At this point, vampires are so popular they’re a fixed part of the cultural landscape. Whether it’s on TV, in movies, in video games, books, or comics you don’t have to look too far to find a vampire. At the same time, Hollywood’s become obsessed with reboots, adaptations, revivals, sequels, and prequels. Not only are there few original TV shows and movies being produced, there are few being released that we haven’t seen at least once before. Now, that phenomenon is extending to vampires.
Recently, a reboot of the beloved series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire scribe Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, and a movie based on Spider-Man villain Morbius, the Living Vampire were all announced. What’s more, The Vampire Diaries will be getting a second spin-off with the show Legacies and Season 2 of Netflix’s adaptation of the video game Castlevania will be premiering soon. Given all the vampires stalking the big and small screen, we thought now was a good time to look at some of the most promising, interesting, and exciting vampire properties of the past that should be reborn as TV or movie reboots now, as well as properties that Hollywood has already sucked all the blood out of.
20 RISE AGAIN: KINDRED: THE EMBRACED
Kindred: The Embraced was a short-lived 1996 TV series based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. Part cop show, part mob drama, and with a Romeo and Juliet-style love story to boot, Kindred was a big mish-mash.
The plot could be confusing, which led to the series' cancellation after only eight episodes. However, there was still something interesting there. The show revolved around the idea that there are five different vampire clans that only get along occasionally. The concept enabled the show to showcase every flavor of vampire there is, from super-hawt to nosferatu-icky. It’s a conceit that could work in the right hands.
19 RISE AGAIN: DAYBREAKERS
Daybreakers was an under-the-radar 2009 film about a world overrun by vampires who are in desperate need of more human blood. Ethan Hawke played a vampire hematologist trying to find a synthetic blood substitute who happens upon a cure for vampirism instead. Meanwhile, Sam Neill played the head of a large supplier of human blood.
Despite all the vampires, the plot explored some interesting themes that may be even more relevant today. Corporate greed, ethical responsibility, and family loyalty are all broached in the film, if not too deeply. Nonetheless, as a TV series, Daybreakers could dig into these ideas in a way that could make for powerful allegory.
18 STAY BURIED: NOSFERATU
F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu was the first screen adaptation of Dracula ever made. The problem was it was unauthorized. To get around that issue, the filmmakers changed character names and made some minor adjustments to the vampire’s powers. Since its release, the film has come to be seen as a masterwork of the genre, and the idea of vampires that look like Max Schreck’s character, Count Orlok, has taken on a life of its own.
Since then, the film was re-made by Werner Herzog and the movie Shadow of the Vampire offered a fictional account of its production. Furthermore, in pop culture everything from Buffy to Vampire: The Masquerade make reference to Nosferatu-style vampires. Nosferatu is still with us, but given its Dracula knock-off story, that doesn’t mean another remake makes sense.
17 RISE AGAIN: MOONLIGHT
The 2007 TV series Moonlight revolved around a vampire PI who hated being a vampire. In the series he fell in love with a human, battled a powerful ex-wife, and solved cases often involving other vampires, all while searching for a cure for his condition.
The show wasn’t exactly a masterpiece but over its 16 episodes it gained a devoted fan following. Although comparisons to the 1992 vampire cop series Forever Knight and Buffy spin-off Angel are hard to avoid, in its last few episodes, Moonlight started to delve into some intriguing and unique mythology. Unfortunately, due to its abrupt cancellation, it couldn’t follow through on those plotlines. A reboot could answer some of the questions the series' cliffhanger ending left dangling.
16 RISE AGAIN: SALEM’S LOT
There’s no denying that Stephen King is having a moment. Okay, so if we're being honest, King’s been having a moment for decades, but between the hit re-make of his novel It and the King mythology series Castle Rock, his oeuvre is getting a new high-profile spin. Why not extend this moment to King’s 1975 novel Salem’s Lot?
Sure, Salem’s Lot has been adapted for TV several times before, but the story is interesting enough that it could stand another adaptation. Or maybe master vamp Barlow could turn up on Hulu’s King mash-up Castle Rock. Either way, King’s vampires deserve to share his moment in the sun.
15 STAY BURIED: UNDERWORLD
When the first movie in the Underworld series premiered in 2003, it introduced us to Kate Beckinsale’s Selene, the tough-as-nails vampire death dealer. Since then, Selene has been at the heart of an additional three films in the series, the last of which premiered in 2016. The series certainly had its fascinations. It created a fresh story about a never-ending war between vampires and werewolves, and Selene’s place in the mayhem.
