How do you explain our collective fascination with vampires? Well, in spite of the terrible curse that they must endure, these undead bloodsuckers have some attributes to which almost anyone can relate - and sometimes envy. Vampires live forever, but are mostly hated (or at least misunderstood). They are usually sophisticated and seductive, but must prey on the living to survive. With Halloween right around the corner, we at RT thought it was high time to pay tribute to those legions of the undead that have won the critics' approval, from Dracula to Twilight.
Not all vampire movies follow the same conventions -- you don't see Twilight's Edward Cullen turning into a bat. However, we've laid down a set of ground rules for our list. Each film included here has at least 20 reviews, and they're ranked utilizing a weighted formula that takes Tomatometer ranking, number of reviews, and year of release into account. That means some films (like Carl Theodor Dreyer's classic Vampyr) seem to be ranked lower then the Tomatometer would indicate. And although some selections included here (like I Am Legend) may seem to stretch the criteria, they still maintain the classic trappings of vampire lore, from blood-drinking to a distaste for sunny days. So put away your mirrors, fix yourself a garlic-free meal, and settle in for our list of the 25 best-reviewed vampire movies of all time!
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De Alpha Trigga writes: on Oct 27 2009 04:24 PM *** twilight....blade..wtf happened to that series i have yet to hear any news on it, or wesley snipes..wtf happened to him? (Reply to this) |
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Bigbrother writes: on Oct 27 2009 04:31 PM I can actually find very little fault in this list and am pleasantly surprised to see Near Dark and Fright Night so well represented. If I was one of those people who HAD to nitpick, I'd like to see Coppola's Dracula and The Lost Boys a smidge higher and John Carpenters Vampires, but it's really more of a guilty pleasure. (Reply to this) |
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Kyle H. writes: on Oct 27 2009 04:39 PM Twilight shouldn't be on there!Vampires don't sparkle in the sun!SPARKLE SPARKLE! (Reply to this) |
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Bigbrother writes: on Oct 27 2009 04:40 PM In reply to this comment (#2556362) Blade Trinity wasn't very good, Wesley Snipes is getting old and the IRS decided to get those pesky taxes he wasn't paying. (Reply to this) |
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ledawg1138 writes: on Oct 27 2009 04:54 PM In reply to this comment (#2556367) I thought they DIED in the sun! (Reply to this) |
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GST writes: on Oct 27 2009 04:54 PM I am VERY pleased with this list. VERY. Hell, I don't even mind Twilight on here. Personally, I never liked The Lost Boys, and I consider it near equivalent to Twilight in teen idiocy. So I'm sure, in time, Twilight will have near the same rating as The Lost Boys, thanks to mindless nostalgia. I haven't seen near half of these, too, and even then I don't mind. Especially if Guillermo Del Toro is in there... Anyway, I am absolutely thrilled at number one. Nosferatu IS THE BEST vampire film. Ever. I have yet to see one that beats it. While it is not a scary film per-se, it is a haunting one. Its symbolism is so powerful, its colors and atmosphere so dreadful and creepy, and Max Shreck... (good lord! That make up is still frightening to this day), all it can do is linger... and haunt. I love it. And it shows how vampires should be. Vampires shouldn't me romantic, and if they are, only to further their own needs. They should cold blooded (no pun intended) killers. Because that's what they were in old myth, and that's what they were when Dracula was first published. (Reply to this) |
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Skelerax V. writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:01 PM Man, f*** this list. (Reply to this) |
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JohnnyJonJon writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:02 PM Great list! It's nice to see a grand assortment of films represented here. It would have been cool to have Dracula: Dead and Loving It, though! "She's dead?!" "She's Nosferatu." "She's Italian?!" (Reply to this) |
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Tyrant writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:05 PM Good list...except for Twilight. (Reply to this) |
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King Kubrick writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:14 PM In reply to this comment (#2556373) I agree with Nosferatu being the superlative vampire film. Also Let the Right One in deserves its station: probably the greatest modern vampire film although I've yet to see Herzog's Nosferatu. This is the most impeccable list Rotten Tomatoes has ever assembly. I have no qualms. Well except for twilight. Anyone who condones that idiocy can spend eternity scorched in the lake of fire. @Gst while I can't refute your claim about the teen idiocy of the lost boys, I can say it does what twilight can't; it's a pop culture and gothic medley executed with panache and exuberance. Highly entertaining and infinitely quotable. Also it captures a performance from the two coreys before they went insane. "Death by stereo!" "Garlic don't work sucker" (Reply to this) |
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MADDAZ writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:15 PM I would've had Interview with a Vampire higher on the list. Crack up Kyle H. but you are definately right about Twilight. They should"ve called it Sparkle. (Reply to this) |
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BLaCKWoLF2009 writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:20 PM In reply to this comment (#2556372) @ ledawg - Lol when will you learn that no matter how many legends, books and movies have clearly established that vampires get either burnt, turned to dust or simply annihilated as soon as they get exposed to any amount of sunlight, there are always those super special vampires from Twilight that are far and above any previous vampires ever known. A more accurate description would be that Edward is exactly like Blade but he cant fight, doesn't know how to use any weapons and his skin is apparently made up of diamonds..... (Reply to this) |
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Bigbrother writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:21 PM In reply to this comment (#2556373) Agreed, Nosferatu is up there with the original Wolfman and Phantom of the Opera as my favorite classic horror movies. I realize it's virtually sacrilege to ignore Whale's Frankenstein movies, but I love the book so much the movies never quite lived up to it for me. Also glad to see Lee and Cushing get some acknowledgement for thier classic partnership once again proving that the best actors are able to shine and make us believe in anything. Cushing is still the definitive Van Helsing for me. (Reply to this) |
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Mark A. writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:24 PM twilight shouldn't be on this. That's a given. What about Count Yorgan and the Hammer films Draculas? They're a lot better than some of the garbage on this list. (Reply to this) |
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Mark A. writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:25 PM In reply to this comment (#2556386) i meant count yorga (Reply to this) |
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Bigbrother writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:26 PM In reply to this comment (#2556383) Actually Dracula, the archetype for the modern vampire was able to walk in daylight as were to a certain extent Vampire in Anne Rice books and Blade with the assistance of Sunblock which to me is way more insulting to the intelligence than Diamond skin and as New Moon will show you Edward is quite able to take care of himself. Let's not forget in Twilight the girl vampire rips the head off another vampire with her bare hands. Just sayin. (Reply to this) |
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Bigbrother writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:32 PM In reply to this comment (#2556386) The Horror of Dracula is a Hammer Dracula film. That's my favorite one actually, and it's kinda hard to argue with only the one since the things that make any Hammer film great are pretty much the same in all of them. Don't get me wrong, I love them but they are very similar stylistically. (Reply to this) |
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tomwaitsjr writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:50 PM I've seen all of these, and I like Herzog's the best. It's a meditation of sorts. Definately not for those with short attention spans. (Reply to this) |
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Gavin B. writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:52 PM Yay, Nosferatu is in it's rightful place. (Reply to this) |
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Bigbrother writes: on Oct 27 2009 05:53 PM In reply to this comment (#2556397) Credit to Herzog for having the brass ones to try to re-make Nosferatu and even more credit for mostly succeeding. (Reply to this) |
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