Movies

Morbius-Delayed: 10 Bloody Vampire Films to Watch While We Wait

Published

2 years ago

January 17, 2022

How many times can one movie be delayed before we call it quits? Sony is definitely hoping we’re still all in for Morbius, even after the film’s move (again) to April 1, 2022. (If it’s an April Fool’s Day joke, the fans will not be laughing.) But what do we do in the meantime when we were all geared up for what has the potential to be a badass vampire flick?

To put it succinctly, it’s time to breakout those DVDs or get on your favorite streaming networks and revisit some of the best bloodsuckers to ever grace the screen. The vampire has been a mainstay of film since its earliest days with F.W. Murnau’s silent Nosferatu back in 1922. It captured the audience’s imaginations. They were terrified by the visage of Count Orlock, and they wanted more.

The director was later sued by the estate of Bram Stoker for copyright violations, and we nearly lost it for all time. Still, he’d proven that a vampire story could and would draw in audiences, a point that’s been proven time again over the last century.

I fully admit it’s one of my favorite sub-genres. So, while we’re somewhat-not-so-patiently waiting on Jared Leto to grace the screen as Morbius, here are seven of my favorite vampire flicks (in no particular order) and where to find them.

#1 Dracula (1931)–Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV+, Vudu, and Redbox

Few depictions of the classic Count Dracula have ever captured the moodiness, gothic splendor, and subtle terror of Bram Stoker’s tale better than Tod Browning’s masterpiece starring Bela Lugosi. I recently saw it on the big screen for the first time and I was absolutely enthralled from the first frame. If you’ve never seen this vampire classic, there is no time like the present. Lugosi gives a phenomenal performance, but Dwight Frye’s Renfield often steals the show.

#2 30 Days of Night–Stream for free on PlutoTV. Rent it on Amazon, Row8, Redbox, and Vudu

When a small town in Alaska is plunged into their annual month of darkness, a clan of feral, bloodthirsty vampires descend upon them. Starring Josh Hartnett and Danny Huston, few vampire films match 30 Days of Night in its sheer brutality. David Slade reminded us that we’re supposed to fear the undead and it was a lesson well-learned.

#3 Afflicted–Stream it on Amazon Prime

Derek Lee and Clif Prowse wrote, directed, and starred in this hidden gem of a vampire film about two friends who set out on the journey of a lifetime. After only a few days, however, one of them is struck by a mysterious affliction that sees him slowly becoming something less, and so much more, than human. Presented in found footage style with an ending that will leave you on the edge of your seat, Afflicted is one of those under-the-radar films that I’m so glad I found.

#4 Thirst–Rent it on Amazon, Vudu, and Redbox

After a failed medical experiment, a devout priest finds he has become a vampire and his new thirst leads him on a road of pleasures he’d previously denied himself. This Korean film is as gorgeous as it is terrifying. Kang-ho Song (Parasite) stars in the 2009 Korean film directed by Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy).

#5 Let the Right One In–Stream it on Hulu and kanopy. Rent it on Amazon, Vudu, Redbox, and Flix Fling

Tomas Alfredson directed an exceptional adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel about a young boy, bullied by his classmates, who finds solace and friendship with a child vampire. The director did an amazing job of capturing the script which the author adapted himself, and the talented young actors who play the leads are truly exceptional. Please, please, please, watch this film and not the American remake!

#6 Fright Night–Rent it on Amazon, Vudu, and Redbox

As campy and fun as it is scary, Fright Night is one of those movies you watch when you just want to have a good time. William Ragsdale plays Charley Brewster, an anxiety-riddled teenager who believes his next-door neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. As Charley becomes more convinced, he enlists the help of a classic late-night TV horror host (Roddy McDowell) to help him defeat the creature before he loses everyone he loves.

#7 The Lost Boys–Stream it on Netflix. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV+, Vudu, and Redbox

Come for the vampires, stay for the sexy sax-man. Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland led an impress up-and-coming cast back in 1987 in Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys which focuses on a single mother and her two sons who move to a small California town for a fresh start. When the older teenage brother attracts the attention of a local coven of vampires, the family will have to fight for their lives to stay together. There’s just no other film like it. It’s like bloody comfort food. You just can’t get enough.

#8 Jakob’s Wife–Stream it on Shudder and Spectrum TV. Rent it on Amazon, Vudu, Redbox, and Apple TV+

Barbara Crampton and Bonnie Aarons made a bloody splash in this tale of a bored minister’s wife who wakes up with an unquenchable thirst after a run-in with a vampire. Bloody and hilarious, the film deserves all the accolades that has been laid at its feet. If you haven’t seen it, what in the hell are you waiting for?!

#9 Interview with the Vampire–Stream it on Netflix. Rent it on Amazon, Apple TV+, Vudu, and Redbox

Call me sentimental, and maybe I am, but this film has a genuine place in my heart that has been aching since Anne Rice passed away last month. The tale of Louis, Lestat, Claudia, and Armand is a sweeping tale told beautifully by director Neil Jordan, and was a real testament to Rice’s books. It’s one of those films I can watch over and over again. Give me a moody, morally ambiguous vampire any day of the week, and I’m there.

#10 Bram Stoker’s Dracula–Stream it on Netflix. Rent it on Amazon, Vudu, and Redbox

Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Stoker’s classic is a gorgeous, decadent, blood-drenched tale with a cast that only heightens the story. Gary Oldman turns in a brilliant performance as the titular vampire alongside Anthony Hopkins and Winona Ryder. This is one of those you turn the lights down and snuggle up to your SO to watch late at night.

Bonus: Near Dark

I’m including this on the list because I think it’s one of the greatest vampire flicks ever made. Sadly, I just couldn’t find it streaming anywhere! Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, and Adrian Pasdar, Near Dark has become a cult hit of the highest degree for very good reasons. It was something unlike anything we’d ever seen when it was first released back in 1987, and it remains a unique entry in the vampire genre to this day.

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Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

6 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

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Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

Melissa Barrera Says ‘Scary Movie VI’ Would Be “Fun To Do”

Published

8 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Melissa Barrera might literally get the last laugh on Spyglass thanks to a possible Scary Movie sequel. Paramount and Miramax are seeing the right opportunity to bring the satirical franchise back into the fold and announced last week one might be in production as early as this fall.

The last chapter of the Scary Movie franchise was almost a decade ago and since the series lampoons thematic horror movies and pop culture trends, it would seem they have a lot of content to draw ideas from, including the recent reboot of slasher series Scream.

Barerra, who starred as final girl Samantha in those movies was abruptly fired from the latest chapter, Scream VII, for expressing what Spyglass interpreted as “antisemitism,” after the actress came out in support of Palestine on social media.

Even though the drama wasn’t a laughing matter, Barrera might get her chance to parody Sam in Scary Movie VI. That is if the opportunity arises. In an interview with Inverse, the 33-year-old actress was asked about Scary Movie VI, and her reply was intriguing.

“I always loved those movies,” the actress told Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun. That would be so fun to do.’”

That “fun to do” part could be construed as a passive pitch to Paramount, but that’s open to interpretation.

Just like in her franchise, Scary Movie also has a legacy cast including Anna Faris and Regina Hall. There is no word yet on if either of those actors will appear in the reboot. With or without them, Barrera is still a fan of the comedies. “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one,” she told the publication.

Barrera is currently celebrating the box office success of her latest horror movie Abigail.

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Lists

Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.