18 Coolest Vampire Movies for Sinners Fans
While the marketing has been a little cagey, by this point it’s clear that Ryan Coogler’s latest film, the critical and box office hit Sinners , is unabashedly throwing vampires into its genre-busting mix. The film takes place mainly in 1932. The film follows a pair of twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their rural hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi, to start what they hope will be a profitable jukebox store, but not before dealing with old relationships and the Klan leader who owns the lumber mill they both want to buy. Toward the film’s midpoint, the film’s increasingly grounded elements evolve into a larger narrative that combines magical realism, action, and horror. It’s a completely idiosyncratic vision, a film that made a lot of money and became an early Oscar favorite, so look for the studios to learn the wrong lessons and give us a stream of generic vampire movies.
But not here! None of these films are quite like The Sinners , except for the vampire angle – but just as Ryan Coogler’s film uses vampires as a starting point, all of these films use the lore of the undead in very different ways to tell very different but consistently good stories.
Ganja and Hess (1973)
In writer-director Bill Gunn’s meditative, sultry and thoroughly experimental horror film Ganja, Duane Jones ( Night of the Living Dead ) plays Dr. Hess Greene, who is attacked by his assistant with a knife belonging to a fictional ancient African tribe. He is subsequently forced to drink the blood of his attacker, which completes his vampiric transformation. Soon after, the assistant’s wife appears looking for her husband and, even as she realizes what happened, begins an affair with the doctor. Stylish and thoughtful (lots of atmosphere; little plot), the film makes some smart and very pointed observations about assimilation and religious hypocrisy. Spike Lee remade it in 2014 as The Sweet Blood of Jesus, but as far as Lee is concerned, you’re much better off with the original. You can stream Ganja & Hess on Tubi and Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video .
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
Iranian-American writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night would make a list of cool vampire movies on its gorgeous black-and-white style alone: Gliding through the streets of an Iranian city in her veil, The Girl (Sheila Vand) looks like an iconic figure, even as we learn that her creepy mode of transportation involves a hidden skateboard. But Amirpour really likes the idea that a girl walking down a deserted street in the dark might be far more of a threat than a potential victim, and that the veil might be less a symbol of oppression and more a means of remaining undetected until the moment comes to strike. You can watch A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Kanopy or rent it on Apple TV+ .
Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
Like father, like daughter in this direct sequel to Bela Lugosi’s film, which pits Countess Maria Zaleska (Gloria Holden, in full Garbo style) against Edward Van Sloan’s Van Helsing from the original. The two vampires have in common not only a sworn enemy, but also a view of women: Countess Zaleska first seduced the desperate Lily and then kidnapped Janet. What it lacks in style (it falls far short of Todd Browning’s film in this regard) it makes up for in sheer excitement. The producers and censors were nervous about the lesbianism of it all in the lead-up to the film’s release, but also chose to hype it up in the marketing, especially with a very poignant tagline: “Save the women of London from Dracula’s daughter!” You can rent Dracula’s Daughter from Prime Video .
Beat (2019)
Nicole Maines ( Supergirl ) plays Laurel, a transgender girl who moves to sunny Los Angeles after her transition. She wants to start over and everything is going great until a night out at the club leads to lots of kissing and then blood drinking. Laurel is soon given the chance to join an all-female group of vampires tasked with caring for the many male predators walking the city’s streets. You can stream Bit on Prime Video .
What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Starring, written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, Shadows predates the equally excellent series of the same name with a similar premise: a house full of old-world vampires (with old-school vampire trappings) looks desperately uncool when confronted with the modern world. Many vampire narratives derive their pathos from the idea of humans caught in a state of bleak, unchanging immortality. Shadows accepts this idea and looks for all the laughs in it. You can rent What We Do in the Shadows from Prime Video .
