The Best Vampire Movies of All Time (and Where to Stream Them)

The short answer

The best vampire movies are Nosferatu (1922), Let the Right One In (2008), Sinners (2025), Interview with the Vampire (1994) and What We Do in the Shadows (2014). That's one silent classic, one modern masterpiece, one recent hit, one gothic blockbuster and one comedy. Between them, they cover almost everything vampire films can be. In the US, Sinners and Interview with the Vampire stream on HBO Max, Let the Right One In is on Peacock, Prime Video and Tubi, and the 1922 Nosferatu is in the public domain and free on Tubi and YouTube, according to JustWatch (checked October 30, 2026).

Vampires have been on screen for over a century, and they keep changing shape. They've been plague carriers, aristocrats, lonely children, motorcycle gangs, flatmates and, in Sinners, a metaphor for cultural theft. This list picks the best from each era, with notes on what kind of vampire film each one is.

The best vampire movies at a glance

The classics

Nosferatu (1922)

The first great vampire film is also one of the creepiest. F. W. Murnau's silent German film stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a rat-like creature who brings plague with him. It was an unofficial, unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. A court later ordered all copies destroyed, according to Wikipedia, but several prints survived. Orlok's shadow climbing the stairs is still one of horror's most famous images. Because the film is now in the public domain, you can watch it free.

Dracula (1931)

Bela Lugosi's Count set the look everyone still copies: the cape, the accent and the slow, hypnotic stare. Tod Browning's film is stagey, since it was based on a stage play, and the second half drags. But Lugosi's first scenes in the castle are iconic. Stream it on Peacock or Prime Video.

Dracula (1958)

Released in the US as Horror of Dracula, this was Hammer Films' first colour vampire film. Christopher Lee's Dracula is tall, physical and dangerous, and Peter Cushing is a brisk, heroic Van Helsing. It's faster, sexier and bloodier than anything Universal made, and it launched a run of Hammer sequels.

The 1980s and 1990s

Fright Night (1985)

A teenager is convinced his new next-door neighbour is a vampire, and no one believes him. Tom Holland's directing debut is a perfect blend of comedy and real scares. Chris Sarandon is a charming villain. On Tubi.

The Lost Boys (1987)

Two brothers move to a California beach town with their mom and discover the local teenage gang are vampires. Joel Schumacher's film has the 1980s soundtrack, the leather jackets and Kiefer Sutherland at his most menacing. It's more fun than scary.

Near Dark (1987)

Kathryn Bigelow's first solo feature, years before she became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar. A farm boy falls in with a gang of nomadic vampires driving across the American West. The word "vampire" is never said. It's gritty, violent and beautifully shot, and it deserves to be better known.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Francis Ford Coppola went all in on gothic romance, using old-fashioned in-camera effects instead of computer graphics. Gary Oldman plays several versions of Dracula, from ancient prince to young dandy, and the costumes are extraordinary. The film won three Academy Awards. Some of the accents are shaky, and it's still a feast.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Neil Jordan's adaptation of Anne Rice's novel, with a screenplay by Rice herself. Brad Pitt is Louis, a guilt-ridden vampire telling his story to a journalist. Tom Cruise is Lestat, his maker, and a young Kirsten Dunst steals the film as Claudia. It grossed $223.7 million worldwide. On HBO Max.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Two criminal brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, who also wrote it) take a family hostage and hide out at a Mexican biker bar. Then, halfway through, the movie turns into something else entirely. Robert Rodriguez directs. If you don't know the twist, don't look it up. On Peacock.

Blade (1998)

Wesley Snipes plays Blade, a half-vampire who hunts vampires, in an action film that helped prove Marvel characters could carry a movie. It made $131 million worldwide. The opening blood-rave scene is still a great intro. On Peacock.

Modern vampire movies

30 Days of Night (2007)

Vampires attack Barrow, Alaska, just as the town enters a month of polar night. That's a great premise, and the film delivers on it with feral, shark-like vampires and plenty of gore. It grossed $75.5 million. Free with ads on Xumo Play.

Let the Right One In (2008)

The best vampire film of the 21st century, for our money. In a snowy Stockholm suburb in the early 1980s, a bullied 12-year-old boy befriends the strange girl who has moved in next door. Tomas Alfredson's Swedish film, adapted by John Ajvide Lindqvist from his own novel, is tender, sad and occasionally shocking. The swimming pool scene is unforgettable. It was remade in America as Let Me In (2010). Watch the original first. On Peacock, Prime Video and Tubi.

Thirst (2009)

A Catholic priest (Song Kang-ho) volunteers for a medical experiment and comes back a vampire. Park Chan-wook, director of Oldboy, loosely based it on Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin. It won the Jury Prize at Cannes. It's darkly funny and very adult.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston play centuries-old vampire lovers drifting around Detroit and Tangier. Jim Jarmusch is more interested in mood, music and old books than bloodshed. It's a hangout film, and it's lovely.

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's mockumentary follows four vampire flatmates in Wellington, New Zealand, arguing over chores. It's the funniest vampire film ever made and led to a hit TV series. It's best watched with friends.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

Ana Lily Amirpour's black-and-white, Persian-language film was promoted as "the first Iranian vampire western." A lonely vampire in a chador skateboards through a desolate town called Bad City. It's cool, quiet and stylish.

Abigail (2024)

Kidnappers grab a 12-year-old ballerina for ransom and realise too late what she is. From Radio Silence, the team behind Ready or Not, it's a gory and very fun horror-comedy.

Nosferatu (2024)

Robert Eggers's remake of the 1922 film stars Bill Skarsgård as Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as the woman he's obsessed with. Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe co-star. It was released on Christmas Day 2024. It's a dark, grim and gorgeous film, and Orlok is genuinely frightening. On Hulu. If you like Eggers, read about his other films in our A24 horror movies guide.

Sinners (2025)

Ryan Coogler's film stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers who return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta in 1932 to open a juke joint. Vampires arrive on opening night. It's a blues musical, a gangster film and a horror film all at once, and it was one of the biggest original films of 2025. Read more on Wikipedia). On HBO Max.

Which vampire movie should you watch?

For a first-time classic: Nosferatu (1922). It's free, and it's only about 90 minutes.

For real scares: 30 Days of Night or Nosferatu (2024).

For laughs: What We Do in the Shadows or Fright Night.

For something beautiful and sad: Let the Right One In or Only Lovers Left Alive.

For something new: Sinners.

Looking for more monsters? Our Frankenstein (2025) review looks at the other great gothic creature, and our scariest movies of all time list covers the films that will truly keep you up. For something for October, see our best Halloween movies.