Fangs Unleashed: 25 Best Vampire Movies and TV Shows that Refuse to Romanticize the Undead

Vampires have been romanticized in movies like The Twilight Saga series, but that's not everyone's cup of tea. While being immortal and beautiful sounds appealing, some TV shows and movies have shown the true horrors of being a blood-sucking night dweller. Fans in an online forum discussed the movies and shows that don't romanticize vampires — here are their top picks.

1. Midnight Mass (2021)

As a superfan of Mike Flanagan’s work (Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game), I can confidently say that Midnight Mass is some of his best work yet. It’s the last series to grip me and stay with me for months. Everything about it was perfect; the storytelling, cast, setting, and creatures were all so beautifully compiled. This dark, gritty take on the absolute horror of vampires tests the residents’ faith and lets emotions fly.

2. Let the Right One In (2008)

This Swedish film might be categorized as a romantic horror movie, but if you pay attention, you’ll see how tragic and gruesome it is to be a vampire. Eli has just moved into Ozkar’s building, and as preteens do, he develops a crush. She tries to keep her distance to no avail. Soon the two become inseparable even after Eli confesses to being a vampire. Eli soon proves she would do anything to keep Ozkar safe.

3. Fright Night (1985)

Fright Night does an excellent job of showing that not all vampires are supermodels with fangs. When these vampires reveal their true faces, they are grotesque and animalistic. Teenager Charley Brewster is determined to prove his new next-door neighbor is a vampire responsible for the recent disappearance of several people. His efforts prove difficult as his neighbor is very charming, even talking his way inside Charley’s house by wooing his mother. Charley enlists his close friends to help him take his neighbor down for good.

4. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

During a crime spree, two brothers hijack the RV of a widower along with his two teenage kids. As they make their way to the Mexican border, they stop at an adult nightclub. They relax inside while having some drinks and quickly find out the nightclub staff are not what they seem. From Dusk Till Dawn is a thrill ride you won't want to get off.

5. 3o Days of Night (2007)

In a small Alaskan town, there is a month-long polar night coming. Its residents prepare as usual, only this time, a pack of vampires has arrived to slaughter them all. In a fight for survival, with all the odds stacked against them, the townspeople try their best to make it until sunrise.

6. The Strain (2014-2017)

The Strain is based on a trilogy of books by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It treats vampirism as more of a virus, a fresh new perspective. A plane carrying the virus lands at JFK airport. The hundreds of bodies found on board are taken to a morgue, where they begin to disappear. They soon discover this virus is an ancient strain of vampirism and assemble a team to eradicate it.

7. Salem's Lot (1979)

Returning to his small hometown, Ben Mears, now a thriving author, decides to make the subject of his next book a creepy old house on a hilltop. As he asks other townspeople about the property, he finds it's long thought to be haunted by its former resident. As Ben digs deeper into the mystery behind the hilltop house with the help of some friends, they discover vampires are overrunning their town. They do everything in their power to stop it, calling for some close encounters with some fanged freaks.

8. Daybreakers (2009)

I enjoyed this take on vampires, especially having them vastly outnumber humans to the point where humans are almost extinct. Due to humans being in short supply, the vampires have enlisted Edward, a hematologist, to develop a synthetic blood substitute. While Edward works tirelessly to find a method that works, he comes across something incredible; a vampire who has been cured and returned to his human form. Edward shifts his focus and stops at nothing to restore humankind.

9. The Lost Boys (1987)

You can't talk about vampire movies without bringing up the 80s classic The Lost Boys. Michael and his younger brother Sam move to a small California town with their mother. As they settle in, Michael has a run-in with a local biker gang made up of — you guessed it — vampires. Michael decides to be initiated into the gang, not realizing it would require him to be transformed. Sam quickly finds out the mistake Michael made and enlists the help of a vampire-hunting duo to help him take down the gang before his brother is lost forever.

10. Near Dark (1987)

Caleb looks for love in all the wrong places, leading him straight into the fangs of a vampire named Mae. Sometime later, Mae and her vampire companions pick Caleb up and eventually treat him as one of their own. Caleb and the group's leader, Jesse, continue not seeing eye to eye, causing intense arguments. Meanwhile, Caleb's father has been searching for him, and when one of the vampires sets his sights on Caleb's younger sister, everything changes.

11. Renfield (2023)

If you love over-the-top gore and want to see Nicolas Cage as an egotistical and maniacal Dracula, Renfield is the movie for you. This film is a super fun take on the relationship between a vampire and their familiar that we don't often see. Renfield truly hates his master, and throughout the movie, we see him finally take the steps to free himself from Dracula's grip.

12. Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu is widely regarded to be one of the silent era’s most influential masterpieces. Everyone can recognize Count Orlok’s iconic design even if they haven’t seen the film. Nosferatu has inspired many things, including the idea that sunlight could defeat vampires. It laid the groundwork for the fantastic vampire media we have today and deserves its flowers.

