The video offers a compelling look at how ancient folklore transformed into modern literary tropes, effectively tracing the vampire's journey from demon to anti-hero. It manages to ground sensationalist "nightmare fuel" in a legitimate historical and cultural context.
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Real Historical Vampires With Nightmare Fuel Backstories
Added:The thing about vampires is that they're hard to spot. They look like people, they act like people, and they're often a lot more secretive than people. Plus, they'll more than likely never be out during the day. You've got to keep your eyes peeled to catch one in the act, but at that point you're probably in danger, too. Some folks have managed to see vampires, though, and tell tales of their exploits. Often, they'll be late-night encounters, adding to the mystery and intrigue. Unfortunately, most vampires can't be caught on camera.
How convenient, right? Hello, horror heads, and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube, Top 5 Scary Videos.
I'm your horror host, Keegan Hughes, and today we're going to be taking a look at the top 5 scary vampires spotted at 3:00 a.m. If you like learning about fascinating and freaky creatures, check out our playlist full of more monsters.
Wicked. Let's get started. Coming in at number 5, we've got the Zimbabwe vampire. We'll kick this list off with a real blood drinker who got caught in the act. No stories from a friend of a friend, this one was literally discovered as he partook in vampiric activities. Plus, after he was caught, even more blood was found. It all started in the village of Sekiwu. A man who was known to sometimes lose his mind was walking alone when he spotted an elderly woman. Something overcame him, and he attacked her with a log. If the attack itself wasn't enough, he was then overcome with a thirst for blood. He took out a sharp weapon and cut her throat before drinking the blood right there in the street. [music] The man also had a large container with him, which he began to fill with some of the blood. Eventually, he was spotted by some concerned citizens who tried to stop him. But at that point, he fled the scene. Villagers then banded together to attempt to find this vampiric killer, and eventually did. After a hasty manhunt, they were able to find the man, restrain him, and bring him to the police. Nobody had expected this man to be so bloodthirsty, but it seems as though it was something he quite enjoyed. The container he brought to fill with blood should be evidence enough of that. The man was arrested and has not engaged in blood [music] sports since. Was this a real vampire? How did he know he was looking for blood originally? It's possible that he did just experience mental break and went berserk, too. But, if he was a vampire, I'd be keeping an eye out in the community just in case he managed to turn anyone else. The last thing a village needs is a burgeoning class of vampires. Just look to any classic Transylvanian tale for proof of that.
Coming in at number four, we've got vampire squirrels. Wait, what? Vampire what now? That's right. Within the past five years, researchers have managed to capture a fascinating and elusive type of squirrel on camera known as the Bornean tufted ground squirrel. This fluffy-tailed mammal proves that looks can be deceiving. It has the fluffiest tail of all mammals and really is quite cute. However, it doesn't act like you'd expect a squirrel to act. I guess most squirrels can be pretty aggressive, eh?
Ever seen a city squirrel jump at someone for part of their picnic in the park? Still though, no other squirrels seem to have the blood-drinking habit.
Yep, these squirrels are vampire squirrels, or so the legend says. See, these squirrels, like vampires, are very hard to pin down. The video footage folks have of this mysterious creature is so limited that essentially nothing is known about them. But, people have been saying that it wouldn't be too surprising if they hopped onto a wayward deer and took a quick drink. In fact, the forest-dwelling Dayak hunters say that these squirrels do more than take a sip or two of the red fluid. They go straight for the jugular, killing the deer. Once the animal is dead, these squirrels eat the internal organs, leaving behind disemboweled deer bodies.
Imagine watching a squirrel take down an entire deer. Just incredible. Local folks claim that they've seen just that, but there's no reliable evidence to back these claims [music] up. The squirrels live in the forests of Borneo, so if you don't want to get torn apart by any, maybe stick to Central Park. Although, New York squirrels might just be that aggressive. Coming in at number two, the Strigoi, the strain. Because whilst the ancient immortality of an entire civilization of vampires is terrifying enough, what's even more terrifying are those ancient vampires conducting an unnatural war on a global scale perpetuated by a deadly strain of a vampiric virus orchestrated by the male intent of an ancient rogue vampire known only as the master, who is pretty much vampire Hitler. Yeah, and don't expect the highly stylized feasting of Anne Rice's vampires because in The Strain, if you're unwittingly turned into a strigoi against your own will, you've got a gross little worm wriggling inside you and no one wants that. In fact, it's the physiology of the strigoi where the terror truly lies because more so than any other vampire species, these guys are just straight up gross. I really mean that. They're really, really nasty.
