10 Scariest Horror Movie Vampires
The fear that they illicit may have dulled over the years, yet Vampires are still the ruling undead.
Everyone has seen at least one Vampire story on screen, be it an old horror movie, a new gruesome flick or even a Vampire love interest on TV. They are one of Hollywood's most enduring species of villain, even after dozens of different variations and questionable portrayals.
You know the drill: sunlight, stake through the heart, beheading, garlic, crucifixes - keep them all on hand and you're set. So, knowing how to destroy them, why would Vampires be scary anymore? Why, can't you just hide until sunrise, then throw open the curtains?
What happens though when you don't get that chance? What happens when the Vampire is smarter than us, knows what is expected and plays with the way you think things are going to happen? With so many different ways to show a Vampire on screen, Vampire cinema has had to adapt and grow. Some of the entries here have cleverly turned expectations on their heads, daring the victims to try and escape.
From the old silent movies of time gone by, to recent blood baths and psychological horrors, it may be difficult to make Vampires scary anymore but it is by no means impossible. They stalk. They roam. They wait. They feed.
The idea of the Vampire will never not be frightening. Here are ten times when cinema absolutely nailed it.
10. The Entire Bar - From Dusk Till Dawn
On the surface, From Dusk Till Dawn is a standard Vampire flick with a wafer thin plot, relying on gruesome make-up and kills to pad out its run time. Only George Clooney, Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis manage to save it from becoming another forgettable splatter fest.
All of that being said, the film manages to absolutely deliver on its tiny promise. You're expecting Vampires? Boy, do you get Vampires.
The bar where the main characters take refuge for the night turns out to be a den for an ancient Vampire tribe, out to prey on passers by foolish enough to venture through their doors. The scares start in a standard enough fashion, with Salma Hayak beckoning the men toward her, before revealing herself as a monster - right before everyone else does too.
From Dusk Till Dawn is a lot of fun, wearing its thin premise on its sleeve. It manages to both pay homage to, and parody, older films and the way that Vampiric threats were dealt with, particularly in the Hammer horror films. Keitel is able to turn normal soapy water into Holy Water simply with a prayer, and fashions a crucifix out of a shotgun and a stake. Good stuff.
Tom Savini, the special effects wizard of so many horror films, is on screen as Sex Machine, the nice biker turned horrific rat mutant, ready to tear through flesh and bone. When it comes to plot, leave your brain at the door. If you're looking for pulpy, gross-out Vampires, look no further. You've found the right bar.