The Holywood portrayal of vampires has evolved rapidly in recent years, but the characteristic style that originated with the earlier vampire films (particularly the closer adaptations of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel) can never be replaced.
Let Me In is a new horror film directed by Matt Reeves based on the novel Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. the film stars include Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas. To celebrate the upcoming theatrical release of Let Me In, we decided to explore the Best Vampire Films ever made. And our condolences to those too young to realize that Twilight is not the end-all be-all of vampire films; a big box office and screaming teenage girls doesn't make a classic.
Nosferatu
F.W. Murnau’s German silent vampire flick is still regarded by many as the scariest Dracula adaptation, turning Bram Stoker’s novel on its ear with Count Orlok, the rodentlike vampire frighteningly portrayed by Max Schreck.
The film established a “Nosferatu-type” vampire, a living corpse with rodent features who kills his victims rather than turn them into vampires themselves.
Blade
Wesley Snipes leaps out of the comic book pages as a half human/half vampire superhero who must rely on an antidote to keep from fully becoming what he despises most. There have been a whole lot of vampire hunters in the history of cinema, but we get the feeling that Blade could beat the hell out of all of them - and that includes you, Van Helsing.
Salem's Lot
This chilling Stephen King adaptation may be a bit cheesy on the visual side, but the chilling suspense and terrifying vampires who take over a small town are cinematic gold. One of the very few films that does justice to Stephen King's dark genius.
Interview With A Vampire
In the late 18th century, despondent but benevolent plantation owner Louis De Pointe Du Lac succumbs to the temptations of Lestat, a vampire who teaches him the tricks and techniques of a bloodsucker. Two hundred years later, Lestat seeks his revenge for Louis' betrayal. Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise battle for screen time, as well as the heart of an immortal child, in this classic vampire film.
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Closely based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel, the film finds young lawyer (Jonathan Harker) imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker’s fiancee, Mina Murray. Gary Oldman offers a staggeringly brilliant portrayal of Count Dracula, while Sir Anthony Hopkins plays the legendary vampire hunter Van Helsing.
Nosferatu the Vampyre
Inventive cinematography and passionately unique performances lend a suspenseful mysticism to Nosferatu, directed by Werner Herzog. Frequent Herzog collaborator Klaus Kinski portrays the Dracula character with deep complexity and conviction, while Bruno Ganz and French film star Isabelle Adjani both deliver compelling performances as the formerly happy couple who fall prey to Dracula’s lust for life and love.
Dracula
This 1931 trendsetter paved the way for future vampire films, thrusting the genre into the mainstream. The first portions of the film were true to the original Stoker novel, while the rest were a more stagebound translation of the popular play by John Balderston and Hamilton Deane. Nevertheless, Bela Lugosi's performance as Dracula defined the classic vampire's image for an entire generation. Told in his Hungarian accent, “I vant to suck your blood” is an iconic phrase to this day.No list of great vampire movies is complete without including this classic.
The Shadow of the Vampire
A movie about the making of the classic Nosferatu film, Shadow of the Vampire presents a fictionalized account of the film's creation. In short, the film asked the question, what if Max Schreck, the man who played vampire Count Orlok, was a real vampire? Director E. Elias Merhige and his fantastic cast balance comedy, drama and unease with a new take on an old legend. Willem Dafoe was born to play this part.
