Summary
- Most horror avoids killing kids or dogs to maintain audience engagement, but child vampires are seen in popular franchises.
- "Children of the Night": Argentinean horror film showcases best use of child vampires with a unique plot in a secluded orphanage.
- Popular Child Vampire Characters: David from "The Lost Boys," Mavis Dracula from "Hotel Transylvania," Alec and Jane from "Twilight," Eli from "Let The Right One In," and Claudia from "Interview With The Vampire."
There's an unwritten rule in horror: don't kill the kid or the dog. In general, audiences don't want to see it, so if a film is going to cross the heinous line, it has to make the death poignant and significant to the story. That's why the dog can often be seen climbing out of a crawl space, several scenes after seemingly perishing off-screen, whereas children tend not to be involved, at least not as the victim.
However, there are no such rules about casting creepy child monsters that spring forth much more frequently in franchises like The Ring. Vampires are a particular subset of monsters that have enjoyed diverse cinematic representation, from skulking Nosferatu, through Hammer Horrors, up to their more recent reboot as brooding teen heartthrobs. That leaves the mood a little all over the place with these iconic child vampires in movies.
8 Most Iconic Male Vampires From Movies, Ranked
Discover the most iconic male vampires in movies. From Nosferatu to Blade, these characters define cinematic vampire history.
7 David (The Lost Boys)
Leader Of The Gang
The Lost Boys
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 31, 1987
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Cast
- Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes, Edward Herrmann, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Jamison Newlander, Brooke McCarter, Billy Wirth, Alex Winter, Chance Michael Corbitt, Alexander Bacan Chapman, Nori Morgan, Kelly Jo Minter, Todd Feder, Christopher Peters, Keith Butterfield, Gerald Younggren, Eric Graves, J. Dinan Myrtetus, Timmy Cappello, Jim Turner, Tony Cain
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
Like Netflix casting a high-school drama, let's take a broad view of what constitutes a child, from a millennial perspective. Starting off with what is likely the most egregious example, David from The Lost Boys is intended to be 18, so right at the cut-off point to adulthood. If Keifer Sutherland passes as a kid in Stand By Me, then it still counts.
David is the leader of the gang of vampires who serve as the film's antagonists. Sutherland's performance was so influential in shaping the style and perception of vampires in future fiction that the character deserves a shout-out here.
6 Los Ninos de Limbo (Children of the Night)
Bloodthirsty Orphanage
- Released: February 2, 2014
- Cast: Lauro Veron, Ana Maria Giunta, Toto Munoz
- Studio: Noel Films
Also known as Limbo to avoid confusion with the 1991 American film of the same name, Children of the Night is a little-known Argentinean horror film that makes some of the best use of child vampires as a dread-inducing antagonist in all of cinema.
Los Ninos De Limbo, as the group is collectively referred to, are the residents of a secluded orphanage that provides the setting for the horror flick. When a journalist visits the orphanage, she discovers that the children have all been turned into vampires by the matron.
5 Mavis Dracula (Hotel Transylvania)
Under The Cloak Of Her Father
Hotel Transylvania
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- September 28, 2012
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Selena Gomez, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, CeeLo Green
- Studio(s)
- Sony
Hotel Transylvania is a surprisingly moving animated movie about an overbearing Count Dracula who seeks to protect his daughter from a ruthless outside world that will seek to harm her. Mavis Dracula is the film's central protagonist, who is reaching the age where she is ready to fly the nest and get out from under her father.
Along the way, the duo learn to put aside prejudices after Mavis befriends a human and Dracula learns that he must allow his daughter to be who she needs to be. It's a sweet tale that has diminishing returns in the myriad of sequels it spawned, but Mavis remains a great protagonist, earning more screen time than anyone else on this list.
4 Alec & Jane
Powerful Siblings
Twilight
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- November 21, 2008
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Elizabeth Reaser, Taylor Lautner, Gil Birmingham, Cam Gigandet, Rachelle Lefevre, Edi Gathegi, Anna Kendrick, Michael Welch, Justin Chon, Christian Serratos, José Zúñiga, Sarah Clarke, Matt Bushell, Gregory Tyree Boyce, Trish Egan, Ayanna Berkshire, Ned Bellamy
The most divisive vampire franchise, Twilight, has certainly popularized the monster for modern audiences, with no shortage of vampire stories and fan fiction since. Avoiding the low-hanging fruit, attention is instead turned to a pair of siblings portrayed by seasoned child actors Dakota Fanning and Cameron Bright.
What's notable about Alec and Jane is that they are Immortal Children aligned with the Volturi, who have since declared the practice punishable by death, which serves as a significant plot point in the series. The pair also each possess advanced supernatural abilities that make them a threat to any vampire beyond their physical prowess.
3 Abigail
Becoming The Hunted
Abigail
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- April 19, 2024
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Director
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
- Cast
- Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, Giancarlo Esposito, Kevin Durand, Melissa Barrera, Alisha Weir, Angus Cloud, William Catlett
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
When a group of ne'er-do-wells take a young girl hostage, they are expecting a handsome payout from her wealthy father. All they have to do is keep her contained for one night. Unfortunately, the eponymous Abigail turns out to be a powerful vampire who promptly breaks free and turns the tables.
Unable to escape the house after it triggers a lockdown, the crew must fight through the night to survive as Abigail hunts them down one by one. This sinister antagonist is portrayed with just enough levity to keep the adventure fun and action-packed.
2 Eli (Let The Right One In)
What Lurks Next Door
Let the Right One In
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- December 12, 2008
WHERE TO WATCH
- Cast
- Lina Leandersson, Karin Bergquist, Kåre Hedebrant, Henrik Dahl, Per Ragnar
- Studio(s)
- Magnolia Pictures
At the height of Swedish cinema, at least in terms of global appeal, were The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and one of the most popular child vampire flicks, Let The Right One In. Both films swiftly received American remakes, but ardent fans insist it's worth the language barrier to experience the superior originals.
Let The Right One In centers on a young boy who befriends his neighbor, Eli, only to discover she is a vampire. It's a slow-burn horror as the friendship is forced to endure Eli's lust for blood and penchant for violence. Chloë Grace Moretz portrays the character in the US remake, Let Me In, for anyone looking for an English alternative.
1 Claudia (Interview With The Vampire)
Daughter Of Burden
Interview with the Vampire
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- November 11, 1994
- Runtime
- 123 minutes
- Director
- Neil Jordan
- Cast
- Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater, Stephen Rea, Kirsten Dunst, Domiziana Giordano, Thandiwe Newton, Laure Marsac, John McConnell, Mike Seelig, Bellina Logan, Lyla Hay Owen, Monte Montague, Jeanette Kontomitras, Roger Lloyd Pack, George Kelly, Nicole DuBois Favre, Virginia McCollam, Helen McCrory, Indra Ové, Micha Bergese, Rory Edwards, Marcel Iureș, Susan Lynch
- Studio(s)
- The Geffen Film Company
The most acclaimed performance from a child actor playing a vampire comes from Kirsten Dunst in Interview With The Vampire. Dunst's character, Claudia, is a central part of the story, which largely chronicles her turning by the protagonists Louis and Lestat in a macabre affair following the loss of her mother at a young age.
She essentially serves as their daughter, remaining with them for 65 years until her eventual execution. Requiring Dunst to deliver a performance far beyond her years in the complex saga of anguish and lust that is the trio's life as recounted in the titular interview.
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