And The Strain quickly becomes more of a biological horror with a sheen of the supernatural more so than anything else.
And yeah, whilst the machinations of the master and his takeover of an order of ancient vampires is need for concern, seriously, all you need to do is witness a mature strigoi and you can fill in the gaps for yourself. Put it this way, as explained by the legendary Guillermo del Toro, the creator of the series alongside Chuck Hogan, the strigoi are more akin to the Aswang of Filipino folklore. And if you know anything about those horrifying creations, you'll pretty much get the picture very quickly. After being affected by the capillary worm, the human host genes are rapidly manipulated causing the victim to undergo numerous radical physical changes. The most distinct of these is the development of a long, retractable, probe-like appendage referred to as a stinger that acts as the new vampire's feeding and reproduction mechanism. It shoots forth to latch onto a victim draining its blood and then infecting the human with more gross capillary worms. And yeah, that's pretty much the end of it all. As the cycle continues, the strigoi lose all physical traits that are obsolete to its new life cycle.
They shed hair and fingernails, their nose and ears fall off, the skin becomes as smooth and featureless as marble, their middle finger grows elongated and a single sharp talon protrudes out.
Yeah, seriously, body horror and vampirism has never been more vivid than in The Strain. Give it a read or give it a watch because it's really gross. And finally, coming in at number one spot, The Grandfathers, The Dark Tower. And yes, because truth be told, there are few fictional representations of vampires that are as genuinely terrifying as those penned by Stephen King. And although the vast majority of this entry should be specifically tied to that of his 1975 novel Salem's Lot, we also have to feature the wider expanded world of Stephen King's vampires and the most powerful of them all, type one vampires, as elaborated on in the wider world of The Dark Tower.
Now, essentially, there are three types of vampire in King's macroverse. Type one, the most powerful, type two, and type three.
Simple, right? Also, spoilers because here we can't talk about type one vampires without referencing the brave and tragic tale of Father Donald Callahan. Now, if you read Salem's Lot, that name will sound incredibly familiar, but Callahan, through his trials and tribulations as a newly created vampire, learns a whole host of horrifying truths about vampires. And as it turns out, Kurt Barlow was merely a very small fish in a very big pond. A blood-sucking fish, of course, but that's by the by. Now, purely from a narrative perspective, King has a way with words that seem to capture the innate terror of what a vampire truly represents. That although they seem frighteningly similar to what we think we should know about vampire lore, pale skin, strange eyes, long teeth, drinking blood, they're also incredibly alien.
And that's the fine balance that King seems to capture to staggering effect.
They're the literal definition of otherworldly creatures and particularly as the town of Salem's Lot discovers after Kurt Barlow sails upon the shores of New England because even if you do manage to survive one of the most powerful type one vampires of the new world, unfortunately for Callahan, there's plenty more where that came from because the most terrifying of them all are the Grandfathers, an order of ancient evil that are so impossibly powerful that a host of parasitic bugs follows them wherever they go to feast on those that they slaughter. Do you know how overwhelmingly evil and powerful you need to be to create an entire ecosystem of insects? These guys are only ever alluded to in one particular scene of the Dark Tower series, and I'll say no more because it's nightmare fuel enough.
Yeah, that's reason to take our number one spot, the Grandfathers. They just sound creepy, don't they?
>> Number five, Afflicted, 2013.
>> [groaning] [screaming] >> And you know what? This film is actually awesome, and you'll be pleasantly surprised that it's perhaps the best found footage vampire horror movie ever made. I mean, not like there are a lot of them anyway, maybe like three. But nevertheless, Afflicted manages to take the otherwise worn out found footage genre, as well as the long-standing done-to-death vampire genre, and somehow still manages to create [music] a wholeheartedly original and exhilarating horror experience. And on top of that, it's Canadian.
