21 Truly Horrifying Vampire Movies

Atmospheric and chilling, the story features a lonely boy and a girl who holds a terrifying secret, further proving that kids are just creepy, man.

Image: Magnolia Pictures

In this truly unsettling indie movie -- an official Cannes Film Festival selection -- a troubled young boy who studies vampire films takes to the streets to find victims and drink their blood. His life changes, however, when a new girl moves into his building and begins to share details about her own tough past.

Image: Strand Releasing

Offering immortality, Egyptian vampire queen Miriam (Catherine Deneuve) feeds on the blood on her lovers while exacting a horrifying price. When scientist Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon) discovers what is going on, she attempts to help Miriam's current lover (played by David Bowie) but finds herself instead drawn to the vampire queen. Surreal and fantastical, it's the creepiest version of a love triangle ever.

Image: Warner Bros.

Combining noir and western elements, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night isn't actually a horror film. That's not to say it lacks scares, though. Set in Iran, the world it crafts is haunting. And when it comes time for the girl to hunt for dinner, you'll feel a chill crawl down your spine.

Image: VICE Films

I'm sorry: Alaska is already creepy, the way it's shrouded in utter darkness for a good part of the year. Add a bunch of ravaging vampires just waiting for all light to fade so they can come and tear your town apart, and you have an epic monsters-in-the-dark movie.

Image: Columbia Pictures

The two main characters of Byzantium (played by Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton) have been hunted for 200 years, keeping the secret they can survive only on human blood. When they arrive to settle in a small coastal town, their true identities are revealed, with potentially deadly consequences.

Image: IFC Films

In this post-apocalyptic scenario, a plague destroys humanity and turns them into vampires. Those not turned are farmed for their blood. The movie showcases plenty of action and adventure. With Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill, it will certainly get your pulse racing.

Image: Lionsgate

He's just a vampire looking to find the right woman–but what he does with that woman is the stuff of nightmares. Starring a young Jude Law using his gorgeous looks to a very menacing effect, the movie centers around a vamp named Steven, who is basically every girl's worst-date-ever times a thousand.

Image: Lionsgate

An adaptation of the classic sci-fi horror novel by Richard Matheson, the film stars Will Smith as the last man on Earth. The rest of humanity has succumbed to a plague that turns them into night-hunting, blood-sucking monsters. How does the only human survive against the horde? Will he eventually give in to the loneliness of his days?

With a beautifully elegiac beginning, featuring deserted New York City streets, this movie poses questions that will continue to haunt you long after it's over.

Image: Warner Bros.

Based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, this classic silent film broods with horror. With a masterful use of light and shadow and no big special effects, it still manages to stand the test of time.

Image: Kino Lorber films

Allan Gray visits an inn in a secluded hamlet. He soon learns that he's fallen into the clutches of a vampire, and must race to break the evil one's curse before it's too late.

Image: Criterion

Ok, technically this is a comedy, but wouldn't you be terrified if you discovered your charming neighbor was actually a blood-sucking demon of the night? As well as being a love-letter to the horror genre in general, the movie provides plenty of actual jump-in-your-seat moments. Besides, who says a movie can't be terrifying and funny?

Image: Columbia Pictures

As if moving isn't hard enough, imagine how horrifying it is when you start to suspect your new town is chock-full of vampires. With a super-80s cast including Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland, the movie guarantees that you'll laugh, you'll scream, and your eyes will be glued to the screen.

Image: Warner Bros.

He's half-man, half-vampire, and he protects the human race from the undead who roam the night. Granted, there's a lot of 90s schtick, but still, for a fast-paced, action-adventure vampire movie with some pretty high stakes (see what we did there?), it's worth the watch. Plus, Wesley Snipes is a badass.

Image: Warner Bros.

The most terrifying part of Martin is you can't tell if the main character is just delusional or if he really is an actual vampire. After all, isn't the real horror always in your mind?

Image: Lionsgate

Talk about meta. This is a film about vampires about making a film about vampires. Willem Dafoe got nominated for an Oscar for his performance of Max Schreck. Dafoe takes the sinister to the max as he explores when the line between fiction and reality blurs.

Image: Lionsgate

Bloodsucking Bastards is as funny as it is scary: Imagine a workplace comedy where the boss is a vampire in dire need of feeding. When it comes time for the blood to flow, this movie doesn't hold back.

Image: Scream Factory

A mechanism that can give eternal life ... for a very bloody price. That's the crux of this Mexican vampire movie, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Gorgeous and eerie, the story is as smart as it is scary.

Image: The Criterion Collection

It's directed by Chan-wook Park (Oldboy), soit's no wonder menace abounds in this film. When a medical experiment goes wrong, priest Sang-hyeon's life is saved by an infusion of vampire blood. You can just guess what happens next.

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From Dusk till Dawn is loaded with Tarantino’s signature dialogue style, great acting from a cast that includes George Clooney and Salma Hayek and several moments where the horror is as scary as it is fun-to-watch. Once the Gecko brothers realize the strip club they've wandered into is filled with vampires, there's no stopping the flow of chaos or blood.

Image: Miramax Films

This little-seen vampire movie plays as an allegory for drug addiction, with a young woman battling a new lust for blood. The most disturbing moment of the film comes at a graduation party, when central figure Kathleen unleashes a group of vampires on partygoers, leaving a blood-stained mess in their wake.

Image: October Films