Bela Lugosi IS Dracula! He was even buried in his black cape when he died. And Renfield´s laugh in that movie is a classic. Heh Heh Heh He Heh Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh

" the lost boys" or the original with bela

The best for me are:
1. Blade. Great fighting scenes. And Snipes was perfect for the role. And he looks just plain badass.
2. Underworld. Great cinematography.
3. Queen of the Damned. Soundtrack was the best.

How about Transylvania 6-5000?

Bram Stoker's Dracula THE BEST

Dear Sir/Madam

With regard to your poll as to which is the greatest vampire film ever made; as someone who has read many horror stories, horror comics,and seen many horror films, I would have to say Nosferatu.

Nosferatu was made/filmed in 1921, in I believe Germany, and was directed by FW Murnau. The actor who was in the starring role, was
Max Schreck. Max Schreck (who bears an uncanny resemblance to John Malkovich) played Count Orlok.

Many people will probably say many much more recent films should
nominated as the greatest vampire film, but considering that Nosferatu, was a silent film, made in 1921, it still makes compelling viewing, taking all that into consideration,l it has to be the greatest vampire film ever made.

yours

Christopher
(CW Kingwell)

Duhhh....where do you get "She"?

If you took the time to see the movie, no matter how boring it is to read the text during the film, its a BOY!

It's is actually a love story of 2 individuals who happen to be both males.

This movie was amazing! So artsy and bleak – and so real. I beleive Eli is the master manipulator – but that will vary from person to person. See it!

The original Dracula remains the best vampire movie ever

Recently rented it, my 14 yr old saw it 3 times! It was very good. Dark, & disturbing but well worth the watch, EW recommened it, also. That is how I found out about it. It leaves Twilight in the dust!

Night watch – Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

i loved this movie because it was so different. bravo for writing something about it.

Interview with the Vampire. Too bad Tom, Brad and the rest of recurring characters wouldn't return to make the prequel and 2 sequels. Queen of the Dammed was a horrible rendition of Anne Rice's version.

Let the Right One In is a great movie, but for Interview with the Vampire is still the best on its genre...

Being a Swede, I suppose my vote for Best Vampire Movie Ever ought to go to "Let the Right One in", however: Neil Jordan's almost forgotten masterpiece "Interview with the Vampire" puts all the rest to shame. A both grandiose and intimate study in the depressing horror of being forced to live forever and prey on others, with (to some, surprisingly) excellent work from Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Not to mention Kirsten Dunst.

"Let The Right One In" is a great movie, but be forewarned that Magnet Releasing has changed the subtitles for the home video releases (both DVD and Bluray), resulting in a lot of scenes that don't play as well as they did in the theater. The company is going to revert back to the better translation for all upcoming copies of the movie, but fans who have already purchased the movie are completely stuck as Magnet is refusing to accept exchanges for the fixed version.

I think that "Dracula" starring Frank Langella was my favorite of all time. Bram Stoker's Dracula is second.

The greatest vampire movie ever...Bram Stoker's Dracula. Gary Oldman is the perfect vampire.

While 'Let the Right One In' was an excellent movie in its own way, the packaging is nothing but false advertisement. The acting is incredible for a film done almost entirely with child actors, and Eli makes the perfect little vampire. My only problem with this film is that it is marketed as a horror movie. If anything it's a cut and dry vampire movie with some scenes edging on hilarity (cat attack anyone?). You'll think about it while you watch it and forget it shortly afterwards.

That's easy, Twilight!

I'd have to go with Bram Stoker's Dracula. Gary Oldman was fantastic and it tries its best to follow the historical accuracy of Vlad the Impaler. After all, he is supposed to be the originator of it all.

Just my 2 cents...

My favorite vampire movie is 30 days of night ..I love the graphic novel as well

The best vampire movie was the 1979 version of Dracula, with Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier...respectively portraying the Prince of the Undead and his arch nemisis Van Hesling.

The Hunger is my favorite and then coming into a close 2nd is the sexy Frank Langella in Dracula (1979)!!

