Vampires, immortal as they are, will always be a part of horror cinema, either sparkling in the sunlight to woo teen girlfriends or trapping real estate agents in their ancient castles so their army of undead wives can suck their blood. They’ve made their way from whispered warnings in fairy tales and folklore to the biggest movie screens, and we haven’t gotten bored with their undead antics yet. (Although we could do with more vampires in capes; no one has cool capes in movies these days.)
Plenty of vampire movies are lots of spooky fun, or even just funny, and the vampire himself is such a familiar cinematic trope that it takes a lot to make one actually frighten an audience these days. But plenty of movies have done it, and have carved a headstone for themselves in the realm of great horror movies besides.
So, what does it take to make a vampire a truly nightmare-inducing threat? Maybe they’re just shockingly violent in ways you’ve never seen before. Or they’re possessed of a strange psychosis that calls into question whether their vampiric traits are real or just some sick fantasy. Or maybe their movie needs to be more of a portrait of how horrific it would be to actually transform into a vampire, if you were unfortunate enough to be bitten by one. Maybe they just look really, really creepy.
These are the films whose cinematic vampires still have the ability to terrify, whose fangs and capes and widow’s peaks are just the set dressing for the true horror that lies underneath.
10 Vampire Movies That Are Actually Scary
We wouldn’t want to meet any of these vampires in a dark alley at night.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
READ MORE: The 10 Best Action Movies of the Last 10 Years
The 10 Most Uncomfortable Cringe Comedies
We watched these through our fingers, but we still watched.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky