25 Best Vampire Movies Ever Made

The first fully-fledged vampire film to hit our screens, Nosferatu (or Nosferatu, A Symphony Of Horror to give it its full title) is as much a landmark in cinema history as it is a phenomenal vampire film.

An unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, F.W Munrau’s masterpiece of German Expressionism follows the same plot of the novel but with altered character names in an attempt to avoid copyright infringement: Jonathan Harker is now Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim), Mina is Ellen (Greta Schröder), and Count Dracula is Count Orlok (who’s portrayed stupendously by Max Schreck).

Though it dates before the days of sound, the striking visuals and performances have continued to hold up this film’s Gothic atmosphere for almost a century. Despite the studio’s efforts to avoid a lawsuit, Stoker’s widow nevertheless sued, resulting in a judgement that called for the film to be destroyed. Thankfully, though, some prints survived.