Nestled somewhere between Twilight, The Lost Boys, Interview With a Vampire and Bram Stoker's Dracula lie some hidden gems that you may have missed out on. Some digging may be required to find these films but I'm sure they are out there somewhere on one platform or another.
Near Dark (1987)
Near Dark (1987)
dir. Kathryn Bigelow
Released 3 months after The Lost Boys, Near Dark didn't do quite as well in theaters but over the years has gained something of a cult like status. It follows a band of bloodthirsty and ruthless travelers as they terrorize their way through the mid-west. Along the way they inadvertently recruit Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) who, unfortunately for the group, comes from a very loving home life.
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| Squad Goals |
Kathryn Bigelow also directed Point Break (1991) and more recently The Hurt Locker (2008) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012). Near Dark was co-written by Eric Red who also directed the over the top road trip/action/horror flick The Hitcher (1986) starring the late Rutger Hauer.
Let The Right One In (2008)
dir. Tomas Alfredson
Screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist
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| Let The Right One In (2008) |
Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson were 11 years old at the time of casting and filming and have been praised for their performances.
The film has a dark and quiet reservation about it that is very fitting for the subject matter. It proves that restraint is sometimes much more frightening than full on, in your face fright.
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| Let Me In (2012) |
The Addiction (1995)
dir. Abel Ferrara
written by Abel Ferrara and Nicholas St. John
The Addiction stars Lili Taylor, Edie Falco, Christopher Walken and Annabella Sciorra. Both Walken and Sciorra starred together again in Ferrara's Funeral (1996). Walken had previously worked with him in King of New York (1990). The film itself contains allegories to both addiction and religion, both a recurring theme in Ferrara's work and the vampire genre in general. Whenever I think of this movie the scene that comes to mind is a blood orgy near the end of the film where Lili Taylor regurgitates blood after gorging on too many victims only to go right back at it. The excessive bloodiness of the scene is made that much darker by the fact that it is filmed in black and white.
Starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as a pair of ancient lovers, Mia Wasikowska as the eternally energetic little sister and the late Anton Yelchin as the human lackey. The late John Hurt supports as a vampiric Christopher Marlowe who, in the story, faked his own death in 1593 to continue writing anonymously for others including William Shakespeare.
If you are strictly looking for true horror in your vampire movie you can keep looking. This is more of a thinking persons vampire movie. Chock full of cultural and scientific references I must admit a some of which was a bit above my lowbrow. I did however relate to the disillusionment in society that the characters have gathered over the centuries.
written by Abel Ferrara and Nicholas St. John
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| A late night convo between Walken and Taylor |
From the controversial director Abel Ferrara who brought us the likes of the cult classic Ms. 45 (1981) and the early slasher The Driller Killer (1979) comes this gritty vampire story set in New York City. The film is shot in black and white and was filmed on location in Manhattan, Greenwich Village and at the New York University.
The Addiction stars Lili Taylor, Edie Falco, Christopher Walken and Annabella Sciorra. Both Walken and Sciorra starred together again in Ferrara's Funeral (1996). Walken had previously worked with him in King of New York (1990). The film itself contains allegories to both addiction and religion, both a recurring theme in Ferrara's work and the vampire genre in general. Whenever I think of this movie the scene that comes to mind is a blood orgy near the end of the film where Lili Taylor regurgitates blood after gorging on too many victims only to go right back at it. The excessive bloodiness of the scene is made that much darker by the fact that it is filmed in black and white.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
written and dir. Jim Jarmusch
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| Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston |
Starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as a pair of ancient lovers, Mia Wasikowska as the eternally energetic little sister and the late Anton Yelchin as the human lackey. The late John Hurt supports as a vampiric Christopher Marlowe who, in the story, faked his own death in 1593 to continue writing anonymously for others including William Shakespeare.
If you are strictly looking for true horror in your vampire movie you can keep looking. This is more of a thinking persons vampire movie. Chock full of cultural and scientific references I must admit a some of which was a bit above my lowbrow. I did however relate to the disillusionment in society that the characters have gathered over the centuries.
In 2019 Jarmusch continued in the horror genre with the schlock zombie flick The Dead Don’t Die.
Martin (1978)
written and dir. George Romero
Martin is George Romero’s fifth feature film starring John Amplass as the lead. Martin is an awkward young man who just happens to be a vampire. Maybe. He does wear sunglasses but has no fangs and isn't really concerned with garlic or crosses. He also doesn't have any of the awesome powers that vampires are known to have making subduing his victims that much harder and awkward. He is at the very least a very disturbed serial killer with strong sedatives, syringes and razor blades. Things get a bit complicated for Martin when he is sent away to live with his old school uncle who immediately recognizes the "curse" that has befallen Martin. Things don't get much easier when the young man embarks on a real life affair with a married woman that doesn't involve sedatives or bloodletting.
