The vampire subgenre in horror is greatly beloved and has a long history, meaning it's inevitable that general audiences have missed a few fun films throughout the years. While vampire movies aren't as popular anymore, releasing back-to-back as seen in previous years, the 2000s was an especially popular decade for bloodsucking creatures.
Great vampire films had already been around, but following the success of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show starting in 1997, films centered around the fanged species were everywhere. The 2000s is home to underrated vampire films, some more accomplished than others, that don't get as much love as the decade's heavy hitters. Well-versed vampire fans are likely to know films like Daybreakers and Shadow of the Vampire, but casual moviegoers often miss these films.
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10 The Forsaken (2001)
A Cross-Country Traveler Comes Across A Vampire Hunter
Considered a box office bomb and reviewed negatively by most critics, The Forsaken is not a movie unfamiliar audiences should go into with high expectations. The horror film sees its main character, Sean (Kerr Smith), traveling across the country to deliver a Mercedes, but he stops to pick up hitchhiker Nick (Brendan Fehr), who works as a vampire hunter. The special effects, editing, and innovation behind the supernatural creatures are severely lacking in The Forsaken.
Yet, as a mix between a road trip movie and a vampire tale, The Forsaken makes up for its flaws in its creativity and entertainment value. With Sean getting further mixed in with Nick's mess, the film moves at a relatively quick pace and can keep the audience's attention with its simple premise.
9 Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)
Based On An Anime Of The Same Name
Blood: The Last Vampire, based on the anime film of the same name, demands little of the audience's time, running for 90 minutes. Just like the animated film, Blood: The Last Vampire follows Saya (Jun Ji-hyun), a half-human, half-vampire tasked with killing dangerous vampires. Her goal throughout the film is to defeat the most powerful vampire of them all. Considering Blood: The Last Vampire's short runtime, it's a film worth watching because of some highly entertaining action scenes.
The majority of the film relies on stylish action sequences that, luckily — aside from some dodgy CGI — are as fun to follow along with as they are enjoyable to look at. Jun Ji-hyun, too, credited as Gianna Jun, is a memorable part of the film. Blood: The Last Vampire was her first role in Hollywood, and she holds her own in the film, coming off as a compelling action star.
8 The Revenant (2009)
An Animated Corpse Teams Up With His Friend For Survival
Starring iZombie's David Anders and The Babysitter's Chris Wylde, The Revenant is a fun horror comedy about two friends embarking on a killing spree. The adventure is kicked off when a recently deceased soldier, Bart (Anders), comes back to life and discovers that to stop his body from decomposing, he must consume blood. The Revenant has a longer runtime than the story requires, isn't tonally consistent the whole way through, and has some pacing issues.
It's easy for audiences to have missed The Revenant because of its inability to stand out among the decade's best vampire movies. However, the on-screen chemistry between Anders and Wylde is reason enough to watch the movie. The two actors are wonderfully paired in their leading roles, bouncing off one another and hitting all the film's comedic marks.
7 Dracula 2000 (2000)
A Modern Spin On Dracula V.S. Abraham Van Helsing
Working on Dracula 2000 as an executive producer, Wes Craven's name wasn't enough to save the vampire flick from falling into obscurity. After its release, Dracula 2000 failed to gain critical or commercial success, and it wasn't egregiously bad nor particularly impressive enough to attract audiences' attention. The film features familiar horror characters like Dracula (Gerard Butler) and Abraham Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer). Dracula 2000 has a fun, easy-to-follow plot that involves the latter on the hunt for the famous monster in New Orleans.
The story in Dracula 2000 isn't entirely inventive or absorbing but is worth seeing for a few of its leading performances. Butler isn't the most intimidating Dracula in the film, but he is charming and is a captivating presence on screen. However, it's Plummer who steals the show as Dracula's archenemy. Plummer puts his own spin on the famous vampire slayer but still includes essential traits fans of horror can appreciate.
6 Queen Of The Damned (2002)
A Sequel To The Successful Interview With The Vampire
Based on the third novel in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles book series, Queen of the Damned was reviewed negatively by most critics, but has remained a staple vampire film for some horror fans. The film tells the story of Lestat (Stuart Townsend) as he wakes up from a long sleep, joins a nu-metal band, and gains the attention of Akasha (Aaliyah), the first-ever vampire. Admittedly, Queen of the Damned has many flaws. The film boldly prioritizes style over substance, which produces weak writing and stiff performances from the cast.
