With Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu in theaters, what better time is there to sink one’s teeth into vampire movie history? For over a century now, creatives across the globe have provided their spins on what a vampiric fable should look like, and the results have been mixed. But within those films, there is certainly some gold to mine.
Videos by ComicBook.com
A vampire movie ranking must be fairly selective. As mentioned, vampires have an extensive cinematic history. In other words, Twilight or Dracula: Dead and Loving It won’t be on our list. That said, there are a few films out there that didn’t quite bite their way onto the list but are still worth a rental – like the 2023 one-two punch of Renfield (starring Nosferatu‘s Nicholas Hoult) and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. There are also George A. Romero’s Martin, Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm, John Carpenter’s Vampires, and Tony Scott’s The Hunger. And, for those in the mood for some ‘so bad it’s good’ viewing, Sleepwalkers and Vampire’s Kiss starring Nicolas Cage are good for a few laughs.
Now here are 15 of the best vampire movies ever, ranked from lowest to highest.
15. From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk till Dawn essentially functions as two separate films. The first is a Quentin Tarantino-esque crime film (with Tarantino also starring); the second is a vampiric action-horror movie. The latter may be the inferior of the two, but it’s still a ton of fun seeing actors like George Clooney and Harvey Keitel drive stakes into bloodsuckers’ hearts.
14. The Omega Man (1971)
Most people are probably familiar with The Omega Man‘s post-apocalyptic story via its extremely financially successful (but ultimately inferior) remake I Am Legend, which shares its title with the source material by Richard Matheson. The story follows Charlton Heston’s Col. Robert Neville, M.D., one of the few survivors of a nuclear war-crafted plague that has turned the vast majority of those who can still walk into blood-thirsty, nocturnal albino vampires. Also worth checking out is the film Heston and producer Walter Seltzer reteamed on: Soylent Green.
13. Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Neil Jordan had already helmed an unconventional werewolf classic (The Company of Wolves) when he was tapped to adapt Anne Rice’s 1976 novel – and he didn’t disappoint. As star-studded as a movie can get, Interview with the Vampire is a charming and engrossing horror-drama bromance that allows Tom Cruise to play against type. It’s also a vampire film that convincingly spans decades and does so with a fairly brief runtime of just over two hours.
12. Horror of Dracula (1958)
Horror of Dracula, more commonly known as simply Dracula (1958), was the first of seven Hammer Horror Dracula films starring the late, great, Christopher Lee. In some ways, it comes closer to Bram Stoker’s source material than the Universal Monsters rendition, particularly when it comes to making the titular character something of a sex symbol. For the most part, the Lee Dracula movies are a case of diminishing returns, but the 1958 film and its gory and visually gorgeous follow-up, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, made for impressive additions to the character’s extensive canon.
11. The Lost Boys (1987)
The Lost Boys is an incredibly stylish ’80s classic and the best film Batman Forever‘s Joel Schumacher ever directed. The film’s greatest asset – outside its expert balancing of horror and comedy – is casting. Jason Patrick, Dianne Wiest, Jami Gertz, Edward Herrmann, Kiefer Sutherland, and the tag team of Corey Feldman and Corey Haim are all perfect and endearing in their roles.
10. The Monster Squad (1987)
If there’s a most quotable entry on this ranking, it’s almost certainly The Monster Squad. The film is a goofy horror-comedy that doubles as a love letter to the Universal Monsters films of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. It’s similar to The Goonies or Gremlins in that it’s a terrific film to grow up with. Director Fred Dekker was fresh off of Night of the Creeps, and should you enjoy The Monster Squad, you absolutely have to check out Creeps, as well.
[RELATED: The Monster Squad Director Was Approached About Adapting It into a TV Series but Turned It Down]
9. The Addiction (1995)
Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara has never made films that adhere to convention, and that’s what often makes them so special. The Addiction, starring The Conjuring‘s Lili Taylor and Christopher Walken, is one big allegory for drug addiction masquerading as a vampire film. It works in both respects, primarily thanks to Taylor’s astounding work in the lead role. For those seeking a straightforward Dracula-type experience, this might be difficult viewing, but it’s a worthy one, nonetheless.
