Celluloid Bloodsuckers...

Do you ever think about vampire movies? I don't just mean are you a teenager into the "Twilight" movies, but did you ever really think about the great ones and what makes them great? I have some favorites, and I want to share my opinions about them with you.
The first one is also the greatest:
"Nosferatu"! F. W. Murnau's 1921 film is almost as much the stuff of legend as vampires themselves. Despite the vampire bearing the name "Count Orlok", it was obvious lifted more or less directly from Bram Stoker's original novel, "Dracula". Stoker's widow sued and all copies were supposed to be destroyed, but variously cut versions of the movie continued to surface for decades after, and in some of these bootlegs Count Orlok's name was changed to Dracula on the title cards. The photography is stunningly eerie. Max Schreck, as Orlok, is terrifyingly ugly and rodent-like in his makeup. The locations were carefully chosen. Approached in the right frame of mind, it can still scare the socks off of you.
The next great one went right to Stoker, Todd Browning's 1931 "Dracula", which set the tone and the standard for nearly every vampire film that would follow. Nearly everything you "know" about vampires traces back to this movie. When Bela Lugosi was chosen to play Dracula, he was a famous actor in Eastern Europe. He was at the height of his powers then, magnetic and attractive. He, more than any other person or anything in the movie made it a classic. The other actors turn in performances that have aged badly but Lugosi is entrancing, as a good vampire ought to be. Every time you see someone in a dinner suit putting on a bad Romanian accent to portray a vampire, you are seeing the awe-inspiring power of Lugosi's performance. Sadly, Lugosi was ruined by his success. In the usual unimaginative way of Hollywood, he was forever after typecast as a horror movie villain, unable to get the kind of work his talent called for. He would die alone and nearly friendless, drug-addicted, broke, and reduced to doing Grade Z movies for Ed Wood.
Like any good horror villain, "Dracula" had a darker twin. During the filming of the Lugosi version strange doings took place on the set after the day's wrap. Director George Melford and a whole other cast came onto the set in the evening, and filmed a Spanish-language version, with a translated script and similar costumes. The star was Carlos Villarias and his leading lady was Lupita Tovar, who had a career in both English and Spanish films. Shot for shot, it's almost exactly the same movie but with two major differences: Villarias is even more magnetic than Lugosi and the female costumes and performances were very slightly more racy than their counterparts. It's available with subtitles, and it makes an interesting contrast with the Lugosi film.
At this point, some may be looking for Christopher Lee's portrayals from Hammer Films, but while Lee is his usual brilliant self, the movies have little else to distinguish them.
No Lee in it but my next favorite is from Hammer, and it is a semi-forgotten classic of the genre. It's "Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" (US release title: "Kronos"). Starring Horst Janson, it was meant to be the first of a series, but sadly it was also the last. Kronos is a brave soldier who scours 17th Century Europe for vampires accompanied by the brilliant, hunchbacked Doctor Marcus, both sidekick and mentor. As a good vampire movie should be it is atmospheric, creepy at times and leavened with a bit of humor.The characters of Kronos and Marcus would have made for a fine recurring team, but audiences in 1974 did not agree, and we are left with one minor gem of a movie.
Deserving of an honorable mention at this point is the made-for-TV "Bram Stoker's Dracula." from 1973. It is more Richard Matheson's Dracula than Stoker's, but it is worthy all the same. Stoker describes the Count as a redoubtable old warrior, and Jack Palance brings that side of Dracula to vibrant life.
The suave Louis Jourdan would at first seem an odd choice for Dracula, but he carries the part off with panache. This ITV production from 1977 is the most faithful to the book. It restores Jonathan Harker to his rightful and heroic place. It builds its air of menace slowly, the way Stoker did it. Sadly, Quincy Morris and Arthur Holmwood are merged into a single character, but at least they are not banished to total obscurity as they are in other versions, and the pursuit back to Transylvania is restored to its rightful place as the climax. There is a gem of a scene in the forest where Minna and van Helsing are menaced by Dracula's wives. Best of all, van Helsing is beautifully played by the canny Frank Finlay who finds the right blend of authoritative professor and kindly old doctor the part calls for.
Moving away from Dracula and Europe is 1975's forgotten minor classic, "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural" (AKA "Lemora, The Lady Dracula" in its TV release). It is a dark Southern Gothic vampire story and I will not say more if you have not seen it.
And now we come to my very most favorite: "The Night Stalker", from 1972. Made for TV, it was directed by veteran TV director John Llewellyn Moxey and written by the incomparable Richard Matheson. It's as far away from the typical run of vampire movies as can be, and was an indirect inspiration for "The X-Files." It's set in a contemporary Las Vegas and its hero is down-at-heel reporter Carl Kolchak, played with bravado by Darren McGavin. The veteran cast hits every note perfectly. It crackles with both wit and suspense and has hardly aged at all. The climactic scene in the vampire's house is tense and spellbinding: I had to see it several times to realize that in fifteen minutes of screen time only a dozen words are spoken. The ending following the climax is still a shocker, even in this day of abundant conspiracy theories.
And there you have it, my personal list of the best vampire movies that have been done so far. If I've left out your favorite, let me know and I promise that in time I will watch it, or watch it again, and see if it's list-worthy.