The 15 Best Vampire Movies of All Time

Watch the classics, from 'Nosferatu' to 'What We Do in the Shadows'

Chris Nashawaty,

AARP

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Published December 19, 2024

'Nosferatu' (2024) directed by Robert Eggers and starring Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz.

Alamy Stock Photo

With the arrival of a splashy new version of the horror classic Nosferatu starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp (in theaters Dec. 25), it seems like an excellent time to stay out of the sunlight and catch up on the best and most iconic vampire movies of all time. So sit back, draw the curtains, and sink your teeth into these tasty treats.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)

This is where it all began. Five years before German director F.W. Murnau would head to Hollywood and share the first-ever Best Picture Oscar for 1927’s Sunrise, he conjured this bone-chilling silent classic about the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck), an insatiable specter whose bat-like ears and long, bony fingers make even his shadow terrifying. The long-popular myth that Schreck was actually a real-life vampire (after all, his name means "terror" in German) only added to the power of Murnau’s nightmare fuel.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

The opulent, shoot-the-works retelling of Stoker’s Transylvanian tale by Francis Ford Coppola, 85, is a lavish throwback to the pre-CGI era — he orchestrates the whole film like one long magic trick. Winona Ryder, 53, and Keanu Reeves, 60, deliver the requisite romance (and exposed necks) and Anthony Hopkins, 86, adds a touch of class, but it’s Gary Oldman, 66, (beneath layer upon layer of old-age putty and prosthetics) who gooses this dazzling period piece to lip-smacking life as the ageless count. Every heavily accented word that comes from his mouth feels like a sinister invitation to the dark side. The costumes are (literally) to die for.

Where to Watch: YouTube

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Speaking of Nosferatu and its enigmatic star, Max Schreck, this pitch-black comedy riffing on the making of Murnau’s expressionist classic stars John Malkovich, 71, as the German director who takes Method acting a bit too far, knowingly hiring a real vampire (Willem Dafoe, 69, as Schreck) for his latest movie. The crew’s eyebrows are raised when they’re told that this very odd leading man can only act at night and prefers to stay in character while various people on the set start to go missing. A delirious “What If” of a movie, starring two titans of strangeness.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

The Lost Boys (1987)

This Brat Pack-adjacent coming-of-age chiller feels like a Reagan-era time capsule these days. But back in the pre-Twilight ‘80s, it was the teen-targeted vampire movie of choice. Jason Patric, 58, and Corey Haim play brothers who move to a new town and immediately suspect that something fishy is afoot. Namely, that the rebel cool kids in the area (hello, Kiefer Sutherland, 57!) are actually bloodsuckers, taking peer pressure to a whole new level. Once considered a bit of a guilty pleasure, The Lost Boys has aged into just a pleasure, period.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

In the brief window between his breakout on E.R. and his Oscar-winning movie career, George Clooney, 63, starred in director Robert Rodriguez’s blood-spurting, stake-driving B-movie about a pair of hair-trigger fugitives and their hostages heading south of the border in an RV. Harvey Keitel, 85, plays a lapsed priest, Juliette Lewis is his daughter, and Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, 61 (who also wrote the script) play the violent, on-the-run brothers. The first half of the film is all set-up, but then all hell breaks loose in the back half at a roadhouse populated by the undead, including a snake-dancing vamp by Salma Hayek, 58. A blast.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

When this buzzy adaptation of Anne Rice’s bestselling novel was first announced, the author’s fans were up in arms over the casting of Tom Cruise, 62, as Lestat. Turns out they had nothing to fear. He’s actually quite good as the ageless Victorian dandy, thanks to strong assists from Brad Pitt, 60, and a then 11-year-old Kirsten Dunst, who round out this bizarre found-family of bloodsuckers. Directed by Neil Jordan, 74, Interview approaches eternal life as a miserable curse worse than death. Be careful what you wish for.

