Top 10 Vampire Films Countdown - #2

The #2 film on my Top 10 Vampire Film Countdown is the Universal film classic, Dracula!

Made in 1931 by Universal Studios and directed by Tod Browning, this is the one that people think of when you say the word Dracula. Based on the Bram Stoker novel it stars Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula and Edward Van Sloan as Professor Van Helsing. Lugosi's performance is top notch - he IS Count Dracula. His rendition of Dracula is the one all others are measured against. Dwight Frye is also terrific as Renfield, and once again it is his performance that stands the test of time.

Lon Chaney Sr. was originally slated to play the title role, but he was unable to do the part due to illness (cancer). Lugosi was a natural as he had already performed the part successfully on stage. Dracula was a huge success and launched the Universal era of horror films.

Don't believe the hype that the Spanish-language version, shot on the same sets at night, is superior. It has more fluid camera movements and is a little less stiff, but their lead actor is quite dorky looking and lacks the charisma and mesmerizing charm of Lugosi. The American version is a true classic, and Lugosi's Dracula became a movie icon that influenced all Draculas to come, and thus it is #2 on my countdown.

Top 10 Vampire Films - #3

#4 on my top ten Vampire films countdown is another entry from Hammer films - their first foray into vampire territory - HORROR OF DRACULA!

Released in 1958 this one stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Michael Gough. It was written by Jimmy Sangster and directed by the great Terrence Fisher. It was originally called simply DRACULA, but renamed Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion. It is based on the Stoker Dracula novel, albeit very loosely.  In THIS version Harker comes to castle Dracula to destroy the count (Lee). He fails, and Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) finds the castle empty and Harker lying in a cyypt, no longer a man but now a vampire. He stakes him through the heart and leaves to inform Harker's fiance, Lucy, of thetragic news. But it turns out Lucy has contracted a strange illness... and even stranger marks on her neck...



This film is a joy to watch. Sumptuous colors and crisp direction with the definitive British horror cast of Cushing and Lee - doesn't get much better than that. The two play off one another perfectly, and Cushing in particular is fantastic as Van Helsing. The music score by James Bernard is terrific as well, with that memorable theme that instantly says Hammer Horror.



This is one I revisit regularly, and in fact am overdue to watch again. Definitely one of the best, check out Horror of Dracula, it's a must see for vampire fans.

Top Ten Vampire Films #4

We're in the home stretch on the top vampire film countdown, and it's Hammer time as we welcome the #4 movie on our countdown, DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS!

This is the third film in the Hammer Dracula series, the second which featured Christopher Lee as Count Dracula. It was made in 1966 and was written by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Terrence Fisher. It stars Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, and Andrew Kier. This film is unique in that Dracula doesn't speak a word during this film - Despite this he still oozes evil in every scene.



When the film begins Dracula is dead, destroyed at the end of the first Hammer Dracula film Horror of Dracula. He is revived by a devoted minion of the dark prince, a man known simply as Klove. The scene where Dracula is resurrected is one of the best in any Hammer movies. Klove captures and knocks unconscious a man staying as a guest in Dracula's castle. He suspends him upside down over a crypt containing Dracula's ashes, then slits the man's throat, spilling his blood over the ashes and bringing Dracula back to un-life!
 

The one thing that would elevate this film higher on my list would be the addition of Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. However, Andrew Keir plays Father Sandor, an ass-kicking monk traveling through the area. I really love his character, and he makes a nice stand-in for Van Helsing.



When it comes to vampire films I could honestly have made this list entirely Hammer-centric. The entire Hammer series is excellent, but there are two that I feel stand out above the pack, and DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS is certainly one of those!

TOP TEN VAMPIRE FILMS - #9

Continuing our countdown of the top Vampire films of all time, at #9 is a film from 1987 that was a HUGE box office success and one that I remember seeing in the theater - THE LOST BOYS.

This film was made by director Joel Schumacher and stars Keifer Sutherland, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, and Jason Patric. It tells the story two brothers and their mom who move to a new town, Santa Carla, CA. The older brother, Michael, gets involved with a pack of bloodsucking bikers and younger brother Sam falls in with two strange kids known as the Frog Brothers who know the truth of what lurks in Santa Carla.

I almost hesitated to put this movie on the list simply because Schumacher directed it, which I realize is unfair. In retrospect I'm letting the complete shittiness of the Batman movies he directed color my perception of this movie. The Lost Boys is a lot of fun and although it is a campy movie it still has its scary moments. The pack of vampires is an interesting element of the film, especially juxtaposed with Sam and Michael's family. Michael finds himself torn between the two and must make a choice.



The Lost Boys is a true product of the 80s, a snapshot of fashion and attitudes of the time. I love that a comic book shop plays prominently at the beginning of the movie. Once the final showdown occurs this film falls a little too much into the cliche of having the vampires die too easily. This is a problem I have with most vampire movies that features large numbers of vampires - they cease to be frightening monsters and instead become cartoon characters, fodder for one silly death sequence after another (a problem I have with films like BLADE or FROM DUS TILL DAWN). But despite this THE LOST BOYS is entertaining and worth watching, and one I revisit from time to time.

TOP TEN VAMPIRE FILM COUNTDOWN

This post began as a conversation over dinner one night with my son, Luke. We were discussing movies and the topic of vampire films came up. We started mentioning our favorites and least favorites, making a list of them. I quickly texted myself with the results, and held onto it. Flash forward several months and I'm thinking about what I want to do for Halloween here on the blog when I suddenly remembered that bloodsucking countdown Luke and I had developed... perfect! Thus this year's Halloween treat, my top 10 Vampire film countdown.

I'm beginning the list with a film that holds the distinction of being one of the few that scared me as a kid. I have distinct, and fond, memories of watching this one alone in my bedroom on a little television, with all the lights off. I would watch it until I got too scared and then would change the channel, flip to something else for a bit, then switch back to this movie and do it all over again, watching until I got too scared to take it any more. I had nightmares about this one. Coming in at #10...





#10 - SALEM'S LOT, 1979, Dir. Tobe Hooper, Starring David Soul and James Mason. It tells the story of an ancient vampire named Barlow who comes to the town of Salem's Lot and begins feeding on the population, turning each of his victims into vampires too. This was a made-for-TV mini-series based on the book Salem's Lot by Stephen King - don't be misled into watching the 2004 adaptation of this book starring Rutger Hauer and Rob Lowe, the 1979 version is much better. It originally aired in 2 parts, on November 17th and 24th, 1979. I was 13 years old at the time...

Barlow is a truly frightening vampire. Based look-wise on the vampire from the classic film Nosferatu, Barlow is not the romantic, suave vampire of Hollywood films but an evil, rat-like creature infesting the town and spreading his disease of vampirism. It features some truly scary moments and is one I revisit from time to time, although now I don't need to change the channel any longer. Usually.