Once Bitten and Love at First Bite should've made that list. Especially Once Bitten. Good, campy, vampirical fun to be had by all.

skeezycheeses | July 11, 00:48 CET

It's rubbish, it's a rotten film. I thought it at the time and I still do. It has no redeeming features to it apart from Rutger Hauer's hair piece.

Simon | July 11, 00:59 CET

I've actually never understood criticisms of the film. I think it's as good as the best episodes of the show.

Invisible Green | July 11, 01:12 CET

Exactly, Skeezycheeses, Love at First Bite should have been on the list. It was brilliant fun. By the way, while looking up some of these on IMDB (because I don't recognize half of them) I found a series called "Young Dracula" with an episode called "When Vampires Go Bad". Now there's a tautism if there ever was one. Anyone seen it, or the series? I'm dead curious.

By the by, I have an unopened copy of the BtVS movie and it will remain that way for posterity. You never know.

MysticSlug | July 11, 01:14 CET

The seven ostensible best vamp films of all time and not one with the name Dracula in it. Doesn't even have to be the one with Bela; Hammer studios has a slew of them with Christopher Lee in the role that are more than qualified (or, for that matter, the Spanish language film that Universal produced concurrently with the Lugosi version and that is widely considered to leave Tod Browning's version in the dust). I'd also add George Romero's Martin and, while it's perhaps only a vamp film tangentially at best, Guillermo del Toro's Cronos beats everything on that list.

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner | July 11, 01:19 CET

It was kind of a weak list. Seems like he picked the only seven vampire movies he saw, minus Twilight... I do agree that the Buffy movie is underrated. Paul Ruebans alone is worth watching that movie.

Out of Objects | July 11, 01:19 CET

If anyone is looking a bad vampire film to watch with chums, I'd recommend 'Lifeforce' and 'The Breed'. Both are just awesome. The first has Patrick Stewart going totally OTT and the latter tries to be The Matrix means Brazil meets Bladerunner on a budget of two pounds fifty.

Simon | July 11, 01:26 CET

I play the Mathilda May naked trump. In this way 'Lifeforce' is redeemed.

It has no redeeming features to it apart from Rutger Hauer's hair piece.

What about Pee-Wee's Big Death Scene ? Hi-larious.

Not a very strong list though 'The Lost Boys' was good fun at the time (and probably moreso now - 80s fashion ;) and the first Blade movie was pretty decent I thought.

But no 'The Hunger' and no Dracula movies at all - either Lugosi or Lee - more or less disqualify it as a serious contender I reckon (and putting a film that no-one's seen yet on there seems a bit daft too).

Saje | July 11, 01:42 CET

That was a really awful list. Just bad. I'd go so far as to say bad bad bad. Most of them seemed to be comedies and none of them were genuinely scary movies, save a few jump-out parts in Lost Boys. Oh, and the creatures in "I Am Legend" are much more zombie like than vampiric.

The list was pretty much lost for me when I saw Blade: Trinity on there. [I like the first one quite a bit, but the third was atrocious]

InevitableTraitor | July 11, 02:30 CET

Lifeforce is an 80s classic -- especially since the script is by Dan O'Bannon (Alien) and directed by horror legend Tobe Hooper.

As an non-supernatural bloodsucker flick, Vampire's Kiss with Nick Cage is fave. Cage's over-the-top performance is especially memorable as someone who thinks he's becoming a vamp.

Whedonage | July 11, 02:38 CET

I was nine when the movie came out, and I loved it! I actually saw it at the movie theaters more than once. Probably one reason why I loved it is that I was "in love" with Luke Perry. However, even at that tender age, I was truly annoyed at the inherent weakness of Buffy--stomach pains when a vampire was near, so easily hypnotized. Needless to say, I understand criticisms of the movie, but I still liked it, and (dare I say it) I still kinda like the movie.

[ edited by ricetxpeaches on 2008-07-10 23:40 ]

ricetxpeaches | July 11, 02:40 CET

I have to admit to owning the movie on DVD; kinda for completionism sake, but also 'cause it was on deep discount at Best Buy. I find it has its cheesy charms, when not taken seriously. Maybe we need a support group: "We Sorta Like the Buffy Movie Anonymous" (WSLBMA).

I do wonder what it would have been like in another director's hands, say if it were handled more like Lost Boys.

Whedonage | July 11, 02:52 CET

Wow, um, I have to say no to that whole list.