I think, Bram Stokers, Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is pretty damn good, but I don't think, the "best" Vampire movie has even been made yet. Hopefully, the powers that be, won't screw up, The Historian, when that gets the Hollywood treatment. The book is awesome! If you like Vampires, you should pick it up.

Cheers,
Xander

Underworld: Rise of the Lykens.

do not watch this movie. waste of time. other than a few gory moments it was awful. so slowwww....

I am so glad you are shinning a light on this great movie. It was my favorite film of last year, and the best vampire movie I've ever seen. Yes... in a time when TWILIGHT is all the rage... LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a far superior story and movie. The child actors that played both Oskar and Eli are amazing. It takes a lot for me to like a foreign film – but everyone once in a while a movie transcends boundaries... and is a classic. This is such a movie.

This movie is already in my top 3 favorite vampire-themed movies I think. Chilling, subtly brutal and near-perfect!

The original "Night Stalker" TV movie with Carl Kolchak was pretty darn good. "Interview with a Vampire" the most elaborate.

There are no "grizzly murders" in Let The Right On In. No bears were harmed during the making of this film. There are, however, "grisly" murders.

You are correct in praising this. It's stellar. Fangoria heaped praise on it last year, and Newsweek's David Ansen picked it as his #1 movie of 2008. Viewers may wish to wait a bit before picking up the present DVD; make sure that your subtitles say "theatrical" behind them. The first translation is different from what you saw in theatres, and is bad; the second translation will be the theatrical subtitles.

I saw this movie last year and loved it. The storytelling was great and Artic winter really comes through. I wasn't prepared for the gore, but like the article says, that's kind of the point. Rent it!

My two favorite vampire movies of all time are From Dusk Till Dawn and The Lost Boys.

*SPOILERS*
All the reviews I've read of this movie talk about how touching a story it is, but I think it really is a very evil story. People forget the older man who is with Eli as caretaker at the beginning of the story. You get the idea that he has been with her quite a while until the time of the movie.

What you are supposed to realize at the end is that she has played this manipulation over and over. It is her modus operandi: She finds a young, week, susceptible boy, manipulates them into caring for her, and then uses them as caretakers for her the rest of their days. There's really nothing sweet about it. She is a predator, and lures these boys through both emotional and sexual seduction.

Either way, it truly is an amazing movie, and probably better than any of the best picture nominees.

Bram Stroker's Dracula

This is a fantastic film, and one of the last scenes (in the swimming pool) is one of the best I've ever seen – it is certainly one people will be talking about for years to come. I can't believe the last paragraph was included in this post/review, though. I think it's pretty pathetic that the author gave away the grizzly and grim reality of what might be happening – a completely unnecessary spoiler.

Horrible movie! Great plot but no good enough. The movies is slow and the characters voices don't match well enough. The little boy Oskar sounds like a little girl and Eli sounds like an old woman. I did not enjoy this movie and do not recommend anyone else watching it. It is a pure waste of time.

I loved this movie and I had the same feeling...that maybe she was just manipulating this kid to replace the older man she was with.

Then I read the book.

Ordinarily, I won't read translations, seems like viewing someone else's copy of a painting, but I made the exception.

Having now read the book, I think back on the movie and I can see that there were things that they hinted at that I did not pick up on.

Even if you ignore the whole vampire thing, she still isn't what she seems.

By far, Interview With the Vampire, with The Lost Boys coming in a close second.

My vote is for Dawn (2003), a rare indie flick that's the most thoughtful vampire film since George Romero's Martin. It concerns a 10 year old girl vampire who is on the run with her human father. It's in black and white and is more a noir-like drama than a horror movie, like a bloodsucking Paper Moon (maybe Paper Cut). The actors are real people who do a great job and it was made for nothing by a legally blind dishwasher from a small town in Texas. It was show a few years ago as part of a monthly Texas indie series at the Dallas Angelika. It is gritty, creative and touching, sort of what I'd imagine a Jim Jarmusch vampire flick would be like.

Just saw this on DVD.... best horror film in years, intelligent and beautiful but not lacking a visceral punch. Why can't the US make films this good anymore?

