Vampire films have been a staple inworld cinema since the era ofsilent films, so much so that the depiction ofvampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation ofvampire fiction has been fromBram Stoker's 1897 novelDracula, with over 170 versions to date. Running a distant second are adaptations of the 1872 novelCarmilla bySheridan Le Fanu.

As folklore, vampires are defined by their need to feed onblood and on their manipulative nature; this theme has been held in common throughout the many adaptations.^[1] Although vampires are usually associated with thehorror (and sometimes thezombie genre), vampire films may also fall into thedrama,action,science fiction,romance,comedy orfantasy genres, amongst others.

Early cinematic vampires in other such films asThe Vampire (1913), directed byRobert G. Vignola, were notundead bloodsucking fiends, butfemme fatale "vamps". Such characters were inspired by a poem byRudyard Kipling called "The Vampire", composed in 1897. This poem was written as kind of commentary on a painting of a female vampire byPhilip Burne-Jones exhibited in the same year. A phrase from Kipling's poem was used as the title of the filmA Fool There Was (1915), starringTheda Bara, and the poem was used in the publicity for the film.^[2]

An early adaptation of the immortal aristocrat may have been the Hungarian feature filmDrakula halála (Károly Lajthay, 1921), which is now thought to be alost film.

An authentic supernatural vampire features in the landmarkNosferatu (1922 Germany, directed byF. W. Murnau) starringMax Schreck as the hideousCount Orlok. This was an unlicensed version ofBram Stoker'sDracula, based so closely on the novel that the estate sued and won, with all copies ordered to be destroyed. It would be painstakingly restored in 1994 by a team of European scholars from the five surviving prints that had escaped destruction. The destruction of the vampire, in the closing sequence of the film, by sunlight rather than the traditional stake through the heart proved very influential on later films and became an accepted part of vampire lore.^[3]

The next classic treatment of the vampire legend was an adaptation of the stage play based onBram Stoker's novelDracula,Universal'sDracula (1931) starringBela Lugosi asCount Dracula. Lugosi's performance was so popular that his Hungarian accent and sweeping gestures became characteristics now commonly associated with Dracula.^[4] Five years after the release of the film,Universal releasedDracula's Daughter (1936), a direct sequel that starts immediately after the end of the first film. A second sequel,Son of Dracula starringLon Chaney Jr., followed in 1943. Despite his apparent death in the 1931 film, the Count returned to life in three more Universal films of the mid-1940s:House of Frankenstein (1944) andHouse of Dracula (1945)—both starringJohn Carradine—andAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). While Lugosi had played a vampire in two other films during the 1930s and 1940s, it was only in this final film that he played Count Dracula on-screen for the second (and last) time.

Dracula was reincarnated for a new generation in theHammer Films series starringChristopher Lee as the Count. In the first of these filmsDracula (1958) the spectacular death of the title character through being exposed to the sun reinforced this part of vampire lore, first established inNosferatu, and made it virtually axiomatic in succeeding films.^[3] Lee returned as Dracula in all but two of the sevensequels. Another adaptation of Stoker's novel appeared asBram Stoker's Dracula (1992), directed byFrancis Ford Coppola, though also identifying Count Dracula with the notoriousmedieval Balkan rulerVlad III the Impaler.^[5]

A distinct subgenre of vampire films, ultimately inspired by Le Fanu's "Carmilla", explored the topic of thelesbian vampire. Although implied inDracula's Daughter, the first openlylesbian vampire was inBlood and Roses (1960) byRoger Vadim. More explicit lesbian content was provided inHammer'sKarnstein Trilogy. The first of these,The Vampire Lovers (1970), starringIngrid Pitt andMadeline Smith, was a relatively straightforward re-telling of LeFanu's novella, but with more overt violence and sexuality. Later films in this subgenre such asVampyres (1974) became even more explicit in their depiction of sex, nudity and violence.

Beginning withAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) the vampire has often been the subject of comedy.The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) byRoman Polanski was a notable parody of the genre. Other comedic treatments, of variable quality, includeVampira (1974) featuringDavid Niven as a lovelorn Dracula,Love at First Bite (1979) featuringGeorge Hamilton,My Best Friend Is a Vampire (1988),Innocent Blood (1992),Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992),Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), directed byMel Brooks withLeslie Nielsen, and, more recently,Taika Waititi andJemaine Clement'smockumentary take on the subject,What We Do in the Shadows (2014).

Another development in some vampire films has been a change from supernatural horror to science fictional explanations of vampirism.The Last Man on Earth (1964, directed bySidney Salkow),The Omega Man (1971 US, directed byBoris Sagal) and two other films were all based onRichard Matheson's novelI Am Legend. They explain the condition as having a natural cause. Vampirism is explained as a kind of virus inDavid Cronenberg'sRabid (1976),The Hunger with an international cast directed byTony Scott andRed-Blooded American Girl (1990) directed by David Blyth, as well as in theBlade trilogy to a limited extent.

