The following movies are most of the vampire related cinema that I have watched, along with short reviews and plots. I will be periodically adding to this as I watch more.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
- Year: 1992
- Subgenre: Gothic romance
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Rating: 5/5
Plot:
This movie is a retelling of the Dracula novel with a few changes. Vlad Dracula(Gary Oldman) returns from his campaign only to find his wide dead. Vlad renounces God, whom he just fought for but has taken away his love. Essentially, he becomes a vampire out of spite. Like all Dracula stories, Jonathan Harker(Keanu Reeves) visits Dracula’s castle to arrange real estate acquisitions. Dracula sees Harker’s photo of Mina(Winona Ryder), who is the spitting image of his long dead wife. Dracula must have her and travels to London to woo his wife’s reincarnation.
Review:
I thoroughly loved this move. The production is just so beautiful. While the soundtrack is my favorite(seriously go listen to it), I think that the costumes, props, cinematography, and acting are all wonderful(except for Keanu Reeves, but he’s a sweet man so I’ll give him a pass). This is one of the movies that made me fall in love with the vampire genre. I very much recommend watching it.
Spotify soundtrack:
https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/album/4WDRuinnAhb1taYx3RNAxr?si=CApQ5I_VRF6-EtN92OaxDw
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
- Year: 1922
- Subgenre: Gothic Horror
- Director: F. W. Murnau
- Rating: 4/5
Plot:
A blatant rip off of Dracula. So much so, that it was sued by Bram Stoker’s estate and it was ordered that all copies be destroyed. It is very lucky we still have this available today.
Review:
This movie is influential, it is not my favorite, but I still liked it. It does an amazing job of making something scary without the use of loud noises or gore, it’s mostly just tension. It is a silent film, so it’s a little harder to judge acting. The props and practical effects are great though. Of course, this movie was instrumental in the development of horror films and the vampire genre. Everyone who appreciates cinema should watch this.
Nosferatu
- Year: 2024
- Subgenre: Horror
- Director: Robert Eggers
- Rating: 2/5
Plot:
Follows the original plot of Nosferatu/Dracula more or less. However, Ellen(Mina in Dracula, played by Lily-Rose Depp), is plagued with supernatural dreams and has been since she was a little girl. She was entirely lonely as a child and opened herself to Nosferatu(Bill Skarsgard).
Nosferatu has come to collect on the bargain and rake Ellen as his wife. Orlok brings the plague with him and promises to kill everyone if Ellen does not submit to him within a few nights.
Review:
I know that people loved this film, and I expected to love it too. There were some redeeming aspects like the imagery and sets. However, I found this film unnerving in the “awkward, this is weird way,” rather than the “oh wow this is scary” way.
I watched this with my family and boyfriend, my boyfriend and I were constantly laughing with each other on just how awkward and unintentionally comedic it was. Count Orlok’s voice was ridiculous, I could not take him seriously at all. Lily-Rose Depp’s movements were silly, of course she has some strange connection with Orlok, but it was just over the top. There were very weird scene transitions that got a few chuckles from me. Not to mention that the sex scenes(with the excpetion of the last one) were cringeworthy and entirely unneeded. It seems to me that most of the film was edgy for edge’s sake.
Interview with the Vampire
- Year: 1994
- Subgenre: Gothic
- Director: Neil Jordan
- Rating: 4/5
Plot:
Based of the book of the same name by Anne Rice, the movie follows Louis du Pointe du Lac(Brad Pitt) who is agrees to be interviewed about his life. Louis was a Louisiana plantation owner who was depressed and distraught after the death of family members. He meets Lestat de Lioncourt(Tom Cruise), a charismatic French vampire. Louis accepts Lestat’s offer of eternal life, but regrets it as he hates killing humans. The two live together in New Orleans and “adopt” a five year old girl by turning her into a vampire.
Review:
I very much enjoyed this movie, however, after reading the book and watching the TV show, I admit that comparatively, it is subpar. I think that overall, the imagery in the movie does an amazing job capturing the feel of the book. The characters feel a little off personality wise, especially Lestat. I would say this is still worth the watch, but if you have more time, I would read the book or watch the TV show.
