10 Best Monsters Of The Week In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

10. Dracula

Buffy's version of the biggest, baddest vampire in pop culture is surprisingly well crafted. Though on paper a Buffy vs Dracula theme might sound bizarre and cartoon-ish (especially when you consider that the episode ran as the premier to Season Five), it pays off in spades.

Keeping the various Dracula tropes we know and love alive, actor Rudolf Martin portrays the Prince of Darkness as charming, deeply mysterious and yet completely threatening. The way he talks, the way he moves, the way he stalks the Scooby Gang; everything fits together in a nice neat package which stops the infamous bloodsucker from seeming too cliched and out of place.

Pair that with his ability to entice Buffy herself to listen to his commands, and the fact that he tries to come back at the end only to be slain again (a cool meta nod to the pop culture icon he is), this is one solid version of Dracula who is beautifully placed to remind us just how badass Buffy is.

It's entertaining stuff, and respectful to both the source material and Buffy as a show.