Summary Vampires have gone a long way in the history of horror movies, with plenty of horrifying depictions keeping them fresh with each new depiction of characters like Dracula and Nosferatu. Having been around for so long, ever since the original Dracula was released in 1897, vampires have gone through the ringer in pop culture, from the pretty teen angst of the Twilight series to the leather-clad action heroes of Blade.
From the minds behind Scream 6, Abigail tells the story of a tween vampire who is kidnapped by unsuspecting criminals hoping to collect a ransom for her, only to find themselves neck deep in blood. The titular vampire orchestrates an almost operatic ballet of visceral gore, with actress Alisha Weir selling the insanity of a centuries-old being trapped in the body of a 12-year-old girl. Her dead-eyed stare and row of piranha-like teeth make for an unnerving image.
7 Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992 One of the all-time greatest performances by Gary Oldman, Bram Stoker's Dracula is an enduring classic take on the original vampire story. A mostly straightforward adaptation of the original novel, plus a few embellishments, Francis Ford Coppola's take on the iconic tale is dripping with Gothic atmosphere and blood-curdling style. It all comes down to Gary Oldman's Dracula, who he portrays at different points of his profane immortal life.
The vampires of Fright Night are a true visual spectacle. Having all the powers, strengths, and weaknesses of the vampires of classic antiquity, their hideous transformations into ferocious beasts and unnervingly huge mouths of razor-sharp teeth conjure a fearsome mental image, as they howl with delight at their kills. Still, these beasts are ultimately overcome by their many weaknesses, which makes them scary, if not as threatening as other vampire depictions.
4 Midnight Mass 2021 From the mind of horror visionary Mike Flanagan, it's actually a TV miniseries that winds up having one of the most terrifying incarnations of a more creature-like vampire in all live-action media. Most of Midnight Mass is a slow burn mystery-thriller centered around an impoverished island community, whose zealous townsfolk and church are hiding a sinister secret.
Salem's Lot has a two-pronged approach to making its vampires scary. Foremost, the film's primary ancient vampire antagonist, Kurt Barlow, is shockingly scary for the miniseries' low budget, being the only on-screen vampire to-date with the feat of literally scaring a victim to death with his appearance alone.