5 Best Vampire Movies of the Last Decade

Let's be honest, it's been kind of a rough decade for vampires. The Twilight Saga has transformed the classic monster into a mopey romance icon. The Underworld films were more interested in so-so action scenes and putting a blue tint on everything than doing much with the vampiric aspects of the characters. However even amongst the sparkling emos and leather fetishists who pass as vampires these days there have been some great films that remind viewers how well these creatures can work when done well. Vampires can be so many things: scary, sexy, vicious, even emotionally tortured. Looking back over the past decade there are several films that stand out above the rest and they can be found here, for the discerning lover of the creatures of the night.

5) Blade II (2002)
Blade II starts with the titular vampire killer (played by Wesley Snipes) rescuing his former mentor Whistler (Kris Kristopherson) and restoring his humanity. After that Blade is approached by an elite group of vampires that had originally been assembled to kill him, except now they need his help. The virus that causes vampirism as mutated into a new strain and creating creatures called Reapers. The Reapers are extremely vicious and prefer to feed on vampires. Blade would gladly let them do his work for him except he knows that humans would be in just as much danger, and this also gives him a chance to get into the inner circle of the vampire society. An uneasy alliance is struck up between the vampires and the half-vampire they call Daywalker as they hunt Nomak, the original carrier of the Reaper virus.

The first Blade was released in 1998 to decent financial success. Staring Wesley Snipes as the titular half-vampire who hunts blood-suckers it was a fun if somewhat disposable piece of cinema. It had been more of an action movie than a horror movie. Thanks to the assured hand of director Guillermo Del Toro that was most assuredly not the case with Blade II as the Reapers helped inject some serious scares into the franchise. Ditching the sleek and sexy eternal youth look for something more akin to a diseased version of Nosferatu, the Reapers are enough to put both the hero and other vampires on edge. With the villains being a better source of tension this actually frees up Wesley Snipes to have more fun in the title role that he did the first time around (in the original he was a bit more broody.) A great supporting cast, fun action and a take on vampires that can actually be scary make this the best by far in the Blade trilogy.

4) Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust opens with the kidnapping of a beautiful young woman by a vampire named Meyer Link. The girl's family hire the legendary vampire hunter known only as D to retrieve the girl before she's turned into a monster. D is himself a dunpeal, half vampire and half human, and has to battle prejudice and hatred as often as monsters. D is not the only hunter hired for the job as the rough and tumble Marcus Brothers are also on Meyer's trail. However it's not as simple as retrieving the victim since it soon becomes clear that she's in love with the vampire. There is also something deeper and more sinister at work behind the scenes and a small army of unique and deadly monsters are protect Meyer's carriage as he flees with his human lover to a distant castle.

Based on the third book in the series by Hideyuki Kikuchi this film completely blows the 1985 animated original out of the water on every level. The animation is simply stunning and does an extremely good job of matching the original illustrations by famed Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano. The music is rich and orchestral, far superior to the quickly assembled electronic soundtracks found in many anime films. The voice-work is also top notch, an area that is often a bit of a crap shoot with anime. Interestingly the English voices were recorded before the Japanese. The plethora of unique characters are all interesting and well used, none of them feel short changed. The action is varied and exciting and the character of D himself stands as the rock on which it's all built. With aspects of action, gothic romance and even westerns all thrown in it ends up being a fantastic blend of elements.

3) Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
1922's Nosferatu created some of the most iconic images of a vampire ever put to film. Count Orlock, bald with long ears, dagger like nails and a distorted mouth of teeth is as frightening and disturbing today as it was over 80 years ago. But what if the actor who played the part, Max Schreck, wasn't an actor but in fact an actual vampire? Shadow of the Vampire runs with this premise with Willem Dafoe playing Schreck in a way that is a perfect match to the classic silent film (and earning an Oscar nomination for his trouble.) John Malkovich plays the obsessive film director F. W. Murnau, who is fully aware of what Schreck is but hides the fact from his crew, even as Max begins to feed from some of them.

Dafoe obviously is the most visible asset to the film. He captures not only the appearance but the disturbing mannerisms that made the real Max Schreck's performance so memorable. Malkovich also does great work in showing Murnau's commitment to achieving his film vision at any cost, and his growing desperation when he realizes he can't control Schreck. There's also a very strong supporting cast, including Eddie Izzard, Udo Kier and Catherine McCormack. There are a few wonky accents being used but the performances are still solid. The premise may seem a little goofy but the film commits to it and doesn't allow it to be jokey. The result is a film that's as much about the obsessive director as it is about the vampire, and it works beautifully.

2) The Thirst (2009)
In Korea a priest (played by Song Kang-ho) makes the selfless decision to submit himself as a human guinea pig in a medical study. He will be infected with a deadly disease and then subjected to experimental treatments. It will almost definitely result in his death but he hopes it will lead to a cure for others. However something very strange happens, after a certain blood transfusion the priest's health improves dramatically and unexpectedly. It's seen as a miracle but it soon becomes clear that it comes at a price. The priest finds he is burned by the sun and that the disease in his body returns in a few days if he does not fulfill his new found thirst for human blood. Complicating things, the priest falls in love with another man's wife (played by Kim Ok-bin,) believing her to be in an abusive marriage. However nothing in this film is ever that clear cut and simple.

From the mind of writer/director Park Chan-wook who created the wonderfully twisted Vengeance Trilogy (featuring the mind-blowing Oldboy) this film is a very fresh take on a classic vampire. Rather than trying to re-invent the wheel and change how the vampires work (as so many recent films have done) he simply comes up with a great scenario to put the classic version of the monster into. At times the vampirism becomes secondary to the crumbling love triangle at the heart of the film. Park is a master at twisted relationships and this film is no exception. Watching a man with such pure intentions be broken down by his own urges the way the priest is in Thirst is both fascinating and at times heartbreaking.

1) Let the Right One In (2008)
Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is an outcast and bullied twelve year old living with his mother in Stockholm in 1982. His life is changed when a girl his age named Eli (Lina Leandersson) moves into an apartment in his building with her male guardian (Per Ragnar.) Eli doesn't go to the school but the two encounter each other during the night and the two isolated and outcast children begin to bond. Coinciding with Eli's arrival are a number of disappearances and inceasingly grisly murders. It is not long before Oskar realizes that Eli is a vampire, but that does not scare him away. Instead it only draws him closer to her, even as the local authorities are closing in on the recent murders and the bullies at Oskar's school are becoming more brutal.

Perfectly gloomy and brilliantly acted throughout, Let the Right One In, rightfully earned huge amounts of praise from critics and audiences alike. At the heart of the film are the two young actors who build a perfect pre-pubescent relationship that feels very real and genuine. The film isn't focused on children as a gimmick, it is a very in depth look at some of the darker aspects of childhood and the emotional confusion of oncoming puberty. It's a film that is a truly beautiful (visually and emotionally) portrait of the two main characters. The American remake, Let Me In, was released earlier this year. While earning acclaim on it's own, most critics who've seen the original agree that it's the superior version of this story. Special note of caution: the DVD release featured extremely dumbed down and poor quality subtitles from the original Swedish. Be sure the DVD says "English subtitles: Theatrical" otherwise stick to instant view options such as Netflix Instant which feature the original translation.