Yet, since the series began, it has offered increasingly diminishing returns. While the prequel / third movie in the series, Rise of the Lycans was a high point, the series’ three most recent sequels have become more and more esoteric and ridiculous. It’s time for this series to get staked once and for all.
14 RISE AGAIN: DRACULA
Of all the vampire properties that exist, Dracula is by far the most ubiquitous. Dracula has starred in multiple movies, TV shows, video games, comics, books... basically every available medium. Plus, he’s made appearances in many other stories. But the one thing Dracula tends to be on-screen that he very much is not in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, is romantic.
It is this image of Dracula that's taken hold in pop culture — a vampire who can be cruel and vicious but is utterly devoted to the woman he loves, typically Mina Harker. Dracula never had eyes for Mina in the novel, though, and a movie that envisions him as a true figure of horror would be a welcome addition to the Dracula pantheon.
13 RISE AGAIN: NEAR DARK
Cult ‘80s film Near Dark was a scuzzy, souped-up western horror film starring Bill Paxton and Lance Hendrikson as vampire nomads who meet their match when they welcome Caleb into their group. The movie is serious and scary, and also a little cheesy by today’s standards. However, it stood out when it was released for its vision of how horrific and merciless vampires could be.
A reboot of the film could iron out some of its rougher edges and update the story for today’s audiences. Like Twilight, the story includes a human/vampire romance, but the vampire family around them isn't soft and cuddly like the Cullens. The juxtaposition of the romance with truly terrifying vampires could be a perfect way to revitalize the genre.
12 STAY BURIED: TRUE BLOOD
HBO’s series True Blood was a cultural phenomenon when it premiered in 2008. People clamored for the story of Sookie Stackhouse and her vampire lovers Bill and Eric. In its final two seasons though, the series decreased in quality and ended in 2014 with more of a whimper than a bang.
In the time True Blood was on the air, it included supernatural creatures from faeries to the infamous werepanthers, and included many graphic depictions of the vampire lifestyle. By the time it came to a close, there wasn’t much else to say about the town of Bon Temps, and as such, there needs to be some serious distance before a reboot of this one is considered.
11 RISE AGAIN: HELLSING
The manga and anime Hellsing centers on the Hellsing Organization, which fights any and all paranormal foes that threaten England. Led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, a descendent of vampire hunter extraordinaire Abraham Van Helsing, the organization has a secret weapon in the form of ancient vampire Alucard.
While the characters have been portrayed visually, they’ve never received the live-action treatment. Given Alucard’s bonkers abilities, including shape-shifting into all kinds of creatures, the series has had the most impact in anime form. With today’s advances in computer graphics, though, Alucard could finally be embodied by a real actor. Not to mention, Sir Integra is a strong female character, the likes of which have never quite been seen in a live-action film before.
10 RISE AGAIN: LEGACY OF KAIN
The video game series Legacy of Kain focuses on vampire anti-heroes Kain and Raziel. While the popular series hasn’t had a new title since 2003, anti-heroes are all the rage these days, so an adaptation with not one but two vampire anti-heroes could fit right in to today's pop culture landscape.
The series has its own mythology, which spans centuries and includes themes of free will and destiny, good and evil, and trust and betrayal. These heady topics wrapped in action-adventure and vampire lore makes for a mature, fun story. A movie or TV adaptation could make for a unique addition to both the vampire and anti-hero genres.
9 STAY BURIED: DARK SHADOWS
The soap opera Dark Shadows became immensely popular during its initial run in the 1960s and early 1970s after the vampire Barnabas Collins was introduced, and the gothic melodrama still has a cult following today. Its supernatural story lines and focus on paranormal creatures makes it sound like a good option for a reboot, but previous attempts warn against it.
In 1991 and 2004, TV reboots led to little success. Then, in 2012, Johnny Depp starred as Barnabas Collins in a Tim Burton-directed movie adaptation of the series. While the visuals were gorgeous, the comedic take on the material didn’t work and the movie was rejected by critics and audiences alike. After these disappointments, it seems like it's time to let Dark Shadows rest in peace.
8 RISE AGAIN: PENNY DREADFUL
Penny Dreadful recently ended its run after three seasons remixing and reimagining all sorts of famous characters and stories from Gothic literature. Nods to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were all included in the show.
