70 Best Vampire Movies
A few years back Snarkerati did a list of the Top 70 Vampire Movies Of All Time , as this list left many good films out and has not been updated in three years time, I have decided to do a similar but updated list and include my own reviews in with the scoring. This list is based on a combined score of my own personal preferences, IMDB scores, Rotten Tomatoes critics' scores, and Rotten Tomatoes audience scores. I have given each film my own score from 1 to 10 based on my personal likes and dislikes, then I averaged all the scores. This list reflects those averages. (NOTE: Anywhere a film is missing a score due to not enough reviews it is indicated with N.A. for "Not Available", this has caused some film averages to be higher or lower than what they might otherwise be, but this was the best method I could determine to include these films in the list).
The list does not include TV episodes, TV Mini-series, or TV shows. (See Best Vampire TV Series for my choices of the best of vampire TV). The list also does not include films with mere vampire segments, the film must have a vampire as a main character or an overarcing vampire theme as the main focus of the story to be included in the list (i.e. Black Sabbath, Waxwork, or Kwaidan are NOT on this list). No short films have been included on the list.
One final thing, it is guaranteed you will disagree with some inclusions or omissions. There are many films that I would have liked to see on here myself that just didn't make the numbers, and there are some that are on here that I would not have chosen based on my own opinion alone, but this is how things played out. If you want to argue with my own PERSONAL choices of my favorite vampire films or how I have personally scored a film, please do so at My Favorite Vampire Movies, as that is where my personal choices are listed.
Enjoy!
Updated: 10/31/2018
Note: IMDB will not allow me to remove any of the older titles off the list, so the list has now expanded to 71 items.
The list does not include TV episodes, TV Mini-series, or TV shows. (See Best Vampire TV Series for my choices of the best of vampire TV). The list also does not include films with mere vampire segments, the film must have a vampire as a main character or an overarcing vampire theme as the main focus of the story to be included in the list (i.e. Black Sabbath, Waxwork, or Kwaidan are NOT on this list). No short films have been included on the list.
One final thing, it is guaranteed you will disagree with some inclusions or omissions. There are many films that I would have liked to see on here myself that just didn't make the numbers, and there are some that are on here that I would not have chosen based on my own opinion alone, but this is how things played out. If you want to argue with my own PERSONAL choices of my favorite vampire films or how I have personally scored a film, please do so at My Favorite Vampire Movies, as that is where my personal choices are listed.
Enjoy!
Updated: 10/31/2018
Note: IMDB will not allow me to remove any of the older titles off the list, so the list has now expanded to 71 items.
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- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.IMDB: 7.9 / Rot Critics: 8.3 / Rot Aud: 8.4 / My Score: 10.0
My opinion: This film is everything a vampire film should be. It has a creepy atmosphere, complicated relationships, a strange romance, and most importantly, it is oddly and poetically macabre. I love films that suggest things through imagery without giving everything away in the details and there are several suggestive enigmas in this film that make this a film you will reflect on long after you've finished watching it. It is no wonder it is a favorite of most critics and audiences. This is the best achievement in the genre thus far. - DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsMax SchreckAlexander GranachGustav von WangenheimVampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.IMDB: 8.0 / Rot Critics: 9.1 / Rot Aud: 8.0 / My Score: 9.2
My opinion: F.W. Murnau's classic silent film was nearly destroyed by Bram Stoker's widow for copyright infringement when she first saw the film, but a few copies managed to survive thankfully, as this was the first film to present the story of Dracula onscreen and has endured ever since because Max Schreck's performance in this film is so incredibly creepy. A definite must for any film fan or any fan of the genre. Rated higher than I personally would have put it, it is still one of the best of vampire films. - DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsJulian WestMaurice SchutzRena MandelA drifter obsessed with the supernatural stumbles upon an inn where a severely ill adolescent girl is slowly becoming a vampire.IMDB: 7.6 / Rot Critics: 8.8 / Rot Aud: 7.8 / My Score: 8.7
My opinion: This movie, much like Dracula with Bela Lugosi, is made much scarier by its near silence. The lack of music in the film, and the very little dialogue, combined with the strangeness of the imagery really make this an excellent film. The only problem I really had with it was I found the narrative a little confusing. Overall a very good film, but again, because it is a classic, has probably been rated higher than I personally would have put it. - DirectorsTod BrowningKarl FreundStarsBela LugosiHelen ChandlerDavid MannersTransylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.IMDB: 7.6 / Rot Critics: 7.9 / Rot Aud: 7.4 / My Score: 9.5
