MovieChat Forums > Shadow of the Vampire (2001) Discussion > Best Vampire Movie

Best Vampire Movie

posted 16 years ago by piako
35 replies | jump to latest

Compared to Underworld, Coppola's Dracula, Interview With A Vampire, Buffy, Buffy the movie, Blade movies, Van Helsing, Vampire Hunter D, Queen of the Damned, Dusk till dawn, and Embrace of the vampire, this film, I know, is the most accurate vampire film.

So much of the tragedy of vampirism is seen here. Compared to the psuedo-history seen in other films like Coppola's Dracula and Underworld and the over-glorification of Blade and the Underworld movies Shadow I think reflects the truer Woddy Allen nature of vampirism--being more interpersonal than shoot-em-up. Now obviously Coppola came close with his nod to the underground protection vampirism has had through certain organizations (think Hopkins) and Underworld at least on the surface makes the blood Corvinus connection.

Now if we could have a movie about the true bloodlines, rituals, lazarus, and the orthodox church, that would be a very interesting film indeed, historically speaking of course.

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[–] hingleyc 16 years ago

Better than the "Buffy" series?....hmmmmm

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Panterken 16 years ago

I still like 'Interview With The Vampire' best, even though Pitt's acting was not top notch in that one (Cruise's was). I really like Rice's story, it's haunting and beautiful and it stays away from the usual camp, and the production values are great (the colours used are spot on).

Coppola's Dracula is easily second largely because of the fantastic look of the film and of course Oldman's legendary performance. But...once again the supporting cast disappoints. Reeves is always mediocre (if he isn't downright bad) and even Hopkins didn't succeed in charming me. Ryder was good, I must admit. I felt the script had some third act problems too...

Schadow of the Vampire goes in my top list too, mainly because of the originality and Dafoe's performance. It didn't feel like a horrorfilm to me, I always took it as a black comedy. It is only the very last scenes I got a sense of horror and the ending is very spot on imo.

sry for the crude english, it's not my native tongue as you will have noticed I'm sure. I try, so give me a break :-)

Could you help me find more fantastic vampire movies? I actually can recall no great ones except for the ones mentioned above. Ah and no 'Blade' kind of stuff...that's no good...

[–] ajmedwecky 16 years ago

What about Mel Brooks' Dracula: Dead and Loving It?

[–] kdk7 16 years ago

nobody's even mentioned the original vampire movie, nosferatu?! blasphemy!

i thought i was on the imdb boards. must've gotten lost on the internets.

really, you need to check out nosferatu, the 1922 version (the werner herzog/klaus kinski version's not bad either).

[–] Panterken 16 years ago

LOL the Mel Brook's movie is funny as hell, but there's also this other vampire movie I'm thinking of. Also a black comedy, I can imagine it gets a good rating here. It's black comedy but the end is kind of disturbing and the movie has creepy scenes in between the comedy.

Anyone know what I'm thinking of? I believe it's an older movie, possible middle to late eigthties or early nineties. I think, not sure, it had the name of the character in the title.

ah and I haven't seen Nosferatu, mainly because I can't get a hold of it.

[–] sevans109 16 years ago

You might be thinking of Fright Night.

[–] simon23 16 years ago

It is Public Domain: http://www.archive.org/details/nosferatu and other legit online sources.

[–] whatsthisnow 7 years ago

Old broken link. Alternatives:-

https://archive.org/details/Nosferatu1922
https://archive.org/details/Nosferatu1922_58

https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=EgIYAg%253D%253D&q=nosferatu+1922

[–] kylemasonsmith 16 years ago

Try the library. Thats where I found it.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] coolbluegreen 15 years ago

BraydenPorter wrote: <<Buffy.........BUFFY?????????
Man, Buffy my a$$! That is a poor excuse for Vampire shows.
Do you actually get scared by that thing???? >>

Brayden, BtVS is about so, so much more than vampires. Do you have any idea how much literary criticism from respected academics has been devoted to BtVS? Check this out. http://slayageonline.com/

I hope one day you appreciate literature and what it can do enough to be able to appreciate Buffy for what it is. You are looking at it for what it's really not.

[–] movie_nazi 11 years ago

Better than the "Buffy" series?....hmmmmm

I know I am in the minority but for me the Buffy series was just atrocious. I hate camp with my horror unless it is balls out like Young Frankenstein or something like that. Buffy wanted to be camp and be taken seriously at the same time and it just turned out into some silly ass, soap opera-ish (whos Buffy banging this season?) , and let's introduce a billion different supernatural cornball beings just becuz. It's one of the worst IMO.

[–] Norm_uk 16 years ago

No one has mentioned Near Dark...

N.

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[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] icon-9 16 years ago

The 80's - 90's one is that one with Peter Fonda... the Russian vampire... Nadja! (I just looked it up). I thought it was a bit slow, but it did have a quiet yet bizarre black comedy feel (mostly due to Peter Fonda) - but it did try to cober a lot of the typical 'vampire lore' bases.

