Vampires.
What used to conjure up images of a pale, aristocratic gentleman in formal
dinner wear has now been supplanted by pale, haunted-looking teenage boys who
twinkle. No matter. The vampire tradition is as old as the cinema itself, and
much older, still. Every country has their own version of the vampire in their
folklore, and believe me, no two are alike.
So,
how come all of the vampires in the movies are so...Dracula-esque? Have you
ever looked at the sheer number of vampire movies that have Dracula in the
title? It’s a lot. As literary figures go, Dracula is one of the most
successful, most popular of all time.
Maybe
that’s why I gravitate to different vampire stories. I like ‘em monstrous and
feral. Oh, they can look human at first, and they can even be attractive and
seductive, provided they ugly-up when the blood spills. I watched a lot of
Dracula films as a kid, and I kinda burned myself out on them. Now when I want
vampires, I go in a different direction. These films below pretty much sum up
what I’m looking for in a vampire flick.
5. Fright
Night (1985)
This
film is high on a number of lists, because it gleefully embraces the vampire
folklore and then subverts it. Like so many 1980s movies, Fright Night is a
post-modern commentary on the genre, even as the story is made up entirely of
genre conventions. When the next door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, turns out to be
a creature of the night, no one believes the horror-movie obsessed kid. Roddy
MacDowell is perfect as the aging actor who appeared in so many b-grade vampire
movies and finds himself in the role of a lifetime. The writing is terribly
uneven; all of the dialogue involving the kids and school feels like it was
written by tired old men. However, all of the vampire scenes are primo. Not
only are there some great jump-scares in the movie, but also some real horror
moments of dread, such as the first time Charlie meets his vampire neighbor
face-to-face. "What's the matter Charlie? Afraid I wouldn't come over without
being invited first?" Oh, man...
4. Nosferatu
(1922)
I
love that this film survived the wrath of Bran Stoker’s widow. This loose
version of the Dracula story is so creepy as a silent film, and also features
some striking visuals that have yet to be equaled in cinema. Count Orlock,
played by Max Schreck, is iconic and surreal, with his rat-like features and
distended claw-like hands. What a visual. Probably one of the best designed vampire make-ups in cinematic history, and certainly the most influential. Of course, the special effects are
primitive, but the film still has a mood and a feeling that makes you want to
keep watching. This storied film has been restored by Kino and is available in
a “definitive” version, digitally cleaned up as much as possible. Nosferatu is
the cinematic acorn from which has grown the mighty oak tree.
3. Near
Dark (1987)
This
indy vampire film came out the same year as the slick, polished The Lost Boys,
and I think is a far better movie, for no other reason than it stars a young
Bill Paxton and an old Lance Hendrikson instead of Corey Haim and Corey
Feldman. Written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film is about a young man
who falls in love with a wild young woman, and falls in with this pack of
traveling vampires. These guys aren’t nice, nor are they particularly sexy,
although I know there’s a group of women out there who think Lance Hendrikson
is the man. This is a mean, stripped down, and bloody story that wallows in
young love and nihilism.
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2. Cronos
(1994)
When
I first saw this movie, Guillermo Del Toro’s first film, I was blown away. An
old man acquires a strange artifact that imparts immortality, but at such a
cost...and even as he’s dealing with the repercussions of messing with the
scarab, other interested parties are closing in on him. Such an interesting
premise for vampirism, and specifically the part that imparts immortality. I
was struck by how “literary” the film was, giving us some complicated stuff and
letting us sit with it for a while. How nice. Of course, this is all part of
how Del Toro puts movies together in the first place. As vampire movies go,
this one is one of the furthest off the path, but it’s those differences that
make it so interesting. This is a great example of quiet horror. You watch the
movie, and then later, as you’re thinking about it, things come back to you and
give you the shudders.
1. Let
the Right One In (2008)
Easily
one of the best vampire movies ever despite its relatively recent appearance. A bullied and tortured young boy meets a
slightly older girl and they become friends. It sounds, and kinda feels, like
one of those French films from the 1970s that were on HBO in heavy rotation.
But it quickly takes several dark, creepy turns and becomes something that
grows more horrific the longer you think about the implications. The movie does
a good job of merely suggesting and hinting at what the book makes graphically explicit.
Of course, they remade the film into the American Let Me In, and did as good a
job with it as they could have, but there’s something about the Swedish version
that is way more unsettling. I can’t recommend this film highly enough if
you love horror movies.
