5 Best Vampires In Movies
From Nosferatu to Edward Cullen, the legacy of the vampire genre has survived long enough going through numerous changes over the illustrious decade of horror movies. In the upcoming month of October, the vampire genre makes a comeback with a prequel of sorts to the famous Dracula origin that's simply titled, "Dracula Untold".
With a dashing lead performance from Luke Evans playing the young prince who is drawn to become the famous central figure we have all grown accustomed (and afraid) to know, let's take a look back at the "5 Best Vampires in Movies" that breathe life into the genre.
1. Count Orlok in "Nosferatu" (1922)
If you are a true fan of vampire movies, then F.W. Murnau's black-and-white silent horror classic "Nosferatu" is a definite must-see. Highly regarded as the granddaddy of all vampire movies, "Nosferatu" is a beautifully haunting version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and features one of the most startlingly believable performances in the form of the legendary Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. Apart from his superb makeup effects, Max is particularly convincing for this role, thanks to his tall and gaunt figure as well as his real-life "ugly" appearance that makes one hard to believe that he's actually an actor in disguise.
2. Severen in "Near Dark" (1987)
Long before director Kathryn Bigelow got all Oscar-worthy serious with her war-themed dramas like "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty", she used to be one of the unique Hollywood figures for a contemporary female director that directed a slew of stylish genre pictures. Among them of course is her 1987's vampire western, "Near Dark". It was heavily overlooked at the time of its release but has since become a cult classic. "Near Dark" is best remembered for Bill Paxton's gleefully psychotic role as the bad-ass vampire Severen. In fact, this is one of the coolest performances Bill Paxton has ever taken up.
3. Lestat and Louis in "Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" (1994)
Forget about the other big screen adaptation of Anne Rice's "Queen Of The Damned" which starred Stuart Townsend and the late singer Aaliyah, because the real deal here is Neil Jordan's elegantly gothic vampire movie, "Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles". It's a brilliantly haunting mix of dark psychodrama and visceral horror genre, "Interview With The Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles" is also best known for its unforgettable performances from Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as vampires Lestat and Louis.
4. Blade in "Blade" (1998) and "Blade II" (2002)
If there's ever one "cool vampire" you are looking for, you certainly can't go wrong with Wesley Snipes as the half-vampire/half-human vampire hunter Blade in the first two "Blade" movies. Oh, yes, there is actually a third movie called "Blade: Trinity" but we're going to leave that piece of crap aside. The first two "Blade" movies are the best, mixing cool action and pulpy comic-book style to satisfying effects. And did we also mention that Wesley Snipes looks so effortlessly cool and stylish donning black shades and his action-ready leather outfit?
5. Selene in "Underworld" (2003), "Underworld: Evolution" (2006) and "Underworld: Awakening" (2012)
We have a cool male vampire in the form of Wesley Snipes' Blade character, but we also have our fair share of cool female vampires as well. The best of the lot of course comes in the form of Kate Beckinsale from her phenomenally popular role as the half-vampire/half-human vampire (and werewolf) hunter role as Selene, in the "Underworld" series. The movie itself is actually nothing more than a series of (good) excuses to showcase plenty of cool-looking action sequences, but Kate Beckinsale made Selene such a mesmerizing character to watch for. After all, it's really hard to resist watching her donning two guns as she dispatches a few vampires and werewolves while appearing so sexy in a skintight black leather outfit with her bad-ass attitude to boot.
"Dracula Untold" opens in cinemas nationwide on 2 October 2014.
