YOUR Best Vampire Film All-time? [Archive] - Horror.com Forums

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Sculpt

11-11-2013, 02:33 PM

What do you think is the best vampire film you've ever seen? (Disregard compulsion to select "the greatest" in notoriety; but rather the film you personally enjoyed the most, and thought was the best. Why do you think so?

If one of your favorites is not one of the poll selections, which ones are they? HDC only allows 10 options for a poll, so it's impossible to cover all the good ones. Please, if you do list a film not in 10 options, please advise if you thought it was better than all the 10 in the list. We could list 30+ films we liked, but we're interested in which one you liked the best.

------------------------------- Bonus Question -------------------------
If you were to select the "Best Vampire Film of All-time", would you tend not to select a film that completely disregards displaying the vampire origin discussion (that is, films that assume the audience already knows the origin/rules, or the films that don't follow the origin/rules)?

knife_fight

11-11-2013, 02:48 PM

neverending

11-11-2013, 05:42 PM

The Horror of Dracula, the film that revived horror at the time and brought a new look to horror films, and also made horror icons of Cushing and Lee.

ChronoGrl

11-11-2013, 05:56 PM

Kandarian Demon

11-11-2013, 06:40 PM

For me personally, the absolutely best vampire movie ever is the original Salems Lot (NOT the remake!!!).

To me, it's a magical movie. Have you ever watched a movie that pulled you in so much that you could almost sense everything in it as if you were a part of it yourself? That's the effect Salems Lot has on me. Of course, this is just MY personal opinion - but there is absolutely NOTHING I would change about that movie, it's as close to perfect as it gets.

Also, the movie has what I consider to be one of the scariest scenes of all time. Again, just my opinion...

I'm not sure how to insert youtube videos on this site, but I will try - this should be a link to the scene I was talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1unHCE_Npw

A VERY close second would be Nosferatu, that movie is really a work of art. Of course, the two vampires from Nosferatu and Salems Lot are kind of similar looking -and probably the only two vampires that I ever found truly frightening, rather than attractive, which is how I always felt about all the other vampires.

The Villain

11-11-2013, 07:09 PM

I'd say Nosferatu. It's one of my favorite movies and it still scares me today

sfear

11-11-2013, 07:11 PM

Horror Of Dracula

Sculpt

11-11-2013, 10:17 PM

I don't think it's really fair for me to vote as honestly I haven't seen most of those. :o

When I was in middle school I was absolutely obsessed with Interview and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

It wasn't until fairly recently that I finally got to see Nosferatu; what an utter piece of genius! I was lucky enough to see it at an auditorium with live piano and drum accompaniment.
You can absolutely vote. Everyone who's enjoyed a vampire film qualifies for this poll. Nobody can see every film, and probably shouldn't. I haven't seen every film on that list either, (although I plan on it).

Sounds like you enjoyed Interview the most. I liked it too. It probably has the most developed characters of the lot.

Sculpt

11-11-2013, 10:38 PM

Sculpt

11-11-2013, 11:07 PM

I voted "Fright Night" because "the Lost Boys" wasn't an option. I know The Lost Boys isn't a better film than any of these, but I've seen it the most and found it to be fun and enjoyable every single time.
Lot's of people loved Lost Boys. I found it mildly entertaining, although I remember a few minor things miffed me. Beautifully shoot, good start, but disappointing end half. A mentally unstable friend of mine de-friended me for a year because I explained why I didn't think it was a particularly good film. It surely evokes strong something... I hesitate to say emotion; it's more like subconscious allegiance. I'm kidding a bit with the allegiance line. But I think it certainly manages to stir the subconscious of many. I may have to analyze the subconscious triggers for fun sometime. They admittedly were not apparent to me.

Personally, if I were to sum it up in one sentence: I found it more style than substance. Like a good MTV music video that isn't trying to say anything. If I wanted that in a film, maybe I would have liked it more.

I thought the interactions of the teens didn't make a lot of common sense, without the film trying to be a dream film, where decisions don't have to make sense. Rebel Without a Cause had plenty of that too. Anyway, I think I actually agreed with Roger Ebert...

Roger Ebert- ... "The Frog Brothers try to warn him. They're a couple of bright kids who run a comic book store on the carnival boardwalk. They give him a couple of comic books about vampires and offer their services if any vampires need to be killed, but Michael doesn't believe in vampires and doesn't make the connection until it's too late.