My opinion: The first approved adaptation of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi is still arguably the best. Bela Lugosi's performance seems strange and overdone in some moments, but it is the silence of the film that adds weight to its creepiness. The director used unusual lighting on Bela Lugosi, which makes his eyes appear to glow in some scenes and the stark silence of the film, (see the version without music, please, it is the best) and the slowness of Lugosi's movements are what make this film not just a classic, but one that endures and continues to scare even today. - DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsKichiemon NakamuraNobuko OtowaKei SatôTwo women are raped and killed by samurai soldiers. Soon they reappear as vengeful ghosts who seduce and brutally murder the passing samurai.IMDB: 7.8 / Rot Critics: 8.0 / Rot Aud: 7.8 / My Score: 7.7
My opinion: Kuroneko is a Japanese film that focuses on a story drawn from classic folklore of vampires returning as vengeful spirits who've pledged to drink the blood of those who had wronged them in life, in similar mythology to the Strigoi. Interestingly here the spirits have very feline qualities. This movie is absolutely beautiful to behold, and the attention to detail in how images are presented is really superb. I was struck by how graceful and ethereal the images of the vampires here were without being overt. The cinematography is gorgeous and the story is told in a traditional folk story manner. An excellent film, perhaps only lacking in that I never really felt particularly strongly for any of the characters. Perhaps slightly over rated in general, still a really excellent film. - DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsAdrian PasdarJenny WrightLance HenriksenA small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.IMDB: 7.0 / Rot Critics: 7.5 / Rot Aud: 7.0 / My Score: 9.7
My opinion: Released the same year as the Lost Boys but not nearly as popular, this is arguably a better movie. It's more of a character driven vampire movie, which is my personal preference and the characters are really interesting. An excellent film. One of my favorites. - DirectorsJemaine ClementTaika WaititiStarsJemaine ClementTaika WaititiCori Gonzalez-MacuerViago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are struggling with the mundane aspects of modern life, like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.IMDB: 7.6 / Rot Critics: 7.8 / Rot Aud: 8.2 / My Score: 7.5
My opinion: Possibly one of the funniest vampire movies ever made. By the creators of the Flight of the Concords, this is a New Zealand mockumentary story of flatmates who are vampires, a sort of spoof of The Real World. The jokes are many and are really funny. Not the first time this idea has been presented, but probably the best of this mockumentary vampire comedies. Rated a bit high, as it is such a new film, it is still a must see. - DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsJason PatricCorey HaimDianne WiestWhen a recently divorced mother and her two teenage boys move to a coastal town to stay with her father, it doesn't take long for the brothers to realize the area is a haven for something much more sinister than party-going surfers.IMDB: 7.3 / Rot Critics: 6.3 / Rot Aud: 7.4 / My Score: 10.0
My opinion: This is the movie that first got me interested in vampires. This movie was the ultimate cool when it first came out. It is equal parts humorous and serious, which is appropriate for the genre, and it launched most of its stars' careers. Kiefer Sutherland has never been better than this. - DirectorNeil JordanStarsBrad PittTom CruiseAntonio BanderasA vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.IMDB: 7.6 / Rot Critics: 5.9 / Rot Aud: 7.4 / My Score: 10.0
My opinion: This movie is my personal favorite, not because it is the best movie, but because Anne Rice's story is ground zero for making the vampire's plight and existence and perspective the complicated focus of the story. This is a very good adaptation of that story. This, to me, is the genesis of most of the vampire movies and television shows that followed it. - DirectorYoshiaki KawajiriStarsAndrew PhilpotJohn Rafter LeePamela AdlonA legendary dhampir competes with a motley family of bounty hunters to return a young woman, who has been seemingly abducted by a vampire, to her family.IMDB: 7.7 / Rot Critics: 6.4 / Rot Aud: 7.6 / My Score: 9.2
My opinion: I'm not a big fan of anime, but this film completely won me over with it's smart story and it's amazing visuals. This is one of the most visually beautiful vampire stories I have seen. The castle at the end of the film alone is worth watching the movie for. Fantastic. - DirectorWerner HerzogStarsKlaus KinskiIsabelle AdjaniBruno GanzCount Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.IMDB: 7.6 / Rot Critics: 8.2 / Rot Aud: 7.6 / My Score: 7.5
