better than this wild horror journey.

Oh, and Anthony Hopkins is Van Helsing. Yeah, simply roll with it.

Fright Evening (1985)

These pining for a extra laid again, albeit nonetheless freaky, vampire pic ought to take a look at 1985’s Fright Evening, which finds Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) teaming up with actor/vampire hunter Roddy McDowall to wage battle on his vampire neighbor Jerry (an impressive Chris Sarandon). Tom Holland’s pic is actually not for the faint of coronary heart, due to some genuinely horrifying gore results and well-timed scares, however those that take the experience will discover a pic loaded with colourful characters, delightfully creepy results, and a handful of fantastic performances. Fright Evening hasn’t aged in addition to one would really like, however nonetheless packs a wallop.

As a bonus, the 2011 remake is likewise price a glance if just for Colin Farrell’s delectable efficiency as Jerry.

From Nightfall Until Daybreak (1996)

Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino serve up a pleasant combination of intercourse, violence, and campy horror in From Nightfall Until Daybreak, maybe the trashiest vampire flick on this record — in a great way. Starring George Clooney (in one in all his finest roles), Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, and Tarantino himself, Nightfall begins out as a fairly generic riff on Reservoir Canines with a gaggle of criminals evading the legislation following a profitable heist however finally spirals into horror when our tough riders stumble right into a brothel full of a cavern of attractive vampires led by Salma Hayek’s snake-dancing Santanico Pandemonium.

Yeah, this movie is about as delicate as a hurricane, however Rodriguez’s tight course and Tarantino’s scrumptious dialogue transfer the motion alongside at a depraved tempo, leading to a intelligent, darkly amusing, even stimulating little bit of pulp fiction full of some wild twists and turns.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Neil Jordan’s 90s gothic epic Interview with the Vampire explores the very nature of being an immortal blood-sucking demon with surprisingly emotional outcomes. See, there are two methods to have a look at a vampire’s existence: on the plus facet, somebody like Brad Pitt’s Louis can appear like younger Brad Pitt endlessly, golden locks and all; on the unfavourable facet, our boy has to attend many years to see the dawn by way of a movement image — and even that’s not sufficient. It’s the easy issues, folks. There’s additionally the issue of achieving sufficient blood to gasoline your lifeless corpse on a nightly foundation, to say nothing of the issues an eternity as a vampire can inflict upon one’s private love life. It ain’t good.

Interview seems at these points from a singular angle, viewing its demonic topics as pathetic creatures trapped in a life that gives few pleasures apart from the occasional drop of blood. These aren’t brooding teenagers craving for sparkly romance, however fairly bizarre folks struggling to come back to phrases with a unprecedented reward that requires them to be monsters. Add in an A-list forged that features Tom Cruise (in his campiest position thus far), Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas, plus a stellar breakout efficiency by a particularly younger Kirsten Dunst — whose pint-sized vampire should stay endlessly trapped in an 11-year previous physique — and you’ve got your self one helluva movie.

Then, if you’d like extra, take a look at AMC’s wonderful TV collection, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Nice stuff!

Let Me In (2010)

Cinephiles will flip their noses up at me for admitting I haven’t seen the unique 2008 Swedish movie Let the Proper One In, as a substitute skipping straight to Matt Reeves’ unbelievable 2010 remake. I do not know how related they’re to at least one one other, however the model I noticed rocked me to my core. Severely, this will get darkish and is the kind of dread-filled cinema that forces you to verify each nook and cranny of your property earlier than signing off for the night. It’s wild.

The story considerations a downtrodden younger boy named Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who befriends a mysterious woman named Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz). Cute, proper? Effectively, seems she’s a vampire, and a ruthless one at that — she’s preyed upon an older companion (Richard Jenkins) for years. However she seems at an important interval within the child’s life and helps him beat back bullies, pesky detectives, loneliness, and all the opposite bizarre issues younger youngsters undergo with their vampire buddies.

Be mindful, this isn’t the kind of movie you advocate to your mom. There is no such thing as a pleasure right here, simply pitch-black horror shrouded in darkness. It’s completely chilling and undeniably highly effective. And sure, I’ll attempt to see the unique sooner or later.

30 Days of Evening (2007)

30 Days of Evening takes a short time to get going, however as soon as the violence begins, David Slade’s brutal epic — replete with a novel idea centered round residents of a small city in Alaska who should beat back vampires who assault throughout a chronic month of darkness — achieves the sort of morbid leisure one yearns for on a chilly, darkish Saturday evening.

Sure, there’s loads of violence, gore, and comedian guide motion, however there are additionally actual stakes at play, colourful characters — performed by Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Ben Foster, and Danny Huston — price rooting for, and the kind of dangerous guys who deserve each ounce of brutal justice they obtain.

30 Days of Evening doesn’t revamp the vampire flick, nevertheless it does ship one helluva bonkers expertise that thrills as a lot because it chills.

As soon as Bitten (1985)

Don’t decide me, okay? As soon as Bitten might not conform to fashionable societal requirements and doesn’t take its premise so far as it in all probability ought to have, however stays an enticing, usually very humorous mid-80s horror comedy. Starring Jim Carrey as a hapless teen caught within the crosshairs of Lauren Hutton’s attractive Countess, who wants his virgin blood to stay younger.

Is the humor dated? Sure. Is the film scary? No. Is it an amusing 90 minutes of vampire enjoyable? You betcha. Right here now we have a film the place intercourse truly saves the day. What’s higher than that?

The Misplaced Boys (1987)

I’ve seen The Misplaced Boys at the very least 100 instances and I nonetheless haven’t found out if it’s an excellent movie. I imply, I take pleasure in its model — each scene is coated in a thick layer of neon pink — its synth-heavy soundtrack, goofy punk rock characters led by Kiefer Sutherland’s leather-clad David Powers, and the tongue-in-cheek strategy that leans on myths present in comedian books and horror motion pictures — Corey Haim, our younger warrior, learns methods to vanquish the gang of vampires by means of popular culture. There’s rather a lot to admire, however The Misplaced Boys additionally suffers from, maybe, an excessive amount of 80s pastiche, an uneven tone, and Jason Patric’s lump of coal central determine.

Nonetheless, it is fairly damned entertaining, and Jami Getz is gorgeous … you’ll both chuckle on the campy absurdity or get sucked into Joel Schumacher’s colourful world of intercourse, medication, and rock and roll. I wouldn’t decide you both manner.