Best Ever Vampire Films

So what vampire movies do you lot like or consider the best? I haven't seen this thread done before so I thought i'd start the ball rolling.

Anyways, i've got two words for ya....Lost Boys.

There's a big ol' existing thread on the topic HERE.

And for the record, Near Dark kicks the crap out of The Lost Boys.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Best ever vampire film? That's hard to say, because I love the genre and I have a hard time choosing just one. I guess it depends on my mood. In any case, while I like The Lost Boys a lot, I don't think I would ever put it at the top of my list, mostly because I hate the ending; the filmmakers pretty much throw common sense and logic out the window.

Films that vie for the top honor, for me anyway:


Dracula (1931)
I know a lot of people don't care as much for this classic as they do for some other vampire flicks, but I really like it: although it is somewhat stagey, it has atmosphere to spare, Dwight Frye's portrayal of Renfield is positively delicious, and of course Bela Lugosi is the definitive Dracula.

others that rank near the top:


Near Dark
Two words: redneck vampires. Need I say more? I didn't think so.


Fright Night
I love this movie. I know, I know; it screams 1985, but all the characters are great, and it's one of the better examples of mixing horror and humor effectively.

That'll do for now. I'm sure other folks will come up with plenty more.

Near Dark and The Hunger are my two pics.

Having just seen it tonight, I can tell you that 30 Days of Night is most certainly *not* the best ever vampire film.

I don't think this is the best vampire film ever made, but I feel like throwing it out there because it never gets mentioned: Planet of the Vampires(1965). The film has great atmosphere for the most part, a grim super cool ending, and a good deal of gore.

__________________
Down The Rabbit Hole
Down A Dark Alley

Latest Movie Viewing: Wings (1927)
Latest Album Listened To: Honky Château, Elton John (1972)
Latest TV Show Viewed: Doctor Who

Fright Night
Near Dark
The Lost Boys

My three best 80s vampire films

__________________
Benjamin Blaize Conner
Independent Film Fan
Screenwriter

I would have to say-



the 'daddy of them all'... and still the most primally disturbing.

I forgot all about that flick stevo-great choice. The remake is also excellent as well.

Hate to say it but i've never been able to sit through Near Dark, i get bored with it.

__________________
James Sparrow's Rented Reviews!

The Reaping 7/10
Transformers 8.5/10
Flight of the Living Dead 6/10
The Invisible 6/10
Return to House on Haunted Hill 1/10
Planet Terror 8/10
A Mighty Heart 7/10

__________________
If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.

Johann von Goethe

So which vampire flicks do you like most?

Some of my favorites are (and yes, I know some of them are pretty bad... but I still like them) :

Nosferatu (1922)
Near Dark (1987)
Love at First Bite (1979)
Interview With a Vampire (1994)
John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Bram Stroker's Dracula (1992)
Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)
Dracula 2000 (2000)

__________________

From Dusk till Dawn. Cause it's QT mostly.

Are we including TV shows? cause that seems an important question whenever vampires are the topic.

__________________

And lo the whispering wanderer weeps
what whit to whom did my life keep?

Nope, vampire films only, please.

And...one more time folks: From Dusk 'till Dawn is NOT a Tarantino film. He didn't direct it, nor did he write the story, he just adapted the screenplay for the film and played a role in it. It's a Robert Rodriguez film, through and through...

__________________

Guy Maddin's film ballet: Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary is one of the most unique films I've seen.

Ah yes, the film that almost made me take a contract out on Neil Jordan. And no, I'm not some Anne Rice fanboy (never even flicked through one in an airport); it was just a bloody awful film from a director I previously thought could walk on water.

I'm more patient now - these days I'd just give him a Chinese burn.

__________________
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
1948.
This was a good movie.
I prefer humor being present when dealing with vampires.
They are much too dangerous otherwise.

__________________
"If you can't be funny be interesting."
Harold Ross

Lost Boys
Interview With a Vampire
30 Days of Night
Near Dark

Nosferatu
Interview With A Vampire
Salem's Lot

Does Love At First Bite count?

The best ever vampire performance was on TV with Jack Palance as Dracula. What I remember most about the performance is that Palance gets across the concept that there is the cold-blooded feel and smell of the grave about his Dracula. His Dracula was really a horrific demon with his own special brand of suffering. He exerts power over his victims but none go to him willingly because he's as repulsive as the corpse he is.