My opinion: The greatest thing about this film is the way that it echoes the horror of the film it is mimicking, in that the scariest scenes are mostly silent. In addition to this, Klaus Kinski gives a very eery performance as the vampire. The grand picturesque way that Werner Herzog tells the story - languidly using the landscape as part of the story, a score that adds considerably to the atmosphere, and with an adept eye for detail - is what really make this a worthwhile film. On the other hand, the pacing is sometimes so slow it is painful, and the ending really disappointed me in how far it strayed from the source material. Overall a good film, but perhaps slightly overrated. - DirectorJim JarmuschStarsTilda SwintonTom HiddlestonMia WasikowskaA depressed musician reunites with his lover. However, their romance, which has already endured several centuries, is disrupted by the arrival of her uncontrollable younger sister.IMDB: 7.3 / Rot Critics: 7.4 / Rot Aud: 7.6 / My Score: 8.5
My opinion: This film is more a character study than a typical vampire film. Focusing more on the boredom and difficulties that come from eternal life, and the problems associated with living alongside humans, it is both wry and humorous, and in a strange way endearing. With similar themes to The Addiction, but with far more humor, this is an enjoyable and memorable vampire film, although perhaps not perfect, certainly original and entertaining. - DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoKim Ok-binChoi Hee-jinThrough a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.IMDB: 7.2 / Rot Critics: 6.9 / Rot Aud: 7.2 / My Score: 9.5
My opinion: This is a very odd and interesting love story. It pokes around at ideas about love, loyalty, desire, and religion, and is fascinating in its quirkiness. Even a year after seeing it, I find myself strangely fascinated by this oddity. - DirectorTom HollandStarsChris SarandonWilliam RagsdaleAmanda Bearse"Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead.IMDB: 7.1 / Rot Critics: 7.3 / Rot Aud: 6.8 / My Score: 9.5
My opinion: Another favorite from my childhood, this film is equal parts funny, scary, gruesome, and sexy. In other words, it is everything you could possibly expect from a good vampire film. Watching it again now as an adult, there were some moments that seemed too staged and false, particularly at the beginning of the film, but overall these even out with the moments that ring true. One of the best of the "vampire hunter versus vampire" type of films, it even pays teasing homage to the classic Hammer films. Overall, one of the best of the genre. - DirectorE. Elias MerhigeStarsJohn MalkovichWillem DafoeUdo KierThe filming of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) is hampered by the fact that its star Max Schreck is taking the role of a vampire far more seriously than seems humanly possible.IMDB: 6.9 / Rot Critics: 7.0 / Rot Aud: 6.8 / My Score: 9.7
My opinion: Whether or not you have seen Murnau's Nosferatu, doesn't really matter in watching this movie. If you have seen it, you will immediately recognize that the director faithfully captures the scenes of the original movie, but what makes this movie great is its self-reference and black humor. Originality goes a long way with me, as far as vampire movies go, and it is certainly one of the most original movies in this genre. Furthermore, the ending of the film is quite unsettling. An excellent film. - DirectorMario BavaStarsBarbara SteeleJohn RichardsonAndrea ChecchiDecades after being executed for witchcraft, vengeful Princess Asa Vajda and her fiendish servant are resurrected and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of Asa Vajda's beautiful look-alike descendant Princess Katia.IMDB: 7.3 / Rot Critics: 7.5 / Rot Aud: 7.4 / My Score: 8.2
My opinion: It is easy to see why Tim Burton considers this to be one of his favorite horror films. It has some shockingly gruesome imagery for the time it was made and has a really great storyline. The only real fault with the movie is the poor dialogue and the fact that it is dubbed, which makes the bad dialogue seem even worse. Again, this movie ended up scoring highly I think due to it being so far ahead of its time and a classic, but against some of today's films, I would not have placed this so highly. It is definitely a good film, though, and worth watching. - DirectorJaromil JiresStarsJaroslava SchallerováHelena AnýzováPetr KoprivaSurreal dream-like tale that combines several themes into one fantastical world.IMDB: 7.2 / Rot Critics: 7.8 / Rot Aud: 7.8 / My Score: 7.5
My opinion: As I watched this movie I felt confused as to how seriously to take it. This was a very surreal film. It is more of a coming of age fairytale story than a vampire story in any typical sense, but it is fascinatingly nonlinear. At times the symbolism hits you over the head too blatantly, but when you remember that the film is a strange fairytale dream it somehow feels right and makes perfect sense. I found myself thinking about this film repeatedly and reflecting on it long after I finished watching it, so all in all, I'd call it brilliant. If you are not a fan of nonlinear storytelling, you probably won't like it, but if you enjoy film as a surrealist artistic endeavor, for a film that is like a dream, this is a must-see! - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsGary OldmanWinona RyderAnthony HopkinsThe centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker's fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.IMDB: 7.5 / Rot Critics: 6.5 / Rot Aud: 7.2 / My Score: 9.0