>> Written and directed by Derek Lee and Cliff Prowse in their directorial feature film debut, Afflicted also stars the two filmmakers in their respective namesakes as two best friends traveling the world filming a web series of their travels. It's quickly revealed that the trip is actually a bucket list as Derek has a tragic genetic brain condition that could cause his death at any moment, and the trip is his last wish to spend time exploring the planet with his best friend. Of course though, as it is the best-laid plans of vampires and men, things often go awry, and Derek contracts a mysterious disease, which of course turns out to be vampirism.
Afflicted doesn't exactly take any precautions going into this horror onslaught. Although often times the action can water down the genuinely fit-inducing moments, the one thing that carries through in this movie is its unstoppable energy. Start to finish, it's literally as if the life and undeath of vampirism is the very lifeblood of this film coursing through its veins seeking the next helpless horror fan to feast on. It's a strange mix of both new and old, but even stranger still, it actually works incredibly well. Next up at number four, Only Lovers Left Alive, 2013.
>> What is that?
>> O negative.
That's delicious.
>> Blood on a stick.
>> Now, quite a few of you called for this film to appear on our next list, and rightly so, because just like with Afflicted, it seems that 2013 was the year for surprisingly creative vampire horror that seemingly reignited the genre in a strange new way. It's important to note that Only Lovers Left Alive isn't a horror film in the conventional sense, or even in the traditional sense, because it relies on an entirely new perspective to fill the spaces of its horror. And yeah, who would have thought it? Vampire nihilism.
Va- vampirism, maybe it'll catch on.
Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, the film stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as Adam and Eve, two immortal vampires that have lived countless lives across the ages as musicians, poets, scientists, [music] and purveyors of all the mysteries of existence. In the 21st century though, things are a little bit different, and Adam and Eve both live in an overwhelmingly different age where the blood of the human population has been grossly contaminated by the modern environment. This film covers many, many themes, and it effortlessly says a lot about the human condition without saying much at all, whilst also capturing that ageless enigma of bloodthirsty vampires and the strange, alluring beauty that they often permeate. Again, at first glance, the traditional horror of this film isn't easy to pick out, but instead, it manages to give a much-needed breath of life into the genre whilst offering insight into the terrifying existential implications [music] of living forever and the price that comes with it. Also, it's reminiscent of 1983's The Hunger starring David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve, and Susan Sarandon, which would have made this list, but yeah, I don't think YouTube would like it. Coming in at number three, Thirst, 2009.
>> And again, you may be sensing a bit of a pattern here because much like with our previous two entries, 2009's Korean horror flick Thirst isn't at all a conventional vampire horror, but instead a frightfully original portrayal of vampirism that uses the immortal affliction to allude to a much more human addiction. Saying that though, that's not to say that this film doesn't have its fair share of gut-wrenching gore and all the bright bursts of blood that you'd expect a vampire horror to carry because it does and it delivers it in spades in the typical Korean horror cinema fashion. Written and directed by Park Chan-wook, the man responsible for the incredible 2003 thriller Oldboy, Thirst has all the trials and trappings that we've come to expect [music] with modern vampire cinema and yet still manages to execute them in a frightfully original manner. It tells the tale of Sang-hyun, a Catholic priest renowned as a good noble man in his small [music] town parish. Despite his unwavering faith though, he is afflicted by a deep insatiable sadness and a loneliness that he cannot fill and so volunteers to participate in a medical experiment to find a vaccine for the deadly Emmanuel virus. Of course, we know how that usually goes and Sang-hyun quickly morphs into a virulent, vigorous, viral vampire, but the thirst doesn't end there and for those of you going into this movie with zero expectations, you'll discover more charm than expected as well as genuine fear-inducing moments of complete and utter shock and all.
It's strange because in places this film is endearing and warm and fuzzy and in others it's bat-crazy and full of gut-wrenching horror. It walks a fine line, strikes a fine balance and still manages to be an incredibly original depiction of vampires. Great movie.
>> Coming in at number three, we have Lestat. Lestat de Lioncourt had his first appearance in the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire. This was the first book that would become The Vampire Chronicles. His full backstory was explored in The Vampire Lestat. He quickly became a fan favorite and numerous books and films have been created around this story. Lestat's personality is that of an aristocrat in the 18th century Paris. He is bold, enthusiastic, and defiant. He is an arrogant person who is considered conceited. The way he carries himself, you can tell he comes from a privileged upbringing. He is entitled due to the money he has. Even his vampire elders considered him to be the brat prince.
