There’s no one right way to be a vampire, even if it comes with the same sleep schedule. Cinema has helped us grasp this concept over the decades, with variations on the folk horror archetype colored by some most frightening of human feelings: addiction, lust, control, and isolation. For as much as vampires cannot see themselves in the mirror, they’re reflections of ourselves, shapeshifting throughout different cultural periods.
The tradition of vampirism also brings out authorship from directors, with many using the setup for their own expression: the likes of Park Chan-wook, George Romero, Jim Jarmusch, Abel Ferrara, Catherine Hardwicke, Guillermo del Toro, Amy Heckerling, for just a taste. And as figures who are ever so popular, vampires can be seen at the center of recent movies, like “Welcome to the Blumhouse” installment “Black as Night,” Netflix’s upcoming “Night Teeth,” and Shudder’s upcoming Dutch-Taiwanese film “Dead and Beautiful.”
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A recent greatest hits was compiled by none other than “What We Do in the Shadows,” the hit FX series based on Taika Waititi’s goofy comedy about nights in the life of a bloodsucker. At the end of Season 2, a Vampiric Council was organized to determine the fate of one character, bringing back some of the most famous vampires in film and TV: Tilda Swinton, Danny Trejo, Wesley Snipes (via Skype) among others. (Not present at the meeting: “Tom and Brad,” “Robert,” etc.)
Below is a list inspired by the wisdom of the Vampiric Council; an overview of just some of the most significant bloodsuckers in all of film history. We should also give a special mention to the space vampires of Tobe Hooper’s “Lifeforce,” Leslie Nielsen’s Dracula in Mel Brooks’ “Dracula … Dead and Loving It,” and Vampiric Council member Evan (Rachel Wood), who doesn’t qualify because well, “True Blood” is a TV show.
Max Schreck as Count Orlok in “Nosferatu” (1922)
One of the most famous faces for movie vampires belongs to that of Max Schreck, seen in this 1922 silent classic by director F.W. Murnau, which itself was an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Schreck’s performance as Count Orlok is eerie and bizarre even with its physical attributes: the tense posture, the wide, piercing eyes, the claws that look mighty realistic in the film’s shadows of black and white. It’s no wonder that it became believable that Schreck might have actually been a vampire, as depicted by Willem Dafoe in “Shadow of the Vampire.”
Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula in “Dracula” (1931)
Tod Browning’s “Dracula” changed how vampires were presented, thanks to an iconic performance by Bela Lugosi that balances class and malevolence in the same slithering monologue. Lugosi was the first actor to officially play Dracula and it remains a benchmark, for one to show how the count’s formalities and ease can be disarming. Lugosi helped layout the gamesmanship of Dracula, whether he’s facing off against vampire hunter Van Helsing or sizing up Renfield as a possible target. Lugosi influenced how Dracula sounded and looked in countless iterations, and this work in particular was celebrated by Martin Landau’s take on Lugosi in Tim Burton’s dark Hollywood comedy, “Ed Wood.”
Christopher Lee as Dracula in “Horror of Dracula” and more
Christopher Lee played the role of Count Dracula seven times for Hammer Productions, and ten times in total. The first was 1958’s “Horror of Dracula,” which included an iconic on-screen rivalry with Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing, and inspired follow-ups like 1960’s “The Brides of Dracula” and 1972’s derided (by Lee himself) “Dracula A.D. 1972.” One particular highlight from Lee’s Dracula days includes director Jesus Franco’s “Count Dracula,” which is celebrated for its close adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel and its own freaky, off-kilter visual edge.
William Marshall as Blacula in “Blacula” (1972)
Marketed as “Dracula’s soul brother,” Blacula became its own cult phenomenon thanks to the incredible on-screen presence of William Marshall. After being turned by Dracula himself into a vampire, Marshall’s Blacula is a baritone-voiced, powerful force to be reckoned with, a source of fear for some and elation for others. And while Dracula had his own share of quarrels with those who got in his way, it’s Blacula who ups the ante by killing multiple cops in gruesome fashion toward the end of the first movie, one of many exciting moments in “Blacula” that has Marshall’s character making a large impression in in the bloodsucker history. Blacula returned the following year for the 1973 sequel “Scream Blacula Scream” starring opposite Pam Grier.
Duane Jones as Dr. Hess Green in “Ganja & Hess” (1973)
Director Bill Gunn wanted Ganja and Hess to use the element of vampirism for addiction, and he captures that poignantly with this character from his 1974 classic. Dr. Hess Green’s’ thirst for blood can be traced back to an African tribe, and it leads to a rampage along with his lover, Ganja (Marlene Clark). Duane Jones (of “Night of the Living Dead”) gives a soulful take on the vampire, one that hits even harder in the film’s 110-minute cut that shows the effect of spirituality on his thirst for blood. Spike Lee later remade this film with his own “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” in 2014, with Stephen Tyrone Williams undeniably influenced by the multi-layered power within Jones’ work.
Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska as Fran and Miriam in “Vampyres” (1974)
“Vampyres” is a movie that can be as gory as it is horny, and has a special spot in the expansive history of lesbian vampire films. As two bloodsuckers who lure hitchhikers to their brutal doom, Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska capture the great sense of power in a cinematic vampire, with sexuality used as its own weapon. Their shared scenes in particular, running amok with cloaks and setting various psychological traps, help make “Vampyres” an indulgent, recommended romp.
John Amplas as Martin in “Martin” (1977)
Martin has to be one of the most hardcore and disturbing bloodsuckers characters on this list, in part because he may not actually be a vampire. He’s a volatile, chaotic teen with violent, sexual urges and a taste for blood, and this underrated Romero movie explores how this could be psychological. After all, the long strands of garlic, crucifixes, and daylight do nothing for a character who nonetheless tries to paralyze his victims with a needle before drinking their blood. This movie deserves to be talked about in vampire cinema the way “Night of the Living Dead” is with zombies; Amplas performance similarly deserves more attention for the horrific ways it discusses both vampirism and being human.
Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula in “Nosferatu the Vampyre” (1979)
Few vampires ache like Klaus Kinski’s version of Count Dracula, which was given life in Werner Herzog’s contribution to the vampire genre, “Nosferatu the Vampyre.” Kinski’s Dracula physically resembles Max Schreck’s own take, but has even more of a glimmer of humanity, which trickles out in devastating lines like this: “The absence of love is the most abject pain.” Sharing scenes with Isabelle Adjani’s Lucy Harker, Kinski helps create a primal sorrow for the character who is also responsible for spreading the Black Plague.
Catherine Deneuve as Miriam in “The Hunger” (1983)
Tony Scott’s chilly vampire story “The Hunger” has a great deal of sexy energy, for many reasons: it stars David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Catherine Deneuve. But it’s Deneuve who wins the mention here, as her character shows the seductive, controlling idea of a bloodsucker in a story that has her getting close with Sarandon’s research scientist, who is fixated on the idea of a body’s internal clock. Deneuve is at the center of the movie’s most gripping scenes, like her cello/piano duet with Bowie’s character, or later on the sexual sequences with Sarandon that launch “The Hunger” into horror history.
Kiefer Sutherland as David in “The Lost Boys” (1987)
Few vampires could rock a mullet as comfortably as Kiefer Sutherland’s David, who embodies the spirit of peer pressure in Joel Schumacher’s coming-of-age horror “The Lost Boys.” Sutherland’s David is one dastardly, slick bloodsucker, who plays mind games with a pliable Jason Patric by making him think that the take-out rice is made of maggots, or the noodles are worms. True to how the movie makes vampirism look a great escape from status quo, Sutherland makes being batty seem extra rebellious, and liberating.
Nicolas Cage as Peter Loew in “Vampire’s Kiss” (1988)
Nicolas Cage cites this as the role he’s most proud of, and we can’t blame him. Any glimpse at this project can tell you why; it’s full of the energy that launched a thousand think pieces, and the performance is strange even before vampirism enters the picture. It’s Cage’s own idea on the transformation into a vampire, completely unleashed, including the iconic moment when he screams, over and over, “I’m a vampire, I’m a vampire!” It combines campiness with sincerity that stands out in vampire cinema, but is also meaningful to show the shocking experience of losing control.
Bill Paxton as Severen in “Near Dark” (199?)
Kathryn Bigelow’s take on the vampire movie is one of the most rock ’n’ roll of them all, thanks to a timeless supporting Bill Paxton performance that lets him roam free in the darkest impulses of the genre, orchestrating gory chaos that helps define the movie’s own unsettling violence. It’s not even like we need to see his fangs to be intimidated by his capacity for violence, which gets freakier as the movie goes along, especially in a centerpiece moment when Severen and his gang terrorize a bar and the deadly unlucky humans inside it. Paxton’s gaze is deliciously freaky in this movie, even when it’s hiding behind a pair of classically cool Ray-Bans.
Paul Reubens as Amilyn in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1992)
Sometimes a great vampire performance is more about the attitude than the costuming. That’s certainly the case with Paul Reubens’ scene-stealing supporting villain Amilyn, who enters into “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” shown on a carousel, and maintains that playful edge throughout. Reubens wears what looks like Halloween costume store plastic fangs, and hisses as if he were working a second shift at a haunted house, but that becomes a great charm of this performance that launched him into movie vamp history, and the Vampiric Council from “What We Do in the Shadows,” where he appears as “Paul.” Plus, Reubens has a death scene in the movie that is so silly and iconic it even gets referred to again post-credits.