Race has been another theme, as exemplified by theblaxploitation pictureBlacula (1972) and its sequelScream Blacula Scream.

Though always a representation of passion and desire, since the time of Béla Lugosi'sDracula (1931) the vampire, male or female, has usually been portrayed as an alluring sex symbol.Christopher Lee,Delphine Seyrig,Frank Langella,Lauren Hutton,Catherine Deneuve andAaliyah are just a few examples of actors who brought great sex appeal into their portrayal of the vampire. Latterly, the implicit sexual themes of vampire film have become much more overt, culminating in such films asGayracula (1983) andThe Vampire of Budapest (1995), twopornographic all-male vampire films, andLust for Dracula (2005), asoftcore pornography all-lesbian adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel.

There is, however, a very small subgenre, pioneered in Murnau's seminalNosferatu (1922) in which the portrayal of the vampire is similar to the hideous creature of European folklore.Max Schreck's portrayal of this role in Murnau's film was copied byKlaus Kinski inWerner Herzog's remakeNosferatu the Vampyre (1979). InShadow of the Vampire (2000) (directed byE. Elias Merhige)Willem Dafoe plays Max Schreck, himself, though portrayed here as an actual vampire.Stephen King'sSalem's Lot (1979) notably depicts vampires as terrifying, simple-minded creatures, without eroticism, and with the only desire to feed on the blood of others. The main vampire in theSubspecies films, Radu, also exhibits similar aesthetic influences, such as long fingers and nails and generally grotesque facial features. This type of vampire is also featured in the film30 Days of Night. The 2011 remake ofFright Night is notable for such a hideous depiction of the vampire when manifesting.

A major character in most vampire films is thevampire hunter, of which Stoker'sAbraham Van Helsing is a prototype. Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell) inFright Night (1985) and the Frog brothers inThe Lost Boys (1987) were all vampire hunters. However, killing vampires has changed. Where Van Helsing relied on a stake through the heart, inVampires (1998), directed byJohn Carpenter, Jack Crow (James Woods) has a heavily armed squad of vampire hunters and inBuffy the Vampire Slayer (1992, directed byFran Rubel Kuzui), writerJoss Whedon (who created TV'sBuffy the Vampire Slayer andspin-offAngel) attached the Slayer,Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson in the film,Sarah Michelle Gellar in the TV series), to a network ofWatchers and mystically endowed her with superhuman powers.

By far, the most well-known and popular vampire in the films isCount Dracula. A large number of films have been filmed over the years depicting the evil Count, some of which are ranked among the greatest depictions of vampires on film. Dracula has over 170 film representations to date, making him the most frequently portrayed character in horror films; also he has the highest number of film appearances overall, surpassed only bySherlock Holmes.^{[citation needed]}

In his documentary "Vampire Princess" (2007) the investigative Austrian author and directorKlaus T. Steindl discovered in 2007 the historical inspiration for Bram Stoker's legendary Dracula character (see also Literature - Bram Stoker: Dracula's Guest^[6]): "Many experts believe, the deleted opening was actually based on a woman. Archaeologists, historians, and forensic scientists revisit the days of vampire hysteria in the eighteenth-century Czech Republic and re-open the unholy grave of dark princessEleonore von Schwarzenberg. They uncover her story, once buried and long forgotten, now raised from the dead."^[7]

One of the first television series with a vampire as a main character was the 1964 comedy seriesThe Munsters.Lily Munster andGrandpa (also known as Vladimir Dracula, Count of Transylvania) are vampires.The Munsters was followed in 1966 by the Gothic soap operaDark Shadows, in which the reluctant vampireBarnabas Collins became a main character.

In 1985,The Little Vampire was a television series made for children. It tells the adventures of the vampire child Rüdiger and his human friend Anton.Forever Knight (1992–1996) was the first vampire detective story, later followed by similar series likeAngel,Moonlight,Blood Ties andVampire Prosecutor. In 1997, the teenage vampire hunter seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer became popular around the world.Buffy Summers is a teenage girl who finds out that she is a vampire slayer. She also finds herself drawn to a vampire.

True Blood (2008) centers on the adventures of the telepathic waitressSookie Stackhouse, who falls in love with a vampire. In the same yearBBC Three seriesBeing Human became popular in Britain. It features an unconventional trio of a vampire, awerewolf, and aghost who are sharing a flat inBristol.

In 2009The Vampire Diaries told the story of the school girlElena Gilbert, who falls in love with vampireStefan Salvatore, but finds herself also drawn to Stefan's brotherDamon.The Strain (2014) is based on thenovel of the same name byGuillermo del Toro.

