Universal Pictures’ latest monster movie, Abigail, is a reminder of how the legendary studio still knows how to make a great vampire flick.
The horror comedy has been a hit with audiences, receiving high scores from critics and viewers alike (84% and 87% as seen on Rotten Tomatoes). With all the gory fun it brought to theaters, fans will undoubtedly want something else just like it soon. But, unfortunately, it seems like the next major vampire movie, Nosferatu, won’t be until Christmas Day. There’s just a little less than eight months to go!
In the meantime, fans can get their bloody fixes with these five vampire movies, ranging from recent releases to older ones from the 1980s. Each one features a variety of fun characters and wicked vampire transformations that might even leave some viewers with goosebumps.
Fright Night (1985)
Fright Night is an ode to all the late night hosted horror shows that many people most likely grew up. In it, horror-fanatic Charlie Brewster (played by William Ragsdale) becomes suspicious of his new next door neighbor, the mysterious and reclusive Jerry Dandrige, and becomes convinced that he’s a vampire. After strange events and a violent run in, Charlie turns to his friends and his favorite television personality, Peter Vincent, for help.
This one oozes nostalgia and sexiness that are quintessentially the 80s. These mixed with the terrifying vampire transformations, funny moments, and supernatural elements that are reminiscent of other horror movies from the 70s make Fright Night a wild and fun ride that can be enjoyed over and over. And, it also helps that it has a killer soundtrack.
Vamp (1986)
The fact that Vamp has Grace Jones as part of the cast automatically makes it even more iconic. In this one, three college students visit a stripclub in a seedy town to try and hire a stripper to take back to a fraternity and secure their spots in the group. They quickly learn that the stripclub (and basically the entire shady town) is actually filled with vampires, with the most powerful one being Katrina, played by Jones. Their fun turns into a night of terror and survival as they fight back against every pair of fangs that try to get close to them.
Vamp is filled with wise cracks, raunchy jokes, and even a budding relationship, but still manages to terrorize by using the vampires’ predatory natures and the surreal town to induce claustrophobia and make audiences feel like they’re part of a fever dream. Once the action ramps up, it seems like everything quickly closes in on the students and there is no room for them (or viewers to breathe). All that can be seen and felt is the intensity from the fangs, dingy neon lights, and heavily hairsprayed 80s hairdos.
The Invitation (2021)
In The Invitation, Nathalie Emmanuel plays Evie, a woman who uncovers a long lost distant cousin after taking a DNA test following the death of her mother. The cousin invites her to a lavish wedding in England for an aristocratic family, which also includes her other relatives. Once she gets there, what seems like a dream come true turns (especially the dark and handsome man she falls for) into a nightmare as she learns the real reason of why she was invited to the wedding, her relatives’ ancient secret.
The Invitation is as luscious as it is horrifying. Set in a sprawling English estate, the movie is full of jewels, luxurious clothing, extravagant living quarters, and enigmatic characters. It’s hard to get enough of the beauty of all of it. But, this is severely contrasted with how nasty and nonchalant the entire family is about killing humans and the pain they cause others just for wealth and protection from vampires. They’re pure evil, and the kind of characters the vampire genre needed.
Jakob’s Wife (2021)
Scream queen Barbara Crampton stars in Jakob’s Wife as a woman, Anne, who’s married to a minister that longs for more than her dreary small town life. Soon though, she gets more excitement than she was expecting when she meets up with an old boyfriend, played by Robert Rusler, and encounters something deadly in the old mill. Soon after finding bites on her neck, she’s a transformed woman: powerful, bold, and has a huge sexual appetite. While she gets the change-up she’s wanted, her new vampirism completely upends her life, and her marriage.
Besides being sticky with blood and body parts, this movie does a great job at making vampires multidimensional compared to others, showing how they can represent liberation. As seen through Anne, vampires don’t just crave blood – they crave sex, control, and proudly exude confidence and unpredictability, and look amazing while doing it. Just seeing her get out of her frumpy beginnings and thrive as a creature of the night (and how that clashes with the religion her husband is so dedicated to) is truly what makes this one worth watching.
Renfield (2023)
Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult make the perfect creepy vampire and familiar duo in Renfield. The movie focuses on Hoult, who stars as Renfield, as he wishes for a life beyond serving Count Dracula (played by Cage). And, he gets his chance when his world collides with the Lobo gang, and he falls for a New Orleans police woman named Rebecca (played by Awkwafina).
It’s obvious creators decided to go full ham with this one. Combining old school Dracula lore with a modern crime story, Renfield is both campy and totally ridiculous, but also serious and endearing when it needs to be. And of course, it’s filled to the brim with blood, gore, and pretty entertaining fight scenes. While there is hardly anything truly frightening here, there is a level of eeriness that comes from the dynamics between Renfield and Dracula because of how slimy, intimidating, and controlling the latter is.