My opinion: This is currently the most popular version of Dracula, (aka Bram Stoker's Dracula) and is also the most stylized, and arguably the most accurate. I admire it for basically combining everything that was good from the films that came before it together, and adding some of the history of Vlad Tepes into the mix, and yet still having its own uniqueness through its costumes, sets, make-up, and excellent performances from its cast. Overall, a great film, and while not my personal favorite Dracula, certainly an excellent one. - DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsJohn AmplasLincoln MaazelChristine ForrestA young man, who believes himself to be a vampire, goes to live with his elderly and hostile cousin in a small Pennsylvanian town, where he tries to suppress his blood-lust.IMDB: 7.2 / Rot Critics: 7.6 / Rot Aud: 7.2 / My Score: 8.2
My opinion: It is harder to like "Martin" than it is to admire it. In truth, George Romero's take on vampirism is more a social commentary and study in social predators than it is a vampire movie in the more supernatural sense. This movie left a strong impression on my mind and I found it fascinating, even while feeling repulsed by its main character. The story is ironic and the telling is original, and so overall, it gets my approval, if not my love. - DirectorBill GunnStarsDuane JonesMarlene ClarkBill GunnAfter being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor's assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.IMDB: 6.2 / Rot Critics: 7.7 / Rot Aud: 6.6 / My Score: 9.7
My opinion: This is a film that was intended to be a blaxploitation film but is really more of a black art-house film, but either way, it is so good as a vampire character story, that it doesn't really matter. Being a fan of films that reveal story more through imagery than dialogue, I really loved this movie. The camera shots are not fantastic, but I liked watching the characters talk about things and know the subtext that was occurring through their actions far outweighed what their words did not reveal. A really great movie and by far one of the most original of the genre. - DirectorTakahisa ZezeStarsHydeGacktLeehom WangThe story of love and friendship on the harsh streets of 2014 Mallepa, a small corner in Asia.IMDB: 6.6 / Rot Critics: N/A / Rot Aud: 8.0 / My Score: 8.0
My opinion: A great Japanese gangster film about life and how tenuous it can be, that also happens to have a vampire in it. This film is at times outrageous and at other times poignant, but what is fascinating about it is that in this story, the human drama takes center stage not the vampire. A very unusual and terrific vampire film. - DirectorMatt ReevesStarsKodi Smit-McPheeChloë Grace MoretzRichard JenkinsA bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.IMDB: 7.1 / Rot Critics: 7.6 / Rot Aud: 7.4 / My Score: 8.0
My opinion: There was really no reason to remake "Let the Right One In" as it was already a wonderful film, but if they were going to do it, at least they did a half-way decent job. The setting was good and the murders are handled pretty well (although I was not a fan of the "Gollum"-like quality to Abby's attacks) and all the acting is good, although not as good as the original actors. Overall a good film, but personally, I still prefer "Let the Right One In". - DirectorAna Lily AmirpourStarsSheila VandArash MarandiMarshall ManeshIn the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.IMDB: 7.0 / Rot Critics: 8.0 / Rot Aud: 7.6 / My Score: 7.0
My opinion: A highly anticipated independent film, it is described as an Iranian Western Vampire movie. Filmed in beautiful black and white, it is often dreamlike in imagery and there is good use of visual symbolism, but it can occasionally feel a derivative homage to great vampire films rather than being truly original in its own right. Definitely worth seeing, but perhaps a bit too highly rated. - DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJack MacGowranRoman PolanskiAlfie BassA noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the trail of the ominous damsel in distress.IMDB: 7.2 / Rot Critics: 6.2 / Rot Aud: 7.4 / My Score: 8.5
My opinion: There are many vampire comedies, but this is probably the one that is the most classically funny. Relying heavily on situational humor and physical comedy the movie is timeless. Also it pokes fun at classic vampire films (in particular the Hammer Horror films) which are so easy targets to poke fun at. - DirectorsCharles BartonWalter LantzStarsBud AbbottLou CostelloLon Chaney Jr.The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.IMDB: 7.6 / Rot Critics: 7.1 / Rot Aud: 7.6 / My Score: 7.0
My opinion: You can't help but relate to poor Wilbur while watching this movie and that is what makes it so terribly funny. These poor guys get thrown in with not one, but three classic horror monsters. This is the original blueprint for a horror comedy movie and has such classic jokes that it is still funny today. A bit higher on the list than I personally would place it, but definitely worth watching. A good choice for a family horror night with the kids.