Daughters of Darkness (1971)
Believe it or not, erotic bisexual vampire films had a moment in the 1970s; few (if any) were more successful and more genuinely sexy than Daughters of Darkness . The look of the film borders on arthouse, with a stately and elegant style, as well as a willingness to delve into themes (Western decadence, gender power dynamics, etc.) that were discussed in many academic circles in the decades that followed. If all this seems boring to you, I will reiterate that this is still an erotic film about bisexual vampires. Delphine Seyrig plays Countess Elisabeth Bathory, who happens upon a newlywed couple honeymooning in a remote region and immediately sets about seducing his wife, diverting her from human sexual and moral conformity. You can stream Daughters of Darkness on Tubi and Shudder or rent it on Prime Video .
Lost Boys (1987)
It may not be the funniest vampire movie ( there’s a lot of competition), but it may very well be the sweatiest. Directed by gay Joel Schumacher (several years before he made the gayest superhero movie ever, Batman & Robin ), The Lost Boys follows brothers Sam (Corey Haim) and Michael (Jason Patric) Emerson as they move their family to sunny, Swiss Santa Carla, California – just in time for Michael to be seduced into joining a sexy gang of vampires by its blond leader, played by David. Kiefer Sutherland. Vampires lure Michael Star (Jamie Hertz), but his passion for the girl gives way to his infatuation with David, which leads him down a very bloody path. You can rent The Lost Boys from Prime Video .
Kronos (1992)
Guillermo del Toro begins in this deeply unconventional vampire film, the writer-director’s debut. In the 16th century, an alchemist invents the titular device: a steampunk scarab with a creature hidden inside. When it is rediscovered in the present by Jesus Gris (played by del Toro favorite Federico Luppi), he injects the man with an elixir that makes him (a little) younger and gives him a vampiric bloodlust. To complicate matters, a dying oligarch hot on Kronos’s trail isn’t too happy about someone else getting to use his powers, so he sends his ruthless thug, his nephew (Ron Perlman), to track him down. The imagery is strange and endlessly inventive, and what’s more, del Toro injects enough dark comedy around the edges to ensure the action never gets bogged down in self-seriousness. You can stream Cronos on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video .
Blade II (2002)
Ten years after Cronos, Guillermo del Toro delivers this rather brilliant action thriller – a gore-soaked good time that mixes disparate elements into a thrilling thrill ride that knows exactly what kind of film it is. Wesley Snipes is at his best as the title character/vampire hunter, while the sets are all bright and colorful and the vampires are downright monstrous. Practical effects and an artist’s eye make the comic book action film a must-have. You can rent Blade II on Prime Video .
Nadia (1994)
A fascinating new feature from director Michael Almereyda, Nadya is based (loosely) on Andre Breton’s French surrealist manifesto of the same name; when funding for such an adaptation fell through (an almost overnight process), David Lynch (who also appears) stepped in and paid for it all. To save money and achieve a distinct look, Almereyda shot the vampires’ point-of-view footage with a Fisher-Price camera. All of this is to say that this is not like other vampire movies. The film begins with two plot points: first, the death of Count Dracula at the hands of his old enemy Van Helsing (Peter Fonda), who traumatized his daughter (Elina Levenson); then the same Nadia seeks out Van Helsing’s daughter to have sex with her so she can make her a slave and fulfill her goal of getting revenge on Van Helsing’s family. This is an artistic take on blood, gore and horny lesbian vampires. You can stream Nadia on Prime Video .
Thirst (2009)
“What if we took Émile Zola’s 1868 non-supernatural novel Thérèse Raquin and turned it into a vampire horror film?” – apparently said writer and director Park Chan Wook ( Oldboy ). The novel tells the story of an orphan forced into an unhappy marriage with a listless hypochondriac, who begins a stormy and ill-fated affair. Here, the orphan is Tae-joo (Kim Ok-win), and the dashing man she has an affair with is Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), a former Catholic priest who developed a vampiric hunger after an experiment gone wrong. Wildly stylish and charming, surprisingly faithful to the book, which has nothing to do with vampires. You can rent Thirst from Prime Video .
