The 15 Best Vampire Movies of All Time

November 17th, 2008 by Wendy

In honor of the highly anticipated release of Twilight, Movie Crunch has compiled a list of the 15 best vampire movies of all time. Whether you like scary or campy, romantic or kick-ass, these vampire flicks offer up a little bit of something for everyone. How would you rank them? Did we forget any of your favorites?

15. Underworld (2003)

What? This movie was about vampires? With Kate Beckinsale looking amazingly hot in leather, it’s hard to notice much else. She could have been eating a ham sandwich dressed in leather and it still would have been entertaining. Oh yeah, and there are some werewolves too.

14. Near Dark (1987)

Adrian Pasdar is a cowboy who gets the hot girl… only she’s a vampire who sinks her teeth in and turns him into a bloodsucker who must learn to kill to survive. What can we say? Love really sucks sometimes.

13. Fright Night (1985)

Is pre-Herman’s Head William Ragsdale’s handsome next door neighbor a vampire? Chris Sarandon plays the charming bloodsucker neighbor, while Roddy McDowall gives a fun turn as a veteran horror movie star.

12. Blade I (1998)/Blade II (2002)

Wesley Snipes kicked a lot of vampire ass in the Blade series as one crazy ripped comic book half human/half vampire superhero. Blade II brought the cool factor a la director Guillermo del Toro. And c’mon – Kris Kristofferson? Nuff said.

11. The Lost Boys (1987)

It’s campy. It’s got the two Coreys when they were still considered teen hunks and at their peak of semi-coolness. Plus Keifer, Jason Patrick and a kick ass soundtrack. Lost Boys offered up a little bit of fun and creepiness in a great little package. A true 80s vampire staple.

10. Salem’s Lot (1979)

Suspenseful. Chilling. These are just a couple of words to describe the uber-creepy Salem’s Lot, a miniseries movie based on a novel by the horror king – Stephen King. Vampires take over a small town and even though the special effects are a little cheesy, those vampires are frakkin scary!

9. Vampires (1998)

The name says it all, but it comes from John Carpenter, who knows a thing or two about the horror genre (Halloween still gives us nightmares). James Woods leads a team of vampire hunters – aiming to wipe out the bloodsuckers like the ones who did his parents in when he was a kid. Revenge is so sweet – and bloody.

8. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula was Francis Ford Coppola’s vision of the classic vampire tale, bringing us stars of the day Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. And while they certainly aren’t the best actors on the block, the drama and costumes were something of a masterpiece. Gary Oldman puts in the premiere Count Dracula performance, while Sir Anthony Hopkins plays vampire hunter Van Helsing.

7. 30 Days of Night (2007)

Good grief, were these vampires ever thirsty. Like – really, really thirsty. A month of permanent darkness in Alaska, a group of hungry bloodsuckers – and the residents are trapped. Even the trusty sled dogs have been done in by vampires! Pure horror and fun for gore lovers.

6. Interview With the Vampire (1994)

When Brad Pitt was up-and-coming and Tom Cruise was not yet a certifiable Scientology whack job, Interview with the Vampire offered up a cinematic take on Anne Rice’s epic novel, featuring a very young Kirsten Dunst with a taste for blood. While many pointed out the homoerotic themes of Interview, it had a new take on vampires, including Louis’ inner struggle and aversion to killing to satisfy his need for blood.

5. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Willem Dafoe channels Nosferatu in Shadow of the Vampire, which manages to weave wit and horror in a scary dramatic mix. Dafoe and Malcovich give performances that draw you in – once you get “sucked” in, there’s no returning from the shadow of this vampire.

4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Yeah, this is pure camp. But it’s funny as hell and besides, what of value has Kristy Swanson done since? (Shut your mouth if you said Skating with Celebrities) Paul Reubens shakes off his Pee Wee Herman persona and a whiny Luke Perry rounds out the cast in this vampire cult classic that was responsible for bringing Buffy to the small screen.

3. Dracula (1931)

Bela Lugosi is synonymous with Dracula – his Hungarian accent made Dracula the image we all think of today: “I vant to suck your blood.” You can’t have a list of great vampire movies without including this 1931 Lugosi classic.

2. Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu may just very well be the creepiest movie of all time. Yeah, it’s from 1922, but good god how sickeningly creepy is Count Orlok with his long fingernails? He’s a cutie, huh? Count Orlok definitely wins the award for most desperately in need of a manicure on our list.

1. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Who can forget the pure sex appeal of Salma Hayek as a vampire queen doing a snake dance? Directed by Robert Rodriguez and co-written by Quentin Tarantino, From Dusk Till Dawn starred George Clooney and Tarantino (acting is definitely not his strong point) as bank robbing bros on the run. Features one of the greatest mid movie plot shifts of all time. Gory, campy and fun, From Dusk Till Dawn definitely is the best vampire movie of all time.

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54 Responses to “The 15 Best Vampire Movies of All Time”

On November 17th 2008, vampire » Blog Archive » The 15 Best Vampire Movies of All Time wrote:

[...] The 15 Best Vampire Movies of All Time click here here [...]
On November 18th 2008, Greg Jorgensen wrote:

Werner Herzog’s remake of Nosferatu starring Klaus Kinski and Isabelle Adjani belongs on the list, maybe in place of “Interview With The Vampire” or “Salem’s Lot” or “Buffy.”

“Queen Of The Damned” is much better than “Interview” and should probably replace it.

“Near Dark” belongs much closer to #1.

“The Hunger” is missing. So is “The Last Man On Earth,” the Vincent Price version of “I Am Legend.”

Better list here:
http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/top-70-vampire-movies-of-all-time/
On November 18th 2008, Vampire Vixen wrote:

I’d move Underworld up to at least #5 or so. I thought it was an excellent modern retelling.
On November 18th 2008, deadasdisco wrote:

perfect. i was hoping dusk til dawn would be on there. good job!
On November 18th 2008, Carvaggio wrote:

are you on crack?

near dark & fright night are way too low & buffy is # Fucking 1.
On November 19th 2008, » Greatest Vampire Movies thrive wrote:

[...] From Dusk Till Dawn was one of my all time favorite movies as a teenager… one of those cult favorites that all of us guys salivated over … it was cool to see it land as the number one vampire movie of all time on this list: The 15 Best Vampire Movies of All Time [...]
On November 19th 2008, Loup Dargent wrote:

I was pleased to see that I’ve actually watched all those movies (saw 30 days of Night last week on Cable)…

Obviously, there are many other movies that deserved to be in it (The Hunger is definitely one of them, I agree), but, hey, it’s your list after all

Thanks for sharing it with us.
On November 20th 2008, Jeff wrote:

This list is sorely lacking. Bram Stoker’s Dracula should be closer to, or at #1, and there’s a new one out that should easily be on the list. It’s called “Let the Right One In”, a Swedish film that is amazing.
On November 22nd 2008, Heather Ann Perkins wrote:

Pretty good list. But Underworld?! I would have left it off.
On December 10th 2008, Erick Galindo wrote:

Great Photos, but Queen of the Damned with STUART TOWNSEND and the Late AALiYAH ranks top ten on my list, the music, the special effects add a mood of surreal. AALIYAH ( Queen )steals the scenes when she on.
On December 18th 2008, Jon Wright wrote:

Queen of the Damned deserved to be left off this list, contrary to what some people are saying. That movie was pure CHEAP! The acting was unforgivably bad, the plot was a joke, the effects were okay except for when the vampires moved quickly which looked like it cost the studio $5 to produce.

Anyway, I like most of the movies on this list. If it were my list I would have put Near Dark, Shadow, and Interview a bit higher up
On January 3rd 2009, fuzz wrote:

utter shit
On January 3rd 2009, adrianna wrote:

omg omg

edward cullen is so hot and im dating him tommorow
On January 3rd 2009, adrianna wrote:

luv ya baby boy girlfriend still loves u !!
u
On January 3rd 2009, adrianna wrote:

LUV U BABE
On January 3rd 2009, bella wrote:

Your still mine baby boo,
don’t forget that cause, we have a date tommorrow were eating stake and cobler me and u love them!
im sick cause we made out together for 3 hours, but im still yours love you,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

bella swan!!
u
smile!
On January 6th 2009, Bilal Baber wrote:

I guess the UnderWorld Evolution was Gr8 and SHould be on Top Of all this. The most famous Vampire Movies called Fearless Vampires Killers is also not in the list.

And From Dusk till Dawn2 is a movie which is Worth watching…
On January 15th 2009, Brittney wrote:

Twilight. Nuff said.
On January 27th 2009, VSlando wrote:

This listing is not good at all. Clearly the person who made this list does not understand the difference between scary horror and gore horror and then action in the horror. Fear comes first in horror movies then gore. The number 1 is a movie I saw but can not remember, number 2 is Bram Stoker’s, Dusk Till Dawn at number 3, number 4 is Nosferatu (which would have been number 3 but it’s a silent movie with little action, yet very creepy)
On January 27th 2009, VSlando wrote:

correction Bram Stoker’s Dracula number 2 (because it not silent and lots of gore and action along with scary stuff) Nosferatu should be number 3 ( creepy outlast gore but not action and speech, which after a while comes across as boring)and Dusk Till Dawn number 4
On February 3rd 2009, taylor wrote:

