Image credit: Miramax, DEG, ZDF, Screen Gems, New Line Cinema, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros., Laurel Productions, Kino Lorber, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, New Zealand Film Commission, CJ Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Lions Gate Films, Magnolia Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Here's the lineup of films where the stakes are high (pun intended), the action is gripping, and the vampires are anything but sparkly.
Vampire movies have been around for a long time, and while some of them turn into love stories that might make you roll your eyes, there are plenty that pack in action, mystery, and scares without laying it on too thick with the romance; these films are all about the thrill of the chase, the clash between humans and vampires, and sometimes, even vampires fighting other vampires.
1. "Let the Right One In" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
In a bleak Swedish suburb, a bullied young boy forms a close bond with a mysterious new neighbor, a girl who reveals herself to be a vampire, leading to a series of events that will change both of their lives forever.
2. "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
In the ghost-town of Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the lives of two lonely souls intertwine; one, a vampire prowling the streets for immoral men to consume, and the other, a young man desperate for connection.
3. "What We Do in the Shadows" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
A mockumentary following the lives of four vampire roommates trying to get by in the modern world, dealing with typical life challenges in humorous ways, from paying rent to trying to enter nightclubs.
4. "Nosferatu the Vampyre" (1979) Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
A haunting retelling of the Dracula tale with Count Dracula moving from his Transylvanian castle to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land, and a real estate agent and his wife becoming crucial in the fight against the vampire.
5. "Martin" (1977) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
A young man who believes himself to be a vampire of the modern age struggles with his existential crisis and the urge to feed, blurring the lines between reality and his delusions in a bleak industrial town.
A writer returns to his hometown to discover that its citizens are turning into vampires; teaming up with a young boy and a few allies, they embark on a mission to stop the spread and confront the ancient vampire master.
7. "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
Two centuries-old vampire lovers, Adam and Eve, reunite over their mutual discontent for the world's direction, pondering their existence and artistry, while dealing with the wild antics of Eve's uncontrollable younger sister.
8. "Near Dark" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
A young cowboy is seduced and turned by a beautiful drifter who is part of a roving band of vampires, struggling to choose between his new love and the vampire lifestyle or saving his family.
A teenager discovers his new neighbor is a vampire and turns to a has-been actor, who hosts a horror TV show as a vampire hunter, for help in stopping the vampire from taking over their town.
10. "Thirst" (2009) – South Korea Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
A priest volunteers for a medical experiment to find a vaccine for a deadly virus but becomes infected with a vampiric disease, leading him into a moral spiral and a tragic love affair that challenges his faith and humanity.
A young lawyer is sent to a gloomy village in Eastern Europe and becomes captive of Dracula, who travels to London to seduce the lawyer's fiancée and wreak havoc, leading to a battle between Dracula and a small group led by Professor Van Helsing.
12. "The Lost Boys" (1987) Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%
After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires and join forces with a group of vampire hunters to save one of them from becoming a vampire himself.
In a future world overwhelmed by vampires and facing a blood shortage, a vampire researcher works secretly with human survivors to save mankind from extinction.
14. "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996) Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%
Two criminal brothers on the run take a family hostage and hide out in a desolate strip club, only to discover it's populated by vampires, leading to a night-long battle for survival.
15. "Blade" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 58%
A half-vampire, half-human becomes a protector of the mortal race, waging a shadow war against vampires seeking to unleash a virus that could turn all humans into vampires.
16. "30 Days of Night" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%
In an isolated Alaskan town plunged into darkness for a month, vampires descend to feast, leaving a small group of survivors to fight for their lives through the polar night.
17. "Vampire in Brooklyn" (1995) Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%
A Caribbean vampire searches for a specific half-human, half-vampire woman in Brooklyn to survive, using his powers to woo her while she is unaware of her true identity and his intentions.
18. "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" (1995) Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%
A comedic take on the Dracula story, where the infamous vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor's fiancée and inflict havoc, met with attempts to thwart his plans by bumbling descendants of Professor Van Helsing.
A centuries-old vampire countess needs to drink the blood of a virgin to keep her beauty and youth, targeting a high school student, leading to a comedic battle involving his girlfriend to save him from becoming her next victim.
20. "The Forsaken" (2001) Rotten Tomatoes score: 7%
A young man driving across the country to deliver a car stumbles upon a vampire hunter and a young woman being hunted by a group of vampire nomads, becoming embroiled in their fight against an ancient vampiric force.
