JP Nunez
It’s probably an exaggeration to say that vampire movies are the foundation of the horror genre, but it’s closer to the truth than you might think. Arguably the greatest silent horror film of all time, Nosferatu, is about a vampire, and vampire movies helped kick off the golden ages of both Universal Studios and Hammer Films.
At the very least, this is hands down one of the most important subgenres in horror history, and from the looks of it, these films aren’t going away anytime soon. Just last month, we got the fantastic ballerina vampire flick Abigail, and later this year, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu remake is finally going to hit theaters.
It’s a good time to be a fan of these bloodsucking monsters, but if you really want to plumb the depths of this seemingly bottomless subgenre, you have to go beyond the obvious classics and the big theatrical releases. There’s a wealth of underseen vampire movies just simmering below the surface and waiting to be discovered, and to help you out on your journey to vampiric connoisseurship, I’ve compiled a list of five of my favorites to get you started.
Vampyr
Let’s begin with the 1932 German classic Vampyr, a movie that’s equal parts disorienting and bewitching. It was esteemed director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s first talkie, but it actually plays more like a silent film. It tells most of its story through intertitles rather than spoken dialogue, and that odd choice makes the experience feel a bit off right from the beginning. But it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Vampyr follows a man who travels to a secluded village called Courtempierre, and he soon discovers that something is very wrong with the place. For example, shadows sometimes seem to have a mind of their own, and characters often act in really random, borderline-nonsensical ways. The whole thing feels more like a dream than anything that could possibly happen in real life, and the way I see it, that’s the point.
Not only does the story follow a bizarre sort of dream logic, but the entire movie is saturated with the kind of shadowy atmosphere we often encounter in dreams. It’s like the village is stuck in a neverending nightmare, and while Vampyr never explains exactly why this is happening, the logical inference is that it’s all part of the vampire’s curse.
What’s more, by being so illogical, the film draws us in and makes us feel like we’re immersed in this dream-like world as well, and that’s what makes Vampyr one of the best vampire movies most people have never seen. It forces us to experience the villagers’ nightmare with them rather than just observe their ordeal from a safe and detached third-person perspective, and that makes for a unique viewing experience no other film in this subgenre can provide.
The Return of the Vampire
From one of the most unique vampire movies of all time, we now turn to possibly one of the most generic. I’m not going to lie and tell you that The Return of the Vampire is a great film. It’s not. It’s a pretty by-the-numbers vampire flick, but it has one thing most of its cinematic peers only wish they could boast about: Bela Lugosi.
That’s right, the vampire in this movie is played by Bela Lugosi, the actor who literally created the Dracula archetype we all know and love (for instance, what everyone thinks is a Transylvanian accent is actually Lugosi’s Hungarian accent). And as you can probably guess, he’s just as good here as he was in his signature role a decade earlier.
He imbues his character with the same suave, irresistible charm that made his turn as the Transylvanian count so iconic, and he carries himself with the kind of unshakable confidence you’d expect from a creature who’s lived numerous lifetimes. In a word, this is basically Dracula without the name, and Lugosi’s excellent performance elevates this otherwise mediocre film to the level of a legit cult classic. Granted, it’s not one of the best vampire movies ever made, but if you’re a fan of these bloodsucking monsters, it’s definitely worth checking out at least once.
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Next up, we have The Fearless Vampire Killers, a 1967 horror comedy that takes its cue primarily from the Hammer flicks of the 1960s and 1970s. It opens just like a typical Hammer adventure, but the film quickly lets us know that we’re in a completely different world. Christopher Lee is nowhere in sight, and instead of Peter Cushing’s Van Helsing, we get the hapless Professor Abronsius, one of the most incompetent monster hunters in cinematic history, and his equally bumbling assistant.
They’re the kind of would-be heroes who make all the wrong choices but somehow manage to escape with their lives anyway, and seeing them blunder and stumble their way out of danger is an absolute blast. These well-meaning maladroits will worm their way into your heart before you know it, and their hilarious slapstick antics will have you hooting and hollering the whole way through.
Simply put, The Fearless Vampire Killers is one of the funniest and most fun vampire movies way too many people have never seen. Sure, you’re probably not going to see it on any top-ten lists, but in terms of pure entertainment value, this film is right up there with the best of them.
Bloodsucking Bastards
If you’re a fan of the 1990s classic Office Space, this is the vampire movie for you. Bloodsucking Bastards is a horror comedy about a group of guys who hate their jobs, and things get even worse when a vampire is hired as their new manager. His business strategy is to turn his employees into vampires so they work more efficiently, and it’s up to a small group of holdouts to stem the tide.
That’s a great premise for a horror film, and if you agree, I think you’re going to love Bloodsucking Bastards. This movie features more than enough blood to make the gorehounds among us happy, and the comedy is absolutely hilarious. In fact, I think it’s the funniest vampire film ever made, but that endorsement comes with a small caveat.
A lot of the humor here is pretty lowbrow, so it’s not for everyone. Granted, it’s not as crass as, say, WolfCop, but it’s not exactly high-class either. It caters to a fairly specific comedic taste, but if you’re its target audience, you’re going to have an absolute blast with Bloodsucking Bastards. This might even become one of your favorite vampire movies of all time, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you remedy that as soon as possible. You’ll be happy you did.
All the Moons
All the Moons is probably the most obscure entry on this list, but in my opinion, it’s hands down the best. It follows a little girl who becomes a vampire when her orphanage is bombed, and from there, the film just chronicles her travels and her thirst for acceptance from the people she meets.
As you might be able to guess from that brief plot synopsis, All the Moons isn’t your typical horror movie. It plays more like a drama than anything else, and aside from a few touches of gruesome imagery every now and again, there’s nothing particularly horrific about it. It doesn’t even have an A24-esque atmosphere of dread, so if you’re looking for chills and thrills aplenty, this is definitely not the film for you.
But if you just want a beautiful story about love, acceptance, and the importance of relationships, you need to give All the Moons a watch. It’s like a modern-day Bride of Frankenstein, so in my opinion, it’s not just the best entry on this list. It’s one of the best vampire movies ever made, and if you’re a fan of drama horror, I think you’ll feel the same way.
