The top ten best modern vampire movies. That’s what this compilation purports to contain. Is it correct? Have they included all the worthy efforts of recent years? And do they have the contenders in the right order? Let us see, shall we? First, THEIR listing: (10) BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA; (9) NEAR DARK; (8) THE HUNGER; (7) FROM DUSK TILL DAWN; (6) BLADE; (5) ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE; (4) FRIGHT NIGHT; (3) THE LOST BOYS; (2) INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE; (1) LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.
Not bad, not bad. But there are a couple of glaring omissions. Any top ten list of vampire films not featuring BYZANTIUM and A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT high up on the list is a faulty one. BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA needs to be much higher on the scorecard. And while FROM DUSK TILL DAWN is a fun flick, it’s hardly a great film. It doesn’t really belong on the list at all. Here, then, is MY top ten: (10) FRIGHT NIGHT; (9) 30 DAYS OF NIGHT; (8) BLADE 2 (because the sequel is better than the original); (7) INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE; (6) LET ME IN/LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (the American remake is just as good as the original); (5) THE LOST BOYS; (4) BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA; (3) BYZANTIUM; (2) A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT; (1) ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE. Honestly the top three are mostly interchangeable; they are all excellent films, so much so that I’m even willing to rank them above a Dracula film. That really says something about their quality, right there.