At about this point, the movie feels like it's going somewhere. But then the plot starts getting very complicated, with the adult romance between Wiest and Herrmann, the teenage romance between Patric and Gertz, and the vampire intrigues of Sutherland.

Because everything looks so good (the movie was photographed in rich, dark colors by Michael Chapman), we almost give it the benefit of the doubt: The high quality of the photography and acting had me wondering if perhaps this wouldn't develop into a genuinely frightening and interesting vampire story. But no such luck. It is no longer a virtue in mainstream Hollywood to bring any genuine, unsettling imagination to a commercial movie.

If you really stop to think about it, a bunch of vampire teenagers would be a terrible shame, a tragedy, a heartbreaking loss of innocence for them, let alone their victims. Am I silly to take them seriously? Maybe so. The movie doesn't. It lacks the sense of dread that creeps out from the pages of a novel such as Anne Rice's Interviews with the Vampire and substitutes the same old cornball, predictable action climax with everybody chasing everybody around with lots of screams and special-effects gore. Sometimes I think modern advances in special-effects technology can be directly blamed for the collapse of original screenwriting.

There's some good stuff in the movie, including a cast that's good right down the line and a willingness to have some fun with teenage culture in the Mass Murder Capital. But when everything is all over, there's nothing to leave the theater with - no real horrors, no real dread, no real imagination - just technique at the service of formula.

roshiq

11-12-2013, 01:58 AM

I've picked Nosferatu but I wish I could have voted Vampyr also. Both the films delivered 'ahead of their time' kind of class film making and considering those early ages of cinema, their outstanding achievements regarding portrayal of the story not only made them masterpieces for a particular 'genre or sub-genre' of films but as a whole both can be treated as milestones for world cinema also.
Hammer's Horror of Dracula & the modern masterpiece Let The Right One In also always have high ranks in my all time Best Vampire (or any best horror movie) list.

Elvis_Christ

11-12-2013, 03:18 AM

Near Dark for me. I love when horror films step outside of the square and rethink genre conventions.

knife_fight

11-12-2013, 04:26 AM

Lot's of people loved Lost Boys. I found it mildly entertaining, although I remember some a few minor things miffed me. Beautifully shoot, good start, but disappointing end half. A mentally unstable friend of mine de-friended me for a year because I explained why I didn't think it was a particularly good film. It surely evokes strong something... I hesitate to say emotion; it's more like subconscious allegiance. I'm kidding a bit with the allegiance line. But I think it certainly manages to stir the subconscious of many. I may have to analyze the subconscious triggers for fun sometime. They admittedly were not apparent to me.

Personally, if I were to sum it up in one sentence: I found it more style than substance. Like an good MTV music video that isn't trying to say anything. If I wanted that in a film, maybe I would have liked it more.

I saw it when it first came out and I was ten years old. For me, it was Goonies with vampires, and was just scary enough to be exciting to me. Like a lot of films, for a lot of people, nostalgia is playing a huge role in that one for me.

If I saw it now, as an adult, there's no way it would have the same impact. But I've also seen a countless number of better movies by this point, and have cultivated my own distinct sense of taste.

I'm guessing I read the question correctly: it's not what you think the best vampire movie of all time is, it's which one you have gotten the most enjoyment and fun out of. Most of the films on the list are far better movies, but I've probably gleefully watched The Lost Boys close to 100 times.

In other words, I don't blame you for not liking it because there were a lot of factors that contributed to how hard it hit me in 1987.

hammerfan

11-12-2013, 04:27 AM

None of the above. My favorite vampire film is "Taste the Blood of Dracula".

Elvis_Christ

11-12-2013, 05:05 AM

Teen orientated movies were just better in the 80s and The Lost Boys is a fine example of that.

realdealblues

11-12-2013, 05:26 AM

I voted "sentimentally" for Fright Night.

I don't think it's the best vampire film I've ever seen, but it was the 2nd vampire movie I'd seen (Lugosi/Dracula being the first). I watched it with my Dad and my brother many times when it first came out on VHS so it holds a sentimental victory for me.

I loved the "Boy Who Cried Wolf" story line, it had some great special effects, it had camp and humor and charm in addition to scare elements. I still feel it was well done on all fronts and captured something special.

MichaelMyers

11-12-2013, 05:32 AM

Thanks for starting this poll, Sculpt!

For me, I have to go with Coppola's Dracula. It beats out Universal's Dracula by a nose, in my book. The special effects, score, closer faithfulness to the novel, and overall atmostphere give it the edge.

Straker

11-12-2013, 10:12 AM

I found it too hard to vote as it mostly depends on my mood and I have a ton of 'favourite' vampire flicks.... So I'll just throw a vote to; Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire.

yxtAZN5VZtY

ChronoGrl

11-12-2013, 10:21 AM

I wound up voting for Nosferatu; I feel as though it's so incredibly iconic and influential not only to the vampire genre but horror as a whole.

Anthropophagus

11-12-2013, 11:27 AM

I voted for Nosferatu but for the modern era i would have gone for Let the Right One In.

ChronoGrl

11-12-2013, 11:44 AM

^^ Yep. Totally agree with that.

phantomstranger

11-12-2013, 08:30 PM

Horror Of Dracula ( The best vampire film ever)

non-Dracula vampire film: Fright Night (original)
House Of Dark Shadows

Sculpt

11-14-2013, 11:14 PM

I watched Horror of Dracula the other night. I had only seen the end of it at some point, coming in late for one of the "Monstrous Movies" on TV, no doubt. I liked it. I would have liked more interaction between Jonathan Harker and Dracula, and then Van Helsing and Dracula. I thought the first interaction between Jon and Drac was interesting, but that would be the last word Christopher Lee would speak. Having Drac no longer interact is a fine choice for the film they did, as it keeps him more mysterious. That's just a preference on my part (some of the best parts of 'Dracula 31' are the interactions between Van Helsing and Drac.) Both John Van Eyssen and Peter Cushing were excellent.

It's tough picking the one I enjoyed the most. I've only seen parts of a few of them in the poll. Of the ones I've seen, I think I'd have to go with Nosferatu 22. It surpassed all my expectations.

Both silent and talky films can done well -- but not surprisingly, I prefer talkies. Most old silent films often have the actors take unnatural posses to facilitate the coming text to read, which I don't think was necessary. I don't like being stoned, but I think Nosferatu would have been even better had it been done as a talkie -- which of course wasn't considered reliable for feature length films at the time. I can already see the posts reading, "I wouldn't change a thing!", but that's my opinion on Nos.

Giganticface

11-16-2013, 08:24 AM

I'm not really a fan of most vampire films, mainly because they're usually portrayed as either gushy romantics, stilted gothics, or suave sexual predators. That's one reason why it's so common to use the concept for teenybopper TV shows and movies.

I agree with Kandarian Demon, Salem's lot and Nosferatu are the only two scary, monstrous versions I can think of, and both are excellent films. I'll vote Nosferatu for being utterly iconic and chilling, but for me Salem's lot is more re-watchable. I also thought Vampyr was beautifully constructed, albeit not a great story, and Let the Right One In is a modern day masterpiece. I like the remake too.

Sculpt

11-16-2013, 03:17 PM

funny about Let the Right One In. I put it in my Netflix queue, and sat down with my dinner to check it out. Then found out it was subtitled. I can't eat a dinner and read subtitles at the same time. So I skipped it. Haven't come back to it yet.

As a sound guy, I realize much is lost with overdubbing, such as voice continuity with the rest of the sound mix, match of face with sound of voice, and most importantly, the actors artful inflection. Still, although I read books, and I'll read subtitles, I really don't like watching a film with subtitles. It's distracting, I miss some of the visuals, and there's always a subtitle that flashes too fast. Subtitles is not the way the director intended it, any less than overdubs. Especially if it's done well, I prefer an overdubbed film to subtitles. I actually have to be in the right mood for subtitles.

Straker

11-16-2013, 04:15 PM

Especially if it's done well, I prefer an overdubbed film to subtitles.

Has it ever been done well?

I can't even think of an example where an overdub is anything other than laughable. It's bad enough when you get those cheesy censored word overdubs for TV, or when they have to overdub an actor because their accent is too strong, but overdubbed movies are generally just a bad idea.

neverending

11-16-2013, 05:56 PM

You should watch Hercules in New York. It's hilarious to hear another voice coming out of Schwartzenegger's mouth...

metternich1815

11-16-2013, 06:00 PM

For me, it would be a close race between Dracula (1931) and Bram Stoker's Dracula, but I would have to go with Bram Stoker's Dracula. I will say I really love the vampire sub-genre and have watched and enjoyed most of the films on the poll. Those are just my top two. I also really enjoyed Fright Night (1985) and Dracula 2000 (I know not brilliant, but I thought it was entertaining).

