Summary
- Vampires can be iconic villains in movies, from the bloodsucking James in Twilight to the charismatic David in Lost Boys.
- James from Twilight, Deacon Frost in Blade, Jerry Dandridge in Fright Night are standout vampire villains.
- Characters like Dwight Renfield in The Night Flier and Akasha in Queen of the Damned redefine vampire villainy.
Vampires are one of the most popular tropes in media, and this has been the case for over sixty years. Stemming from the original legends of Vlad the Impaler and then adopting other myths over the course of hundreds of years, vampires have been a constant in movies and television shows, with astounding successes such as The Vampire Diaries and Interview With a Vampire being just some of the best vampire-themed pieces of media available.
Best Hero Vampires In Games, Ranked
Vampires are not always the bad guys in media. In the following video games, these bloodsucking characters are in fact quite heroic.
Pale, vicious, and charismatic, vampires are alluring creatures who can snuff out the light of unsuspecting victims. In the long list of vampire media, there have been countless fanged antagonists. However, some stand out among the flock and raise the bar when it comes to being evil. Here are some of the best vampire villains in movies.
8 James (Twilight)
Hunted Bella For Sport Just To Cause Edward Pain
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
- Director
- Catherine Hardwicke
The Twilight movies are some of the most infamous vampire movies in history, dominating the box office in the mid 2000s. The series of films focus on a young girl named Bella Swan who becomes entranced by a centuries-old vampire named Edward Cullen.
7 Most Iconic Child Vampires in Movies, Ranked
Creepy children have long been a staple of horror, and these young vampires are some of the best examples.
In the first movie, she gets entangled in the dark world of vampires and becomes the target of James, a vicious immortal who takes pleasure in hunting humans. In the film, James is played by Cam Gigandet, playing him as a fierce and ruthless creature who will stop at nothing to catch his prey.
7 Dwight Renfield (The Night Flier)
Massacred An Entire Restaurant And Framed Dees For The Crime
The Night Flier
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- February 6, 1998
- Director
- Mark Pavia
The Night Flier is a diamond in the rough that goes unnoticed among the long list of vampire movie releases. Directed by Mark Pavia, it follows journalist Richard Dees, played by Miquel Ferrer, who's chasing after a mysterious killer who leaves destruction in his wake. Little does Dees know that he is actually after a sinister vampire.
Michael H. Moss plays Dwight Renfield in a shockingly different style of vampire than most, embodying a gruesome and disfigured creature with a cold, dead glare and disposition. The Night Flier leaves rooms filled with dismembered corpses, disappearing without a trace. What makes the creature especially sinister is his intellect. Throughout the film, Renfield toys with Dees, leaving more bodies for him to find just to string him along into a trap.
6 Deacon Frost (Blade)
Kept Blade's Mother As A Pet
Blade
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- August 21, 1998
- Runtime
- 120 Minutes
- Director
- Stephen Norrington
Blade is a classic film that built the foundation for what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is today. In the breakout horror film, Wesley Snipes plays the daywalking vampire hunter, Blade, on a mission to exterminate the entire vampire race.
Opposite to Snipes's anti-hero is Stephen Dorff's Deacon Frost, a veteran among the vampire organization who has set out to destabilize the established order and rise to power by becoming a blood god. Dorff's performance in the movie is iconic, as he embodies a character who thinks of humans as cattle, whether they be men, women, or children.
5 Jerry Dandridge (Fright Night)
Turned Charlie's Girlfriend And Forced Her To Try And Kill Him
Fright Night
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- August 2, 1985
- Runtime
- 107 minutes
- Director
- Tom Holland
The original Fright Night is another phenomenal classic horror movie by Tom Holland, known for his work on the Child's Play and Psycho franchises. Fright Night follows young teen Charlie Brewster, who becomes a target after discovering that a vampire has moved in next door.
Chris Sarandon plays Jerry Dandridge, a classy yet ruthless vampire who assumes the appearance of a well-respected man to lure in victims and satiate his hunger. Sarandon's elegance and class in the film make Jerry Dandridge almost regal and more frightening than the typical tall, dark, and brooding types in most vampire media.
4 David (The Lost Boys)
Turned A Child Into A Vampire
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
The Lost Boys is a film that has been carried by its fanbase for nearly thirty years and forged into a permanent cult classic that is said to be the perfect vampire movie. Breaking out from the hood of Dracula and similar films, The Lost Boys follows a single mother and her two sons who move to Santa Carla, California.
The two sons, Mike and Sam, played by Jason Patric and Corey Haim, become surrounded by vampires when Michael ends up joining the ranks, and Sam ends up a target. The head vampire in this film is David, played by Kiefer Sutherland, a creature who leads a gang of rocker vamps to terrorize the inhabitants of Santa Carla. David is a stark contrast to most vampires, being young, arrogant, and charismatic. However, his dead eyes and sinister grin help him to become an incredible villain.
3 Akasha (Queen Of The Damned)
Killed Thousands (Even Of Her Own Kind)
Queen of the Damned
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- February 22, 2002
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Director
- Michael Rymer
Queen of the Damned is another cult classic vampire movie that comes from the same universe as the long line of horror books by Anne Rice. The movie tells the story of Lestat, a vampire, and a segment of his eternal life in which he pulls vampires out of the shadows and becomes a rock star.
8 Most Iconic Male Vampires From Games, Ranked
The realm of gaming is home to some truly unforgettable mythical creatures. Here are the most iconic male vampires that gamers can come across.
Exposing immortality to humankind calls upon one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in history, Akasha. Played by Aaliyah, Akasha is the pure definition of evil and beauty, claiming every inch of ground on which she takes a step. Seeking a new king, Akasha carves a path straight to Lestat and does so in as brutal a fashion as possible, utterly destroying anything in her way.
2 Lestat (Interview With The Vampire)
Thought Of Humans As Cattle And Toyed With Their Lives Often
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
Lestat is one of the main characters in a series of horror novels by Anne Rice. Anne Rice's first book, Interview With the Vampire, was adapted into a film in 1994, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Brad Pitt as Louie and Tom Cruise as Lestat.
Most Iconic Male Vampires From Anime, Ranked
These are some of the best male vampires in the anime franchise and they stand out for distinct reasons.
Tom Cruise gave a standout performance as the villainous Lestat, who saw no wrong in filling entire cemeteries in a single night. Lestat is a proud and pompous vampire who uses his charm to get at the throats of unsuspecting victims and mock them afterward, making him one of the most vile vampires in media.
1 Dracula (Bram Stoker's Dracula)
Trapped Johnathan Harker In His Castle And Stole His Bride For Himself
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- November 13, 1992
WHERE TO WATCH
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
Dracula is a vampire who needs no introduction. He has an extensive history with over ten films based on his mythos alone. As the father of all vampires, Dracula stands at the precipice of evil that has tormented humankind for nearly a thousand years.
While there have been multiple incarnations of the king of shadows, one of the best is Gary Oldman's performance in Bram Stoker's Dracula. A creature who has lived too long and embodies evil as a whole, Oldman's Dracula was less frightening and more unnerving, coming to think of taking lives as a right instead of doing so out of hunger.
9 Best Supernatural Anime With A Unique Take On Vampires
You can't be a fan of supernatural anime without having at least one weird vampire favorite, and these series are at the top of the list.