Where to Watch: YouTube

Blade II (2002)

Wesley Snipes, 62, was ahead of the curve with this early Hollywood superhero comic adaptation. As Blade, the half-human/half-vampire avenger, the actor gives us the most physical, action-oriented character in the plasma-chugging pantheon. Still, it’s the second installment, directed by future Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro, 60, when the franchise reached its artistic peak. Blade II is a gooey, gory, geysery blast. It’s a shame there weren’t a dozen more of these sequels. But hey, it’s never too late.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

The Hunger (1983)

It’s hard to imagine a vampire movie that feels more ‘80s than The Hunger. Like his brother Ridley Scott, 87, director Tony Scott started in advertising, and the film has the slick, art-directed look of a Chanel ad. A dream cast that includes Catherine Deneuve, 81, Susan Sarandon, 78, and a brilliant David Bowie give the film a dash of erotic Euro kinkiness, and a cameo by the goth-rock band Bauhaus (of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” fame) adds dark, moody atmosphere. If you always wanted to see a vampiric version of 9 ½ Weeks, this is as close as you’re gonna get.

Where to Watch: YouTube

Dracula (1931)

Yes, the German import Nosferatu was released nearly a decade earlier, but this 1931 film is the moment when Hollywood first wrestled with the most famous character in the horror canon. Hungarian monster-movie icon Bela Lugosi stars as the titular Old World count and pretty much defined how we would envision the iconic character for the rest of the century. Clocking in at a svelte 75 minutes, director Tod Browning’s Dracula is an economical and atmospheric fright ride with a towering performance at its heart. It still packs a primal power.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Blacula (1972)

Meet “Dracula’s soul brother," as he was billed. Released in the midst of the Blaxploitation movie boom of the ‘70s, this is a delicious dose of B-movie catnip, starring William Marshall as an African prince-turned-vampire who awakens with a funky L.A. attitude after a long slumber. Don’t be fooled by the chuckle-worthy title, this is a surprisingly solid chiller that succeeds because Marshall brings a dignity and seriousness to an otherwise campy spin. That said, we suggest skipping 1973’s Blackenstein.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Vampire’s Kiss (1988)

If you’re trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Nicolas Cage, 60, first crossed the line that separating subtlety and overacting, this may very well be it. As a yuppie publishing exec, Cage is convinced that he’s turning into a creature of the night after an encounter with a sultry vampiress (Jennifer Beals, 60). Here’s the catch: It’s all in his head. But that doesn’t stop his delusional transformation, which includes scarfing down a live cockroach. And before you ask, yes, the actor really ate the creepy critter on camera. A hilarious blast of early, unfiltered Cage.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Horror of Dracula (1958)

From the ‘50s through the ‘70s, the British studio Hammer Films churned out a seemingly endless cycle of Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee. They’re wonderful. We suggest binging all of them, of course, but this 1958 franchise starter is the place to begin. The Hammer horror pictures ooze gothic atmosphere — flickering candelabras, crumbling castles, and neck-bearing beauties who all too easily fall prey to irresistible bloodlust and charm.

Where to Watch: YouTube

Thirst (2009)

Most movie aficionados know director Park Chan-wook, 61, from his twisted Korean imports Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, and The Handmaiden. But this lesser-known, blood-soaked chiller deserves a prominent place on his highlight reel. Song Kang-ho, 57, plays a priest who volunteers for a vaccine trial that goes wrong and is saved by a transfusion that happens to made up of vampire blood. You may think that you can guess the rest, but you’d be wrong. Thirst ventures into unexpected and shocking terrain that will leave you shaken in the best way.

Where to Watch: YouTube

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the terrific TV show What We Do in the Shadows started off as a movie. And also like Buffy, that movie was underappreciated when it was released. Kiwi comic geniuses Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, 50, headline the film’s cast as bickering, centuries-old vampires dealing with the drudgery of everyday life (sharing a house, paying rent, arguing about whose turn it is to clean the dishes) while a documentary camera crew captures it all on camera. Hands down, the funniest vampire movie ever made.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

Let the Right One In (2008)

This Swedish import, which was later remade in the States as 2010’s Let Me In, tells the story of a bullied young boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), who forms a delicate friendship with a lonely young girl (Lina Leandersson) who also happens to be a blood-thirsty immortal. This is a poignant coming-of-age tale about the power of friendship and standing up to one’s tormentors, spiked with some truly stunning set pieces — the swimming pool kill is a minor masterpiece. Do yourself a favor, check it out.

Where to Watch: Prime Video

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Chris Nashawaty, former film critic for Entertainment Weekly, is the author of Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story and a contributor to Esquire, Vanity Fair, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.