Giganticface

11-16-2013, 07:01 PM

There's a certain charm to the Spaghetti Westerns, and Italian horror films where everything was dubbed, even if it was the same voice as the actor on screen. Also, of course, Kung Fu films, that goes without saying. But ignoring charm and unintentional comedy, I can't think of an overdubbed film that didn't seriously reduce the quality of the experience. I simply won't stand for it anymore.

I agree with Sculpt though that it can cause you to miss some stuff, both visual and dialogue. I find myself doing the 10 second rewind more frequently with subtitled films. I do that with English language films too though, and that small drawback is not nearly enough for me to settle for a bastardized overdubbed version instead.

phantomstranger

11-17-2013, 10:53 AM

neverending

11-17-2013, 01:33 PM

Another good vampire movie is "John Carpenters Vampires".
plenty of scares, lots of gore and some damn fine looking women.
Has virtually nothing to do with the book it's based on, but a highly entertaining film.

This is one of the most stupid movies I've ever seen.

Elvis_Christ

11-18-2013, 03:32 AM

Another good vampire movie is "John Carpenters Vampires".
plenty of scares, lots of gore and some damn fine looking women.
Has virtually nothing to do with the book it's based on, but a highly entertaining film.

I like that one too. Love how it's old school Carpenter the whole way. James Woods is great in it too.

Sculpt

11-18-2013, 11:07 PM

Has it ever been done well?

I can't even think of an example where an overdub is anything other than laughable. It's bad enough when you get those cheesy censored word overdubs for TV, or when they have to overdub an actor because their accent is too strong, but overdubbed movies are generally just a bad idea.
Well... I have to say two things: one is yes, I have seen it done well tens of times; and two, you don't really know what you don't know -- meaning, one might say you'd have to be conversationally bilingual in order to judge just how well an overdubbed job has been done. I don't speak two languages. However if I ignore that fact and just go by how well I perceive the overdub job, then I've seen it done well.

To name a few: Godzilla Vs the Thing, Godzilla Vs the Smog Monster, Godzilla Final Wars, all the episodes of Speed Racer, Space Giants, Ultraman and Spectreman. They were all good to me.

Last overdub I saw was REC. It was fine, except for the interview with the old Asian woman, which was HILARIOUS and completely ridiculous. What was most ridiculous was the lines they had the character speak, and had nothing to do with any 'lost in translation' from Spanish to English. The script writer simply made the Asians sound like they were imbeciles. What made it great was the delivery of the English dubber, who correctly mocked the stupid lines. And that was in fact my buddy and my's favorite part of the film.

So, I really do prefer overdubs when they are done well, or well enough. Plus most films made today have English dubbing services in the budget before the film is ever shot.

Sculpt

11-18-2013, 11:18 PM

I wasn't sure I was picking the right films, but 8 of the 10 have votes, that's really quite a surprising spread of votes.

Interesting too, one of the highest rated films, and unquestionably the highest rated vampire film of the last 70 years, Let the Right One In, received zero votes. Maybe other people hate subtitles as much as I do. ;)

Not to mention the 3rd highest rated, Nosferatu the Vampyre 79, which is the other film to receive zero votes. I suspect Nosferatu the Vampyre is the least viewed of all ten films.

Has anyone here seen Nosferatu the Vampyre 79? What did you think of it?

realdealblues

11-19-2013, 04:45 AM

Has anyone here seen Nosferatu the Vampyre 79? What did you think of it?

I've got both the German and English cuts on DVD and have seen it many times. Kinski and Herzog do a good job as usual. It's very well done but for most people it's probably pretty...dry. It's slowly paced. It's what I usually call more of an "Art Film". You don't really watch it for the gripping action or witty dialogue or the special effects. You watch it for the mood, and the feel and the way it's shot. A film buff or another director would watch it and go "it's beautiful". The average person turns it off after a few minutes because they got bored.

Anthropophagus

11-19-2013, 10:12 AM

Interesting too, one of the highest rated films, and unquestionably the highest rated vampire film of the last 70 years, Let the Right One In, received zero votes. Maybe other people hate subtitles as much as I do.

I voted Nosferatu as we where asked to vote for one.But i also added that Let the Right One In would be my modern choice.Maybe if we could vote two movies then we would see a different view.

Wednesday

11-19-2013, 11:38 AM

Tbh, I haven't seen most of the films on the list :(

I voted Let the Right One In. I don't mind subtitles, in fact some of the best movies i have seen have had subtitles.

However, if 30 Days of Night was on the list, i would have voted for that.

Giganticface

11-19-2013, 12:26 PM

Interesting too, one of the highest rated films, and unquestionably the highest rated vampire film of the last 70 years, Let the Right One In, received zero votes. Maybe other people hate subtitles as much as I do.