Before he became a vampire, he was an actor. [music] He loved the attention, but this was cut short when he was turned. He created a rock band called The Vampire Lestat with a group of humans in the 1980s. As a human, he was illiterate and struggled academically.
After becoming a vampire, he learned to read in French and English developing a love of literature. He even chose to write books as he pondered philosophical questions like are his actions as a vampire good or bad? He was an in-depth and complicated character. He thinks differently to the rest of the coven and they're not approving of his way of thinking. It seems that he doesn't agree with his actions, but they are still necessary for survival. Throughout his time, he turns a lot of mortals into vampires, but sees this as a mercy as it saves them from death. But many see this as a curse, cursed to watch those around you pass on while you live forever while also having to hunt the innocent. Many of his friends who have been turned into vampires end up turning on him in anger as they're not happy with their new reality. Coming in at number two, we have Ellie. Not all vampires look how you'd expect. You can be changed into a vampire anytime in your life. You are then frozen in time to be that age for eternity. For one young vampire, Ellie, she was turned at the age of 12. Her first appearance was in the 2004 novel Let the Right One In. Although she will now look this age forever, she is in reality much older than this. Her appearance makes it easy for her to trick people into trusting or helping her. The book focuses around Ellie's friendship with Oscar. Oscar has some morbid interests due to being unhappy in his life. Ellie moves into the house next door and they begin to befriend each other. We discover that Ellie has been a vampire for 200 years. We learn about how she managed to survive undiscovered all this time and her tragic start as a vampire. We learn about her short mortal life. She has a companion who helps her obtain what she needs to survive, but when he is unable to do this anymore, she is forced to start hunting for herself putting a life and identity in danger. Ellie helps Oscar fight against his bullies and tries to help him gain control of his life. Ellie, although around 200 years old, still has the mind of a child with the powers of a vampire. She struggles with her loneliness due to immortality.
She loses control of her actions and of her situation. She causes a lot of suffering to those who come to contact with her. Oscar hopes being her companion can end her reign of terror and give her the friend that she has always needed. And finally, coming in at number one, we have Damon. Fever Dream is a 1982 novel by famous author George R. R. Martin who wrote Game of Thrones.
This vampire novel is set on the antebellum Mississippi River. The story takes place at the start of 1857. The story starts with the steamboat captain Abner Marsh who is struggling financially to get his ship ready for sale. He finds a new business partner in a mysterious man named Joshua. He promises to help finance the ship and get ready to sail. Once they set off, Marsh starts to notice a few odd things about Joshua and his friends on board.
They only leave their cabin after nightfall. When he is confronted, he says he and his friends are vampire hunters and they are using the Fever Dream boat to track some mysterious disappearances along the river. Once he trusts the captain, he reveals the full truth that he has created a potion. One that curses vampires from their need to drink blood. He has been seen by many vampires as a messiah destined to free them from the dependence on hunting humans. He's trying to reach and help as many of his kind as he can to stop any more harm coming to humans. Joshua is not the one to fear in the story, but the evil ancient vampire Damon. He hears about the efforts to cure [music] his people and he doesn't agree that this should be done. He has his followers board the Fever Dream and overpowers Joshua, taking control of all the vampires on board. The humans manage to escape, leaving the boat to the will of the vampires. Damon was the worst of all the vampires. He wanted to take over the world. He grew his followers at every chance he got. He was obsessed with maintaining and growing his strength and power. He was often cruel towards the humans. His evil and bloodlust made him destroy everyone in his path. Both humans and fellow vampires feared him.
>> Number five, I Am Legend, zombie vampires. Who knew that such a hodgepodge could become a genuinely terrifying hallmark of literature? Well, for those of you that have read Richard Matheson's phenomenal 1954 sci-fi horror, I Am Legend, you'll know that's exactly what it is, genuinely terrifying. And although it was a half-decent movie, please don't lump this novel in with the 2007 Will Smith blockbuster, because the entire film kind of missed the point. But hey, that's not why we are here, is it?
Written by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend tells a tale of Robert Neville, a reluctant scientist and the sole survivor of a vile pandemic that has ravaged the planet, a blood plague that seemingly turns humans into vampires.
