Bloody Good Vampire Movies
Vampire movies that appeal to the dark aesthetic sensibilities of theNeoplatonist. In alphabetical order...
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- DirectorAbel FerraraStarsLili TaylorChristopher WalkenAnnabella SciorraA New York philosophy grad student turns into a vampire after getting bitten by one, and then tries to come to terms with her new lifestyle and frequent craving for human blood.A film that quotes R.C.Sproul on the nature of evil has to deserve an entry.
- DirectorWilliam CrainStarsWilliam MarshallVonetta McGeeDenise NicholasAn 18th-century African prince, turned into a vampire by Dracula, finds himself in modern-day Los Angeles.Despite the title, not a comedy. Great star performance which merited and got a sequel (see below, "Scream, Blacula, Scream"). Try to watch the blu-ray version with its brilliant introduction by Kim Newman.
- DirectorStephen NorringtonStarsWesley SnipesStephen DorffKris KristoffersonA half-vampire, half-mortal man becomes a protector of the mortal race, while slaying evil vampires.Very comic strip, but perfect on those terms.
- DirectorRoger VadimStarsMel FerrerElsa MartinelliAnnette StroybergA young heiress - jealous of her cousin's engagement to another woman - becomes obsessed with the legend of a vampire ancestor, who supposedly murdered the young brides of the man she loved."Et mourir de plaisir" in the original French; "Blood and Roses", in English. (The IMDB keeps jumping around from one to the other.) Vampire story as fairy-tale crossbred with psychological puzzler - is she really a vampire, or just a young woman who’s gone off the deep end? Visually very beautiful.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsPeter CushingMartita HuntYvonne MonlaurVampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing returns to Transylvania to destroy handsome bloodsucker Baron Meinster, who has designs on a beautiful young schoolteacher.Peter Cushing’s definitive Van Helsing: this is the man you want at your side if you’re fighting vampires. Brilliant.
- DirectorPhilip SavilleStarsLouis JourdanFrank FinlaySusan PenhaligonThe vampire count leaves his Transylvanian home to wreak havoc across the world.Louis Jourdan as the Count - a wicked performance. By far the most faithful rendition of Stoker’s novel.
- DirectorBob KelljanStarsRobert QuarryRoger PerryMichael MurphyA couple invites a Count from Hungary, who recently immigrated to America, to conduct a seance for the woman's recently deceased mother, oblivious to the fact that he is actually a vampire.Much underrated. Absolutely terrified the daylights out of me as a teenager, and still stands up owing largely to Robert Quarry’s performance as the Count: half intellectual scholar, half ruthless monster. And that ending…
- DirectorEdward DeinStarsEric FlemingMichael PateKathleen CrowleyWhile a malady is claiming the lives of young women in a Western town, a sinister gunslinger-for-hire Drake Robey is really a vampire, and it's up to Preacher Dan to save the town and girlfriend Dolores Carter.Highly unusual entry in the genre - a Western synthesized with a Vampire movie. Some highly charged "drinking" scenes. A minor classic. (Note: Doesn't always follow the rules. The vampire here intensely dislikes sunlight, but it doesn't vaporize him.)
- 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.Bela Lugosi effortlessly creates the Aristocratic Vampire archetype.
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsPeter CushingChristopher LeeMichael GoughWhen Jonathan Harker rouses the ire of Count Dracula for accepting a job at the vampire's castle under false pretenses, his friend Dr. Van Helsing pursues the predatory villain.Christopher Lee’s epoch-making debut. Also known as "Horror of Dracula".
- DirectorTerence FisherStarsChristopher LeeBarbara ShelleyAndrew KeirTen years after his demise, Count Dracula is resurrected by his servant and preys on four unsuspecting English tourists who have taken shelter in his castle.The first half hour is just dripping with suppressed evil. They don’t make villains like Clove any more.
- 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.Comedy-horror, with Roddy McDowall as the aging skeptical presenter of a horror show, “Fright Night”, called in to combat a real vampire; but the horror aspect is very effective.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsBrad PittTom CruiseAntonio BanderasA vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.Wonderful melancholy atmosphere! the film oozes sadness from every pore.
- DirectorTomas AlfredsonStarsKåre HedebrantLina LeanderssonPer RagnarOskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.Forget the Hollywood remake, this is the true brew, with a mesmerizing performance by Lina Leandersson as the vampire girl: that innocent face, those beautiful wide eyes!
- DirectorStan DragotiStarsGeorge HamiltonSusan Saint JamesRichard BenjaminAfter being evicted from his castle in Transylvania, Count Dracula and his assistant Renfield travel to New York to find a woman who the Count believes is the reincarnation of the woman he has loved for all eternity.Under-appreciated vampire comedy, with George Hamilton cutting a dashing figure (and fang) as the Count. Has some hilarious scenes.
- 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.Another comedy-horror, with such a brilliant, hilarious ending.
- 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.Despite the naturalistic treatment, manages to be creepy and disturbing, with the self-righteous uncle figure even more unsettling than the nominal vampire.
- 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.Much underrated modern classic: why does no one talk about it?
- DirectorGabrielle BeaumontStarsIone SkyeMeg TillyArmelia McQueenLonely young Marie and her father live on a plantation just before the Civil War. Their placid lives are invaded when they rescue a mysterious woman from a carriage wreck, and soon bodies start turning up with holes in their necks...Good central performance by Meg Tilly as Carmilla, and another outing for Roddy McDowall as a vampire hunter (see "Fright Night"). The scene where Carmilla is hovering head-downwards (like a bat) and feeding sensuously from above on Marie's neck is weird and electrifying.
- DirectorJohn Llewellyn MoxeyStarsDarren McGavinCarol LynleySimon OaklandAn abrasive Las Vegas newspaper reporter investigates a series of murders committed by a vampire.Ah, the debut of Carl Kolchak - my favourite paranormal investigator. There’s little comedy here, unlike the later wonderful TV series, but the genuine horror is seamlessly synthesized with the American crime thriller.
- 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.Atmospheric, detailed, sad story, graced by great acting.
- DirectorBob KelljanStarsRobert QuarryMariette HartleyRoger PerryCount Yorga continues to prey on the local community while living by a nearby orphanage. He also intends to take a new wife, while feeding his bevy of female vampires.Not quite as good as the original, but has some choice moments: a mass vampire attack on a house, Count Yorga losing a fancy dress competition to someone else dressed as Dracula, and a shock ending.
- StarsDavid SoulJames MasonLance KerwinA novelist and a young horror fan attempt to save a small New England town which has been invaded by vampires.Perhaps the most straightforwardly intimidating depiction of vampirism.
- DirectorBob KelljanStarsWilliam MarshallDon MitchellPam GrierThe vampire Mamuwalde (a.k.a. Blacula) is resurrected by voodoo and forced to kill again.Nice sequel to "Blacula", with good direction and surprise ending.
- DirectorRob StefaniukStarsRob StefaniukJessica ParéPaul AnthonyA comedy centered on a rock 'n' roll band that will do anything to become famous.Nice (!) spoof of vampirism intruding into rock-n-roll (or rock-n-roll intruding into vampirism). Maybe it doesn't quite work as a whole but it has some fun scenes.
