When we think of Halloween iconography, we think of ghosts, witches, werewolves, and of course, vampires. Dracula and his undead ilk have gone hand-in-hand with spooky season since Bela Lugosi first donned the cape almost a century ago. So it’s fitting that for Halloween 2024, modern master of horror James Wan, creator of the Saw and Conjuring franchises, has released his Vampire Watchlist of must-see bloodsucker movies on Instagram. He posted a list of sixteen iconic vampire movies to watch, up to the current remake of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, now streaming on Max.
This list is, for the most part, pretty spot on. And it actually reflects our own list of some of the most iconic modern vampire films ever. The inclusion of Bram Stoker’s Dracula from Francis Ford Coppola is a no-brainer. Also a no-brainer are the OG cinematic undead, Nosferatu and Universal’s Dracula from 1931. Horror of Dracula, which made Christopher Lee the version of the Count for Baby Boomers, is also included. 1979’s Salem’s Lot, which traumatized young Gen Xers with the floating vampire kid in the window, gets a nod. Other iconic ’80s/’90s films made the cut, like Fright Night, Near Dark, Interview with the Vampire, and Blade.
There are some great deeper cuts in this list too. The Night Stalker, a TV movie from the early ’70s that led to a series, is a classic many have forgotten today. The Vampire Lovers, Vampire Circus, and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter are vintage Hammer films that don’t get nearly enough recognition. And the Italian Planet of the Vampires was actually an inspiration for Ridley Scott’s original Alien. Although we may have to have some words with Mr. Wan about including Subspecies 2. Especially over The Lost Boys, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Let the Right One In. Oh, and What We Do in the Shadows! We think any one of those is better than Subspecies, but we suppose every list needs a curveball entry, right?