Entertainment
6 Best Vampire Movies Released Since 2020
The year 2020 will forever be known in history as the year that the world shut down. Nevertheless, you can’t stop horror movies — especially vampire movies, as the crepuscular crop that’s been produced since then has included some of the most outstanding films in the entire eerie canon. Indeed, the eternal plague of ageless bloodsuckers has been at the forefront of many talented filmmaker’s minds, and the work produced has been thankfully immortalized on film.
Welcome to the roaring/sucking 20s of vampire cinema. Some of the macabre moving pictures of the last six years have resurrected old fables from far-off lands, like in The Vourdalak, while others tackled morbidly modern mischief, as in the thrill-a-minute genre mash-up Abigail. No matter how you slice it, vampires are here to stay, and they are only getting more and more complex and creepily charming. So, break out the holy water and crucifixes, and enjoy these six malevolent masterpieces. Just remember…there’s a lot at stake.
6
‘Blood Red Sky’ (2021)
Director/co-writer Peter Thorwarth’s innovative vampire story is quite fast-paced; 500 miles per hour, to be exact (it’s set on a plane). Indeed, the story is a wild, riveting one that never lets up on the heart-rate-accelerating action. It’s a dazzling mixture of horror, action, and suspense, with bold vampiric scares and blazing fight sequences to spare.
The premise of this film is great. It’s about a mom, Nadja (one minute lovely, the next terrifying, Peri Baumeister), who has a rare “blood disorder.” She hops a flight from Germany to New York with her tiny son, Elias (Carl Anton Koch), in hopes of receiving medical treatment for her blood…issue. The only problem is that the flight is hijacked midway through by terrorists, led by Berg, (scary in his own right, Dominic Purcell). The aforementioned problem really belongs to Berg and his insidious crew, since Nadja is a (beautifully bald) vampire who will stop at nothing to protect her lil’ pointy-toothed progeny. Brimming with tantalizing twists and rocking reveals, this film quenches even the most discerning vamp enthusiast’s thirst for boldly bloody fun.
5
‘The Vourdalak’ (2023)
We always hurt the ones we love the most. This appears to be the major theme of French director and co-writer Adrien Beau’s visually lavish period piece The Vourdalak. It’s a uniquely conceived tale with very memorable (and terrifying) imagery that also manages to entertain with ironic humor and cleverly subtle commentary. Based on a Slavic vampire yarn from the 1800s, this sometimes humorous, often chilling tale is highly ambitious, and manages to deliver the stylized goods at every turn.
The story begins with a 19th century nobleman, Marquis d’Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), who finds himself lost in the deep, dark woods. He entreats locals to grant him entry (a little room and board, mayhaps?), yet is denied at every turn. Eventually, he’s directed to the rustic Gorcha homestead, where the family members eagerly await the return of the patriarch of the clan. This proves to be a big mistake, since papa Gorcha has been fighting hordes of evil in not-so-nearby Turkey. In fact, he warned his fam that he would most likely return as a wickedly evil entity intent on draining them of their blood (manifested in a disgustingly skeletal puppet, which the director voiced). Nevertheless, the fam welcomes his horrid homecoming, and the fish-out-of-water Marquis is smack-dab in the middle of all this. Gorcha’s clan (with the comely daughter Sdenka, played by Ariane Labed, as the standout) is torn between murking daddy and letting him feed — and the horrific hijinks are doled out in deliciously ironic fashion. Certainly a different type of vampire film, The Vourdalak is a glorious watch for fans of the darkly different.
4
‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’ (2024)
A different French co-writer/director, Ariane Louis-Seize, tackles a bunch of the standard vampire tropes in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person — like existential angst, morality versus primal impulses, and insatiable hunger — but she goes a few steps further with this nuanced reflection on the very nature of the human condition. Immortality comes with some hidden terms and conditions, Louis-Seize clearly posits.
Sasha (the precociously talented Sara Montpetit) is an early teen vampire who, for some bizarre reason, has a huge reserve of empathy, which has impeded her fangs from “dropping.” This is problematic for a sucker of blood, since it’s imperative that vampires have a killer instinct in order to survive. Her family (who has been supplying her with fresh, tasty hemoglobin) gets fed-up with her overly human sensibilities and gives her the directive: “find your own blood, or die.” Luckily for Sasha, she encounters Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a lonely teen looking to end it all. Voilà. A beautiful bond is born, in a symbiotic relationship for the ages. This coming-of-(endless)-age tale is wryly comedic and sensitively unveiled. A biting dissection of familial alienation, this is a poignantly presented work that gives new meaning to the term “enfant terrible.”