13. Penny Dreadful (2014-2016)

Penny Dreadful is a gothic masterpiece full of beautiful sets and gorgeous costumes. If you love classic horror monsters, this show has everything you could ever want. Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) begins to experience fits of hysteria that can't be explained. She enlists the help of a family friend and together they gather a team of experts to protect her and help her solve the mystery of her ailments. As their efforts ensue, Vanessa realizes she's being summoned by Dracula himself. What follows is a battle to save Vanessa's eternal soul.

14. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012)

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is a twist on the history of the 16th President of the United States. In this fictional retelling of his life, Abraham's mother, Nancy, is killed by a vampire resulting in Abraham dedicating his life to hunting down her killer and exacting revenge. As he almost suffers the same fate as his mother, he's saved by a man who wants to teach Abraham the ways of a Vampire Hunter. Abraham agrees, and we join him throughout the years of hunting while fighting to abolish slavery.

15. American Horror Story (2021)

The first half of the tenth season of American Horror Story is centered around a couple who decides to take a three-month getaway in Provincetown, Massachusetts, hoping to take care of a bout of writer's block. As they settle in, they realize that there is a group of pale individuals inhabiting the small town. The take on vampires in this mini-season is refreshing and incredibly entertaining.

16. John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)

John Crow and his band of vampire-slaying brethren travel the New Mexico desert in search of hives of the undead to exterminate. During a drunken celebration, they are interrupted by Valek, the master of vampires. Valek tears through Crow's crew leaving only Crow and another hunter alive. With the Vatican's help, finding Valek and annihilating him becomes Crow's top priority.

17. Blade (1998)

Technically Blade laid the groundwork for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so you better put some respect on his name. Wesley Snipes plays a cut-throat, half-human, half-immortal assassin determined to rid the world of vampires. While carrying out his usual duties, he discovers the vampires are plotting a ritual to revive an old blood God. There’s just one catch, they need Blade’s blood, and he’s not about to give it up without a fight.

18. Martin (1977)

Martin is a delusional young man who fully believes he is a vampire, so much so that he takes to murdering and drinking the blood of random women. With nowhere to go, his elderly cousin agrees to allow him to move in. He soon realizes Martin is severely disturbed and tries to reason with him. With no end to Martin's reign of terror in sight, something drastic must be done to stop him.

19. Blood Red Sky (2021)

A woman, Nadja, and her son are aboard a flight to New York. During the flight, a group of men murder the air marshals and hijack the plane. Unfortunately for them, there's something they don't know about Nadja — she's not human. To save her son and the lives of the other passengers, she begins her onslaught against the hijackers.

20. Thirst (2009)

A Catholic priest volunteers to participate in an experiment to create a vaccine for a deadly virus, but after becoming infected, he needs a blood transfusion to stay alive. The blood he was given turns him into a vampire and thus begins a story of betrayal and murder as he tries to make sense of his newfound vampirism.

21. The Transfiguration (2016)

Milo is a teenager who should be hanging out with friends or playing video games. Instead, he spends his time journaling about the rules of being a vampire and murdering random people to satiate his “thirst” for blood. The thing is, Milo isn’t a real vampire. During an excursion, he meets and befriends his new neighbor Sophie. The more time Sophie spends with Milo, the more she realizes something is not quite right.

22. Subspecies (1991)

In Romania, three college students study Romanian superstition when they meet a fellow student with a particular interest in nocturnal creatures. They soon learn their new friend is in the midst of a struggle with his vampire brother to gain control over the nearby Castle Vladislas. Against their better judgment, the college students get involved, resulting in the loss of mortal lives.

23. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

No one ever suspects a sweet young girl of being a bloodthirsty creature. This allows for the luring and devouring of victims easily for the girl. Things change when she meets a man named Arash. She is taken with him and finds herself resisting the urge to feed when she is with him. Infatuation aside, the girl continues to lay waste to people in Arash’s life.

24. Cronos (1992)

If you found a device that could give you everlasting life with just a simple pinprick, would you do it? Jesús Gris did and quickly found that while some aspects of his health improved, other ailments took their place. Sensitivity to sunlight and a constant hunger for blood began to drive him mad. While he made sense of it all, he was being hunted by a man whose mission was to find the device in Jesús’ possession. As he fights off the hunters, he realizes the choice he made might have been the wrong one.

25. Stake Land (2010)

Stake Land is a story of a duo’s journey through vampire-riddled territories in search of New Eden, a vampire-free sanctuary. As the pair makes their way, they encounter cults, save a nun, and fight to stay alive. Their mission proves to be more complicated than they’d hoped as they run into a new type of enhanced vampire that puts their skills to the ultimate test.

Source: Reddit.