Twilight.Twilight.Twilight.Twilight.Twilight.Twilight.
On February 6th 2009, Fisty wrote:

Not a bad list.
Just saw “Let the right one in” which was one of the most original Vampire movies I’ve seen in a long time (Well worth a spot on the list).
Have to agree that “I am legend” could feature as well…
On February 12th 2009, Kylie wrote:

where the hell is twilight and bloodrayne?……..c’mon those movies were awesome!!!!!! lol
On February 12th 2009, Kylie wrote:

i like twilight because i’m so into those modern vampires…………the coffins,dungeons,fangs,garlic,holy water and all that bullshit are such a cliche i’m glad twilight was different and all that crap was left out….at least they made it look real =]

also robert pattinson was hot =P
On February 12th 2009, Kylie wrote:

actually i like the fangs they are really cool

my bad wrote them by mistake lol
On March 7th 2009, sophie wrote:

WHERES TWILIGHT??
IT SHOULD BE HERE!!
On March 9th 2009, Ramon wrote:

I’d move all positions in your list one notch down to make place for the new absolute number one Vampire movie.

The swedish film “Let The Right One In”.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lat_den_ratte_komma_in/

Extremely good movie, the best movie of all 2008 and the best vampire movie of all times I have seen sofar.

***

My teenage daughters enjoyed Twilight too, so for its commercial success and tweenage appeal should probably make your list too.

But for grown ups “Let the right one in” is the one to enjoy.
On March 9th 2009, sheri wrote:

the best movies are bram staker Dracula and now Twilight is too good.
On March 9th 2009, sheri wrote:

the best movies are bram staker Dracula and now Twilight is too good movie.
On March 26th 2009, Lex wrote:

Queen Of The Damned!!!
On April 10th 2009, kyrstyn wrote:

Kay first of all, you’re list is very good, it has some of the best movies. For Underworld you should have added 2&3 beside the name just for purpose’s sake.
Also, I just want to bash the head out of everyone that is completely obsessing over Twilight. It was a good movie, but the acting was terrible. The book was ten times better, all four of the books were better than that one movie. It left way to much out and twisted the plot. Well it kept to the plot, but changed.
If people are going to obsess over Twilight, at least read the book before deciding that the movie was “spectacular”
On April 19th 2009, thislistisshit wrote:

this list was complete garbage. what kind of taste does this dumb ass have? i mean putting buffy on there goes to show that not all people should be able to think for themselves. and anybody who knows anything about vampire movies would have strokers tale of the vamp at number 1. but apparently this idiot just got 15 random movies out and picked the top15 by picking there names out of a hat.
On April 28th 2009, pj wrote:

Let The Right One In and Perfect Creature deserve to be on this list. Your choices are good but the order is all wrong.
On April 30th 2009, Prime wrote:

Some good comedy horror vampire movies are Buffy The Vampire Slayer,Innocent Blood,My Best Friend Is A Vampire,Rockula and Once Bitten. Some Good regular ones are the Underworld trilogy,Interview With A Vampire,Brom Stokers:Dracula,Let The Right One In,Bloodrayne,Near Dark,Forsaken,the Blade trilogy.Lost Boys Twilght went to fast,Queen Of The Damned wasn’t a bad movie but it was a bad sequal…Bloodrayne 2 could have been better.So could Lost Boys:The Tribe.Ultraviolet wasn’t a traditional vampire movie but it was a good movie.
On April 30th 2009, Prime wrote:

Sorry for the doubling it just goes to show you it pays to look up once in a while.
On May 17th 2009, LT wrote:

Greg Jorgensen , you’re on something good if you think that “Queen of the Damned” compares on ANY level to “Interview with the Vampire”. The characters were all wrong, the acting was terrible, the accents even WORSE. They also rushed it SO badly, that the storyline was nearly lost completely.

To sum it up: it was crap.
On May 25th 2009, shopna wrote:

from all these stated movie i only see “Twilight” & i like it very much
On May 28th 2009, Scott wrote:

Shadow of the Vampire was made in 2000, not 2008.