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Will Only Lovers Left Alive – Horror Movie? Gothic novel? Real comedy? Um… yeah? Indie writer-director Jim Jarmusch, who has already made his mark in other genres (like the idiosyncratic Western Dead Man ), has turned his camera into a horror film. The film follows a pair of vampires who have both lived for centuries but now live in a different world: Adam (Tom Hiddleston) is a moody and moody musician living in a dingy Detroit apartment, while Eve (Tilda Swinton) lives a gay life in Tangier. She takes Adam with her to give him a change of scenery and get him out of the dark rut where she encourages him to go out and live a little, or whatever is the equivalent of the undead. You can rent Only Lovers Left Alive from Prime Video .
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
It’s great that a modern TV adaptation dispenses with subtext and makes the relationship between Lestat and Louis real, but this 1994 adaptation comes impressively close to that line. Vampires Lestat (Tom Cruise) and Louis (Brad Pitt) have established a household in gloomy New Orleans, “adopting” daughter Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) and generally making fun of the all-American family unit. You can rent Interview with the Vampire from Prime Video .
Martin (1977)
George Romero manages to fit a vast exploration of vampire lore into a film that may or may not even include a vampire—it wouldn’t be much of a spoiler to suggest that we’re never quite sure whether Martin’s (John Amplas) vampirism is to be taken literally. In a family steeped in Eastern European folklore and myth, Martin develops an overwhelming need to drink blood, a need that leads him to drug his victims and then cut them in the veins with a razor. As usual, Romero has a lot to say, but here he cleverly plays with the idea of vampires as sexual counterparts (the impotent Martin plays the highly sexualized vampire attacks of earlier films), and Romero also invites us to question our fascination with Martin, even as he commits heinous acts. You can stream Martin on Tubi .
Let the Right One In (2008)
One of the best vampire films, certainly of this century, is unexpectedly poignant, although it does not skimp on cruelty. Intimidated Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) meets and befriends Eli (Lina Leandersson), a girl who appears to be about his age but who (you won’t be surprised to learn) is a vampire. Although they are very different, they are united by their shared status as outsiders in the grim Swedish suburb of Bläkeberg. You can stream Let the Right One In on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video .
Stake Land (2010)
The vampires of Steak Land are neither sexy nor subtle. They are all animal creatures who wander an apocalyptic wasteland, trying to understand what a world with vampires can quickly become like. As a thriller, it’s bloody and effective, but a movie about people running from scary vampires would be less interesting than what we see here: as is often the case, the biggest threat remains humans. Religious fanatics who call themselves the Brotherhood are convinced that vampires are the will of God, a punishment for sins, and therefore they are perfectly happy to help hungry animals feed. You can stream Stake Land on Tubi, Kanopy, Peacock and Prime Video .
Blood Relatives (2022)
We’re talking about cool vampires here, but this comedy from director Noah Segan is about an extremely uncool vampire (played by Segan) who discovers that he is the father of a grown young woman (played by the great Victoria Moroles) who has partially inherited his vampirism and wants to contact her father after the death of her mom. Basically, she just has nowhere else to go. Amid snappy dialogue and poignant characterization, Sigan has fun punctuating vampire lore in a story about a guy who was initially uninterested in bonding with his daughter but then changes his mind. You can stream Blood Relatives on Shudder or rent it on Prime Video .
Dracula (1931)
If it’s hard to imagine a time when horror wasn’t a mainstream film genre, that’s because it’s been that way since 1931, the year Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula appeared on screen. Todd Browning’s film was a prestige adaptation of the classic novel before anyone thought of treating horror as B-grade entertainment, so there’s no deviation from Dracula’s impeccable style. While the film gets a little theatrical in the second half, it gives us some of horror’s most indelible images – scenes and images we still reference almost a century later. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula has been endlessly parodied and imitated, but it’s only possible because he was so damn impressive. You can rent Dracula from Prime Video .