In honor of the vampire craze that is sweeping around right now: Twilight Saga for the younger set and True Blood for the more mature audiences along with about a zillion books, including the much-touted but as-yet-unread-by-me series Brotherhood. Or was that Blood Brotherhood? Either way, ever since Anne Rice did a number on my generation with Lestat and his marble-like body and naughty ways, it seems the craze is...undying. hahaha! Okay, well, anyway, here is my own "top 10" vampire movies, based solely on my own opinion. And in no particular order, bad acting and all.
Fright Night. I watched this movie 90 times at least while in middle school. Chris Sarandon was the most handsome man I had ever seen since Burt Reynolds.
Maybe the movie was not that great, but the feel around it-staying up all night, giggling with friends about boys, eating junk food at 3 a.m. and being so scared we had to use the bathroom in groups of 3-the whole time trying to decide which would be worse-turning on the light and alerting various monsters that you are in a closed room with only one exit or leaving the lights off and possibly seeing Bloody Mary in the mirror. Nothing like middle school summers.
The Lost Boys. This had it all, the Corey's, Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, great soundtrack. The sequel sucked and that's not bad vampire humor. Don't pollute your brain with anything but the original.
High points: The various ways the vampires could be dispatched, the over-the-top gore, the Gypsy girl dancing seduction-that really never loses it's effect and of course old school vamp rule: you have to kill the head vampire for the others to return human.
Salem's Lot. The book was better (duh) but the movie makes my list just the same. Nosferatuesque vampires rule as the scariest creatures out there. Other than sharks, of course.
What's not to fear here? Fangs, staring eyeballs and he's bald!
Bram Stoker's Dracula. The one with Keanu Reeves. Are you seeing the pattern here? I want to be terrified or have eye candy. Both at once is a little much to hope for, but this is a great adaptation of the book.
This movie was set back when there were only 4 colors in existence, so the visuals get a little...monotonous. I think the word used it most reviews was 'striking'. Me, I like a wide palette.
Interview With a Vampire. Yes, I LOVED Tom Cruise in this as Lestat. He IS Lestat. I still don't know why people fussed over the casting. But enough about that, this was one of the first looks at the struggle within for the vampire, plus Kirsten Dunst was fantastic.
Nosferatu the one from 1922. Scares the bejeebers out of me-every time I see it. Creepiest vampire movie out there. No over the top blood sprays, no hot actors, just a darn scary vampire being all lurky and creepy.
Peekaboo!
Daybreakers. Okay, Willem Dafoe as a good guy, Ethan Hawke as a brooding vampire searching for a replacement for human blood-or better yet, a cure. Sam Neill as a bad guy, this movie has it all. Including overdone blood-related scenes, no sun-twinkle, these guys burst into flames and no neat dusting (sorry Joss) they explode in a cloud of fiery sparks. Oh, and they are invisible in reflections. Eep I love old school rules.
Oh, Ethan. Your eyes smolder exactly like your cigarette.
THE PLOT:
The human population has been turned vampire, less than 5% of the population remains human and nearly all have been caught and placed in farms. The demand for blood has far outstripped the supply and a vampire in this universe turns from humanoid to...well, Nosferatu if they don't get blood. With less than a month's supply left and the farmed humans dropping off the vine left and right, something has to give.
This movie is exactly what would happen if the world turned vampire-not sparkle-skinned 'vegetarian' animal drainers, not undead kung-fu experts that collapse into neat piles of dust, not marble-bodied hotties with a lust for life. Just people. People who need people.
Van Helsing. Even the animated follow-up movies are worth watching. Love me some Hugh Jackman and Hugh Jackman as James Bond for the church, even better.
Underworld. I actually liked all 3. Though only 2 were really vampire-centric, so that rounds out my top 10 and throws out an extra for a werewolf-sorry, Lycan list.
Which leads me to another point-you can hardly have a vampire movie without involving wolfmen. Twilight and True Blood both follow this logic. So, without further ado, I will make a new entry with-my favorite zombie movies.