Throughout the opening of the novel, it is alluded to that this plague was a result of a devastating war, and this plague was openly spread via mosquitoes kicked up in the subsequent debris of society, which, you know, is already a pretty terrifying notion, cuz that could happen. Now, I won't go into too much detail about the actual narrative, because there is a lot to be enjoyed in this novel. And if you can get your hands on it, I'd highly recommend reading it. It's not too long at all, and Matheson paints a vividly bleak picture throughout. The reason that I Am Legend zombie vampire plague-ridden carriers end up on this list, though, is because of Matheson's attention to scientific detail. And as Robert Neville scours the wasteland of Los Angeles, learning more about the swarms of fleshy bloodthirsty rippers that roam the streets at night, we're gradually given a real sense of physicality as to the bleak feral existence Matheson's vampires are subject to. And I won't even go into detail about the ending without fear of spoilers, but if you're partial to a bit of existentialism in vampire literature, then please read this novel because its ending is a whole different kettle of fish. It will make you think twice about vampire folklore and the legend that comes with it. I Am Legend. Swinging in at number four, Fever Dream. Again, if you're in the mood for a fantastically written, relatively concise novel about terrifying vampires and the resounding implications that come with immortality, please read George R.R. Martin's fantastic 1982 [music] novel, Fever Dream. And yes, that's correct. Before George was weaving Westeros and creating perhaps the finest fantasy series ever written, he was also indulging himself on [music] immortal vampires that commanded a Mississippi river boat in the mid-1800s. Yeah. Now, if I had to choose purely from a technical perspective, Fever Dream may actually be one of the most complete and compelling works of vampire fiction [music] ever written. If you're a fan of Martin's prose, then you'll find exactly the same kind of verb and style here. And what it serves to do is wholeheartedly humanize his immortal vampires and turn them into a much more complex kind of monster.
Like with most of Martin's work, there is no black and white here, but instead shades of gray. And as you may imagine, that's a pretty difficult thing to do with vampires. However, the reason it only makes its way in at number four though is that purely from a horror perspective, it's not entirely as terrifying as some of our other entries.
But in terms of depth and complexity, Fever Dream is second to none. It tells the tale of Abner Marsh, a grizzled steamboat captain in the mid-1800s who is down on his luck during a particularly bleak financial crisis, but is then contacted by a mysterious, soft-spoken aristocrat, a man named Joshua York who promises to finance a brand new river boat for Abner, an opulent vessel named Fever Dream. And while it's obviously yes, this novel is centered on vampires, I'll say no more because the way the immortal society of vampirism is woven [music] into this novel is a beautiful thing to witness.
And the subsequent opposing blood masters that are spawned from it is a concept rarely looked at in vampire fiction. Two words, vampire Jesus. Next up at number three, the vampire court.
And whilst throughout the fantastic Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, there are many forms of vampires and the subsequent vampire courts that come with them, there's no doubting that the most terrifying, malevolent, and purely evil vampire organization is the white court.
Although, thankfully for us, they're all pretty damn evil anyway, and Harry Dresden has been doing his damndest to bring about their downfall one by one as is the case with the red court. Sorry, spoilers. Now, vampires in Jim Butcher's universe come in many different shapes and forms, almost like a melting pot of pretty much every vampire custom and creation that we've seen in fiction, which is pretty [music] damn awesome in its own right. But, it's with the societal structure and ancient hierarchy where Butcher's vampires truly shine.
The white court, for example, is an order of vampires that feed purely from human emotion, and they satiate their hunger through the consumption of essentially the human spirit. Because of their propensity for life force rather than actual human blood, the white court prefers to avoid any direct confrontation [music] with their enemies, and for the most part, they're a court of schemers and ploy makers hidden within the shadows pulling the strings. Essentially, the white court are the East Indian Trading Company of the vampire world, and they pull the strings on the rest of the blood sucking immortals around them. On the other hand though, there was also the red court, a vile sect of fleshy bat-like humanoid creatures that used the glamour of a skin mask to disguise themselves as humans living and preying on society for years on end. As more akin to the traditional vampires of legend, the red court dark in their approach to feasting off of human blood and operated mainly in Central and South America, where they reared entire villages of humans like cattle to feed upon. Then there's the black court, a diminished sect of vampires who were essentially born from the stereotypical Dracula of legend, but were hunted and eventually destroyed thanks to Bram Stoker's novel, which in Butcher's universe was published as a how-to guide for the layman to hunt down and kill vampires. Don't you just love the Dresden Files? Coming in at number two spot, Interview with the Vampire, 1994.