8. Abigail (2024)
Fresh off of giving the Scream franchise the injection in its arm it sorely needed, the team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (AKA Radio Silence) gave viewers the best Universal Monsters-type vampire movie in years with Abigail. With terrific performances from Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens – and especially young Alisha Weir as the titular vampire – it’s an inventive and blood-soaked good time at the movies. If there’s a truly ‘rewatchable vampire film,’ it’s this one.
7. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
There are quite a few vampire comedies out there, but not quite as straightforward as Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows. A mockumentary following the day-to-day lives of some vampiric roomies (including one who looks suspiciously similar to Nosferatu‘s Count Orlock), Shadows is one of the most hilarious movies of the 2010s. That said, the subsequent TV adaptation is even better, with more in-depth characters and not a single bad episode in the bunch.
6. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
While A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is an American film, it’s entirely in the Persian language. That may turn off those who don’t like to read subtitles, but this small-scale vampire Western is a must-see thanks to its gorgeous black-and-white presentation, expert genre-blending, and sublime direction by Ana Lily Amirpour. An entirely unconventional character study, it’s one of the most compelling films to come out of 2014.
5. Nosferatu (2024)
Robert Eggers is arguably the most talented voice in modern horror. By his own admission, Eggers grew up with F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, so it’s hardly surprising that his talent and love for the source material bleeds through every beautiful frame of his 2024 remake. The early positive word of mouth surrounding the film was spot-on, as it stands in line with the director’s The Witch and The Lighthouse as one of the best major horror films of recent memory and is well worth seeing on the big screen.
While you’re at it, the aforementioned 1922 original film holds up astoundingly well and is in the public domain, so it should make for an easy addition to double feature night. For that matter, Werner Herzog’s 1979 Nosferatu the Vampyre is also worth checking out as is 2000’s Shadow of the Vampire, which runs with the rumor that the original film’s star, Max Schreck (played by Willem Dafoe) was, in fact, a vampire.
4. Near Dark (1987)
Kathryn Bigelow’s solo directorial debut, Near Dark, should have catapulted her to the top of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors list – unfortunately, it tanked at the box office. Bigelow has nonetheless released other notable genre-blenders over the years, such as Blue Steel, Point Break, and Strange Days, but even with Best Picture-winner The Hurt Locker under her belt, Bigelow’s visceral yet intimate vampire flick remains her most compelling work. Near Dark is not the easiest movie to find, as it is not currently available for streaming, while both the DVD and Blu-ray have been discontinued. But it’s well worth seeking out.
3. Fright Night (1985)
Like The Monster Squad, Fright Night functions as a tongue-in-cheek love letter to Universal’s classic run of monster movies. But whereas The Monster Squad plays more to the kids, Fright Night has an edge to it that appeals to an older teen/young adult crowd. As a whole, it’s one of those R-rated movies that’s barely R-rated, but it also isn’t afraid to be scary and is consistently elevated by razor sharp performances. And, while many 2010s horror remakes don’t come close to living up to the original, Fright Night‘s does. Speaking of which, our next entry also has a phenomenal 2010s remake…
2. Let the Right One In (2008)
Swedish romantic horror film Let the Right One In is a masterclass in both acting and establishing tone. The narrative is filled with characters whose stories beg for the audience’s empathy, and through the directions the film goes, they earn it. The story follows an often-bullied 12-year-old who befriends a girl of comparable age, who is new to his suburb. Murders start occurring in the area, and before long the boy learns not only is his new friend connected to the murders, but that she may be more monster than human. Perhaps it takes the eyes of a child to see through the conventional standards. As mentioned, the 2010 American remake, Let Me In, is also pretty phenomenal and retains the elements that made the Swedish film so poignant.
1. Dracula (1931)
There’s really no beating Universal’s classic Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. The actor was so tailor-made for the character that his performance remains truly iconic over 90 years later. But he’s not the only element of the film that functions like clockwork: it’s also a well-structured and rapidly paced film that makes great ‘starter horror’ for the youth in the household. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is also solid, and a more direct adaptation of Stoker’s novel, but there are a few factors that hold it back from being one of the so-called best.