3
‘Nosferatu’ (2024)
Gothic film master director Robert Eggers was handed quite a challenge: remake one of the most iconic horror films ever (that’s already received a bloody bevy of terrific remakes) and improve upon it. Well, he certainly was up to the expressionistic challenge with Nosfertatu. The tone, color palette, mood, and overall look are stunning; a truly well-designed and sublimely executed take on an undeniable classic.
The story (more commonly known to everyday filmgoers as Dracula) is focused on a relatively innocent girl, Ellen Hutter, played with wide-eyed wonder by Lily-Rose Depp (who, despite her nepo-baby status, does a remarkable job with the role). Ellen is betrothed to the dashing Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult), who’s been called away to the Carpathian Mountains to secure a land deal with the mysterious (and thoroughly revolting) Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård, who, despite his matinée star looks, has quietly made a lucrative career in playing the creepiest of antagonists). Orlok sees an image of Ellen in Tommy boy’s locket, and immediately becomes obsessed with making her his dark bride. The rest of the (near black and white) film plays out as one would imagine, with Orlok using his mystical powers of the night to try to seduce Ellen into joining him in demonically damned eternity. Eggers received a ton of acclaim for his careful handling of the gruesomely beautiful gothic material — and he deserves it. The film is a true work of baroque art, even if it’s the 4,582nd version of this story.
2
‘Abigail’ (2024)
Who said vampire movies can’t be fun? Definitely not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who delivered one of the most action, laugh, and gore-packed vampire flicks of all time. Basically every morsel of this multi-genre mash-up movie is super entertaining. The story (conceived by screenwriters Stephen Shields and Guy Busick) is extraordinarily rich, crammed with clever subplots and twisty twists that permeate the entire tale. Add to all these already fantastic elements a perfectly assembled cast that delivers the goods — especially the titular star — and you’ve got one of the best vampire films of any time period.
The supremely well-crafted story revolves around a diverse cadre of criminals, kidnappers, if you will, that receive some (eventually revealed to be suspicious) intel about a massively valuable target housed in a huge estate. The thing is, each member of this crew has got quite the backstory — but none as layered as that of the main character, Joey (Melissa Barrera, who’s poised to become the next scream queen of the moment). So, they gear up, ready to snatch the person…who turns out to be a little girl…who turns out to be a sneaky, devilishly precocious vampire. Meet Abigail (the outlandishly gifted young actress Alisha Weir). Once her true, vampirific nature is exposed, things devolve into a nightmarish web of horrors for the kidnapper crew, as they try to navigate the booby-trapped home. Truly wonderful supporting performances by Kevin Durand as Peter, Dan Stevens as Frank, Giancarlo Esposito as Lambert, and Matthew Goode as the ambiguous, undead patriarch “Father” really bolster the already imaginative story, ferocious fight (and dance) choreography, and visually luscious art direction. Abigail dispatches the ultimate lesson of “never underestimate your opponent.”
1
‘Sinners’ (2025)
Music and cinema have always gone together. In fact, music has been an integral part of movies before there was even talking in them. So, when writer-director Ryan Coogler set out to develop one of the most entertaining and profound vampire films of all time, he knew that the specific music of the era that he was capturing had to be woven into the story in a groovily smooth manner. He definitely achieved this goal, as Sinners features the most soulful soundtrack and score of possibly any horror film ever.
The sublimely structured story is set in a very specific place and time, which informs all the action of the film. Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) is a young blues-loving guitarist in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s. His preacher poppa wants him to follow in his devout footsteps, but Sammie would rather jam out at his cousins’ new juke joint. Yes, Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore (Michael B. Jordan in his Oscar-winning role(s)) have breezed back into town from the Windy City and have their hearts set on using their city slicker ways to make a buck in their old community. Stack’s old flame, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld, who is phenomenal at exuding smoky sexuality, earnest emotion, and then brazen wickedness), gets involved in the mix, complicating things tremendously (and not just because she’s white). Now, to the vampire aspect; a trio of Irish-born vamps desire entry to the Juke Club, and are met with some resistance…yet Remmick (the beguilingly dark Jack O’Connell), their de facto (de fango) leader, will not be thwarted. Of course, hefty themes of racial inequality, injustice, faith, and a lot more heady topics are explored here that elevate this film to one of the best of the decade, but now…back to the music. Sammie plays his guitar with such passion and soul that he is able to invoke the musical spirits of his ancestors…and even future descendants. The way Coogler and his sound crew blend the blues with the luxurious sounds of other eras is a wonder to behold (and then, naturally, the manner in which they masterfully mix in the scary score to accompany the vicious vampire parts is also perfectly executed). Overall, this moving movie is a knockout all around (just ask The Academy), and the earthy, pulsating sounds of the South will be resonating in the ears of vampire-movie-lovers for a long, long time.
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