>> Just kill them swiftly, if you will, but do it. BUT DO NOT DOUBT, YOU ARE A KILLER, LOUIS.
>> AND I excruciatingly pandered over where to place this film, but I think in the end I'm happy with giving it the number two spot. [music] For one reason, it perfectly captures the essence of what it is to be a vampire in a much more bleak and existential way that other vampire horror films have failed to encapsulate as well as this. It's also 90s cinema at its peak, and I'm a stickler for nostalgia, so there you go.
Directed by Neil Jordan with a screenplay from Anne Rice herself, based on her incredible 1976 novel of the same name, Interview with the Vampire is a tale that spans generations and manages to maintain the blood-soaked [music] gothic horror all the way throughout.
The film stars Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt, who may I add is fantastic at blood-sucking villain.
Who knew, eh? Alongside my man Brad Pitt as Louis de Pointe du Lac, a plantation owner of [music] Spanish Louisiana in 1791, who gets turned into Lestat's new vampire best friend because, let's face it, they're both pretty lonely dudes.
This film is fantastic because of the seamless ancestry that it manages to weave throughout its narrative, capturing the immortality of these vicious, pale-skinned, [music] beautiful, bright-eyed killers without breaking a sweat.
Not like vampires can sweat, [music] anyway.
Well, can they? Do vampires sweat?
Let me know, guys. And finally, at number one spot, Let the Right One In, 2008.
>> May I?
>> [laughter] >> The fork I'm eating.
>> Oh, man, I'm just [music] going to go out and say it, I adore this film. And please, please watch this first before the 2011 remake, Let Me In. Although, I will give that the credit it's due because the remake is still a decent horror film. But, and it's a big butt, it is pretty much a shot-for-shot remake. And well, Let the Right One In is a near-perfect movie. So, [music] it's difficult not to be good. Directed by Tomas Alfredson and written by John Lindqvist, based on his novel of the same name, Let the Right One In tells the tale of two kids in Stockholm, Sweden, Eli and Oskar. And well, Eli is a vampire. This film is heartbreaking and terrifying all at the same time. And it tells the tale of two lonely children in the bleak Swedish midwinter without pulling any punches. Despite being a film about a legendary fantasy creature, Let the Right One In manages to capture the humanity of isolation. It's violent, [music] it's drenched in blood, it's often times shocking and bleak, but it's also charming, endearing, and beautifully depicted. Mainly down to the on-screen relationship of Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson, two child actors who colossally step up to the plate and who together deliver one of the finest shared performances in horror cinema.
Really guys, I cannot recommend this film enough. Let the Right One In is perhaps the finest modern vampire film ever made. And for that, it deserves the number one spot on this list.
>> Number five, we have Ruthven. Ruthven was the first mention of a vampire in English literature. He first appeared in 1819 in John William Polidori's The Vampire. Since then, the character has been used in numerous modern works. The character of Lord Ruthven is based on the real-life poet Lord Byron. Others had written about the Lord in a negative light, and John used this portrayal as the basis for his character. Lord Ruthven is a vampire, but also somewhat of a socialite. He travels the world meeting interesting people and of course drinking the blood of his victims. His actions seem to be cruel in nature. In The Vampire, he meets a young man named Aubrey. [music] They become friends and begin to travel Europe together. After a disagreement in Rome, the two go their separate ways. Aubrey travels to Greece and falls in love with an innkeeper's daughter. The romance is short-lived when Ruthven shows up in town and his lover goes missing. She is found with her blood drained. Everyone in the town suspects it to be the work of a vampire, but Aubrey does not make the connection to Ruthven. The two agree to continue their travels. Not long after they're attacked by bandits and Ruthven is fatally wounded. As he lays dying, he makes Aubrey swear an oath that he will not mention his death or anything else he knows about Ruthven for a year and a day. Aubrey agrees and Ruthven appears to pass away. Aubrey returns to London and is surprised to see Ruthven alive and well. He reminds him of his oath and warns dire consequences should he speak of what he knows. Not long after it's clear Ruthven is attempting to court his sister to torment Aubrey. They plan to marry on the exact day that the oath expires. Aubrey tries everything he can to attempt to warn his sister and save her from this monster. Although vampires have been expanded on and characteristics changed since then, [music] the story has the classic character. He is alluring