I guarantee that's not because it's subtitled. The vampire is one of the most representative characters in the horror genre, and there are several classic vampire films, cherished by horror fans, and recognizable by a broader audience. It's almost a certainty that those films will be picked over a modern film that's just too new to be in that conversation. Heck, Nosferatu almost won the leading characters tournament, which spans subgenres.

Also, while Let the Right One In is, IMO, an excellent addition to the subgenre, its portrayal of vampires is fairly non-traditional, a bit like Cronos or Trouble Every Day. For that reason it's probably not going to win a vampire contest among horror fans.

Straker

11-19-2013, 12:30 PM

.

Interesting too, one of the highest rated films, and unquestionably the highest rated vampire film of the last 70 years, Let the Right One In, received zero votes. Maybe other people hate subtitles as much as I do.

I doubt that's the reason....

Straker

11-19-2013, 12:55 PM

Last overdub I saw was REC.

Is this the version you are talking about?! :eek:

This is exactly why I would never waste my time watching an overdub. Truly awful stuff.

dyElgRb71to

metternich1815

11-19-2013, 12:57 PM

I wasn't sure I was picking the right films, but 8 of the 10 have votes, that's really quite a surprising spread of votes.

Interesting too, one of the highest rated films, and unquestionably the highest rated vampire film of the last 70 years, Let the Right One In, received zero votes. Maybe other people hate subtitles as much as I do.

Not to mention the 3rd highest rated, Nosferatu the Vampyre 79, which is the other film to receive zero votes. I suspect Nosferatu the Vampyre is the least viewed of all ten films.

Has anyone here seen Nosferatu the Vampyre 79? What did you think of it?

I never saw Let the Right One In, but I do not really mind subtitles. I have seen Nosferstu 79, I liked it.

Sculpt

11-20-2013, 12:21 AM

Is this the version you are talking about?! :eek:

This is exactly why I would never waste my time watching an overdub. Truly awful stuff.

dyElgRb71to
Yes! That's the one. Great find. Boy do I have a treat for you guys! :D This is the best part of the film, the English dub of the Asian woman, hilarious, check it out at 32:00.

Reporter: "Where did he fall from?"
Asian Woman: "He fall from up."

Yes, wonderfully respectful lines written for the "immigrants". Good grief.

Seriously though, I wish it wasn't dubbed nor subtitled, but I didn't mind the dubbing. Unless I felt like reading a film, which I don't mind from time-to-time.

Sculpt

11-20-2013, 12:31 AM

Ferox13

11-20-2013, 12:40 AM

I like that one too. Love how it's old school Carpenter the whole way. James Woods is great in it too.

Had potential and Woods was great but it dropped the ball big time..

Sculpt

11-20-2013, 12:43 PM

As a Carpenter fan, I was really looking forward to seeing Carpenter's Vampires. The PR talked about how it's scarier to not see the creature when other effects are used correctly, which I agree with. Sounded very cool.

Vampires wasn't at all what I was expecting, to say the least. It felt more like 'Escape from LA' than 'Halloween', again, to say the least. I fastened my seat belt for the ride. And at the end and every after, it was very forgettable for me. I don't remember being scared, intellectually intrigued, or even entertained. It just missed for me.

TastingIntellect

11-21-2013, 11:28 AM

I voted for Fright Night. I grew up on that movie. I love Evil Ed and Peter Vincent! John Carpenter's Vampires is a close second!

Fearonsarms

12-04-2013, 08:28 AM

As much as I adore Nosferatu and loved The Lost Boys as a kid (I think possibly the first vampire movie I ever saw) I went with Interview With The Vampire it was tough though. I wasn't very keen on Carpenter's Vampires despite being a big Carpenter fan.

Also I think Vampyr is very underrated it's not Nosferatu but it is very good and highly worth watching. I also on the other end of the spectrum have a huge soft spot for Vamp for entertainment value alone.

fortunato

12-05-2013, 04:41 PM

Probably have to go with Vampyr myself. Just completely hypnotizing and absorbing.

Tahrgat

12-11-2013, 09:09 AM

The original Vampire Hunter D is my favorite vampire film. Still only slightly dated because of some visual effect choices this film really drives home the power and menace of a vampire with alot of unique elements and a setting unlike any created before. Also, keep in mind, this is based on a book series. It didn't have the pre-existing bulk of visual references that most anime is bound to now-a-days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOAWT6o6il4