Vampire stories have existed for over a century, with various mediums covering various icons of undead bloodsucking. Whether they’re funny, frightening, or somewhere attractively in between, vampire stories are too good to pass up. So if you’re looking to hang out with these creatures of the night, check out this list of the best vampire movies and TV shows! (Sorry Twilight fans, you didn’t make the cut.)
The Lost Boys (1987)
One of the best ‘80s movies ever, The Lost Boys introduced us to David (Kiefer Sutherland), the Peter Pan of vampires. Director Joel Schumacher’s horror-comedy kept vampires terrifying, while also adding the attractive allure that we’ve seen repeated throughout various incarnations. Not to mention, this has one of the best final punchlines a movie has ever landed.
True Blood (2008 – 2014)
Adapting Charlaine Harris’ novels revolving around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), True Blood is an HBO hit that fans still reflect upon. By the end of its seven-season run, the small town of Bon Temps encountered sultry romance, dark comedy, and terror at the hands of werewolves, fairies, and witches. But the bedrock of this series has always been the social commentary told in a world where vampires are widely acknowledged…and are naturally persecuted.
Interview With The Vampire (1994)
For a performer as versatile as Tom Cruise happens to be, it’s still a disappointment that he was never given the chance to return to the role of Lestat de Lioncourt. Interview with the Vampire’s 1994 film adaptation saw Brad Pitt play the forlorn Louis de Pointe du Lac to Cruise’s chaotic sadist, and the contrast is amazing to watch in action. Also, Kirsten Dunst lands one hell of a breakout performance as Claudia, making this disturbing vampire family complete.
Fright Night (1985)
Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) was your typical ‘80s movie teenager…until Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) moved into the neighborhood. Director Tom Holland’s vampire classic shows us what happens when a dopey teen squares off with a seductive yet sinister supernatural force; and it doesn’t skimp on the blood or the comedy in the process.
What We Do In The Shadows (2019 – 2024)
Six seasons still doesn’t feel enough for FX’s What We Do in the Shadows adaptation. Expanding Taika Waititi’s 2014 mockumentary into an extended universe of lunacy, following Long Island’s found family of fang bearers (and Harvey Guillén’s Guillermo) became one of those rare cases where the TV version outdid the source film it was based on. From its humble origins, straight through to What We Do in the Shadows’ perfect series finale, the series was a consistently funny delight.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Much as 2024’s Nosferatu strived to be a more modern adaptation of F.W. Murnau’s classic mockbuster, 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula gave fans fresh blood when telling this time-worn classic. Gary Oldman plays the Francis Ford Coppola-directed spin on this character as both a tragic romantic and a vicious adversary.
Dark Shadows (1991)
Reinventing the classic ABC soap opera as a darker, moodier affair, the short-lived NBC revival of Dark Shadows tried to make a name for itself in 1991. As Ben Cross stepped into the iconic role of Barnabas Collins, it’s miles away from the 2012 Tim Burton adaptation, which turned the more gothically inclined story into a silly comedy. It probably didn’t help that this dramatic reimagining was staked after a short first season.
Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
Decades before Willem Dafoe would play for the human team in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, the Academy Award nominee actually dipped his fangs into the legendary off-brand remake of Dracula through Shadow of the Vampire. A dark comedy that shows us the “real story” behind F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) and his horror milestone, the plot alleges that Dafoe’s Max Schreck was an actual vampire/movie-making diva.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003)
Joss Whedon’s horror/comedy cult classic found a second life as a seven-season TV series, with Sarah Michelle Gellar embodying a more grounded incarnation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The tone wasn’t the only improvement, as some of the best Buffy episodes experimented with form, and gave us impressive guest stars like John Ritter and a pre-fame Pedro Pascal. It was also one of the most effective heartbreakers, thanks to some deaths and romances that didn’t always involve the undead.
Nosferatu (2024)
Robert Eggers is a modern horror master that understands the classics. His 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu proved that fact yet again, thanks to a new spin on director F. W. Murneau’s bootleg classic. Despite Bill Skarsgard’s gross-out latex stories and Count Orlock looking quite imposing, his would-be romance with Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) is as haunting as it is intriguing.
