Children Of The Fright
My top scary celluloid vampires
Halloween approaches and while there are many good vampire movies out there (and ones that bloody suck — boom boom), I want to separate the truly terrifying undead from those Byronic types who never drink wine, but do love to whine.
Nosferatu (1922)
Arguably the first depiction of Dracula on film, Graf Orlok is the stuff of gothic nightmares. With bushy eyebrows, a bald head, sharp ears, rat-like teeth, and nails that seem to grow progressively longer, Orlok is close to how Bram Stoker depicted his original creation — a horrible old man, who is clearly not human. It’s common knowledge that Stoker’s widow Florence refused the film rights to her deceased husband’s work, and so Count Dracula became Graf Orlok amongst other changes. Along with Orlok’s appearance (a ‘penis with teeth’ as the academic Christopher Frayling once called him), the movie also has that dream-like atmosphere so characteristic of German Expressionism. Little is known of Max Schreck, who played Orlok, though his surname means fright in German.
The most chilling scene for me is when the protagonist Hutter (aka Jonathan Harker) is in his castle bedroom, and backed against the bedpost, with the lanky form of Count Orlok framed within the bedroom doorway . . . ready to pounce on his intended victim. This movie also introduced the concept of sunlight being fatal to vampires (which had not existed in folklore, and even Dracula walks by day in the original novel).
The movie was remade by Werner Herzog in 1978 (as Nosferatu The Vampyre) and Klaus Kinski’s count is still unnerving if far more tragic figure. Orlok’s look would also influence the main villain of the 1979 Salem’s Lot (which we will look at later), and the original Nosferatu would inspire the excellent Shadow Of The Vampire (2000). In that movie, Willem Dafoe portrays Max Shreck/Count Orlok during the actual filming of Nosferatu, though this vampire is truly the real deal. But whatever movie it next appears in, the bald, rodent-like vampire will always represent the creature at its most terrifying (even Petyr from What We Do In The Shadows is a rather scary creation within that movie’s wonderful silliness).
The Night Stalker (1972)
Produced by the legendary Dan Curtis (creator of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows), and based on a treatment by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend), this made-for-television movie proposes what would happen if a vampire stalked modern-day Las Vegas. Darren McGavin gives a wonderful world-weary performance as the no-nonsense Carl Kolchak, with the tabloid reporter slowly, but surely realizing that he tracks a truly undead fiend. Barry Atwater is quietly sinister as Janos Skorzeny; his corpse-like looks and bloodshot eyes being downright frightening in closeup. One moment that particularly chills is when Skorzeny walks through a crowded casino — the faces of all passersby showing clear fear in his presence.
With The Night Stalker being one of the most successful television movies of all time, there was a decent follow-up called The Night Strangler, followed by an ill-fated and ultimately canceled series. One episode (imaginatively titled Vampire), serves as a sort of sequel to The Night Stalker — with an unknown victim of Skorzeny rising as a vampire herself, to terrorize Las Vegas before Kolchak again steps in.
Count Dracula (1977)
This is a BBC adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. And while there are countless (boom boom again) Dracula adaptations, this one for me is the creepiest. The late French actor Louis Jordan plays the somewhat suave, but very sinister nobleman. What the production lacks in a big Hollywood budget, it more than makes up for in sheer atmosphere and gothic uneasiness. For it absolutely captures the source novel’s mood — the use of real outdoor locations shot in 16mm, and claustrophobic BBC sets shot on video making a strangely effective contrast. There are one or two unintentionally comical moments (Dracula’s infamous scaling of a castle wall looking more like the efforts of a vampiric turtle), but this adaptation is otherwise solid.
Salem’s Lot (1979)
A television adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 novel (after earlier attempts at a theatrical version failed), this atmospheric chiller builds its scares slowly, but surely— with one particular moment that has haunted/influenced me.