My Top 5:
5) Nosferatu
4) Bram Stoker
3) Near Dark
2) Fright Night
1) The Lost Boys
On May 28th 2009, Prahanormal wrote:

I love how many people are saying Twilight should be on here. Man, how can so many people love such a shitty movie?
On May 30th 2009, Tatu wrote:

how is thrity days of night…..one of the worst vampire movies ever……ranked higher than a classic true masterpiece of Bram Stoker’s Dracula….?…
On June 9th 2009, Nina wrote:

Queen of the Damned was not only one of the WORST vampire movies, but one of the WORST all time movies ever made!!! Did you even read the books?? Akasha looked like a damned vegas show girl rather than an egyptian vampire.
30 Days of Night does NOT belong on the list, since that was awful. The Hunger should have taken it’s place no contest! And Twilight only makes the list if you’re under the age of 15. Vampires that glitter in the sunlight?? What the HELL is that about.
On June 12th 2009, Vampyre666 wrote:

Most of my favorites are here though I do think “Queen of the damned” deserves a spot and even though I hate the sparkly vampire thing “Twilight” should probably be on here as well.

“Dusk to dawn” is a great movie, but only because of the outrageous plot twist, but once you’ve seen that it’s really just kinda ok. Don’t think it deserves #1, more like #10 or so.
On June 12th 2009, Vampyre666 wrote:

oh and “let the right one in” is pretty good as well, if u can get past the over-dubbing
On June 13th 2009, shade wrote:

The Addiction with Lily Taylor is way up there for me. And I think the Hunger is one of the all-time best. Near Dark deserves to be bumped up, too.
On June 16th 2009, Bella wrote:

Sorry, but I would have left Underworld off.

Then I would push everything up and put Twilight as #1.

Mostly because Twilight got half of 1 million views in the first weekend.

Plus, I have interviewed random people off the street in Miami, St. Louis, Seattle, New York City, and Hollywood, and 98% in each state said they loved it best of all vampire movies.

Thank you for letting me give my opinion/ comment.
On June 16th 2009, Aphrondea wrote:

I love vampire movies and books. So naturally i’ve read the Twilight series. and before the movie came out it was my LIFE. I would dream about it all the time, i reread it about seven times at least, and when i wasn’t doing either of those i was thinking about it. i was REALLY excited when they said they were making a movie. but it really let me down. i do not think it should be on any list of the best vampire movies of all time. and of all the vampire movies i’ve seen (a lot) it most deffinately did not make the top 15.

Much Love to the Writer!
A.A.
On June 16th 2009, lucy wrote:

twilight sux im so glad they didnt show it
On June 17th 2009, bojangles wrote:

the entire idea of Twilight i think is gay! I like the modern vampire idea it’s a good thought but the sweet heart bitch boy pisses me off. I go see a vampire movie to see the blood and death not some kid who falls in love and trys to save a fucking mortal girl why didn’t he make her one to so they could be together for ever and just because a move makes a killing in box office dosent make it a good movie. Yes there can be good vampires but the idea of Twilight should have stayed a book its much better that way.
the thought of a chick flick vampire move could be done much better in my opinion.
and yes the list could have been better but all people are right to the beliefs that one movie is better than another dont trash him on his fucking opinion!!
On June 17th 2009, bojangles wrote:

also 30 days of night was a good movie up to the last bit where, he makes him self one by injecting blood into his arm. I thought that was the killer for me other than that is was a good gore movie not so horror but still good.
On June 19th 2009, moviefan wrote:

How, oh how could you forget the first color vampire since Bela.

Christopher Lee as Dracula
On June 21st 2009, J wrote:

This list sucks! There are so many better vampire films out then those. Buffy at number 4!? I am a total Buffy fanatic and even I will admit the film sucked. Even the creator admits it sucked. How can it be that high? Near dark was a hell of alot better and I love Twilight but if the day comes when its given the title as one of the greatest vampire films its the day that vampire movies are killed.
On June 25th 2009, kikr wrote:

twilight sucks!!!!

nice list vampire hunter D was good xD, actually there was a movie that was awesome but i cant remember its name………..

PD: seriously whats up with twilight?, really, ok u wanna make it modern, ok thats all right, but what dah fuck with skinn thing with the sun, OMG!! hahaha, just becouse of that shit!!!!!!!, i dont like it, its not that good as everyone say, really for me it really really really sucked really hard…queen of the dammed, and the interview are awesome those are my favorites

twilight sucks!, its not a good movie honestly “30 days of nights” is so much better that twilight, and its modern too……..
On June 30th 2009, Bela wrote:

Twilight blows. You can keep your sparkling Vampires.
On July 2nd 2009, Angie Arriaga wrote:

Im very satisfied with the desicion NOT to place twilight on the top 15. That movie does not in ANY way qualify to be a great vampire movie. The only reason it is so popular is the fact that edward cullen is “cute” or “hot”. TWILIGHT CAN BURN! Anyways..This list is amazing. I have watched most vampire movies listed here. My three favorites are Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Interview with a Vampire, and 30 Days of Night.