Vampire movies exist in one of the most popular subgenres of horror that has continued to explore the supernatural undead in new and exciting ways over the years. With modern takes on the lore moving further and further away from the iconic and legendary Bram Stoker's Dracula that helped define the genre over a century ago.
These new takes on the classic vampire myth have helped redefine the horror movie genre in a number of ways, from action-packed martial arts heavy comic book adaptations to hilarious mockumentary-style explorations into ancient vampires living in a modern-day setting.
10 Martin Is The Descendant Of Ancient Eastern-European Vampires... Or Not
Horror legend George A. Romero may be best known as the godfather of zombies thanks to his iconic Night of the Living Dead that launched his Dawn of the Dead franchise, but he also explored the vampire genre with 1978's Martin.
The titular character believes himself to be a descendent of a long line of ancient Eastern-European vampires that enabled his dark fantasies as he began to drug women with sedatives before drinking their blood in a film that explores the dark supernatural myths that may have come from humanity's own dark impulses all along.
9 Cronos Is An Ancient Machine That Granted Youth At The Cost Of Human Blood
Guillermo del Toro wowed horror fans early in his career with 1993's Cronos, a Mexican-American horror that followed an elderly antique dealer who discovered an ancient machine that stings him and begins to restore his youth and vitality.
Unfortunately, he soon learns that the machine houses a vampiric insect that infects him with an unstoppable craving for human blood in order to keep restoring his youthful appearance, which soon brings him into conflict with a deadly American hunter.
8 Underworld Introduced An Ancient War Between Vampires And Werewolves
2003's Underworld launched the hit franchise that explored the ongoing war between supernatural creatures that spanned centuries and reimagined vampires as well-trained Death Dealers who used high-tech weaponry in their war against werewolves.
Kate Beckinsale's Selene and her cadre of vampire Death Dealers conform to the usual vampiristic rules, though the modernized update as werewolf hunters protecting humanity from a hidden dark war separates Underworld from the typical vampire stories.
7 Twilight Completely Transformed Modern Vampires And Reinvigorated The Genre
Stephanie Meyer's best-selling series was adapted in 2008's Twilight to launch the hit young adult horror romance franchise, which introduced an entirely new type of vampire in the form of Edward Cullen, who attends high school in an overcast town (despite being over 100 years old) and sparkles when hit by sunlight.
While Twilight's reimagining of the vampire genre may not be well-received by most horror fans, it still undoubtedly changed the idea of vampires in pop culture and helped reinvigorate the franchise in an attempt to bring back the classic scary vampire to replace the angst-ridden diamond-studded vampires that go to high school in Forks, Washington.
6 Lifeforce Introduced A Powerful Alien Vampire Who Fed On Human Energy
Tobe Hooper directed 1985's Lifeforce which took place in the near future as astronauts discovered what appeared to be mummified human corpses on an alien vessel. The female humanoid awoke during experimentation and began draining the life force of humans.
The human forces who assemble to fight off the threat of the alien vampires soon learn that they have visited Earth many times over the years to build the vampire myth, which was also based on their original bat-like alien forms and their ability to shape-shift.
5 Daybreakers Saw A World Taken Over By Vampires Who Were Running Out Of Food
While most vampire movies explore the small threat of a singular vampire or a small group, 2009's Daybreakers takes place in a futuristic world that was overrun by vampires, leaving almost the entirety of the world transformed into high-functioning vampires.
However, with the dwindling numbers of uninfected humanity causing a worldwide blood shortage, the vampires begin to transform into even darker feral creatures that begin to prey on the vampires just as they preyed on humans.
4 Rabid Turned Vampirism Into A Thinly-Veiled STI That Ravaged Montreal
David Cronenberg's 1977 film Rabid (and the Soska Sisters' loosely based 2019 reboot) explored a new type of vampirism that first infected Marilyn Chambers' Rose after she suffered injuries in a motorcycle crash that led to an experimental surgical procedure.
Rose began to develop a stinger in her armpit that drove her to feed on human blood, which then spread the infection among her victims to become a vampiric plague that swept the city of Montréal.
3 Near Dark Introduced A Family Of Roving Vampires In A Neo-Western Setting
1987's Near Dark from director Kathryn Bigelow was a Neo-Western vampire tale that introduced a sadistic family of nomadic vampires who traveled the American southwest in a blacked-out RV as they fed and raised carnage.
Near Dark also featured a love story between a newly-turned vampire and one of the family members that would lead to sweeping changes for the vampire family after they set their dark sights on the inhabitants of a small town.
2 Blade The Vampire Hunter Was A Highly-Skilled Vampire/Human Hybrid Known As The Daywalker
Stephen Norrington directed 1998's Blade, which adapted the Marvel Comics character and explored the origins of Blade as a human/vampire hybrid known as the Daywalker who spends his life hunting down the vampires who turned him and his mother.
Blade starred Wesley Snipes as the titular vampire hunter which further added to the blended horror and action thanks to his extensive martial arts training. Blade's unique fighting style and enhanced weaponry as well as his enhanced hybrid abilities made Blade and the following franchise movies stand apart from the rest of the genre in a great way.
1 What We Do In The Shadows Followed Ancient Vampires Living In Modern Wellington
2014's What We Do In The Shadows is a mockumentary horror-comedy from Jemaine Clement and director Taika Waititi that follows a group of ancient vampires living as flatmates located in Wellington, New Zealand.
While the vampires that are seen in the movie are deeply-rooted in the gothic origins of Bram Stoker's Dracula, they are thoroughly humanized by their interactions with the local nightlife and encounters with the local police department, which led to two spin-off series that further showcased the new take on the vampire genre.