The Strain (2014 – 2017)
Co-creators Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan created a horror literary hit with their trilogy of books telling the story of The Strain. So when it came time to adapt the series to TV, FX gave it a four-season epic that covered this apocalypse from its very beginning. Dishing out vampire lore, while giving us intriguing characters on both sides of the conflict, the tale even gave us one of Stephen King’s favorite TV monster hunters!
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
It sucks that the big twist of Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn kind of needs to be spoiled in instances like this. What begins as a crime thriller that sees the Gecko Brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) kidnapping a family as cover for their escape to Mexico turns into something much more deadly. I’m not going to say it’s vampires, but if you know this list, or even know this movie, you know what’s up.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Creator Mike Flanagan delivered an opus of horror and humanity in the Netflix limited series Midnight Mass. “Transformation” is the one word this story could be boiled down to, as the mysterious Father Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater) arrives on Crockett Island just as some interesting occurrences start to take shape. You can expect to be frightened, but don’t be surprised if you end up crying here and there.
Let The Right One In (2008)
A methodically haunting film, Let The Right One In is a vampire movie on its surface. As bullied loner Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) starts to strike up a friendship with Eli (Lina Leandersson), their deepening connection leads to an unintended web of death. But the more you look under the surface of author John Ajvide Lindqvist’s screenplay adapting his own book, the more you’ll see the subtle mix between the disturbing and the melancholic.
Angel (1999 – 2004)
It’s rare that a spinoff can pack as much of a punch as its predecessor, but Angel managed to do just that. The David Boreanaz-led offshoot from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was cut short at the end of Season 5, despite co-star James Marsters noting Angel’s huge audience spike. So if you’re ready for a noir-tinged L.A. adventure that ends rather abruptly, look no further.
Van Helsing (2004)
What do you do when you’ve landed two successful Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser? Well, if you’re director Stephen Sommers, you try your hand at the rest of the Universal Monsters universe in one fell swoop with a movie like Van Helsing. With Hugh Jackman playing a variant of the titular legendary vampire hunter, there are all sorts of creatures that he has to contend with; leading to an adventure that’s just as blood-pumping and hysterical as The Mummy.
Castlevania (2017 – 2021)
Netflix’s adaptation of the Konami video game Castlevania didn’t have to go that hard. And yet, the religious overtones and painted blood both flowed as Dracula himself tried to start a reign of terror in Romania. A terrific video game adaptation, and a hell of a cartoon, the legacy continues in a follow-up series, Castlevania: Nocturne.
The Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023)
It took decades for The Last Voyage of the Demeter to finally become a reality. Focusing on the chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in which the vampiric menace makes his crossing to England, this ensemble horror show is a beautiful slow burn. Audiences may not have dug this one upon initial release, but director André Øvredal’s richly drawn nightmare is ripe to be discovered by audiences in the mood for something underrated.
The Munsters (1964 – 1966)
Yes, The Munsters technically counts as a vampire show. With Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo) and Grandpa (Al Lewis) making up the fanged contingent of the family, their misadventures with the lovably dopey creature Herman (Fred Gwynne) made for a memorable TV sitcom. And to think, between the debuts of The Addams Family and Batman, network execs somehow thought there wasn’t room for this monstrous slice of life.
Blade II (2002)
People might see the first two Blade movies as interchangeable on a list like this. They’d be wrong, because while Wesley Snipes’ origin story in the Marvel Comics universe is impressive, Blade II really makes him sing. Director Guillermo del Toro not only got to sort of test out his vampires for The Strain through the designs of the Reapers, he also gave us scenes between Snipes and Ron Perlman that only make the action even more…exciting.
Being Human (2008 – 2013)
Can a ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf truly live together? That might sound like the setup to a joke, but the BBC series Being Human did ask, and answer, that very question through five seasons. With the vampire part of the equation being filled by John Mitchell (Aidan Turner) and later Hal Yorke (Damien Molony), creator Toby Whitehouse’s show would eventually be remade in the US, with none of the casting switch-ups of its source material.
