One of the most resilient subgenres in horror has to be vampire movies. Alive since the very beginnings of the medium and endlessly reformulated to appeal to evolving audiences, the vampire subgenre is based on the same rules you’re familiar with: no sunlight, no garlic, stakes through the heart, and mandatory invitations. As much as some movies and TV shows try to bend those rules, they’re the reasons why some people consider it to be the comfort subgenre in horror. Changes are risky and not exactly necessary.
2024 will see the release of one of the most anticipated vampire films in a long time. Robert Eggers‘ version of the gothic classic, Nosferatu, is set to arrive in theaters in December 2024. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as the famous count, but it also includes Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Not much is known about it, but it’s said to be a modern version of the 1922 film by F.W. Murnau.
Nosferatu (2024)
- Release Date
- December 25, 2023
If the film’s anything like Eggers’ previous ones, we’re in for a treat. The visual style and cinematic language of the young director are extremely interesting, and his relationship to horror has always proven he feels comfortable making it. It’s also the first time he will adapt an already familiar IP, so expectations are very high.
While we wait for a trailer and the film’s release, here’s a list of other gothic vampire movies you can check out before Eggers’ Nosferatu.
10 Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of the finest portrayals of the classic vampire, is a love story more than anything. In the film, Jonathan Harker heads to Transylvania to get Count Dracula’s documents in order. The thing is, Harker is set to be married, and Dracula comes across a photograph of Mina. Instantly, he identifies her as a reincarnation of his love, the one who passed away tragically in the event that made him become a vampire. This is how Dracula’s journey to England begins, as he tries to find love again while causing havoc everywhere with all the bloodsucking.
A Classic Revitalized
The modern horror adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola of the novel by Bram Stoker is a curious example of a kind of movie we’ll never get again. A high-profile horror film starring an ensemble cast with a generous production budget. However, as risky as the project sounds, the romantic aspect of the story is compelling enough to make the film a worthy companion to any adaptation of Nosferatu, Dracula, or any other character in the classic story.
Gary Oldman’s performance as the count is the best of his career, and there’s a very high chance you’ve heard Wojciech Kilar’s score for the movie played elsewhere.
Rent on Prime Video
9 Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Interview with a Vampire is the 1994 film that put together two of the most important Hollywood symbols at the time in a horror film, an event that today feels impossible to accomplish in the genre. It tells the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) in modern times as he narrates to a reporter how he was turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise) centuries ago. The film was extremely successful, won a bunch of awards (it got nominated for two Oscars), and launched the career of young actor Kirsten Dunst, who had only performed in minor roles up to that point.
An Underrated Gothic Horror Film that Deserves a Rewatch
Neil Jordan’s underrated feature, Interview with a Vampire, is based on Anne Rice’s novel of 1976, and she also participates as the screenwriter. Perhaps this is the reason why it feels like such an authentic film, with vampirism themes present all throughout the film and nothing to distract us from the premise: it’s a film about guilt and corruption, seen through the eyes of a man who was a victim of his own circumstances and decides to become a vampire, without knowing he will come to regret it. The story was adapted again for a very successful TV show in 2022.
Rent on Prime Video
8 The Invitation (2022)
2022’s The Invitation is one of the most recent films on the list. It tells the story of Evie Jackson, a waitress and ceramics specialist who lives a lonely life in New York City. One day, Evie tries out a DNA test, and suddenly, she gets a notification. It turns out she has a relative in England. Oliver decides to come over to meet Evie and invites her over to a family wedding. Evie accepts the invitation, and when she arrives at New Carfax Abbey, she falls for the lord of the manor, who has a couple of secrets up his sleeve. The film wasn’t very well-received by audiences, but then it found some love on Netflix.
A Confident Genre Revisit
The Invitation reeks of classic tropes, vampire lore, and features of the gothic. Led by Nathalie Emmanuel, the film is a twist on the Bram Stoker classic, as Evie portrays the damsel in distress who one day discovers she’s a very important target. Fans of the more classic style of gothic horror will appreciate Jessica Thompson’s direction, and others will have a lot of fun with the wicked characters that receive Evie and aim to change her life by incorporating her into the family nucleus.
Stream on Netflix
7 Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive is a very original gothic horror film that tells the story of two very different vampires. Cleverly named Adam and Eve, they’re a married couple who live on different parts of the planet. Adam is a suicidal musician who can’t get inspired anymore, and Eve realizes she must head over to Detroit to comfort her loved one and take him out of his stupor. The problem is that Eve’s sister, Ava, also decides to show up, and the stability is disrupted by her frenetic attitude and hunger.
Vampires in Jarmusch-land
Though Jarmusch is anything but gothic in his visual language, the underrated Only Lovers Left Alive has the remnants of the concept displayed in the cinematography (by the very interesting Yorick Le Saux) and a peculiar score. The film’s ridden with pop culture references that reveal Adam and Eve are part of normal society, with a caveat: they feed on blood. But it’s not just any blood. Adam and Eve can only ingest the “good stuff,” which is nothing that’s been contaminated by the social practices of modern times. Talk about an original vampire film.
Stream on PlutoTV
6 Byzantium (2012)
Neil Jordan’s international production Byzantium tells the story of Clara and Eleanor Webb, two young women who arrive in a coastal town after the film reveals they are actually mother and daughter, vampire and vampire. After a group of vampires chases the women, they seek refuge in what seems like an abandoned hotel. When they bring it back to life, we learn through flashbacks who they are and where they come from. This is one of the best vampire films that you have probably never seen.
