5 most savory vampire films
By Christy Lemire • The Associated Press
October 4, 2010
Photo
Choosing the five best vampire movies is sure to stir the ire of the multitude of fans of the genre, people who are proprietary about this romantic, fearsome figure. But with the opening this week of "Let Me In," it's as good a time as any to sink our teeth into the topic. (Sorry, the puns are just too easy.)
These are five I like best, in no particular order:
"Let the Right One In" (2008): We may as well begin with the Swedish thriller that inspired "Let Me In," a film that was rightly hailed for its inventiveness, scares and soul. Director Tomas Alfredson offers plenty of startling scenes, but the real allure arises from a misfit boy and vampire girl forging a relationship they both desperately need, even though they know it can't last.
"Nosferatu" (1922): Maybe it's the flickering, black-and-white cinematography, the off-kilter shadows and camera angles, all hallmarks of German expressionism. Maybe it's because F.W. Murnau's film is silent, allowing room for our imagination to run wild. But all these decades later, the vision of the lanky Max Schreck rising from a coffin or walking through a doorway with that haunting look in his eyes is still creepy.
"Shadow of the Vampire" (2000): As the driven director Murnau, John Malkovich provided an incisive exploration of the lengths to which a filmmaker will go in the name of art, and as Schreck, Willem Dafoe delivered an Oscar-nominated supporting performance.
"The Lost Boys" (1987): Joel Schumacher's film has the hot young cast of Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz and not one but two Coreys, Haim and Feldman. If you grew up in the '80s, this was an exciting movie.
"Love at First Bite" (1979): A disco-riffic spoof of the seductive side of Dracula. George Hamilton has never been as pasty or as funny as he was here, playing the deadly serious and hopelessly romantic count.
Source: news.cinclnnati.com