Just because Hollywood has moved on to zombies is no reason for the rest of us to completely forget about the blood-suckers. There is no question that there are lots of terrible vampire movies out there. But here are the best.......
9. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
The Underworld franchise gets the Shakespeare treatment in this interracial Romeo and Juliet story set prior to the all of the events that have previously taken place in the series. Selene and Michael are nowhere to be found and they aren't missed for a second.
This is also the last decent Underworld movie. The series fell straight into the sewer after this one.
8. Underworld
A little-known fact of the Underworld series is that it was conceived by Kevin Grevioux -- the enormous African-American lycan (werewolf), Raze, featured in this first piece of the franchise. It makes perfect sense, given that the Howard University-grad founded two comic book companies and majored in genetic engineering.
Tensions between vampires and werewolves would later be seen in both True Blood and the Twilight movies but it was depicted first -- and better -- in Underworld.
7. Dracula Untold
6. Near Dark
Near Dark bears the distinction of being the first film to make contemporary vampires cool. Yes, The Lost Boys preceded it by two months, but, c'mon, David and company were more like an undead boy band than a gang of monsters. Near Dark separated the vampire boys from the men. The two movies told more or less the same story but Dark's execution was head and shoulders above its predecessor.
5. Let the Right One In
If you saw the 2010 movie Let Me In and thought it was original and inventive -- you were dead wrong. That movie is an unnecessary American remake of a truly innovative 2008 Swedish film. Let the Right One In, in turn, is an adaptation of the 2004 novel of the same name.
The focus of the story is Oskar, a 12-year-old loner and misfit who's largely ignored at home and bullied at school.
This eerie horror masterpiece, with its early 1980s, snow-filled setting, steady pace and theme of isolation renders The Shining completely obsolete.
The focus of the story is Oskar, a 12-year-old loner and misfit who's largely ignored at home and bullied at school.
This eerie horror masterpiece, with its early 1980s, snow-filled setting, steady pace and theme of isolation renders The Shining completely obsolete.
4. Bram Stoker's Dracula
The conventional wisdom is that film adaptations are never as good as the books on which they're based. Many times, this is indeed the case. This, however, is one of the rare exceptions. Director Francis Ford Coppola's vision of the father of all vampires is not merely on par with its source material, however, it surpasses it.
3. Underworld: Evolution
While every Underworld movie features the one-two punch of both vampires and werewolves, only this one showcases the most impressive lycan and nosferatu of the series. They also happen to be the progenitors and most powerful members of their respective races. Said lycan, William, is also the most awe-inspiring werewolf ever put onscreen.
2. 30 Days of Night
It's a good bet that 30 Days of Night is the scariest vampire movie there is. There's nothing romantic about these vampires and no teenage girl on the planet would fall in love with them. They don't turn into bats, run from crucifixes or sleep in coffins. All they do is kill. This movie, more than any other, shows why they're in the monster category. Imagine being stuck in a small Alaskan town full of vampires where the sun doesn't shine for a whole month. It's like a local version of The Walking Dead - including the fact that a sheriff is the hero.
1. Blade
Iron Man, who? Marvel's very first artistic success in Hollywood was Blade. "The book is better than the movie." Not in this case. Blade is a damn good movie based on a subpar comic. Not only is it one of the best comic book movies ever to hit cineplexes, but it's also one of the best vampire movies ever produced. It also happens to be the first Marvel movie to feature a Stan Lee cameo, though it was wisely deleted in favor of the more serious final product.
Originally, LL Cool J was in talks to star in Blade as a parody. Luckily, those ideas were nixed too. Blade just happens to have been written by David S. Goyer, who also co-wrote the screenplays for the Dark Knight trilogy.
On top of all of that, it also bears the distinction of being the movie that introduced the world to the drop-(un)dead gorgeous (bad pun intended) Sanaa Lathan. After the movie's release, none of the dudes that I knew that had seen it, would shut up about "Blade's Mom".
Blade tells the story of a guy imbued with superhuman abilities, clad in black leather and a match black trenchcoat, who wages war on (of which most of the world is unaware), and is pursued by, a virtual army of black-clad foes who similarly possess superhuman abilities. Said guy has a penchant for wearing dark sunglasses, is highly proficient in martial arts, routinely defies the laws of physics and is largely known by a one-name alias. He's mentored by an older man of a different race, who, while highly-skilled and knowledgeable, is not as powerful as our hero. He is also aided by a woman, possessing of highly-technical expertise, whose life he saves. At one point, the two are pursued through a subway tunnel. His aforementioned enemies are bent on the global subjugation of humankind and harvest them for their biological resources. It's also made clear that the fate of mankind hinges, in part, on the fulfillment of a prophecy. Blade was released to theaters on August 21, 1998. The Matrix was released nearly seven months later. Just saying.
Originally, LL Cool J was in talks to star in Blade as a parody. Luckily, those ideas were nixed too. Blade just happens to have been written by David S. Goyer, who also co-wrote the screenplays for the Dark Knight trilogy.
On top of all of that, it also bears the distinction of being the movie that introduced the world to the drop-(un)dead gorgeous (bad pun intended) Sanaa Lathan. After the movie's release, none of the dudes that I knew that had seen it, would shut up about "Blade's Mom".
Blade tells the story of a guy imbued with superhuman abilities, clad in black leather and a match black trenchcoat, who wages war on (of which most of the world is unaware), and is pursued by, a virtual army of black-clad foes who similarly possess superhuman abilities. Said guy has a penchant for wearing dark sunglasses, is highly proficient in martial arts, routinely defies the laws of physics and is largely known by a one-name alias. He's mentored by an older man of a different race, who, while highly-skilled and knowledgeable, is not as powerful as our hero. He is also aided by a woman, possessing of highly-technical expertise, whose life he saves. At one point, the two are pursued through a subway tunnel. His aforementioned enemies are bent on the global subjugation of humankind and harvest them for their biological resources. It's also made clear that the fate of mankind hinges, in part, on the fulfillment of a prophecy. Blade was released to theaters on August 21, 1998. The Matrix was released nearly seven months later. Just saying.
Originally Posted 10/2/17
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Great topic this time of year for sure...I agree with "Near Dark." That is a great vampire flick, although I have to say I did like the 80's flick "The Lost Boys" also. But it was definitely more focused on 'looking good' than having any substance. I also loved "Bram Stoker's Dracula" as Gary Oldman was great in his performance and he should have been recognized by the Academy if he wasn't. I was not as impressed with the remainder of the casting however, especially that of Keanu Reeves. Really? What were they thinking? But one vampire flick that needs to be added to this list is "The Hunger" with Susan Sarandon, David Bowie and the incomparable Catherine Deneuve. Talk about a scary, sexy and smart vampire film. It is amazing!
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