As a fan of the vampire movie, I wanted to like this. And I did like some aspects of it. I thought the story was original and interesting. However, the direction and innate "Swedishness" of it were disconcerting. The excruciatingly drawn out shots of the frozen landscape made me wonder why everyone in Sweden doesn't kill themselves. The actors seem to have been given the "act odd" command in every scene. Overall – it was good enough to sit through, but it felt more like 4 hours than 2.

The best vampire flick in my opinion is Bram Stoker's Dracula... LOVED IT!

"let the right one in" very strange but excellent movie = nice shocks and a good story makes it a great DVD to watch.

Best Vampire movie is: Well not sure on that but to cheat a bit i go with Buffy The Vampire Slayer = TV series. Has good writing, action, comedy, horror, etc. Everything one good want in good vampire stories.
:)

Night of Dark Shadows. Wonderful garbage, badly acted straight from the tv series. Hilarious and timeless.

this movie was amazing. truly original and distrubing and so complicated. really great to see it getting some mainstream attention.

Tough one. Not going back to Lugosi, I like Bram Stoker's Dracula and Interview with the Vampire. Lost Boys was a lot of fun to watch and so was Blade (at least the first two) but they were action movies and not as serious as the other two. There's one about a family of vampires from the 80's but I can't remember the name of it. I think they drove around in a station wagon with tinted windows. Anyone know it?

My favorite vampire is not in the movies, but on the HBO series "True Blood". There are vampires of EVERY description, and non-vampires of every description, and the fun is figuring out who among both groups are the "good" guys, and who are the bad guys, because it isn't always obvious.

From a movie standpoint, the most stylish vampire to me is still Bran Stoker's Dracula, starring Gary Oldman. The most sympathetic is still Brad Pitt's doomed Louis and Kirsten Dunst's Claudia. And the creepiest is just about the oldest, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, made in 1929.

John Carpenter's Vampires.

Blade is my favorite vampire movie. Actually all three in the Blade series are great.

is SHE?????

"And the underlying question is: is she really a victim or is she an arch-manipulator who is grooming Oskar to be her human caretaker?"

Would a vampire know the difference?

Twilight.....of course!

I am a big fan of vampire flicks and was very impressed with "Let the Right One In"...very well acted, original and thoughtful story. Definately a worthy addition to the genre. As for greatest vampire movie ever?? Tough question....I really thought "30 Days of Night" was a great movie...LOVED the concept of Alaskan townsfolk being trapped and consumed in 30 days of darkness! "From Dusk til Dawn" was another great vampire movie from the twisted minds of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, comic and gory...."Interview with the Vampire" always stands out because of Kirsten Dunst's stunning performance.....I can say that the greatest vampire ever was Christopher Lee...grew up watching him and have to say that thinking of him as Count Dracula still gives me the willies!!!

Just saw this movie. Great story. Well done but English dubbing is badly acted. Almost ruins movie. Recommend subtitles.

Best Vampire movie is Nosferatu which scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. The HBO series "True Blood" is also an exceptional production and I can't wait for season 2. "Let the Right One In" is certainly a great vampire film and will probably go down in history as one of those rare films that takes the road less traveled. Very dreery, cold and dark with surprises at every turn. The ending totally kicks @ss!

The film, Let the Right One In, addresses the genre with a emotional component missing from many cinematic works that deal with the undead. I noted that the article didn't mention Twilight, a movie that has been derided by many critics who fall into two categories; they ignore Twilight's superior production values and dismiss it as a chick flick or they look down upon the young adult novel it was orginally adapted from. Twilight is a good vampire film and certainly a better adaptation of the original novel than was The Hunger and Interview With The Vampire

Let the Right One In is an excellent film, probably the finest of the genre but that being said, the screenwriter, John Ajvide Lindqvist who also wrote the book, had to remove some of the more unpalatable aspects of his novel for the transition to film.

I also admire Nosferatu, the little seen Vampyre and parts of the original Dracula – still my favorite vampire film after Let the Right One In was produced by the BBC in 1977 with Louis Jourdan in the title role. It was filmed on 16mm and video tape but still manages to scare.

