Halloween is fast-approaching, and if you’re anything like me, that means you’re scrambling for some spooky stuff to watch. Look no further! Vampires are one of the classic icons of horror, so consider this a list of their “greatest hits” in film and television—I know I’m certainly a sucker for them.
- True Blood
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I coughed up $15 to get HBO for a month, just so I could finish this freaking show—it’s really that good. Vampires as an allegory for bigotry? Yes, please!
SUMMARY: Vampires have come into the public eye in modern-day America after the invention of True Blood, a synthetic blood substitute created to make vampires less threatening. But when telepathic Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse runs across a few vampires herself, she realizes that the substitute isn’t always satisfying enough.
- Fright Night
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This 2011 remake of an 80s horror movie honestly doesn’t get enough hype. The ridiculousness of a hot vampire neighbor named “Jerry” plus Doctor Who’s very own David Tennant are the two key ingredients that make this one of my favorite teen movies of all time.
SUMMARY: Charlie is just your average ex-geek trying to survive high school in Las Vegas—until the appearance of a mysterious new neighbor coincides with the disappearance of several of Charlie’s classmates, sending him into the vampire hunt of the 2010s.
- The Lost Boys
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Speaking of cheesy 80s horror, it doesn’t get much cheesier or more aggressively 80s than this! Watch for some long motorcycle races set to loud rock music, and really, really big hair.
SUMMARY: Brothers Michael and Sam aren’t too happy about moving to a beach town dubbed the “murder capital of the world”—that is, not until Michael follows a beautiful stranger into the local vampires’ hazy and intoxicating nightlife.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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While I also recommend the 1992 film that the show is based on, this show is just too iconic to not include.
SUMMARY: Being a teenage girl is hard enough without having demon-hunting thrown into your nightlife, but Buffy Summers does it with peak ‘90s flair. The question is: can she do it without falling in love with the very monsters she’s sworn to kill? (The answer is: no)
- What We Do in the Shadows
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If you love The Office, Parks and Rec, or Thor: Ragnarok, this mockumentary is totally for you.
SUMMARY: Vampires aren’t always so doom and gloom; sometimes they have social anxiety, and sometimes they just want to go out and party. Watch a bunch of vampire roommates navigate love and life—or rather, death—in this mockumentary-style comedy.
- Interview With the Vampire
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Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise being really gay in France for centuries? And raising a vampire child together? The real question is: why aren’t you watching this RIGHT NOW?
SUMMARY: French vampire Louis turns to an eager biographer to help him record the details of his centuries spent in France—and more importantly, of the other alluring vampires with whom he spent them.
- The Twilight Saga
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You knew I wasn’t going to finish this article without including the most iconic vampire series of our generation, right?
SUMMARY: Bella Swan isn’t a fan of her new home in rainy Washington until she makes the acquaintance of a few reclusive teenagers—particularly the cute guy in her biology class (who wants to rip her throat out).
Spooky Season is upon us! Cue up “A-Punk,” and get to watching.