What We Do In The Shadows (2019-2024) is a continuation of thefilm of the same name in amockumentary style and follows a new group of vampires, played by comedians.Interview With The Vampire (2022-present) is an adaption ofthe book series byAnne Rice, inserting homosexual themes, whereas the1994 film adaptation of the same represents the longing and tension in the novels felt by creatures who do not have sex.

One of the first animated vampire series was the 1988 seriesCount Duckula, a parody of Dracula. In 1985, the anime film adaptation of the inauguralVampire Hunter D novel was released direct-to-video and became popular in both Japan and the United States, prompting an adaptation of the third novel into the also direct to video filmVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust in 2000. The two films and the novels they are based on revolve around the eponymous D, a vampire hunter who is the apparent half-vampire/half-human son of Dracula who battles vampires in the year AD 12,090. In 1997, theanime seriesVampire Princess Miyu became popular in Japan, and many other anime followed.Vampire Knight is an anime from 2008 based on the manga published from 2004-2013, it is about a girl who is the daughter of the chairman at an elite vampire academy where she is their guardian.JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was released in 2012, featuring several vampiric villains. Also in 2012,Hotel Transylvania was released, followed by a sequel in 2015,Hotel Transylvania 2 and in 2018 byHotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.

Streaming provider Netflix released four seasons ofCastlevania 2017-2021, loosely based on the video game franchise of the same name (Castlevania), where Dracula is a vengeful warlord who summons supernatural armies of demons to avenge the death of his wife in a supernatural setting. Netflix released a sequel series (Castlevania: Nocturne) in 2023.

Another Japanese anime series,Rosario + Vampire, portrays one of the leading female characters,Moka Akashiya, as a vampire, whose demonic powers are sealed inside her with a rosary seal around her neck. The series portrays other kinds of fictional monsters as well, including awitch and asnowwoman.

From 2001 onward vampire web series became popular around the world. One of the first web series was the 2001 seriesThe Hunted. It is about a group of vampire slayers who have been bitten by vampires (but not yet turned into vampires) and try to fight the bloodsucking vampires.The Hunted was followed by30 Days of Night: Blood Trails (2007) and30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust (2008) who were based on the films30 Days of Night and30 Days of Night: Dark Days. In 2009 the MTV online seriesValemont follows Maggie Gracen, who decides to infiltrate Valemont University, because her brother Eric has vanished. She soon finds out that the University is full of vampires. The 2009 web seriesI Heart Vampires focuses on two teenage vampire fans, who find out that vampires are more than real. In 2011 theBeing Human spin-offBecoming Human was released online. It is about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost who go to a school together and try to solve a murder. The 2014 vampire seriesCarmilla features a retelling of the story of the vampire Carmilla Karnstein, who attends a university in the modern day and falls in love with a human girl.

• Vampire literature
• List of fictional vampires
• Elizabeth Báthory in popular culture
• List of vampire television series
• List of vampire films
• Bloodsucking Cinema, a documentary about vampire films

Notes

Further reading

• Auerbach, Nina. (1995)Our Vampires, Ourselves. University of Chicago Press.
• Abbott, Stacey. (2007)Celluloid Vampires: Life after Death in the Modern World. University of Texas Press.
• Frayling, Christopher (1992)Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula (1992)ISBN 0-571-16792-6
• Freeland, Cynthia A. (2000)The Naked and the Undead: Evil and the Appeal of Horror. Westview Press.
• Gelder, Ken. (1994)Reading the Vampire. Routledge.
• Gelder, Ken. (2012)New Vampire Cinema. British Film Institute.
• Holte, James Craig. (1997)Dracula in the Dark: The Dracula Film Adaptations. Greenwood Press.
• Hudson, Dale. (2017) Vampires, Race, and Transnational Hollywoods. Edinburgh University Press.
  • Website with info and clips
• Leatherdale, C. (1993)Dracula: The Novel and the Legend. Desert Island Books.
• Melton, J. Gordon. (1997)Videohound's Vampire on Video. Visible Ink Press.
• Picart, Caroline Joan and Browning, John Edgar eds. (2009)Draculas, Vampires, and Other Undead Forms: Essays on Gender, Race, and Culture. Scarecrow Press.
• Silver, Alain andUrsini, James (2010)The Vampire Film (4th edition)ISBN 0-87910-380-9
• Weinstock, Jeffrey. (2012)The Vampire Film. Wallflower Press.

• Vampire Film Festival – New Orleans
• Reviews of vampire films atThe Film Walrus
• List of unusual vampire films at Oddfilms.com
• List of vampire myths in fiction at Eclipse.net