More discussions of the vampire genre can be found at http://www.vampirefilmfestival. com

"The Insatiable" (starring gorgeous Charlotte Ayanna). Great character study of a vampire (Ayanna), who is as much victim as monster, and the relationship with her drifting-through-mediocrity human captor.

Also enjoyed "The Fearless Vampire Hunters" (with slain actress Sharon Tate) as a brilliantly campy comedy/drama (along the veins of Rocky Horror).

Best vampire movie–"Fright Night" was good because it hewed so closely to the legends. The classic "Nostafrau" was scary as a vampire movie should be. Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" (first version) was very nearly perfect.
The new crop of vampire lore has developed into pablum with fangs. These are long-lived dead things–you can't put them in a bathtub and warm them up in order to breed with them (ala Laura K. Hamilton) and the likelihood of them falling in love with a shallow teenager is zero (ala "Twilight").

Scariest Vampire movie: Nosferatu
Sexiest Vampire movie: Dracula with Frank Langella - he can hang his cloak in my closet anytime.

“The Insatiable” (starring gorgeous Charlotte Ayanna). Great character study of a vampire (Ayanna), who is as much victim as monster, and the relationship with her drifting-through-mediocrity human captor.

Also enjoyed Roman Polanski's “The Fearless Vampire Killers” (with slain actress Sharon Tate) as a brilliantly campy comedy/drama (along the veins of Rocky Horror).

This sounds good. Still, it will be hard to beat Near Dark. That movie really changed the way vampires were treated in movies. It touched on so many themes that were later developed into other stories and movies about vampires.

Let the Right One In is an incredible film!!.. provided you are watching the Swede version, with subtitles. English dub is horrendous... I had to go back and watch it again with subtitles and was not disappointed.

I will keep an eye out for this Tomas Alfredson in the future.. great stuff.

Nosferatu is best vampire movie thus far.

I saw this movie back in November when it first rolled through Va Beach. What a fantastic movie. The interaction between the two children (well, one is a Vampire who is actually quite ancient) is amazing. Rent it!!

Now THIS looks like an interesting vampire movie. Then again, after enduring the dreck that is Twilight, even the Count from Sesame Street seems like a great vampire.

I watched this "movie" on the recommendation of a friend of mine. She told me that it was even better than Twilight. We rented it, sat down with high expectations, only to be bored to tears. I understand teen angst. I understand that falling in love, even with a vampire, is a beautiful thing. But holy cow! This movie just went on and on and on. Finally my wife almost begged me to turn it off. I've read a lot of articles lately singing the praises of this movie. Personnaly, I just don't get the hype.

I worry that you gave away the most important part of the movie with your question at the end!

This one's an obvious allegory for credit default swap traders.

Am I the only person who thinks this movie is overrated? I found it innovative but terribly uneven. The one element that worked particularly well was the sex and gender dynamic. The boy is effeminate and the girl/vampire claims to be "not really a girl." I think the use of vampire mythology as a metaphor for the intersex occurrence is clever. I just wish the filmmakers hadn't overstepped their budget with some extremely unrealistic, albeit gruesome, imagery and special effects.

Eli, however, is a castrated boy. Just FYI. Though certainly, the movie leaves that as an ambiguous note.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT SEE THE AMERICAN DVD OR BLUE RAY RELEASE OF THIS FILM!!!

"Let the Right One In" is, for me, the best vampire movie ever. It truely reflects what life would be like if vampires existed.
It is human, touching, tragic, and fresh. all at the same time.
A genius of a movie – many unforgettable scenes. Make sure you see it.
Mark

Brahm Stoker's Dracula:

Gary Oldman really showed the audience what he was capable of in this movie. From a believeable accent to lines that any hopeless romantic would remember for years, his performance was something to cherish.
"I have crossed oceans of time to find you."

This was a love story that did not hide the gore. Dracula is shown to be a demonic monster addicted to death and blood. The human side still remains buried under the layers and decades of hatred. Love for another can bring out the human even in the most lost.

Thanks for the tip on this new story it sounds like quite a twist on the old vamp movie.

This is one of the best vampire films that has been released in a very long time, and if you can manage to get an original copy of the film with the original theatrical release subtitles intact, then please do see this film. Otherwise you are cheating yourself from a great movie experience. When the film was purchased for American DVD and Bluray release the original subtitles were dumbed down for American release and the nuanced story between the two main characters is totally lost on this version. Do yourself a favor and find a screener or buy a foreign copy so you can really get into the depth of what takes place in this story. Again, GREAT FILM. Terrible new subtitles!

My top 5 are probably:

5) Dracula (1931) . I think other versions are better made (just think of the money Coppola invested in his version.But Bela Lugosi is the best Dracula.

4) Hour of the Wolf. It´s Igmar Bergman and, quite frankly there´s no blood sucking involved. But it certainly feels like a vampire movie to me.

3) Shadow of a Vampire (2000) One of the best what-if premises I've ever seen. What if the actor hired by Murnau for his classic film hadr really been a vampire? Willem Dafoe was great!

2) Salem´s Lot (1979) – really a TV movie but very very chilling.

1) Murnau´s Nosferatu. Just plain weird and wonderful.

Francis Ford Coppola's re-telling of the classic Dracula by Bram Stoker ... of course!

I just watched this movie last week – I actually found it to be scarier than American vampire movies that show as much gore as possible. The first murder is mostly shielded from us and the unknown is what makes this movie creepy and effective. It's not for those people out there with short attention spans, but give this movie a try (even though I think it's been a tad over rated by the critics).

"Horror of Dracula" made by the UK's Hammer Films studio in the late 50's featuring Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing stands the test of time as the greatest vampire movie ever filmed.

Dracula

Twilight definitely takes the cake for best vampire movie ever!

Love this movie!

It takes you on an unexpected ride through the whole register of emotions.

Recommended!

This was definitely an intriguing film and while perhaps not as good as it could have been, it was still better than most in the vampire genre that I've seen.

Kudos to Eli. She has a long career ahead of her.

TWILIGHT!!

Before you check out this film on DVD, you may want to check out this article:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=8400

Might want to wait a bit.

Viewers may be confused by a scene where you see a scar on Eli and flashes to an older face that looks oddly male.

Best vampire pool scene ever...or first.

I would say that "Near Dark', the 1987 film was superb, and the recent '30 Days of Night' (2007) was pretty good, and so was 'Interview with the Vampire' (1994). But the best ever vampire film for me would have to be 'Nosferatu' in 1922. That portrayed the vampire as repellant and evil.
Too bad that Hollywood cannot make decent vampire films that often, as there are some fantastic books of vampires just waiting to be made properly; such as Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot', Richard Matheson's 'I am Legend', Richard Laymon's 'The Stake', Dan Simmon's 'Carrion Comfort', etc.

The greatest vampire movie ever? Is there any question? No need for titles or directors. Vampire lore was forever changed by a Dracula that crossed oceans of time to find a Lucy that falls in love with him.

Twilight !!!!

Has there ever been a more seductive vampire than Catherine Deneuve? The Hunger

Bram Stoker's Dracula really gives me the creeps.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) the funniest dracula movie!!!

i loved interview with the vampire because it had drama :D

Life Force. A hot, alien, vampire sudectress from outerspace. Unbeatable.

Best vampire movie, it's hard to nail down a list it all depends on a readers view of a vampire; are they the classic black cloaked villans or are they a misunderstood race of creatures. So I, as a official horror movie freak will list my top 5.

1. Dusk Till Dawn – Hip and fast paced, great cast
2. Near Dark- Classic, Bill Paxton is great
3. Blade II- The mutated vampire junkies rocked
4. Underworld- Sexy and dark, very well made
5. 30 Days of Night – A+ plot, great images with the blood on snow

an Honorable mention goes out to Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstien...IMO one of the best monster/comic films made. You can't go wrong with classic horror icons and Abbott and Costello.

Thirty days of nights, broke the thinking about vampires in a 24 hour mode. But, I like amny others as well.

I think that Let The Right One In is the best vampire film to date, it is utterly captivating.

"The Fearless Vampire Slayers," by Roman Polanski

This movie goes far beyond the traditional vampire genre film.

