Everyone is buzzing about Sinners and Nosferatu. While a lot of people know of the classic vampire shown in movies after influential movies such as Dracula came out, there are a lot of different versions of the legendary ‘vampire’ out there.
There is a lot of potential in vampire stories, and a lot of different stories to tell with them. A lot of people use vampires as a means to cover different themes, such as a love that takes more than it gives, what it means to be human, or what immortality would really mean.
Here are five different vampire horror movies from around the world, if you want to spice up your night this Halloween season.
1) Red Tears (2011)
Red Tears, alternatively titled Sword of Blood and Monster Killer, is a 2011 horror movie made and produced in Japan.
In this film, there has been a series of bizarre murders that leave a police officer, Tetsuo, one of the main characters, confused and searching for answers. Alongside him in his pursuit of justice are chief of police Mishima (played by legendary martial arts actor Yasuaki Kurata) and his friends on the force Ozu and Yamamura.
While investigating the strange case, he meets a girl named Mitarai Sayako, who lives and cares for her mother Mitarai Masayo. He quickly falls for her, despite the complications that threaten their burgeoning bond.
The movie starts right out with the crazy, wild gore effects. The gore is definitely over the top and bizarre, but that’s where the real fun is.
Additionally, as this movie is produced by and stars an action movie veteran, it is no surprise that the fight scenes are very fun. If you like surreal and fantastical action, this is definitely the movie for you.
2) Thirst (2009)
Thirst is a South Korean movie directed by Park Chan-wook, director of well beloved films such as Oldboy and The Handmaiden.
Sang-hyun, the main character of this film, is a Catholic priest who volunteers regularly to help the sick with his prayers. In his efforts to help people, he signs up for a dangerous medical experiment in the hopes of helping doctors cure an illness called the ‘Emmanuel Virus’ that was affecting the missionaries in Africa.
In the process of this experiment, Sang-hyun was given a blood transfusion in the hopes of saving his life. This blood transfusion is what starts the plot of this film, changing him into a vampire.
This film is a dark love story, but the insanity and surreal nature of what’s happening often softens the blow of what would otherwise be disturbing. Though there are tense moments that leave you nervous for what will happen next, the horror is interspersed with comedy that makes one question what to take seriously, and what not to.
Fans of Oldboy will enjoy this film, as this movie also has a very dream-like atmosphere. The humor is even more dry and twisted in this film, especially as this is more of a horror film with more explicit death and gore.
Thirst is sadly not available on streaming platforms such as Netflix, but it is available to purchase on Youtube movies.
3) Dead & Beautiful (2021)
Dead & Beautiful was an international movie co-produced from the Netherlands and Taiwan. The movie itself has both English and Mandarin Chinese, which really adds to the feeling that all of the main characters are multilingual and can shift between the two languages.
Dead & Beautiful is about a group of very wealthy friends who find out after waking up that they now have sharp, white fangs in their mouths. The revelation of what they have now become shakes them, and leads them to explore hedonistic thrills as they feel powerful with this knowledge.
Similar to Thirst, Dead & Beautiful is about the horror of interpersonal relationships and what someone can be driven to. The suspense lies not in what happens to the characters, but what the characters will end up doing next.
The editing is very stylized, which keeps the viewer engaged throughout. Information about the characters and their relationship to other characters is communicated very smoothly and effectively, threading the characterization of the main cast in with humorous moments.
Dead & Beautiful is available to watch on Shudder.
4) Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In is a Swedish horror movie that mixes the beauty of young romance with the tragic horror of a vampire tale. It’s a beloved film in the vampire horror genre for a reason, and it’s well worth a try.
This film follows Oskar, a twelve year old boy who is discontent with his life and fantasizes about taking control back away from those hurting him. As he is lonely at home and bullied at school, he is isolated and has little to look forward to.
Then, he meets Eli, another preteen that moved in right next to him. Eli is mysterious, but seems kind to him. Oskar takes interest, and gets a puppy crush on what he believes to be a normal human girl, albeit an odd one.
The film is largely a drama, but the themes and events of this movie qualify it as a horror. It’s dark, but also beautiful.
The film is slow paced, and is more about the psychological aspects than it is about making you jump. There is graphic on screen violence, however, so despite the ages of the characters involved, I would not recommend this for younger audiences.
Let the Right One In is available on Tubi.
5) HollyBlood
HollyBlood is a horror comedy movie produced in Spain.
The film follows Javi, a teenage boy who is a new student at a Catholic school. He has a crush on one of the other students at the school, Sara, and is pretending to be a girl online in order to get close to her.
As Sara is obsessed with vampires, she is looking into the legend of a vampire named Azrael, who she believes to be on the same vampire forum that she frequents. The two agree to meet at the premiere of a fictional movie called HollyBlood, which is what the film is named after.
This is a silly teen comedy, and is a fun watch if you enjoy the horror comedy genre. The jokes can break up some of the tension in the movie, making it a fun watch.
HollyBlood is available to watch on Netflix.
What is your favorite vampire movie out of all of these? Let the Right One In has a special place in my heart, but I’m starting to think Thirst may take its place as one of my all time favorites. They are all a bloody good time, however, so they were all very much worth a try.