Monday, October 18, 2010

Halloween At The Lounge Presents - Top 10 Vampire Movies

Welcome all you hip ghouls to The Laughing Vixen Lounge. Crawl on in, clear the cobwebs, find a warm place to curl up and settle in for some Halloween fun. All month long we will be paying tribute to some of our favorite movies, music and TV shows of the season. The jukebox is loaded up with some spooky tunes and creepy movie themes. Plus, you'll get to see some new designs from the shop.

Make sure to post a comment on each post in October as it will get you an entry in The Big Halloween Giveaway. Leave a comment on the giveaway page letting me know you did so as it makes it easier when it's time to count the entries. See giveaway page for full details.

Past Posts -
The Big Halloween Giveaway
The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
 
Top 10 Vampire Movies
 
Ok, so this really should be called "9 movies and a TV series" but who's counting? These are just a handful of favorites.
 
10. Nosferatu - 1922
 

There are some things in life that truly creep you out. This is one of them for me. The long fingers and the pointy teeth....muwblah! Creeps me out to no end! I did sit down and watch this ontce so I could say I had actually seen it. It's a great movie, why it made the list, but it's the stuff of nightmares for this vixen.



09. The Last Man On Earth - 1964



The first movie version of the novel "I am Legend" staring Vincent Price. Later film versions of the book include "The Omega Man" 1971 with Charlton Heston and "I am Legend" 2007 with Will Smith. It's a bleak and lonely look at a man who has survived a plague and is left to fight the infected. And hey, Vincent Price, how could you go wrong?


08. Near Dark - 1987


 
Starring Bill Paxton, Adrian Pasdar and Lance Hendrickson. This is a darkly fun little film about a cowboy who ends up part of a wicked and nasty Vampire family. Bill Paxton, a long time favorite here, steals the show.

07. Buffy The Vampire Slayer - 1992

 
I remember seeing this at the Drive-In shortly after I graduated from high school. It was fun then and it's still fun now. The TV series has been the version that everyone talks about but the movie deserves it's own attention. It was a smart and funny film. If you haven't seen it for awhile give it a watch some night. It's a great guilty pleasure.

Being a huge Christian Slater fan at the time, the best line in the movie was....
"All I want to do is graduate from high school, go to Europe, marry Christian Slater and die".

06. Salem's Lot - 1979


 
Based on a short story by Stephen King and directed by Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), this was a mini series for television. It stares David Soul from "Starsky and Hutch" fame as a writer who returns to his hometown. Unfortunately so has a Vampire! And this one is in true Nosferatu fashion. Ick! The movie is not real scary or gory, as it was made for long ago TV, but I always find it an interesting watch.


05. The Lost Boys - 1987

 
This movie came out when I was in high school and we all thought it was the greatest thing ever! I'm serious, we were fanatic about this movie. Wearing jackets with the logo on the back? That's right. Calling each other by our favorite character's name? Oh yah. And no, I won't tell you who I was. Ha!
 
It was the Twilight of my generation. Except it was a true outright Vampire movie. They roamed at night, killed people, terrorized the locals and then returned to their cave to hang by their creepy bat toes. I haven't seen it in a long time but it is always a blast from the past.


04. Shadow Of The Vampire - 2000 
 

Willem Dafoe, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated actors around. This movie shows how amazing he can be. It's an interesting take on the filming of the classic "Nosferatu". What if the movie was so convincing because the lead actor really was a Vampire? If you haven't seen it, do! It's a great piece of work. Willem Dafoe is almost unrecognisable as Max Schreck.
 
Am I the only one that noticed that creepy Nosferatu Vampire has popped up in three of the movies now? 
 
03. Fright Night - 1985

 
OK, so the movie is a little dated looking but oh, is it lovely. This is just so much fun. Vampire moves in next door and no one will believe the one guy who happens to be paying attention. The show stealer here is Roddy McDowall as "Peter Vincent - Vampire Killer" and his show "Fright Night". As a fan of those late night shows I love this little tribute to them.
 
02. True Blood - 2008 to present

 
It's no secret that True Blood is the "it" thing around these parts. There is no getting enough of it! Originally I had no desire to watch it because another Vampire show didn't sound too exciting. They had been a bit overdone at the time. My sister in-law mentioned how much she was enjoying them and she never watches anything in that genre! So when she said she was having trouble with one of the episodes playing I set out to watch just the beginning of each episode to see which one had the problem. Ha! The little opening bit of the first episode and I was completely hooked. Then devoured the first season in a couple of days.
 
It's a fresh take on the usual story line. Vampire coming out of the coffin and trying to mainstream with the humans. It's adult and that's a welcome change. There is blood, there is colorful language and oh my yes, there is sex! But I like that the boys are naked much more than the girls. It's about time! And it is always a captivating story line each season. And yes, Sam is the favorite TB boy here at The Lounge. Though there are many Vampire/Were boys to hold your attention. The only downside, waiting the nine months in between each season.


01. Dracula - 1931


 
Number one had to be the original classic. Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula is so iconic. The movie is filmed beautifully with a great eerie atmosphere. I really love the old black and white monster movies and this is one of the greats.

I mean really, Bella Lugosi standing at the top of the long stair case delivering the line "The children of the night, what music they make", does it get much better than that?

9 comments:

  1. Ah, for me the toptoptop 3 are Nosferatu, Dracula (1931) and The shadow of the vampire. I might add, not to the toptop 3, but I count The Dark Prince with Rudolf Martin, among the best ones.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What no Twilight?! I loved the buffy the vampire show. Need to catch up on my classic vampire movies. The Lost Boys was cool.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good choices, thanks for the reminder, I am pulling out some of my old favourites too.
    Sparkles - WG

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would have to add Bram Stoker's Dracula with Wynona Rider and Interview with a Vampire. Lost Boys and Fright night are definitely at the top of my list too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My favs are all on there; - Nosferatu, , Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Salems Lot, Fright Night, The Lost Boys and my new fave True Blood! I will have to look out for the other ones you mentioned!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Out of those I'd say The Lost Boys and Salem's Lot

    ReplyDelete
  7. Totally awesome choices!! Totally agree with you on number one....Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula...and you're right it totally doesn't get better than when he says..."The children of the night, what music they make"!!

    I just saw the original Buffy movie the other day...I love this scene...

    Lothos: [Buffy holds up a cross] This is your defense? Puh-lease. Your puny faith?
    Buffy: No.
    [the cross ignites in flames and she tosses the cap off a hairspray can]
    Buffy: My keen fashion sense.
    [she sprays the flames, shooting them at his face] lol...

    Also I have to agree with Dirgesinger up there...loved The Dark Prince with Rudolf Martin. Ah, I love me some vampire flicks! heehee..

    ReplyDelete
  8. I watched the whole Buffy series -- still a favorite these days. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. hahaha what daisy 47 said about Twilight. yeah, I'm one of those Twilight moms. Bram Stoker's Dracula with Winona Rider was pretty good. Gary Oldman was a pretty hot vamp. Still catching re-runs of Buffy series on Logo. Bela Lugosi was the epitome of a vampire, mesmerizing & creepy.

    ReplyDelete