Scary yet seductive, the vampire has inspired more fascination than just about any other creature in horror history. Ever since Bela Lugosi set the standard for sinister sophistication with his iconic performance in Tod Browning’s 1931 classic DRACULA, filmmakers have been relentlessly reimagining and redefining the vampire myth as a delivery system for primal fear, edgy eroticism, and potent social commentary. Glam lesbian vamps (DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS), blaxploitation bloodsuckers (BLACULA), pint-size Nordic Nosferatus (LET THE RIGHT ONE IN), and more are now all part of an ever-growing, multinational lore that will, truly, never die.
Directed by F. W. Murnau • 1922 • Germany
Starring Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
A landmark in the evolution of horror cinema, F. W. Murnau's hauntingly atmospheric adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" stars an iconic Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a nightmarish, spidery creat...
Directed by Carl Th. Dreyer • 1932 • France, West Germany
Starring Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel
With VAMPYR, Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer channeled his genius for creating mesmerizing atmosphere and austere, unsettling imagery into the horror genre. The result—a chilling film...
Directed by Stephanie Rothman • 1971 • United States
Starring Celeste Yarnall, Michael Blodgett, Sherry E. DeBoer
Toeing the line between exploitation and art cinema, Stephanie Rothman’s follow-up to her hit THE STUDENT NURSES deconstructs vampire mythology with a subversive feminist spirit and ...
Directed by Harry Kümel • 1971 • Belgium
Starring Delphine Seyrig, Danielle Ouimet, John Karlen
The vampire myth gets a disturbingly seductive psychosexual spin in one of the most exquisitely mesmerizing adult horror films ever made. International screen icon Delphine Seyrig stars as Elizabeth B...
Directed by Werner Herzog • 1979 • West Germany
Starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
It is 1850 in the beautiful, perfectly-kept town of Wismar. Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) is about to leave on a long journey over the Carpathian Mountains to finalize real-estate arrangements with ...
Directed by Jean Rollin • 1979 • France
Starring Franca Maï, Jean-Marie Lemaire, Brigitte Lahaie
Jean Rollin’s erotic masterpiece is often described as a vampire film—yet, more than nearly any other horror movie, its true subject is blood fetishism. Set in 1905, the story concerns a group of ari...
Directed by Jean Rollin • 1982 • France
Starring Marina Pierro, Françoise Blanchard, Mike Marshall
Catherine Valmont (Françoise Blanchard), a wealthy heiress dead before her time, is accidentally reanimated when some unfortunate movers attempt to store drums of chemical waste in the neglected bu...
Directed by Guillermo del Toro • 1993 • Mexico
Starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook
Guillermo del Toro made an auspicious and audacious feature debut with CRONOS, a highly unorthodox tale about the seductiveness of the idea of immortality. Kindly antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federi...
Directed by Guy Maddin • 2002 • Canada
Starring Wei-Qiang Zhang, Tara Birtwhistle, David Moroni
Beautifully transposing the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s interpretation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire yarn from stage to screen, Guy Maddin forges a sumptuous, erotically charged feast of dance, drama, ...
Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour • 2014 • United States
Starring Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi
The first Iranian vampire western, Ana Lily Amirpour’s mesmerizing debut feature blends the influences of spaghetti westerns, graphic novels, horror films, the Iranian New Wave, and Jim Jarmusch into a truly...
