The vampire sub-genre has been around for quite some time, the 1920s to be exact, and since then, hundreds of movies have been released. Each director has released their own version and their own story of the bloodsuckers, and since then, many classics have left their mark. Each decade brings new tales of where Dracula originated, and who his reign of terror is directed at. It doesn’t matter how long ago a horror movie was made, they’re still just as scary today.
That said, streaming channels have caught on to the fact that horror fans enjoy watching and re-watching movies with the classic vampires in them, and as of late, Amazon Prime Video has some classics and other newer vampire movies that are a must-watch.
Therapy For A Vampire
Therapy For A Vampire is a horror-comedy that centers on Graf Geza von Közsnöm (Tobias Moretti) in 1932 Vienna. Közsnöm turns to Dr. Sigmund Freud (Karl Fischer) to share a secret that is bothering him. He’s haunted by a lover and tired of his eternal married life.
Oblivious to the fact that Közsnöm is a vampire, Freud recommends that he should visit a painter named Viktor (Dominic Oley). While he gets to know Viktor, Közsnöm also takes a liking to his wife, Lucy (Cornelia Ivancan), which is a much bigger problem.
Rufus: 6.3
Rufus is a Canadian horror film directed by Dave Schultz and stars Rory Saper. Saper stars as Rufus, a young and shy man who arrives in a Saskatchewan town and is revealed to be a vampire.
Rufus is taken in by the town’s sheriff and his wife so he can find out more about him and the elderly woman he arrived with. As a vampire hunter also makes an appearance, things get a little tight in this small town. Rufus is a unique approach when it comes to a vampire movie, and it is much more of a drama than a gorefest.
Stake Land: 6.5
Stake Land centers on a time when the country has collapsed and is in a state of economic and political disaster. With it, an epidemic has taken over and it’s out for blood.
A teenage boy named Martin (Connor Paolo) is among the survivors of the population that isn’t affected and teams up with Mister (Nick Damici), a tough-as-nails vampire hunter who is trying to get Martin to Canada, where supposed safety can be found. This horror movie has good acting, a good storyline, and is paced well to keep viewers watching and intrigued.
Twins Of Evil: 6.6
Twins of Evil came out in 1972 and is directed by John Hough. The movie is quite progressive for its time for its erotic content, but nevertheless, it’s also a creepy vampire flick. Set in middle-Europe in the 19th century, two teenage female twins named Maria (Mary Collinson), and Frieda Gellhorn (Madeleine Collinson) are orphans sent to live with their uncle Gustav (Peter Cushing).
Gustav is in charge of a brotherhood to fight vampirism, and his real target is Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), a vampire. One of the twins, Freida, is drawn to Karnstien, which puts a wrench into the whole operation. From start to finish, the movie is a classic and has a creepy gothic undertone that is perfectly depicted in 1970s cinema.
The House That Dripped Blood: 6.6
Anthology movies have become extremely popular, and at the rate horror movies are coming out today, some deserve their own spin-offs. When it comes to the 1971 British movie, The House That Dripped Blood, the anthology theme is the perfect approach for a movie comprised of four short stories that are filled with mystery, suspense, and creatures of the night.
The stories center around a novelist who becomes mentally unwell, a man obsessed with a wax figure, a little girl and witchcraft, and lastly, the best part, an egotistical actor who gets his hands on a cloak with vampiric powers.
Night Of The Devils: 6.6
The 1970s was a prime time for great vampire movies and Night of the Devils is definitely one of them. Loosely based on Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy’s novel, The Family of the Vourdalak, it centers on the patriarch of a well-to-do family that is concerned he will one day turn into his vampire form.
The man knows he will one day go back to his family to ask to come in, and as long as they don’t say yes, he can protect them from himself.
The Monster Squad: 7.1
Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) believes he should take over the world, and to do so, he needs other legendary monsters to be on his side. This includes a mummy, a werewolf, and a creature from a lagoon. While the plan seems perfect, several outcast kids figured out Dracula’s plan and are hell-bent on putting a stop to it while there’s still time.
The Monster Squad is a fun little flick, and the creatures alone will bring back nostalgia for the classics. Apart from this, the fun spin on the otherwise dark and devious vampire plot is a breath of fresh air. The Monster Squad is a great family-friendly movie to watch during Halloween, but really, it can be enjoyed at any time.
Nosferatu The Vampyre: 7.5
Nosferatu The Vampyre is a stylistic remake of Nosferatu and is about a man named Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz), who is tasked to visit Count Dracula’s (Klaus Kinski) castle because he’s interested in buying a house in Wismar, Germany. Dracula is extremely dangerous, and while the locals encourage Harker to stay away, he doesn’t listen.
Dracula agrees to buy the house after he sees a picture of Harker’s wife, Lucy (Isabelle Adjani), and with that, he brings a plague of death and destruction to Wismar. He gets his just dues in the end, though, and Dr. Van Helsing (Walter Ladengast) shows up to (kind of) save the day – what more could a horror movie fan want?
Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse: 7.7
Even though the actual content wasn’t filmed in 2009, the Gothic television classic Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse was compiled into a movie of all the best episodes. The story centers around the love triangle between Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), his current love, and an angry mistress who turns out to be a witch. She turns Collins into a creature of the night so he’ll live forever.
Because this show was incredibly popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it seems like a no-brainer that it would be turned into a movie. Also, Barnabas is a cultural icon and was later played by Johnny Depp in the 2012 movie, Dark Shadows. Want to see where one of the best vampire icons came from? Check out the 2009 version of Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse.
Nosferatu: 7.9
Nosferatu, is without a doubt, one of the best vampire movies in history. Released in 1922, it’s the first documented vampire movie and is a silent film, as well. Like Nosferatu The Vampyre, the storyline is basically the same, but better. Based on the novel, Dracula, it’s centered on the brooding Graf Orlok, who is a vampire, and who agrees to purchase a home by a real estate agent named Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim). Upon meeting Hutter’s wife, Ellen (Greta Schröder), he is instantly infatuated with her.
Hutter experiences weird premonitions and nightmares as he’s imprisoned in Orlok’s castle, while Orlok plans to play house with Ellen. Even though Nosferatu doesn’t have an ounce of blood in the film, it’s still an amazing movie that is disturbing yet intriguing to watch.
