It’s clear that we’re in the midst of a vampire renaissance on screen—it seems like lately, stories about the blood-sucking immortal beings are everywhere. This Christmas, Robert Eggers will bless us with his heavily hyped take on the 1922 silent German Expressionist vampire film Nosferatu, this time starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, and Lily-Rose Depp. Then, next year, we’ll be getting another Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan collaboration in the vampire-horror film Sinners, with Luc Besson’s Dracula: A Love Tale, starring Caleb Landry Jones, coming soon after. Add to that group a new “vampire Western” set to be filmed by Chloé Zhao (hopefully) sometime in the coming months.
So, in the meantime, why not settle in for some essential vampire stories of the past? To help prepare you for what promises to be a bloodthirsty 2025, we have assembled a list of the absolute best vampire films and TV shows to tune into, no matter what mood you’re in. From long-running series to binge with the whole family to misunderstood cult classic films that are overdue for re-examination, these are the ten vampire titles you should be tuning into this Halloween (and beyond):
When you want a spooky gothic romance: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Listen, I will not try to defend Megalopolis to you; while I did find bits of Francis Ford Coppola’s latest release to be enjoyable (even if somewhat unintentionally), I completely understand the derision this messy film has earned from the wider public. I will, however, climb to the mountaintop to sing the praises of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, another misunderstood release from the auteur behind classics like Apocalypse Now and The Godfather. Starring Gary Oldman as Dracula, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, and Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder as a soon-to-be-married couple whose relationship is put to the test when Dracula takes an interest in the latter, the 1992 film is a riveting work of gothic romance—and as its Oscar wins for Costume Design and Makeup can attest, an altogether visual delight. Now streaming on: Paramount+, Prime Video
When you want to laugh with vampires: What We Do in the Shadows (Seasons 1-7)
Sadly, this year marks the end of What We Do in the Shadows, FX’s Emmy-winning comedy about a group of vampires living in—and wreaking havoc throughout—Staten Island. Based on Taika Waititi’s equally funny 2014 mockumentary of the same name, this sitcom is silly and ridiculous, but also, in moments, genuinely heartfelt. The core quintet—three regular vampires, one “energy” vampire, and one familiar, played by Harvey Guillén in a scene-stealing role—have incredible chemistry, while the writers are some of the wittiest in the business. Vampires have never been this entertaining. Now streaming on: Hulu
When you want to binge a vampire show with the whole family: The Vampire Diaries (Seasons 1-8)
Just a couple years after Gossip Girl took the world by storm, The CW delivered another teen classic in The Vampire Diaries. But instead of focusing on wealthy Upper East Side teens, this one zeroed in on the residents of the creepy town of Mystical Falls. Starring a smoking-hot Paul Wesley and a fresh-off-Degrassi: The Next Generation Nina Dobrev as a 161-year-old vampire and the teenage girl he unwittingly falls in love with, this steamy drama took a spooky story about the supernatural beings lurking in our midst and grounded it in universal themes like family ties, forbidden love, and the loyalties we’re sometimes tempted to breach. Churning out a whopping 171 episodes without ever taking a huge dip in quality, The Vampire Diaries did what few teen shows have managed to do since: stay good until the bitter end. Now streaming on: Hulu, Peacock, MAX, Prime Video
When you want to binge a vampire show by yourself: True Blood (Seasons 1-7)
In the pilot for True Blood, a woman has sex with a jealous partner while watching a sex tape of herself with a vampire, another woman leaves her shift at a bar to follow a hot and mysterious vampire into the woods, and an elderly woman gets excited about the fact that a vampire might be able to tell her club some first-hand stories about life during the Civil War—and the show only gets crazier from there. Alan Ball’s drama about a town where vampires can buy “blood” over-the-counter but are still reviled by most citizens is the perfect embodiment of an early-aughts HBO show: compelling, horny, and well-written. But it’s also fun and campy; this is a world where humans who enjoy sex with vampires are referred to as “fangbangers,” after all. Now streaming on: Hulu, MAX
When you want to party with vampires: Blade (1998)
Wesley Snipes in Blade (1998)
Warner Bros
As someone who actually enjoys partying, it can sometimes be hard to buy into the fantasy of a movie party scene that doesn’t accurately capture the vibe and energy of a good night out. With Blade, however, that’s one problem you won’t have to worry about. Starring Wesley Snipes as the titular daywalker, Stephen Norrington’s film opens with a legitimately thrilling rave taking place in the secret backroom of a raw meat factory. It’s one of those scenes that lodges in your brain forever. (I remember, during an anniversary screening some time ago, watching as people in the theater got out of their seats to dance around to the throbbing techno beats.) But Blade is more than just that scene; a stylish revenge thriller about one man’s mission to avenge his slain mother, it’s one of the best “superhero” films of all time. So come for the rave. Stay for the rest. Now streaming on: Prime Video
When you want to snuggle in for an easygoing vampire flick: The Lost Boys (1987)
Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys (1987)
Warner Bros
Every teenager, at some point, wants to be bad. That’s half the premise of The Lost Boys, Joel Schumacher’s classic about a family who moves to a small town in California, only to discover that it is a hotspot for vampires. Focused primarily on two brothers, the film kicks into gear when Michael, the older of the two, becomes determined to join a biker gang full of self-proclaimed vampire hunters. A teen film about deception, obsession, and revenge, The Lost Boys is a gripping black comedy with an incredible cast (Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, and Dianne Wiest, just to name a few). There’s really no surprise that it went on to become a box office smash—and with a recent 4K restoration, there’s never been a better time to revisit. Now streaming on: Prime Video
When you want your vampires played by A-List stars: Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Kirsten Dunst and Brad Pitt in Interview With a Vampire (1994)
IMDB
For his adaptation of Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, the Oscar-winning director Neil Jordan brought together one of the best casts ever assembled: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, Antonio Banderas, and an 11-year-old Kirsten Dunst, in her breakout film role. Then, he placed them in a gothic world filled with delightful period costumes, creepy contacts, enough blood to re-color a river, and tons of barely concealed homoeroticism. Though parts of this sprawling narrative feel rushed, Interview with the Vampire has endured as a cult classic for good reason. Now streaming on: Hulu, Prime Video
When you want your vampires to be horny (and gay): Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (Seasons 1-2)
Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson and Bailey Bass in Interview With a Vampire
Few shows capture the inherent eroticism of vampires better than AMC’s Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Like the film bearing its same name, this show is based on Anne Rice’s celebrated series of novels about Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt, but unlike the film, this series turns all of Rice’s homoerotic subtext into outright text, telling a compelling story of two men whose codependency manifests in ways both toxic and undeniably romantic. One of the greatest television surprises of the last few years, this deliciously horny series has taken us from New Orleans to Romania to Paris across two seasons. And with a third season documenting Lestat’s stint as a world-renowned rockstar already in production for next year, there’s no reason to believe that we won’t keep being fed on this delectable blood. Now streaming on: Netflix, Prime Video
When you want your vampires to be horny (and lesbian): First Kill (Season 1)
Imani Lewis and Sarah Catherine Hook in First Kill
IMDB
From Romeo & Juliet to West Side Story, few narrative constructs are as enduring as two people from opposite worlds falling in love. Which is perhaps why First Kill, despite being unceremoniously canceled after only one season, found such a rabid fan base upon its release. A campy story about a teenage vampire and a teenage vampire hunter who fall in love despite being natural-born enemies, the series is an easy, enjoyable Saturday binge. Add to that its prominent queer storyline and centering of a Black family of crime-fighters and it’s easy to see why so many people found something worthwhile to latch onto. Part high school drama, part doomed romance, and part bloody horror story, First Kill is a bloody good time. The only problem is that there aren’t any more episodes to sate our bloodthirsty appetites. Now streaming on: Netflix
When you want your vampires to be so bad that they’re good: Underworld (2003)
Kate Beckinsale in Underworld (2003)
IMDB
Underworld, Len Wiseman’s action film about a war between vampires and Lycans (werewolves), wasn’t received well after its release. But that’s just proof that, sometimes, critics can be wrong. Following a vampire Death Dealer who, after falling for a human who is subsequently turned into a werewolf, must choose between fulfilling her duties and killing him or going against orders to save him, this action flick is a full-throttle ride through darkness. Still, the real reason to take a trip to the Underwold is Kate Beckinsale as the aforementioned Selene. Bringing the perfect amount of curiosity and sex appeal to a vampire whose skepticism leads her to discovering a secret operation most of her clan had written off as a bygone threat, the actress has almost never been better. No wonder Beckinsale and Wiseman both left their partners for each other after meeting on set. I mean, who can resist that? Now streaming on: Prime Video
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