Small Town, Big Secrets
It isn’t a coincidence that Neil Jordan appears twice on the list. His sensibility is key to making Byzantium a very original and dramatic film whose element of vampirism feels circumstantial, to say the least. Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton play the lead roles in the film, and their performances are good enough to make you connect with Clara and Eleanor’s journey, even if this doesn’t mean they are good women.
They are survivors, and they will survive. The more romantic aspect of the film is strong enough to make this a very different vampire feature that also has the usual elements of gothic horror, especially during the flashbacks.
Stream on AMC+
5 Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1931)
- Release Date
- February 14, 1931
- Director
- Tod Browning , Karl Freund
- Cast
- Béla Lugosi , Helen Chandler , David Manners , Dwight Frye , Edward Van Sloan
1931’s Dracula was directed by Tod Browning and features the same story as Bram Stoker’s classic, with a couple of elements taken from the 1924 stage play of the same name. In the film, the Count travels to England from Transylvania to feed, especially those unfortunate enough to fall under his spell. It is the first film with sound to feature the character, and it’s considered one of the most iconic films ever made. It came out in the same year as James Whale’s Frankenstein, consolidating the brand known as Universal Classic Monsters.
The First Hollywood One
While the film isn’t the first time Dracula appeared on the big screen (an Austrian silent film called Drakula halála was the first, and it premiered in the early 1920s), it was the first time it was done with such finesse and close to the Hollywood glamour of that era. Bela Lugosi, who plays the count, would turn into a horror icon soon after, but nothing was as effective as his Dracula. It’s hard to find a more influential film than this one on the list.
Rent on Prime Video
4 Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
In 1979, Werner Herzog made Nosferatu the Vampyre, also known as Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night. The film was a modern remake of F.W. Murnau’s classic, both of them telling the story of Count Dracula deciding to move to Germany in order to meet Jonathan Harker’s wife, Lucy (yes, a big change considering Lucy is Mina Murray’s friend in the original novel). Once in Wismar, Dracula spreads diseases in the town, while Lucy recognizes she’s the only one who can defeat the monster. This depiction of Dracula is one of the best in modern cinema.
Classy and Full of Dread
Herzog’s classic horror film gave modern audiences a taste of the classic villain, portrayed by Klaus Kinski in one of his best performances ever. Nosferatu the Vampyre is a slow-paced gothic film that goes heavy on the romantic aspect of Dracula’s feelings but also gives power to Isabelle Adjani’s Lucy, a character that’s classically vulnerable to the count’s demands. The score by German collective Popol Vuh is insanely creepy, and it adds power to the unnerving nature of a modern Nosferatu.
Stream on Freevee
3 Nosferatu (1922)
Nosferatu
- Release Date
- March 4, 1922
- Director
- F.W. Murnau
- Cast
- Max Schreck , Alexander Granach , Wolfgang Herz
F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu is the silent film that started it all. Made in 1922, the silent film was heavily inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel, but it changed every character’s name, given that producers didn’t have the rights for an adaptation. Dracula becomes Orlok, but the film tells exactly the same story of him traveling to Wisborg to seek Ellen and claim her as his bride. It’s widely considered to be the first film with a horror narrative, and it set the standard for a genre that would become massively popular for the rest of cinematic history. To call it influential is an understatement.
The First That Ever Was
The film’s survival through time is almost a coincidence. The Stoker family won the case, and a court ordered all copies to be destroyed because the film was illegal. And even if some prints survived, they lost quality, and masters weren’t exactly a thing back then. However, through the use of restorations, audiences have been able to observe the birth of horror, the legendary performance by Max Schreck (originally revisited in the film Shadow of the Vampire), and the creation of the cinematic genre of vampire films.
Stream on Tubi
2 The Hunger (1983)
Tony Scott’s film, The Hunger, was a twist on vampire films that was needed in order to conquer modern audiences. Based on the homonymous novel by Whitley Strieber, the film narrates the story of John and Miriam, a vampire couple who spend their days feasting in their posh New York City townhouse. However, John’s body begins to fail, and Miriam reveals the truth: he won’t be young forever. When John meets aging specialist Sarah Roberts, the young doctor becomes enamored with the couple and rapidly falls under their spell.
Steamy Vampire Thriller that Still Looks Great
In 1983, films were traditional, and none bent the rules. Suddenly, with The Hunger, vampires were sexy, had sex, and lost the restraints of sexuality imposed by the Reagan era. Scott begins this very underrated film with a pretty clever nightclub sequence that reveals how different the film will be. It was goth, sexual, and completely forbidden. Then a very original film follows.
The love triangle stars Susan Sarandon, David Bowie, and Catherine Deneuve, which makes you wonder if there were more beautiful people than them in Hollywood at that time.
Rent on Apple TV
1 Cronos (1993)
Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos tells the story of Jesús Gris, an antique dealer who finds a very mysterious device inside a statue. When he manipulates it, some needles protrude and inject him with something. Suddenly, the old guy begins to feel more vigorous. But there’s a catch. He also starts craving human blood. When it comes to vampire films without the bloodsucking and lusty beings, Cronos is the best one you can check out.
The Most Original Vampire Film of All Time
Imagine making such a wonderful film on your first attempt at making a feature film. Del Toro’s debut wasn’t exactly a hit at the box office, but it put the young Mexican director in the spotlight. Elements of gothic horror are prominent throughout the feature, especially when the film explores the mythology of the mysterious object in question, but when Jesús must go into vampire mode, it’s a horror blast that feels unique. It’s perhaps the most underrated vampire film on the list.
Stream on Max
Let’s stay in the mood of the bloodsuckers, and take a look at this video about some movies to look forward in 2024:
