Setting the Bar

In order for you, dear readers, to take me seriously as a critic (though why you would do that I have no idea), you probably need to know where I'm coming from and what my favorite vampire films have been thus far.

All right then, you (hypothetically) asked for it! Here are my top five favorite vampire films, counted down and reviewed.

5. Blade II

Okay, this may seem like a strange choice. The Blade series is campy and more action "superhero" film than vampire, right? And on one hand I agree with you. However, this second film in the Blade series allowed Guillermo del Toro to really shine with the kind of creature visions he'd soon become known for. There is a secondary mutation of vampires that is authentically creepy and reminds me of a Ridley-Scott-style Alien more than a traditional vampire. However, the "classic" vampires are back too, and I like the idea that they must join forces with a hunter ("the enemy of my enemy is my temporary friend"), allowing Blade to  explore vampire clubs and culture.

We get a view of vampire political disagreements, how their clubs stay hidden, and what kind of relationships they have. While the first Blade movie was campy fun, this movie goes a lot deeper into the universe and the result is both intriguing and entertaining. Also, both Ron Perlman and kung fu star Donnie Yen are fantastic as members of the elite vampire mercenary team. It's still a bit silly and there is some truly terrible CG, but overall I really like this film. The story is fun vampire fantasy, and the tone is often a mix of goofy and darn right creepy.

4. The Lost Boys

Oh the movie that made vampires cool and sexy again. This movie is just a ton of nostalgic fun. Kiefer Sutherland vamping it up. Corey Feldman at near his most ridiculous.  The leather jackets. And oh, the 1980's hair. This was the movie where you wanted to be the vampires' groupies; they were just oh-so-cool in that 80's badboys kind of way. This movie was ahead of its time in its recreation of vampire aesthetics and myths, and it's definitely one of the best movies Joel Schumacher has ever done.

3. Nosferatu / Shadow of the Vampire 

Okay, I'm cheating here and calling number three a tie. How can I choose between one of the most influential and first vampire films of all time, and an amazing movie about the making of said film? The original Nosferatu is the gold standard of Dracula-style films and is authentically creepy in moments. The creature work is amazing and some of the camera choices are sophisticated for a film from the silent era. That said, Shadow of the Vampire is a truly original movie, a spooky and haunting imagining of the "real" story behind the iconic silent film. Willem Dafoe is unparalleled as method actor Max Schreck who plays the titular role in Nosferatu. However, Dafoe is not alone in an amazing and eclectic cast; John Malcovich, Udo Kier, Eddie Izzard, and Cary Elwes are all worth watching.

2. Let the Right One In  (Låt den rätte komma in)

This film is just amazing. Sad and sweet and horrifying. This film manages to be a truly unique take on vampires, while also developing a lovable human protagonist: Oskar, a young Swedish boy who is picked on mercilessly. As Oskar befriends his eternally-young vampire neighbor, the tone is both heart warming and suspensefully eerie. This film is very, very dark, which is especially impressive and masterful considering it is carried mostly by the two main child actors. Just a phenomenal and subtle film.

And my number one vampire movie pick is...

1. Interview with the Vampire

I think Let the Right One In is a technically better film, but nothing can beat the epicness and fun of this Anne Rice original. This is one of the only movies in vampire film history where essentially all the main characters are vampires, making the film not about the humans' struggles against the undead but instead what it is "truly" like to be a vampire. The result is melodramatic and angsty, but oh so entertaining. Brad Pitt is great as the moping Louis, but it's Tom Cruise who steals the show by chewing up the scenery (as well as Parisian prostitutes). The sets and costumes are gorgeous, the very young Kirsten Dunst as the vampire Claudia is quite impressive, and it's just a truly original take on vampires and how they exist in the world.

So, that's it! Those are my favorites by which I'll be comparing and judging all twenty of my summer films. Join me next time for #20 (aka, the review of the worst/most hilariously terrible film I saw this summer).

~ LK