What this film maker has done – quite poetically – is translate a part of a print text onto the screen which says more about the agony of puberty than any other film ( aside from the Korean film Hansel and Gretel) that I have ever seen.

In this movie, it isn't the monsters who are scary. It is the useless and exploitative adults who mask their foibles in the guise of "concern".

See the movie. Then read the book. I dare you to remember your own puberty afterward as anything more than a very dangerous walk through very dark woods.

When you look at this movie through the lens of youth culture, it is apparent that the gap between the "twilight"' version of coming of age ( and one which is wildly successful) and the much grittier truth that our children navigate is so vast as to seem, almost, insurmountable.

But Eli and Oskar survive. Most of us do survive. And try like hell to forget that we were ever those children.

Bram Stoker's Dracula – An excellent portrayal of the iconic vampire character, though with the added dimensions of personal conflict and love. The movie also was a quite scary at times.

Does no one edit their work these days? "But, remember, Eli is a very, very old".... what? Girl? Sex addict? Elementary school drop out? Or did you mean to drop the "a" before "very, very". Either way you should really re-read your writing at least once before hitting the "send" button.

I apologize for being a very, very detail oriented.

Nosferatu was the first, and the most iconic. Near Dark was an eye-opener when I first saw it. I will buy Let The Right One In when it comes out!

I think interview with a vampire if not the best is at least one of them..

Fright Night (1985) was a classic. Elegant, handsome vampire, “fearless” vampire slayer, decent music (for the period) and just enough gore to keep it tasteful. Ginger Snaps (2000) was also a beauty even though it was more werewolf than vampire. Here the notions of lycanthropy and puberty are all meshed into one. My all time favorite however has got to be Night Stalker (1974) with Karl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) where a vampire terrorizes Las Vegas. The notion that the vampire stole blood from the blood banks in order to avoid detection was a masterpiece.

Blades first apppeared in comics in July 0f 1973. The movies were based on the comics and there was no ideas taken from a movie made in 1987. If any thing the movie took its ideas from the Blade comics.

I never understood the "sexy" or the "romantic" in the vampire movies...What is sexy about your blood being sucked from your neck, which must hurt really bad...So my vote goes to movies like Blade and 30 days of night....

I saw this movie – it was really good – different. The greatest Vampire movie ever? Hmmm – Christopher Lee used to scare the begeesus out of me when I was 12 but I think the greatest was the first that started the movie genre – Nosferatu – the silent film. During the time it was made nothing else like it had ever been done before.

I've seen most. The one that gave me a real scare was Bram Stoker's Dracula. I watched it alone in the dark – not a good idea!!

there are scores of vampire flicks ranging from dramatic to outrageous, sensual to gory, and nearly everything in between.

lets not forget about The Lost Boys and 30 Days of Night

Nosferatu (1922) and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 )

She is a HE, and HE is a pedophile!

Hey, what about Christopher Lee?

Forget the movies! Ahead of the pack was "Barnabas Collins" on tv's Dark Shadows series.

Forget the movies–ahead of the pack was "Barnabas Collins" on Dark Shadows. Great TV series!

Bella IS Dracula... Bram Stokers was great, Lost Boys, Queen of the Damned, Blade are good movies too

Interview with the Vampire. Definitely.

Have not seen 'Let the Right One In' yet.

I was never a huge vampire fan, though I would recommend to anyone who likes vampire stuff to check out these three:

'Martin' by George Romero from 1977. Very different take on the modern day vampire and full of all sorts of irony and satire.

I think Near Dark is a good, under rated film from the mid-80's.

Also, 'Let's Scare Jessica To Death' is from the early 70's and I would call that a great, atmospheric vampire film, even though it lacks overt vampirism (i.e. no bats, capes, fangs, coffins, etc.).

Of course, non of these films has CGI or big budget explosions for those that may require these things.

1978 Nosferatu Der Phantom der Nacht by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski and Isabelle Adjani. Music and ambiance make it unique.

An outstanding vampire flick is Werner Herzog's rendition of "Nosferatu", released in 1979.

Dance of the vampire is also a good horror movie!

Good day!
Really good post
Thank you!