10 Hidden Gem Vampire Horror Movies

5. The Lair Of The White Worm

Kiss of the Damned
Vestron Pictures

Floppy-haired Hugh Grant and future Doctor Who (and likewise floppy-haired) Peter Capaldi? In a vampire movie? Yes, it really did happen.

Back before either men hit the big time, Grant and Capaldi got to vamp it up in 1988's The Lair of the White Worm. Loosely adapted from Bram Stroker's novel of the same name, this Ken Russell picture centres around the legend of the d'Ambton Worm.

When Capaldi's archeology student finds what he believes to be a giant snake skull, he starts to dive deep on connecting said skull to the aforementioned snake-like legend of centuries past. For Hugh Grant, he plays James d'Ampton, an ancestor of the man who purportedly banished the d'Ambton Worm back in the day.

There's missing persons, sultry seductresses (Amanda Donohoe's Lady Sylvia), mystical and magical shenanigans, a huge amount of phallic imagery, and some vibrant, trippy visuals when the sh*t really hits the fan.

So, "vampire movie", right? While serpents are very much the focus of The Lair of the White Worm, the film also works brilliantly as a vampiric ball of energy once it gets going. With Lady Sylvia a fanged, smouldering figure on a mission to sink her teeth into human flesh, a bite from Sylvia results in her victims carrying on the curse and condition that she herself has. Plus, y'know, based on a tale from the legendary Bram Stoker.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.