Gary Oldman as Count Dracula in “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992)
Perhaps knowing that many have played Dracula before, director Francis Ford Coppola and Gary Oldman gave us a whole museum of different ways to see Dracula. Oldman gives a lifetime achievement-worthy performance that shows a plethora of incredible costumes, like one in which lungs appear to have been pulled inside out. This Dracula is certainly borne from Coppola’s extravagant, batty cinematic vision, and Oldman is the centerpiece.
Federico Luppi as Jesus Gris in “Cronos” (1993)
There’s a certain anti-vampire energy to Guillermo del Toro’s vampire movie and directorial debut, as Luppi’s heartfelt older man becomes wrapped up in the idea of immortality and a thirst for blood. Luppi gives a manic and touching performance as an older man who is given his thirst, and there’s a special type of sorrowful madness in various character-driven parts, like licking blood off the floor. It’s one of the more grounded vampire movies of its time. Also special shout-out to the insect inside the Cronos device that creates this mess, which is a vampire in its own right.
Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Kirsten Dunst as Louis, Lestat, and Claudia in “Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles” (1994)
One of the most grandiose power couples in vampire movie history is unquestionably that of “Tom and Brad,” as they’re referred to by the vampiric council in “What We Do in the Shadows.” Their love-hate relationship (which includes always popping on each other!) provides a great deal of gravity to Neil Jordan’s centuries-spanning epic “Interview with the Vampire.” in which Brad Pitt’s boyish, innocent Louis is turned into a bloodsucker by Tom Cruise’s Lestat, who tries to teach him in the way of power, control, and greed that vampires thrive on. While having their own bond, the two also co-parent a newly turned young vampire Claudia, played by a vicious Kirsten Dunst. All of them fill the movie’s emotional scope, but their scenes together as a trio, as a little family, are unbeatable.
Lili Taylor as Kathleen Conklin in “The Addiction” (1995)
Taylor gave one of the best performances in her career as Kathleen Conklin, a philosophy grad student who is bitten one night by Annabelle Sciorra, and thrown into a new crisis of the mind and soul. In this underrated black and white Abel Ferrara movie from 1995, Taylor preys on people for her new bloodthirst, while making it a parallel to a drug addiction (at one point she injects blood into her vein with a needle). The movie piles on existential quotes and references to Sartre and Burroughs, while Taylor’s flailing, screeching, savage work makes one contemplate the extent to what is human and what is evil.
Eddie Murphy as Maximillan in “Vampire in Brooklyn” (1995)
Eddie Murphy got his own taste for bloodsuckers with the 1995 Wes Craven horror-comedy “Vampire in Brooklyn,” playing the Caribbean vampire Maximillian, who is search of a half-human, half-vampire mate (who turns out to be Angela Bassett’s Rita). With a seductive gaze and classic cloak, his character also takes on the Murphy-like ability to change into other people, like when he turns into a preacher or a gangster named Guido. In the movie’s desire for horror mixed with comedy, Max is also shown using his vampire powers to the extreme: he rips out a gangster’s heart, and explodes a police dog into the sky.
Danny Trejo as Razor Charlie in “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996)
Trejo is a type of dashing, bad-ass mascot for all the bloodsuckers in Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which has the unofficial honor of pulling one of the sharpest left turns in movie plotting history. Trejo’s character is the one who helps change the stakes—after his character Razor Charlie stabs the hand of Tarantino’s already sadistic killer, the inner vamp of Selma Hayek comes out and all hell shows itself. Razor Charlie has one of the most unforgettable, monstrously veiny faces in the movie from make-up guru Tom Savini, and is also one of the few characters to have rocked with the franchise for so long, appearing in the DTV sequels and also a series. It’s no surprise that he would get Vampiric Council status, where he is affectionately known as “Danny.”
Wesley Snipes as Blade in the “Blade” franchise (1998)
Vampires can be mighty effective with a sword and slick martial arts moves; even more so when they come with their own awesome soundtracks, and espouse brilliant advice. Take Blade, who famously quotes the Bible (we think) when he said “Some motherf**kers are always trying to ice skate uphill.” Snipes owns the sharp teeth and sharper swords of this performance, which was so beloved it lasted three movies (ending with “Blade: Trinity”). Blade has to be one of the most popular half-human half-vampire hybrids in the slaying game, even if “Wesley,” as he’s known on “What We Do in the Shadows,” can’t get a good Skype signal.
Aaliyah as Queen Akasha in “Queen of the Damned” (2002)
She’s barely in the movie that’s about her; in fact she only shows up about 30 minutes in. And yet Aaliyah’s Mother of all Vampires unquestionably deserves a spot on this list for the time she does make, bringing sincere campiness to this role, which includes a bizarre accent. It’s all supported by her exquisite, gaudy robes and the way she slinks in slow-motion, captivating her prey and the viewer alike. It’s just too bad that the Lestat narrative (with Stuart Townsend as the hyper sexual rocker, in a sequel to “Interview with the Vampire”) takes up so much space, when Aaliyah rules this movie.
