Cover Photo courtesy of Focus Features
Photo courtesy of Focus Features
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Roger Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’ is being hailed as one of the best cinematic vampire films in recent history. Learn about other movies that have tackled the blood-sucking mythos with similar artistry and innovation
Nosferatu, Roger Eggers’ gothic remake of the 1922 classic, has been impressing critics and viewers with its cinematography, production design, and score.
Starring Bill Skarsgård as the infamous Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as the object of his tragic obsession, Ellen Hutter, Eggers perfectly complements his signature atmospheric dread with this supernatural legend’s enduring legacy. Despite its haunting 19th-century setting, this version of Nosferatu is poised to sink its teeth into a new generation of cinemagoers.
If you’re excited about Eggers’ version—or you can’t get enough of it—here are other must-watch vampiric films. From haunting silent-era monsters to modern existential shadow dwellers, these selections go beyond mere bloodlust. They explore the timeless allure of the undead with style, substance and a touch of cinematic immortality. No vampires sparkle on this list.
1. ‘Nosferatu’ (1922), directed by F.W. Murnau
Watching Roger Eggers’ film without giving the original a chance is a tad unfair. After all, this silent German Expressionist masterpiece introduced the world to Count Orlok, the film’s rather grotesque take on Dracula. Nosferatu was an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and most of the copies were destroyed after Stoker’s estate sued for copyright infringement. Fortunately, the film, like its namesake vampire, endured.
2. ‘Dracula’ (1931), directed by Tod Browning
There are over 200 Dracula films out there (10 of them starring the late Sir Christopher Lee). However, no portrayal is more iconic than Bela Lugosi’s, which set the archetype for future Draculas and other vampires. For the longest time, people could only imagine these bloodsuckers with slicked-back hair, a piercing gaze, and an Eastern European accent. This film is equal parts humorous and horrific.
3. ‘Interview with the Vampire’ (1994), directed by Neil Jordan
A forever-young Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in one film; and then add a precocious 11-year-old Kirsten Dunst into the mix and you have an instant classic. Based on a book by Anne Rice, the story revolves around a centuries-old vampire named Louis (Pitt) who recounts his life to a journalist (here played by Christian Slater) and his relationship with the older vampire Lestat (Cruise). The film explores themes of immortality, loss, and the downside of immortality, and the stars—then at the peak of their popularity—did such a great job that Rice famously ate her words and took out a newspaper ad to publicly acknowledge that she loved the picture and the performances in it, reversing an early opinion where she expressed objections to the casting.
4. ‘Let the Right One In’ (2008), directed by Tomas Alfredson
Hollywood remade this film as Let Me In starring Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee. However, the Swedish original is unbeatable. It reimagines vampire lore through the lens of a child, demonstrating loneliness and vulnerability. Set against a snowy European town, it’s as tender as it is terrifying.
5. ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ (2013), directed by Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch’s arthouse vampire interpretation strips away Gothic melodrama in favour of languid cool. Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston star as ancient lovers navigating centuries of ennui and existential dread. Filmed in Tangier and Detroit, the film is a commentary on art, decay and eternity.
