I saw Near Dark a few years ago in a screenwriting class. I never heard of when it came out, so I have say I feel its really underrated.
I don’t have a favorite, but I do like Coppola’s Dracula from 92. Of course, it has flaws.
For pure eye candy I’m partial to Christopher Lee’s portrayals in the Hammer films of the Sixties.
The one that left me the most stunned was “Count Yorga, Vampire” which I saw at a drive-in theater in Tacoma, WA in 1971. It was during the time of the development of the antihero which was a new concept for me and the first vampire movie I’d ever seen where the good guys didn’t prevail. The ending was horrifying and we drove away in shocked silence.
Yes, historically, the choice would have to be the original “Nosferatu.” In the Seventies the teensy public library showed this herky-jerky silent film in Wayne, NE. Surprise. I was the mother of a three-year old and had wanted to see it. In that time the hope of that with the present media the average person could access the chances seemed slim. The only solution was to take daughter along and I questioned whether that wasd the correct thing to do.
So we had a talk. It might frighten you. If so, you need to whisper to Mommy and we’ll leave.
We both loved it and still talk about our afternoon. Probably the most exciting thing that happened to us while we lived in NE!
But for my very favorite I’d have to say “Near Dark.”
“Good times. . .”
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr and Guy Maddin’s Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary.
Interview with the vampire is the best by very far, but, this thread can not continue without someone mentioning The Fearless Vampire Killers. Which is amazingly both quite scary and quite funny.
It’s truly bizarre how much tastes differ! 
Very good point.
Although I don’t think that it’s a particularly great film, I liked *30 Days of Night *for this same reason.
Ditto.
I can’t understand the love for Coppola’s Dracula. To me, it felt and looked like a live action Roadrunner cartoon. It showed a lack of respect to the source material. I’d rather watch one of the old Universal movies with John Carradine as Dracula or even Billy the kid vs Dracula
I’m not much of a vampire-movie watcher, but there’s one that had a scene that continues to creep me out to this day. All I remember was a woman, I’m a assuming a vampire woman, standing outside of a house, just staring and staring at the house, while inside a young woman is having difficulty sleeping. Black and white. Ring any bells for anyone? It was very atmospheric and creepy.
Nosferatu (original) > Vampyr > Spanish-language Dracula > Dracula (original) > Dracula’s Daughter. As I guess is obvious, I really like the older films.
I do like a lot of the newer films-- the first two Blade films are damn fun, and even Dracula 2000 is an interesting twist on the traditional story (plus it has a topless Vitamin C, which is all that it took to get me into the theater). Coppola’s Dracula is good but a bit OTT; kinda reminded me of what would happen if Oliver Stone or Ken Russell did a vampire film. Shadow of the Vampire was interesting, but it came across like big-budget fan fic to me (a problem of my being overly fond (and protective) of the source material, I’m thinking).
I’ll admit to a bit of sacrilege: I find the Cushing/Lee Dracula films for Hammer to be dull. I far prefer the alternate Hammer vampire movies that emphasize the erotic aspects: Countess Dracula, The Vampire Lovers, Twins of Evil, etc. I liked the expansion of the traditional vampire story to include Carmilla (Vampyr touched on it, but got lost in Dracula worship) and to more openly explore the subverted sexual themes inherent in vampirism in general. I similarly like Blood and Roses and The Hunger.
While I don’t like the current crop of glittery vampires, I can appreciate the twisted sexual angle Ms. Meyer took in her stories. I’ve read plenty of complaints regarding the unhealthy relationships she portrayed, but I think she hit the nail on the head… that’s what vampires are all about.
Lost Boys.
Innocent Blood with Anne Parillaud as the sexiest vampire ever to grace the screen and Robert Loggia as one of the scariest.
I like most of them, but I’ll single out *Dracula 2000 *and *Vampire’s Kiss *for their unique takes on the genre.
Another good one that I don’t think has been mentioned is George Romero’s Martin.
Another fun one that I forgot to mention, John Carpenter’s Vampires. James Woods plays Jack Crow, a profane vampire hunter working for the Catholic Church.
**Jack Crow: You ever seen a vampire?
Father Adam Guiteau: No I haven’t.
Jack Crow: No… Well first of all, they’re not romatic. Its not like they’re a bunch of fuckin’ fags hoppin’ around in rented formal wear and seducing everybody in sight with cheesy Euro-trash accents, all right? Forget whatever you’ve seen in the movies: they don’t turn into bats, crosses don’t work. Garlic? You wanna try garlic? You could stand there with garlic around your neck and one of these buggers will bend you fucking over and take a walk up your strada-chocolata WHILE he’s suckin’ the blood outta your neck, all right? And they don’t sleep in coffins lined in taffata. You wanna kill one, you drive a wooden stake right through his fuckin’ heart. Sunlight turns 'em into crispy critters.
Interview with a Vampire is my favorite by far.
I consider Underworld the worst spent two hours of my life ever. Those are two hours of my life that I will never get back and will forever feel like the movie world owes me a debt for.
From Dusk Til Dawn is the funniest vampire movie I’ve ever seen.
Carlos: So, what, were they psychos, or…
Seth: Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don’t give a fuck how crazy they are!
Ooh! I forgot that one. For those who don’t know it, it has a cool premise: After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires. A band of murderous vampires come to a little town so far up North that the night there, lasts a month. The people in the village can’t run anywhere, and have to hide and somehow survive that month. No sparkles or romance anywhere in that movie.
And Don Rickles as one of the funniest.
No love for Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter?
John Carpenter’s Vampire$ is a good one, as is From Dusk 'Til Dawn. *Shadow of the Vampire *was awesome.
The best though? Coppola’s* Dracula*: it was the first I’d seen, having read Stoker’s novel, and I was pleased it did so well at keeping to the story. The acting was generally crap (except Sir Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing… I’d have loved to see HIM in a stand-alone Van Helsing flick instead of that pile of crap that Hugh Jackman was in…), but visuals were good and it gets really big points for staying to the novel. Plus, it had Winona Ryder in it.