Fun if you like off-beat 80's-90's movies, Jim Jarmusch-type stuff, vampires, and Peter Fonda - I'd put this performance up there with his portrayal of Ayn Rand's long-suffering husband in the Ayn Rand movie - similar character in Nadja, but more 'disoriented scientist' type (i.e. Van Helsing)

...

[–] John_Dee_007 16 years ago

Innocent Blood

Ah yes, I had to double check that. I know this movie by it's alternate title, A French Vampire in America, possibly a spin on An American Werewolf in London? Great little film. *With regards to Shadow of the Vampire, I think it's worth watching if only to hear John Malkovich yell, "A native has wandered into my frame!".

"People should know when they're conquered" - Quintus

[–] apollon-6 16 years ago

Most of the movies about vampires are terrible but this is one of the worst. It's a shame even to put this one in a list with a masterpiece such as "Interview With A Vampire".

[–] GandulGandul 16 years ago

No mention of Salem's Lot ? (The 1979 version) That movie really freaked me out as a kid...

[–] gojiramatthew 16 years ago

Nosferatu (1922) is the best vampire movie Ive seen so far.

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[–] stephan-128 15 years ago

"historical"?

these movies are about vampires.

my fave is the werner herzog nosferatu (1979)

[–] jonathanmarklund 15 years ago

You should go and rent some old hammer movies. They might suit you.

[–] theviola 15 years ago

lost boys anyone??

[–] masterofallgoons 15 years ago

Wow, do you guys realize movies were made before the 80s??

Nosferatu is the best. Vampyr by Carlos Theodore Dreyer is also quite good, and very freaky. Also, how could nobody have mentioned Todd Browning's original Dracula?

It's obviously ridiculous to consider this movie better than Nosferatu, considering this movie is just an homage to Nosferatu.

I also really like Werner Herzog's Nosferatu remake, actually. But, it's also just an homage, and thus not as good or important.

[–] JungleBunnyBastard 15 years ago

1. Let the Right One In (2008)
2. Dracula (1992)
3. Dracula (1931)
4. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
5. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
6. Nosferatu (1922)
7. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) [I thought this was okay, but notable on the list]

The all time worst is Twilight and Van Helsing.

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[–] shred-com 15 years ago

Let The Right One In, Nosferatu, Shadow Of The Vampire, Twilight (I know whatever)and Horror Of Dracula are my faves.

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[–] formation 14 years ago

Sorry but I cant seem to make out any coherent sentence in your post.
And as for comparing Nosferatu with Woody Allen? Just lol.

"We come in peace, we leave you in pieces."

[–] Shutup480 14 years ago

Todd Browing's Dracula was not an homage to Nosferatu they are both based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula , no movies based on the book are homages to each other but rather different interpretations of the original story . While Nosferatu was an unauthorized version they ended up changing some of the story so they would not have to pay Stoker's widow at time .

Nosferatu is a classic and captured certain elements of the book (such as Harker's struggle to even escape the castle alive and other details)but I liked Dracula better . Personally I don't think either made Lucy and important enough character , at least Mel Brooks did haha XD

I will just say Dracula is my favorite classic vampire movie and Interview With the Vampire is my favorite modern vampire movie while all the others I've seen that aren't based on Stoker's novel need not be compared since they're so different anyway.

[–] MaximRecoil (4064) 4 years ago

"It's obviously ridiculous to consider this movie better than Nosferatu, considering this movie is just an homage to Nosferatu."

Silent movies don't count as actual movies; more like proto-movies, and they all suck, no matter how many people pretend to like them.

[–] kylemasonsmith 14 years ago

The Vampire movies out are I can think of are.

Interview With The Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire

Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula

Salem's Lot: The Movie, (the miniseries is good but very long, the movies sums it up very well.)

30 Days of Night

Near Dark

The Underworld Movies are cool.

There is a movie that is kind of a cross between Vampires and Cannibals called Ravenous that is cool.

Im sorry but I'm not a fan of the Twilight movies.

John Carpenter's, Vampires

Fright Night.

The Lost Boys (Still a classic from when I was a kid)

Dracula 2000 with Gerard Butler was good.

Let me know of any more so I can check them out.

[–] gunslingerdpt 12 years ago

I guess i missed the joke or whatever with this film...ive seen it several times, along with the original nosferatu and the werner herzog one...and i still dont get what this movies going for exactly lol....call me stupid i guess

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

Best? It´s not particularly funny or original or scary and, to top it off, there didn´t seem to be much of a point to the whole thing to begin with. Some good acting, but generally a terribly underwritten movie with nothing to compensate. It´s better than Coppola´s opus all right, but considering what a piece of sh-t that film was, it´s not much of a compliment. One dull film, this.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] Mini-Matador 12 years ago

The lack of Blacula love disappoints me.

Ole.

[–] CathodeRayTubesRock 7 years ago

Blackula is the most historically accurate film, as per the OP's original theme.

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