However, the actor worth seeing Queen of the Damned for is Aaliyah. Her performance isn't overwhelmingly superior to her co-stars, but Aaliyah dominates the screen. As Akasha, the late singer is fiery and captivating, making her one of the best female vampires in movies. The soundtrack of Queen of the Damned is notable as well, featuring music from artists like Deftones and Papa Roach, tying together the film's cool aesthetic.
5 Daybreakers (2009)
Blood Supply Is Low In A World Run By Vampires
Blending sci-fi with action and horror, Daybreakers has an extremely unique premise that's kept most audiences and critics entertained. Daybreakers is set in a world where vampires are a dominant group within the world's population. However, when there's a sudden blood shortage, vampire hematologist Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) begins his search for a blood substitute. The world-building, set design, and narrative have earned mixed to positive reviews from critics, but it wasn't enough to fully impress and stand out among the other vampire films of the decade.
Such factors help the fictional world in Daybreakers feel lived in, even when the characters inhabiting this world are necessarily the most memorable. However, the performances throughout the film are still enjoyable. Daybreakers isn't Hawke's best horror film, but he, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Neill portray their characters as campy figures, which allows for plenty of fun moments.
4 30 Days Of Night (2007)
Vampires Take Over A Town Experiencing A 30-Day Polar Night
After finding success as an IDW comic miniseries, 30 Days of Night was finally adapted into the 2007 film. The plot follows Alaskan Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) as he and a small group of residents protect themselves from vampires that enter town during its month-long polar night. Despite its unique concept and fresh take on the vampire story, 30 Days of Night's critical response wasn't all that generous, making it easy for casual moviegoers to ignore it.
While 30 Days of Night has its flaws, there are several redeeming qualities in the film as well. 30 Days of Night's vampires are different from other bloodthirsty supernatural creatures depicted on screen — communicating only through clicks and screeching sounds and possessing razor-sharp teeth and black-colored eyes. The gory scenes involving the vampires are executed well and are amplified by the film's cold, isolated setting, giving the audience a genuine scare.
3 Thirst (2009)
A Former Priest Lives A Completely Different Life As A Vampire
Director Park Chan-wook, best known for The Vengeance Trilogy, is admired for his fusing of multiple genres, such as thriller and crime. In Thirst, Park combines horror, eroticism, and dark humor in a story that follows a respected priest (Song Kang-ho) turned vampire after an experiment gone wrong. Thirst differs from much of Park's filmography and other vampire movies before it. Mixed in with Thirst's stylish cinematography and bloody scenes, there are thought-provoking themes about desire as the leading vampire grapples with his new identity and the impulses that come with it.
During the 2009 award season, Thirst was heavily awarded with nominations for the film's performances and technical achievements. Thirst has also played well with critics but might still fall under the radar due to its international release and the possibility of being overshadowed by Park's other acclaimed works such as Oldboy and The Handmaiden.
2 Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
A Fictionalized Version Of How Nosferatu Was Made
One of the most famous films, and the earliest, to feature a vampire character is Nosferatu, from 1922. The making of the silent film acts as the inspiration for Shadow of the Vampire. In the film, John Malkovich plays the director of Nosferatu, Frederich Wilhelm Murnau, and Willem Dafoe plays a fictionalized version of its leading actor, Max Schreck. What makes Shadow of the Vampire an exciting watch is its clever choice to explore what would happen if Schreck were a real-life vampire.
With its inspiration in mind, Shadow of the Vampire implements unique filmmaking techniques popular throughout silent films, which further differentiates the 2000 vampire movie from others that would come after. Furthermore, the film is smart, funny, and has incredible performances. Malkovich and Dafoe play their roles straightforwardly. The former excels as a passionate director willing to do whatever it takes to produce a perfect vampire film, and the latter fully embodies the creepy on-screen vampire from head to toe.
1 Let The Right One In (2008)
An Unlikely Friendship Forms Between A Boy And Vampire
From Sweden, Let the Right One In is as much of a romance film as it is a horror film. Let the Right One In follows a 12-year-old outcast named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) after he meets his unusual neighbor, who appears to be a young girl his age named Eli (Lina Leandersson) — who later admits to being a vampire. Among the countless vampire films that exist, Let the Right One In feels refreshing and unconventional. The story is wildly unsettling, but the film doesn't rely on jumpscares and over-the-top displays of violence to impact audiences.
Instead, the film blends bloody imagery with a somewhat endearing, albeit strange, story about the connection and acts of survival of two young kids. Many supporting characters and details from John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel, which the film is based on, were omitted, with the writers opting to focus a majority of Let the Right One In on Oskar and Eli, and Hedebrant and Leandersson do a phenomenal job of anchoring the film.
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