Abigail (2024)
Radio Silence’s abilities with comedy and horror are cranked up and given fangs in Abigail. As a bunch of amateur kidnappers wander into a job where they have to grab and babysit a 12-year-old girl (Alisha Weir), the tables soon turn as this older-than-she-looks menace hunts her would-be captors. If you’re looking for more Kevin Durand vampire action, fans of The Strain should give this flick a spin.
Rosario + Vampire (2008)
Vampires can be rather cute if you write them the right way. The two-season anime adaptation of the manga Rosario + Vampire is one such project, as it follows young man Tsukune Aono who accidentally finds himself going to a monsters-only boarding school. Luckily for him, vampire girl Moka Akashiya helps him survive, as she’s not only friendly, but she also has a crush on our hero.
Vampires Vs. The Bronx (2020)
There are two huge reasons vampire fans should watch the ever-charming horror-comedy Vampires vs. The Bronx. The first one is obviously because of the fact that using gentrification as a metaphor for a vampiric conquest is pretty sharp. But another fantastic note to make is that this is a modern flick that establishes Blade as a sacred vampire text. So if you like Wesley Snipes’ Daywalker, this Netflix original is an easy option.
Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire (2022 – )
There is a lot of queer subtext that the movie adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire couldn’t fully dig into in the mid-’90s. So when AMC got its hands on the rights to reinterpret the entire book series, the new Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat (Sam Reid) were able to really sink their teeth into everything fans already knew about these undead foils.
Fright Night (2011)
It’s always amazing when a remake can stand on its own two feet, honoring its source while also doing its own thing. 2011’s revamped version of Fright Night is a beautiful case in point, especially when focusing on the villainous vampire Jerry Dandridge. Played by Colin Farrell, Jerry’s romantic melancholy is replaced with dude bro sociopath energy aimed at Anton Yelchin’s Charlie Brewster. Also, David Tennant’s Peter Vincent, heavily influenced by mid-aughts illusionist Criss Angel, is another deliciously R-rated note in this picture’s arsenal.
The Vampire Diaries (2009 – 2017)
If you mix in a little bit of Twilight with a touch of Supernatural and a heaping dose of Dracula, you’ve got the formula for The CW hit The Vampire Diaries. With two spin-offs and plenty of smoldering good looks from cast members like Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev, this is a pure example of what the network was known for in its heyday.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)
Kids need to be introduced to vampires at some point, and the Hotel Transylvania series is probably the best way to get youngsters acquainted with creatures of the night. But suppose you really want to go for the comedic gold. In that case, it’s recommended you watch Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, as it pits lonely widower Drac (Adam Sandler) against his would-be hunter/potential love interest Ericka (Kathryn Hahn)…the great-granddaughter of the Van Helsing (Jim Gaffigan.)
American Horror Story: Hotel (2015 – 2016)
The fifth season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story mixed two things that people can’t get enough of: murder hotels, and the creatures that run them. Acting as a web of mayhem, intrigue, and bloodletting orchestrated by the alluring Countess (Lady Gaga), things get as twisted and steamy as you’d expect from FX’s long-running masterpiece of fright.
Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is a movie you should absolutely not take seriously. Unless you take your low-budget musical horror comedies gravely serious; in which case continue as planned. Director Lee Demarbre and writer Ian Driscoll leave it all on the field in a picture that’s so absurd, that no synopsis would do it justice. You’ll just have to trust your heart, and The Lord, and this one.
NOS4A2 (2019 – 2020)
Author Joe Hill’s NOS4A2 is a twisted gem that father Stephen King is probably very proud of. Sharing similar sensibilities to his master of horror dad, vampire Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) hunts young children to stay immortal, and uses a sickly sweet Christmas village to do just that. Of course, with a seemingly psychic woman on his trail (Ashleigh Cummings), the playing field is a bit more evened out in this two-season scrap.
Vamp (1986)
If you’re heading out for a little bit of nightlife, you should always keep in mind where you’re headed. The young men at the heart of 1986’s Vamp didn’t get that warning, which is what leads them to the nightclub that introduces them to the enigmatic Katrina (Grace Jones). A night of fatal misadventure follows, as this After Hours style horror-comedy doesn’t let our protagonists off easy.
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