Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings!    Today’s blog post is a countdown of my top thirteen favorite Vampire Films, in honor of Spooky Season.   Regular readers here will know that along with all the different Fae Folk and Witches, my other favorite supernatural being is the Vampire.    In fact, it should be remembered that Fae and Witches were often historically and folklorically tied to Vampires, in that several species of Fae can be said to be vampiric in nature and there is also the folklore stating that Witches turn into Vampires upon death!   Now, without further ado, here are my top thirteen Vampire Films.

Number 13: Dark Shadows (2012)

~I know that this film is not a favorite amongst many fans, especially those who love the original television soap opera.    While I do love the original, I truly enjoyed this film adaptation and I still do!    I adore Eva Green’s performance as Angelique Bouchard, a favorite wicked witchy character.    The Vampire hijinks in this film are very fun to watch, plus I love the added ghost story element in addition to all of the supernatural creatures!

Number 12: Twins of Evil (1971)

~This final installment of the Karnstein Trilogy is a very engaging film, working as a bit of a Vampire meets Witch-hunter style of film.    I do love watching the entire trilogy, but this is definitely the weakest of the three, but still very enjoyable which is obvious by it getting placed on this list!

Number 11: Bitten (2007)

~This little-known Canadian film that starred Jason Mewes is an uproarious Vampire comedy!    It featured a man who finds a woman in trouble, after having been attacked, and feeling empathy for her plight takes her home.    They quickly fall in lust and later in love, while discovering that she is turning into a Vampire!

Number 10: Vamps (2012)

~Another Vampire comedy, this one from Clueless director Amy Heckerling.   I love getting to see Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter doing a comedic send-up of the Vampire, parodying many of the most iconic Vampire tropes! 

Number 9: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

~The Warner Herzog remake of Nosferatu is definitely worth a watch for those who adore the original silent classic!    It is such an atmospheric film that serves to create a great vision of what the silent film would look like colorized.

Number 8: The Fearless Vampire Killers (1966)

~This Roman Polanski comedy classic is a parody of all the classic Vampire tales that were popularized by Universal Studios and Hammer Horror.    It is such a fun watch to see the zany antics of the inept Vampire slayers.   I also adore Sharon Tate and this serves as a sweet and funny little genre-laden addition to her sadly short life’s work.

Number 7: Lust for a Vampire (1971)

~The second film in the Karnstein Trilogy is a very well-done Hammer Horror film that takes much of the energy of the source material, Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan le Fanu, and adds its own spin.    I give bonus points to this one for the fact that I really love the costuming here!

Number 6: Dracula (1931)

~I could not do this list of Vampire films without including the Universal film starring Bela Lugosi.   I may have surprised some people at this not being in the top five, but I find that as much as I adore this film, there were other better adaptations of Dracula.    That being said, there is so much to love here, the introduction of the Gentleman Dracula and the iconic garb as well as the accent, which all went on to become character staples!

Number 5: The Vampire Lovers (1970)

~The first film in the Karnstein Trilogy is the best of the series and is largely a straight retelling of Carmilla.   I love the sexy version of the tale, which brings much of the subtext of the original story to the forefront, making it a very fun Hammer Horror romp!

Number 4: Horror of Dracula (1957)

~The first Hammer Horror take on Dracula is a very compelling retelling of the tale.   I adore the Christopher Lee take on the character, in addition to Peter Cushing’s iconic portrayal of Van Helsing!

Number 3: Nosferatu (1922)

~The original film adaptation of Dracula introduced the world to Count Orlock because Bram Stoker’s widow would not release the rights to the original novel to be used by F.W. Murnau for this film.    It added to the Vampire mythos by being the first time that a Vampire is killed by sunlight!    The usage of Vampirism to make a political statement is very compelling and paved the way for many other political statements using Vampires.

Number 2: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

~My favorite adaptation of Dracula has long been this 1992 classic by Francis Ford Coppola.   I love Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Dracula, and both Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins also do a great job.    While many will mock Keanu Reeve’s accent, which I admit is not good, I find that he does bring much of the stiff and unlikeable energy of Jonathan Harker which is present in the novel!    It also gets bonus points for having all three of Lucy’s romantic interests present in the film, as well as for the love story between Mina and Dracula.   I know many will state that romance was not in the novel, but I do really adore this romance so I do not care who came up with the idea! 

Number 1: Interview with the Vampire (1994)

~Ah, is anyone surprised that I chose this 1994 film as my number one?   I have long stated that one of my favorite Vampire characters of all time is Lestat, and this is such an incredibly well-done film.   In fact, the film turned out so well that Anne Rice wrote and published an editorial in newspapers stating that she liked how it turned out after having previously denounced the casting of Tom Cruise!    I also have to mention that Kirsten Dunst steals the show during her scenes as Claudia!    It is truly one of the greatest Vampire Films ever made.    

Special Mention: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance Ballet

~Now, this one is a special mention, as it is a recording of a ballet performance of my favorite ballet, which is also based on my favorite fairytale of all time!    The Matthew Bourne version of the ballet chose to make the Faeries also Vampires to explain their immortality and ability to pass immortality onto others, calling back to my reference to the link between Faeries and Vampires at the beginning of this post!   I really adore this gorgeously done, Gothic Romance, version of this ballet.  

~I hope that you have enjoyed this countdown of my favorite Vampire Films.   Did I include your favorite?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/