Kate Beckinsale as Selene in the “Underworld” movies (2003)
Without a hero like lycan-hunting vampire Selene, it’s impossible to think that the rich history of “Underworld” would have been able to play out for a whopping five movies. But Selene shows that vampires can do it all, or most–whether it’s kicking enormous amounts of ass in fight scenes against lycans (or werewolves), or making a grandiose landing on her on feet, jumping from a tower stories above. Selene is a vampire hero with style and a great legacy to boot, the center of a vampire universe that’s about so much more than stakes and garlic.
Lina Leandersson as Eli in “Let the Right One In” (2008)
There aren’t many scary kids in the history of vampires (sorry, “The Little Vampire”), but this chilling movie from Tomas Alfredson offered an exception. Lina Leandersson’s performance is so effective as the mysterious, lonely vampire Eli that it quickly inspired an American remake. Leandersson’s character helps establish the eerieness of this movie’s world, while trying to make friends with a human boy who learns more and more about her particular condition. Eli captures the innocence of the vampire, but also the disturbing potential for violence, as with a climactic scene by a pool that involves buckets of blood.
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in “Twilight” (2008)
Robert Pattinson may be trying to leave this role in the past (as joked about by other members of the Vampiric Council), but it’s undeniable the cultural impact Pattinson’s character had on the history of bloodsuckers. Vampires have rarely looked this degree of dashing, sparkled this bright, or made so much money at the box office. Brooding, abstinent dreamboat Edward Cullen is a juggernaut in his own right, a bloodsucker whose playful dance with not eating his own girlfriend Bella (Kristen Stewart), and love triangle rivalry with werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) created an epic romance that just got a re-promotion via Netflix making the whole franchise available in one space.
Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun in “Thirst” (2009)
Park Chan-wook mixed the reverence and spirituality of a preacher with “Thirst,” about a priest who takes a faulty vaccine and ends up developing a taste for human flesh. Song Kang-ho’s performance as Sang-hyun is of the actor’s particular grade of gentleness and passion, even when he becomes a vampire whose taste for blood makes a parallel to embracing a life of sin. It’s a subtly disturbing performance with a real heart, while the character shows the extremes of one human being, whether they’re a vampire or not. Sang-hyun’s grand finale, in which a whole bunch of red is splattered in an immaculate white home, is unmissable and delicious.
Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter as Goody and Stacy in “Vamps” (2012)
Before “What We Do in the Shadows,” writer/director Amy Heckerling’s “Vamps” packed in-jokes about vampire life with the ease of a sitcom, this time with Alicia Silverstone (making this a “Clueless” reunion with fangs) and Krysten Ritter. The two play friends who share the same curse but live in modern New York City (sleeping in coffins, drinking rat’s blood from a straw) when one of them falls for a Van Helsing, played by Dan Stevens. Silverstone and Ritter have infectious fun with the premise, and the script’s light-hearted approach to a life that can’t be lived in the daylight.
Tilda Swinton as Eve in “Only Lovers Left Alive” (2013)
One of the most hip vampires to hang out on earth, Swinton’s Eve shows the cultural viability of being 3,000 years old, like knowing the person who wrote Shakespeare’s stories (John Hurt’s Christopher Marlowe), touting the glory of Steve Buscemi in “Fargo,” or becoming a “ruthless, brutal” chess player. Next to the Paxton’s Severen in “Near Dark,” Swinton’s character also rocks the Ray-Bans as part of her frosty cool, sharing scenes with her partner Adam (Tom Hiddleston) as they gloriously simply exist in Jim Jarmusch’s gothic, avant-garde ballad. Plus she has O-Negative popsicles to boot.
Sheila Vand as The Girl in “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” (2014)
Ana Lily Amirpour’s 2014 film “A Girl Who Walks Home Alone at Night” is all about challenging dynamics of vulnerability with gender, and it has a formidable messenger with Sheila Vand’s The Girl. She’s equal parts empowering and eerie, with the mystery behind Vand’s eyes holding many of the film’s atmospheric scenes. Vand helps make the central location of this Iranian vampire Western, Bad City, feel like an ominous playground for a vamp like The Girl to rule over and skateboard through.
Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Jonathan Brugh as Viago, Vladislav, Deacon Brücke in “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014)
These three are just the beginning of what lead to a “What We Do in the Shadows” universe, but as members of the Vampiric Council we must pay tribute. Their way of finding dry, observant comedy about all things vampire can be traced back to the short that Waititi and Clement co-directed, which can be viewed here. The short was brilliantly expanded to a feature, in which their quaint goofy lives are challenged by a newer, dopier vampire named Nick (Cori Gonzalez-Macuer), laying the foundation for the hit series that came next.
