Paste's The 100 Best Vampire Movies of All Time

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Created by Fergenaprido.

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By Mark Rozeman, Jim Vorel and Paste staff | September 26, 2022 | 11:11am

Existing in some form or another for thousands of years, these blood-sucking creatures serve as one of horror’s most creatively flexible monsters. Besides ghoulish monsters, they can be charmers, warriors, sex symbols, sources of comedy, nihilistic philosophers and aliens. Though mostly confined to horror, vampires have also bleed their way into everything from slapstick comedy to award-winning dramas. Oftentimes, these seemingly villainous predators can even serve as sympathetic protagonists or badass antiheroes. Moreover, vampirism itself has stood in as a natural metaphor for a great number of motifs—drug or alcohol addiction, sex, racism, xenophobia, religion, economic disparity and mental illness, to name just a few.
Popularized in folklore and books, the vampire were a natural fit for the silver screen. Today, Paste is counting down the 100 greatest vampire films that cinema has to offer. First—a few caveats. One, unlike Paste’s previous lists numbering film noirs) or cinematic robots, there are far fewer vampire movies that one could classify as being truly “Great.” This scarcity of quality means that some of the earlier entries might be more problematic than those in the latter segment. In such cases, we have ensured that each installment has something of worth to offer viewers, whether it’s a great visual style, a clever story twist, a standout performance or production design so laughably strange and half-baked that it veers into “so bad, it’s good” territory. The Paste writers have also strived to curate a diverse selection of choices. Granted, filmmakers like Mario Bava and institutions like England’s Hammer Film Productions will be making multiple appearances, but we’ve worked to bring in variety whenever possibly.

What’s more, though erotic horror is obviously a popular vampire subgenre, it’s one that we weren’t able to fully dive into without feeling as though we needed to have our souls cleansed afterwards. So if we’ve overlooked your favorite vampire-lesbian erotica, we apologize in advance.
Finally—no, none of the Twilight or Underworld films are on this list. (A stand had to be made.)

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  1. 1 new

    Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

    1922 — a.k.a. Nosferatu, in 28 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Låt den rätte komma in

    2008 — a.k.a. Let the Right One In, in 14 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    Dracula

    1931, in 11 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

    1948 — a.k.a. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, in 6 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Drácula

    1931, in 2 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    La maschera del demonio

    1960 — a.k.a. Black Sunday, in 8 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Vampyr

    1932, in 18 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    Dracula

    1958 — a.k.a. Horror of Dracula, in 8 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    Blade II

    2002, in 2 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

    2014, in 3 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    What We Do in the Shadows

    2014, in 7 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    Let's Scare Jessica to Death

    1971, in 1 top list Check
  13. 13 new

    Martin

    1977, in 4 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary

    2002, in 2 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    Near Dark

    1987, in 9 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    Only Lovers Left Alive

    2013, in 4 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    Kyuketsuki Gokemidoro

    1968 — a.k.a. Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, in 2 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Valerie a týden divu

    1970 — a.k.a. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, in 8 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Ganja & Hess

    1973, in 3 top lists Check
  20. 20 new

    Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht

    1979 — a.k.a. Nosferatu the Vampyre, in 5 top lists Check
  21. 21 new

    Bakjwi

    2009 — a.k.a. Thirst, in 3 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Shadow of the Vampire

    2000, in 1 top list Check
  23. 23 new

    The Hunger

    1983, in 2 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Blade

    1998, in 2 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    I tre volti della paura

    1963 — a.k.a. Black Sabbath, in 2 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Blacula

    1972, in 2 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    Dracula Has Risen from the Grave

    1968, in 1 top list Check
  28. 28 new

    Cronos

    1992, in 6 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    Nochnoy dozor

    2004 — a.k.a. Night Watch, in 3 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1992, in 6 top lists Check
  31. 31 new

    Trouble Every Day

    2001, in 6 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    The Lost Boys

    1987, in 3 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    Let Me In

    2010, in 1 top list Check
  34. 34 new

    The Addiction

    1995, in 5 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    From Dusk Till Dawn

    1996, in 2 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    30 Days of Night

    2007, in 1 top list Check
  37. 37 new

    The Monster Squad

    1987, in 2 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    Afflicted

    2013, in 0 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Geung see sin sang

    1985 — a.k.a. Mr. Vampire, in 3 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    Dnevnoy dozor

    2006 — a.k.a. Day Watch, in 0 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    The Brides of Dracula

    1960, in 1 top list Check
  42. 42 new

    The Last Man on Earth

    1964 — a.k.a. Naked Terror, in 1 top list Check
  43. 43 new

    Stake Land

    2010, in 1 top list Check
  44. 44 new

    Byzantium

    2012, in 1 top list Check
  45. 45 new

    Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles

    1994, in 4 top lists Check
  46. 46 new

    Fright Night

    2011, in 1 top list Check
  47. 47 new

    Dracula's Daughter

    1936 — a.k.a. Daughter of Dracula, in 1 top list Check
  48. 48 new

    Dracula: Prince of Darkness

    1966, in 1 top list Check
  49. 49 new

    Thirst

    1979, in 0 top lists Check
  50. 50 new

    Fright Night

    1985, in 2 top lists Check
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Last updated on Sep 28, 2022; source