In the final season, Dracula himself appeared as a love interest for the main character, Vanessa Ives. The character was both a romantic lead and a horrific beast, an interesting dichotomy that the show started to delve into but ultimately rushed past because it needed to wrap up other story lines before the final episode. A revival or reboot would provide more time for audiences to get to know and understand this version of Dracula.
7 RISE AGAIN: THE LOST BOYS
In many ways, 1987’s The Lost Boys is a quintessential '80s movie. It stars Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, features a young and creepy Kiefer Sutherland, and includes a scene with a rockin’ sax solo. At the same time, the story of teenagers who will never grow up references Peter Pan — as the movie’s title indicates – points to more universal concerns.
While the movie doesn’t deal with these ideas too deeply, a reboot could take on these themes. Besides, the film’s story of two brothers who learn about the odd things going on in their new town after dark is a classic setup that could use an update for a new generation.
6 STAY BURIED: THE HUNGER
Tony Scott’s 1983 movie The Hunger focuses on vampire Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve), her vampire companion (David Bowie), and a scientist who studies aging (Susan Sarandon) and becomes involved with the couple. The plot includes some unique exploration of vampire dilemmas, like how a vampire deals with aging and what it means to be immortal but alone.
Given the actors who star in it, the movie is undeniably glamorous and alluring, but it’s also very much of its time. Today, the movie’s aesthetic would either be turned up or toned down. Also, no one could replace Deneuve, Sarandon, and especially Bowie in their roles. Finally, it would be hard to beat Scott’s lush direction. Better to let the past stay buried.
5 RISE AGAIN: DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS
Elizabeth Bathory, the Hungarian countess who allegedly tried to retain her youth by bathing in plasma, hasn’t often been seen on-screen. One exception is the 1971 film Daughters of Darkness. Because of the accusations of vampire-like crimes, Bathory is now often associated with vampirism. Daughters of Darkness took this angle and ran with it.
In the film, Bathory and her companion, both vampires, become entangled with a newlywed couple — leading to a story of desire and violence. The film is fascinating and odd, but it also remains fairly obscure. A reimagining for today’s audiences could re-introduce people to Bathory’s legend, enabling her to take her rightful place in vampire pop culture.
4 RISE AGAIN: ULTRAVIOLET
The six-episode British series Ultraviolet focused on a detective who gets involved with a group of vampire hunters after his best friend becomes a member of the undead. The series adopted an almost clinical approach to vampirism, looking at the science behind it. In addition, the show centered on a potential vampire conspiracy against humans and the vampire hunters’ attempts to determine what the vampires are planning.
The show put an interesting spin on the typical vampire tropes and many of the series’ themes are still relevant today, including whether protecting humans justifies the brutal means taken against the vampires to do so. In addition, the series ended without any real resolution, leaving viewers to wonder what happened next. A reboot could continue the story and finally answers viewers' burning questions.
3 STAY BURIED: TWILIGHT
For a time, the Twilight Saga was pretty much the biggest thing around. Between the release of the four novels in the series from 2005 to 2008 and the five film adaptations between 2008 and 2012, there were several years where new Twilight material was welcomed with more fan fervor than anything else.
After all that, there’s not much juice left in this story of “vegetarian” vampires and the human girl who becomes involved with them. While the series was reviled by some and beloved by others, it defines a specific cultural moment — one that there’s no need to revisit now.
2 RISE AGAIN: BLADE
The Marvel character Blade, a human/vampire hybrid “daywalker,” has not only appeared in comics for decades, he’s also been the subject of a trilogy of films starring Wesley Snipes, and a single season TV show. While his live-action incarnation hasn’t been seen on-screen since 2006, with the success and sprawl of the MCU, the time has come to resurrect the character once more.
No plans have been announced to include Blade in future installments of the MCU. However, the series has plans to add new characters in the next few years, so why not include the already well-known and popular Blade? Besides, the MCU already includes magic and aliens. Vampires wouldn’t be that big a stretch.
1 RISE AGAIN: FRAY
A Buffy reboot that will take place in the present day is in the works. Yet, fans who have read the Buffyverse comics centering on Melaka Fray, the first Chosen One to be "awakened" in centuries after Buffy, is a compelling story that also deserves a screen adaptation.
Fray is a Buffyverse story with no need for Buffy (although, if necessary, the characters could cross paths, as they do in the comics). While the story is built on the same basic mythology, it’s completely its own thing with a unique future setting, fascinating characters, and interesting relationships that fans would be excited to see come to life on screen. A series that fleshes out Fray’s story would be a welcome addition to the Buffyverse.