We see a boy, Danny Glick, lying in a hospital bed after mysteriously collapsing— his younger brother Ralphie having vanished. A dreamy, if dread-ridden score builds as mist gathers outside dark windows. We then slowly see the figure of another boy hover up to the glass, his fingernails making a ghastly scratching sound. Danny Glick, as if now in a trance, leaves his bed and walks towards the window — a smile of recognition on his face, despite the horror waiting beyond. Danny opens the shutter . . . and the other boy floats into the hospital room, his skin pale, eyes yellow and teeth razor sharp. With a rat-like screech, Ralphie buries his head in Danny’s neck. The vampire now feeding on his brother.
The mounting terror of this scene summarizes most of Salem’s Lot. The movie just reeks of building dread. The town itself starts out feeling like Anywhere Small Town USA, before the arrival of a Mr. Straker (gleefully played by James Mason) and the far more terrifying Mr. Barlow (Reggie Nalder). In the original novel, Kurt Barlow is more regal and human— almost Count Dracula reborn in 1970s America. In the movie, however, Barlow is portrayed as a blue-skinned, yellow-eyed, Nosferatu-type creature. The ruler of (for me) the scariest vampires ever put on screen.
Fright Night (1985)
The premise of this movie is simple but brilliant. What if a teenager discovered his new neighbor was really a vampire? With excellent performances by all the cast, particularly Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride) as said neighbor Jerry Dandridge and Roddy McDowall as washed-up horror host Peter Vincent. This movie is a delightful homage to horror movies of old. So it is somewhat campy, but some of its vampire moments are truly frightful — especially one fiend with a huge fanged maw that could give your nightmares. There was an okay remake in 2011, but the original Fright Night is more worth checking out if you haven’t seen it yet. My favorite vampire movie of all time.
30 Days Of Night (2007)
Out of all my choices here (and perhaps out of all vampire cinema), this movie is possibly the grimmest. The premise is pretty simple; that for one month of the year, a small Alaskan town sees no daylight whatsoever . . . thus making it a vampire’s (red) wet dream. So a pack of undead arrives to feast on the population, and these creatures are truly terrifying. With fang-filled mouths, vicious talons, soulless black eyes, and even their own alien language, these vampires are walking great white sharks . . . savage monsters that show absolutely no pity in their murderous rampage. Based on a comic book series by Steven Niles, the film pulls no punches in depicting the real-world results of such an unreal event, with the whole cast on par — especially Danny Huston as the more intelligent vampire leader. Yes, these beasts make even Graf Orlok look like Edward Cullen.
Twilight (2008–2012)
Just kidding . . . and these movies are scary for different reasons. That said, New Moon is a guilty pleasure for me. With the always watchable Michael Sheen clearly having fun playing the campy, but truly unsettling vampire Aro. The numerous abs on display probably also help (be still my trans/bi heart), though I just detest Kristen Stewart’s whiny Bella and wish her equally whiny, glitterball beau would drain her already. Thank goodness Stewart and Robert Pattinson have put this corny franchise far behind them. As they’re better actors than that material allowed.
So there you are, and the vampire is a pretty dark concept when you truly think about it. A cold, dead thing that leaves a coffin after sunset, creeps into your home while you sleep and essentially drains the life from you until you die . . . and dressing all that up in candlelight, frilly shirts, and dreamy bodies doesn’t make it any less creepy. So my choices above — as well as on a Halloween scare level, may also echo real-world fears of being stalked or assaulted by a stranger. Fangs and supernatural abilities aren’t needed for that, unfortunately. Thus vampires will always reflect/appeal to the dark side of human nature, and fuel our continuing fascination with these sunset beings.
Of course, I love many other movies from this genre. And while they aren’t as scary, honorable mentions must include Interview With The Vampire, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Lost Boys, Let The Right One In, Vampire Circus (a Hammer oddity, outside the usual Christopher Lee stuff), Only Lovers Left Alive (terrific nighttime cool), the hilarious What We Do In The Shadows and the underrated Near Dark.
So keep your windows locked (unless the cat’s tray has just been used), those otherwise unused crucifixes ready, and let me wish you a Happy Halloween!
I made the art above for Drawlloween 2018, a yearly Instagram Halloween art challenge. The prompt was ‘Vampire’, and so those memories of Salem’s Lot inspired my image. Thanks for reading.
