The undying fascination with vampires has prompted countless modern horror movies and TV series, from the divisive Twilight saga to the neverending Vampire Diaries and its spin-off, and from modern classics like Interview with the Vampire and From Dusk till Dawn to the action-packed comic book adaptations like Blade and Morbius. With so many big titles to choose from, some less-known but great movies can get easily overlooked.
Modern vampire cinema mostly diverged into two directions — the bloodsoaked and gory monster movies the likes of 30 Days of Night and I Am Legend and the romance-infused tales with brooding, tormented heartthrobs like Twilight and most versions of Dracula. It’s rare that a vampire film takes a different direction and offers a new take on the topic — these 5 underappreciated gems do just that and are worth the attention of any genre fan.
Cronos (1993)
Before Guillermo del Toro enchanted the cinematic world with his complex and visually-stunning fantasy films like Pan’s Labyrinth and Academy Award-winning The Shape of Water, he caught the audience’s attention with this debut gory and intelligent vampire flick. Cronos centers on an elderly and somewhat religious antique dealer, Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi), who comes across an ancient scarab-shaped mechanical device that infuses him with a mysterious serum. Jesús discovers that the solution granted him eternal life and the return of his youth but also cursed him with a thirst for blood and other vampiric attributes like the aversion to sunlight. With the help of his granddaughter, he must find a way to reverse the curse while keeping the scarab out of the hands of a wealthy, dying businessman and his thuggish nephew.
Del Toro’s clever horror film offered a refreshing take on the growing stale vampire genre, put the Mexican director on the map, and set the tone for his upcoming original movies, including a more Hollywood-centric vampire feature — Blade II.
Fright Night (2011)
The original 1985 Fright Night starred Chris Sarandon and was directed by Tom Holland (no connection to the young web-shooting MCU superhero). It gained cult status, and many fans were cautious about the 2011 remake, questioning its necessity. However, Craig Gillespie’s film offered a surprisingly intelligent, funny, and excellently gory take on the topic, backed by a superb cast, impressive visual effects, and a perfect mix of laughs and scares. The movie follows Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin), who discovers that his next-door neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. With the death count rising in the neighborhood, he seeks reluctant help from a Las Vegas entertainer and self-proclaimed vampire expert, Peter Vincent (David Tennant). Together, they must confront Jerry and race against time to save Charley’s captured and turned best friend and girlfriend.
Fright Night might have sacrificed some of the original’s suspense but fully made up for it in visceral action, dark humor, and terrific performances. Rather than trying to replicate and simply retell Holland’s story, the remake offers an utterly fresh take, using the original as inspiration and creating an excellent vampire horror-comedy that proudly stands on its own.
Martin (1977)
The iconic Night of the Living Dead might be considered George A. Romero’s lasting legacy and an undisputed horror classic, but it is this bizarre and gruesome underappreciated ‘70s vampire movie that was reportedly the director’s personal favorite. On top of that, Martin marked the first instance of Romero’s collaboration with a special effects maestro, Tom Savini. The movie follows a troubled young man (John Amplas) who believes himself to be an Old World vampire, even though resistant to the traditional repellants like religious symbols, garlic, and sunlight.
Instead of romanticizing Martin’s nature, Romero presents him as a confused, tormented, and depressed man, leaving the question of his vampirism to the audience’s interpretation. The movie is disturbingly realistic, explicitly graphic, and is certainly not for the fainthearted. But if one can get past the gore and violence, Martin reveals to be excellently unpredictable, filled with many twists and turns, and thoroughly thought-provoking. It’s a must-watch for any lover of vampire horror.
Night Watch (2004)
Before becoming a prominent Hollywood director with a reputation for action-packed flicks like Wanted and The Darkest Hour and Tim Burton collaboration projects like Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and 9, Timur Bekmambetov broke several viewing records with his Russian horror fantasy epic, Night Watch. Based on the first novel of Sergei Lukyanenko’s acclaimed trilogy, the movie takes place in modern-day Moscow, where the supernaturally-gifted ‘Others’ have been long divided between the forces of Dark and Light and formed a quasi-police force — the Night Watch for the Light side and the Day Watch, brimming with vampires, for the Dark — tasked with keeping the balance. The story centers on a member of the Night Watch, Anton (Konstantin Khabensky), who is tasked to protect an exceptionally-gifted ‘Other’ 12-year-old boy and investigate a cursed young doctor, Svetlana, who might bring about the Apocalypse.
While the movie clearly takes inspiration from fantasy and sci-fi classics like Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Highlander, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and many others, it masterfully blends the elements of the lore into something refreshingly unique, mix-genre, and spellbinding. It’s filled with dark humor, stylish gore and violence, original and surprisingly complex plot lines, and fleshed-out, very human supernatural characters. The fact that Night Watch received a stamp of approval from Quentin Tarantino and Danny Boyle alike adds yet another reason for not missing this underappreciated horror gem.
Let Me In (2010)
When a Hollywood director decides to remake an already popular and expertly-crafted European film, it’s always a risk and rarely a success. Matt Reeves is an exception to the unfortunate rule, and his take on the Swedish vampire drama Let the Right One In managed to preserve the original’s dark tone and emotional intensity and add a layer of originality, scoring praise from critics and audiences alike. The movie mixes the coming-of-age tale with blood-chilling horror, with the story following a lonely and bullied 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who falls in love with his mysterious new neighbor Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz). She turns out to be a vampire, who, due to her caretaker’s failures, starts leaving a trail of bodies and becomes a target of a police investigation.
Instead of going down the soapy path of Twilight, Let Me In offers a genuine and emotional experience, beautifully portraying the delicate teenage romance blended with subtle horror, complex topics of morality and self-sacrifice, and outright terror. With the undeniable on-screen chemistry and outstanding performances from Smit-McPhee and Moretz, excellently adapted story, intensely dark atmosphere, and exquisite style, this underappreciated vampire movie is an absolute must-watch.