Vampire Movies To Quench Your Nosferatu Bloodlust

It may be February, but winter has come early (or late, depending on how long you’ve been waiting for this). Nosferatu, the latest film from horror-fantasy visionary Robert Eggers, has finally reached Singapore’s shores – real plague-ridden rats not included.

Eggers’ vision of Nosferatu is steeped in goth, grime and dread, moving away from the more romanticised tales of vampiric lust and into something far more sinister. While the film is arriving in Singapore much later than in the rest of the world, on Feb 27, its widespread acclaim and success suggest you’re in for an unforgettable experience.

If you’re craving more bloodsucking adventures, let us recommend some classic and underrated gems to sink your teeth into. 

NOSFERATU (1922) & NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979)

The latest Nosferatu film is the third overall. Back to where it began, 1922’s Nosferatu (above)  is a bonafide horror classic with scares that remain potent to this day. Nineteen seventy-nine’s Nosferatu the Vampyre, on the other hand, is a lush and atmospheric tale that veers closer to the gothic nature of its material rather than straight-laced horror. Both films are worth immersing yourself into if Eggers’ Nosferatu wowed you.

Watch Nosferatu on YouTube here. Nosferatu the Vampyre is available to purchase on Blu-ray.

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1992)

The original Nosferatu film was purportedly an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s literature classic. The story may largely be the same, but it’s with 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula that the story becomes a full sensory overload experience, with jaw-dropping sequences, vivid colours, and a mesmerising lead performance by Gary Oldman. With a cast that also includes Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Monica Bellucci, and Anthony Hopkins, its star-studded factor is only one of many reasons why this take on Dracula remains at the top.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is available to purchase on Blu-ray.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)

A vampire film that’s also a tender exploration of friendship at a young age, Let the Right One In made a sizeable impact upon its release for good reason. A lonely 12-year-old boy, constantly bullied and isolated, strikes a deep friendship with his neighbour who has a dark secret. Yet, the story avoids any shock and gore to focus on its two remarkable and gifted young leads.

Let the Right One In is available to purchase on Blu-ray.

BLADE (1998)

 Amidst all the glitz and bombast of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s easy to forget that the comic brand was not always a Hollywood darling. And yet, in 1998, director Stephen Norrington took it upon himself to adapt one of its less popular properties – Blade, the vampire hunter – and turned the character into an action film icon thanks to the ever-charismatic Wesley Snipes. Its opening scene alone – where Blade slays an entire dancefloor of vampire ravers to the soundtrack of hard-edged techno – will have you hooked.

Blade is available to stream on Max and purchase on Blu-ray. 

HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON (2023)

Its title may be a mouthful, but it tells you all you need to know about this recent French film that balances horror and comedy masterfully. A boy who contemplates suicide meets a girl who’s a vampire out for blood – with consent, of course. You can imagine what goes on from here, but the film itself is as much a freshly modern take on vampires as it is a timeless insight into adolescent loneliness. 

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is available to stream on MUBI. VPN is required for users outside of the US and UK. It is also available to purchase on Blu-ray.

THE HUNGER (1983)

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If the classic goth charm of Dracula or the nu-metal mayhem of Blade isn’t for you, may we introduce The Hunger, arguably the most post-punk vampire film ever made. It follows an ancient vampire couple – Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie, a picture-perfect pairing – and their never-ending search for young blood in New York’s dance clubs of the 1980s. But even immortals can face their doom, and these vampires become more desperate to stay alive – all to the tune of Bauhaus. 

The Hunger is available to purchase on Blu-ray.

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (2000)

This oft-overlooked film is the perfect companion to the original Nosferatu. Not just in spirit, but in the way it imagines the production of that film as one with a dangerous secret. German director F.W. Murneau (John Malkovich) is eager to make his latest film Nosferatu, and he casts a mysterious actor (Willem Dafoe) as Count Orlok. Soon many start to suspect he may be an actual vampire. It’s a simple premise, executed masterfully by the two veteran actors – where what could be a straightforward horror story veers into a slow-burning mystery.

Shadow of the Vampire is available to purchase/rent on Amazon. 

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1994) & QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (2002)

In the 1980s and 1990s, no one else had a hold on the imagination of horror readers quite like Anne Rice. Her take on vampiric lore saw beauty and romance in otherwise horrific creatures. 

And it’s with the adaptation of two of her Vampire Chronicles books – 1994’s Interview With The Vampire (above), which co-stars Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, and 2002’s Queen of the Damned, which features Aaliyah’s final film role – that vampires were entrenched in pop culture memory. Interview is luscious and tragic, while Queen of the Damned is quirky and charming. Both are worth your attention.

Interview With The Vampire is available to stream on Max. Queen of the Damned is available to purchase on Blu-ray.