Craig Oxbrow | July 11, 03:00 CET

Whedonage, I sorta kinda want to join the group :-).
Good suggestion on the Lost Boys director.

ricetxpeaches | July 11, 04:12 CET

While it isn't nearly as good as the show. The movie was classic:

Detention!... Detention!,,, Detention Detention!


However, I do agree that the rest of the list was weak.

mysteryshadesman | July 11, 06:39 CET

Hmmm, that list kinda sucked. Except for The Lost Boys and My Best Friend is a Vampire. I agree with skeezycheeses. Once Bitten and Love at First Bite should've made that list. And what about Fright Night?

Or maybe there just needs to be two different lists. One for vampire comedy and one for vampire drama.

[ edited by menomegirl on 2008-07-11 03:45 ]

menomegirl | July 11, 06:42 CET

No Near Dark? Feh.

And I've gat a soft spot for Langella's Dracula, just like Angel.

shambleau | July 11, 06:59 CET

Near Dark! I loved that one.

menomegirl | July 11, 07:04 CET

I think I get irritated with some of these lists because it's like, what kind of list do you want to create and what are you trying to accomplish besides some vague purpose along the lines of, "I like these ones." Are you creating a list of classical vampire movies, post-modern blood sucking, teenage-influenced, what? That said, these are some that I find disturbing on many levels and some that are highly entertaining, and if you're really into horror, ought to check out (in no particular order):

Near Dark
Martin
The Addiction
The Hunger
Trouble Every Day
Salem's Lot
Shadow of the Vampire
Fright Night I & II
From Dusk Til Dawn
Rabid
Vampires (Carpenter)
Count Yorga Vampire / Return of Count Yorga
The Vampire Lovers
The Hammer Vampire series with Christopher Lee
Vampire's Kiss
The Lost Boys
The Night Stalker
Bram Stoker's Dracula

There's a lot out there and many I haven't seen yet, but the above are my core group off the top of my head.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2008-07-11 04:45 ]

Tonya J | July 11, 07:44 CET

Every few years I revisit BtVS the movie, in the belief that I misremembered its quality, or have evolved in some way that will better allow me to appreciate its unique charms.

And then I watch it. It really is pretty awful. And I'm sorry every time.

As for Lifeforce, honestly this is unusual for me, but I cannot remember a thing about that flick other than Mlle May's nudity. I was at just that impressionable age . . .

SoddingNancyTribe | July 11, 08:17 CET

You mean alive? That's always been an impressionable age for me as well :).

zeitgeist | July 11, 08:44 CET

MysticSlug, OK, I admit it. I've seen "Young Dracula". It's a BBC series for kids - though not too small ones. It's about the Dracula family, the young son being the main character. His father is naturally evil but the son doesn't want to become a vampire. He wants to be a human instead, like his friends are. There's also Van Helsing as the slayer. The series is for kids but it is somewhat fun anyway. It deals with difficult family relationships, moving to a new place and growing up. If you want to take a look just go to Youtube...

Valerie | July 11, 12:34 CET

Thanks, Valerie. I'll check it out. Love Youtube.

"I was truly annoyed at the inherent weakness of Buffy--stomach pains when a vampire was near"-ricetxpeaches

Exactly. Using cramps as a metaphor for vamp radar was one of the things that bothered me the most about the film. It was unnecesssary and completely undermined the message of female empowerment.

And that was Pee Wee Herman!? I totally missed that.

MysticSlug | July 11, 14:26 CET

Ahhh, I only have a soft spot for two of the movies on this weak list "My Best Friend is a Vampire" (I kept giggling when I recently saw it because every time Robert Sean Leonard opened his mouth I kept thinking "What would Wilson do?" and "Why is he so stupid?" – so cute) and "Interview with the Vampire" because, pretty men. Basically it. And I think that when I first saw it years before my slashy self was set loose thanks to Whedon, deep deep down I had this devilish child in me wanting to dump Claudia and Armand in a river so Lestat can end up with Louis. But, soon enough (or some might say not soon enough) I found Buffy and the nasty thoughts of hooking up Cruise and Pitt all but died.

Mirage | July 11, 15:57 CET

That may be the worst list of Vampire movies I've ever seen. No Bram Stoker's Dracula? Even Frank Langella's Drac was better than anything on that list.
Except for Interview With the Vampire which is IMO shockingly underrated and far better than the book.

I kind of liked the Buffy movie when it first came out, there was a seed of "something different but far from fully realized" that popped up here and there. But I could never go back and watch it again now.

Shey | July 11, 18:57 CET