Martin is a well made, Gothic psychological horror. Some of the scenes are a bit cringe worthy, mostly revolving around the uncomfortable scenes when Martin is awkwardly subduing and assaulting his victims. Martin is notable as it is the first time that Romero and famed special effects artist Tom Savini worked together. Savini has a small part as the boyfriend of the sympathetic cousin that also lives in the house with Martin and his Uncle. Romero is great in a small part in which he plays a priest. It's an amusing scene because there is little acting involved. It's just Romero dressed as a priest doing Romero stuff. Prepare yourself for an abrupt and shocking end to this film.
Ganga And Hess (1973)
written and dir. Bill Gunn
The producers of Ganga and Hess, unhappy with the box office numbers and general feel of the film, sold the rights to another company. Heritage Enterprises released a re-scored drastically re-editted version of the film on VHS entitled Blood Couple that was disowned by Gunn. The original cut was donated to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan whose screenings slowly helped build this films reputation as a piece of independent African American cinema.
Next watch the more stylized remake Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) by Spike Lee. This remake is mostly an homage to the original, at times scene for scene and word for word. So much so that Bill Gunn, who passed in 1989, is listed as co-writer in the credits.
The production for Lee's remake was mostly funded through kickstarter, the first time he used crowd funding to make a film. Lee also compiled a great soundtrack through submissions from unsigned artists.
There is also an incredible 6 minute gospel rendition of Sam Waymon's "You Got To Learn" from the original Ganga and Hess soundtrack.
Vampires 2010
written and dir. George Romero
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| Martin the shy vampire |
Martin is a well made, Gothic psychological horror. Some of the scenes are a bit cringe worthy, mostly revolving around the uncomfortable scenes when Martin is awkwardly subduing and assaulting his victims. Martin is notable as it is the first time that Romero and famed special effects artist Tom Savini worked together. Savini has a small part as the boyfriend of the sympathetic cousin that also lives in the house with Martin and his Uncle. Romero is great in a small part in which he plays a priest. It's an amusing scene because there is little acting involved. It's just Romero dressed as a priest doing Romero stuff. Prepare yourself for an abrupt and shocking end to this film.
Ganga And Hess (1973)
written and dir. Bill Gunn
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| Duane Jones and Marlene Clark |
Starring Duane Jones, Marlene Clark and Bill Gunn who also wrote and directed. Ganga and Hess, like many other vampire movies uses addiction as a metaphor. The movie also has a strong religious message. What makes Ganga and Hess stand out over many other African American produced and lead films of the mid-70's is that it doesn't really fit in with a lot of the other exploitation style films that were popular at the time. It has a much more subdued and artistic feel to it with strong, realistic black leads. It is of note that Duane Jones only two significant roles were this movie and Night of the Living Dead (1968). Both characters were strong black leads which was not common at the time and somewhat controversial. This subject is touched touched upon in the documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror currently streaming exclusively on Shudder.
The producers of Ganga and Hess, unhappy with the box office numbers and general feel of the film, sold the rights to another company. Heritage Enterprises released a re-scored drastically re-editted version of the film on VHS entitled Blood Couple that was disowned by Gunn. The original cut was donated to the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan whose screenings slowly helped build this films reputation as a piece of independent African American cinema.
Next watch the more stylized remake Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) by Spike Lee. This remake is mostly an homage to the original, at times scene for scene and word for word. So much so that Bill Gunn, who passed in 1989, is listed as co-writer in the credits.The production for Lee's remake was mostly funded through kickstarter, the first time he used crowd funding to make a film. Lee also compiled a great soundtrack through submissions from unsigned artists.
There is also an incredible 6 minute gospel rendition of Sam Waymon's "You Got To Learn" from the original Ganga and Hess soundtrack.
Vampires 2010
dir. Vincent Lanoo
written by Frederique Broos and Vincent Lanoo
Starring Carlo Ferrante as the father, Vera Van Dooren as the mother, Pierre Lognay and Fleur Lise Heuet as rebellious teenage children in a family of vampires residing in Belgium who invite a film crew into their home. Benedicte Bantuelle supports as an ex-prostitute who acts as something of a servant and is refered to as "the meat". Baptiste Sornin and Selma Alaoui also support as the pesky and childless downstairs neighbors.
This French mockumentary style film preceded What We Do in The Shadows original film version by 4 years and offers a fresh and interesting satirical look at what modern day vampire culture and society may look like.
A majority of Vincent Lanoo's work focuses mostly on drama. His only foray into horror/comedy won him the Audience Award at the prestigious Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
written by Frederique Broos and Vincent Lanoo
This French mockumentary style film preceded What We Do in The Shadows original film version by 4 years and offers a fresh and interesting satirical look at what modern day vampire culture and society may look like.
A majority of Vincent Lanoo's work focuses mostly on drama. His only foray into horror/comedy won him the Audience Award at the prestigious Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