and uses this to trap his victims. Coming in at number four, we have Carmilla. Carmilla, also known as Mircalla, was one of the first female vampires. The story of Carmilla was published in 1872. In the story, she is a female vampire who preys on young women. She finds her female victims, often stalks them for many years of their life before seducing them. In this book, she first meets her victim at the age of six. She visits her in her nursery, laying down beside her and smiling. When the little girl Laura falls asleep, Carmilla disappears. Laura convinces herself this was a childhood dream, but she never forgets about the girl she met in her room when she was young. The story forwards to when Laura is a teenager. A girl in the village suddenly passes away under suspicious circumstances. The town general goes to investigate exactly what happened. While he is away, Laura and her dad come across an overturned stagecoach. A mother and her daughter, who was Carmilla, were in an accident. With her mother being in a hurry to get to her destination, she leaves Carmilla in the care of Laura's father. Laura and Carmilla recognize each other from all those years ago. Although they don't understand it, they begin to form a friendship with one another. Laura begins to have nightmares and soon after she becomes [music] ill. Her health gets worse and the nightmares get more intense. She is taken to the doctor and her father comes up with a plan to help her recover. They go to the old town ruins for a picnic. The town general runs into them as they arrive and tells them of the vampire who is draining the blood of young girls as they sleep.
Carmilla arrives at the ruined village when she is instantly recognized by the general. He attacks her, but she gets away. She disappears and just like that, Laura's dreams come to an end. The townspeople confront Carmilla at her tomb and end her reign of terror over the people of the town. Carmilla is the original prototype for a legion of female vampires.
>> Swinging in at number two, Near Dark, 1987.
>> I'll do that.
>> And now, listen, guys, I get it. The vast majority of you absolutely love 1987's Near Dark and often ranked it as number one on your list of scariest vampire movies of all time. And yeah, I agree with you because Near Dark is an incredibly entertaining horror experience and in my eyes, it's a more horror palatable version of The Lost Boys, although Near Dark is often forgotten in the shadow of The Lost Boys success. Not to take anything away from The Lost Boys because it is awesome. The thing is though, both of these films are very much a product of their time and when it comes to late '80s nostalgia, the horror experience was often mired in fragments of genre. A little action thriller here, a little dark comedy there. And as is the case of Near Dark, a little bit of neo-western horror gore, which sounds strange, but hey, it works.
Nevertheless, I hear you and consider this number two spot a worthy fan placement that all you horror fanatics have made happen. Good job, guys. Near Dark, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and also written by herself and Eric Red, tells the tale of a group of nomadic American vampires roaming the small rural towns of Midwestern America.
Despite having a relatively unknown cast at the time, more importantly, Near Dark has Bill Paxton in one of his most well-delivered roles in horror history as he plays Severen, an immortal vampire with a gutter mouth and a thirst for bar brawling. It also stars Lance Henriksen as the wizened, grizzled leader of their merry band of vampires and shows the lengths that immortal, bloodthirsty murderers will go to to stay alive on the open road. It's essentially Road House meets The Lost Boys and because of that, it's awesome. And finally, coming in at number one spot, Salem's Lot, 1979.
Okay, guys, I'm going to level with you.
The only reason that this entry didn't make part one of this list is because, as I explained, it's technically a TV mini-series and much like 1990's It, it doesn't hit the parameters of the term movie. But, you know what? What the hell? Throw me out the window like little Ralphie Glick, forget I ever said anything, and give Tobe Hooper's legendary 1979 mini-series the credit it deserves and stick it at our number one spot for the scariest vampire movie ever made because it is exactly that. Well, just forget the fact that it was released in two parts. Hey, whatever.
That's fine by me. I remember the first time I accidentally caught a glimpse of that bedroom window scene as a kid and I was so incredibly terrified that it took me many years after that to even realize it was a story about vampires. I just thought it was about horrifying children in pajamas floating through the air and I wasn't about to watch a feature-length rerun of that. But, obviously, as I got older and finally had the courage to read the original Stephen King novel of the same name, it was evident that Salem's Lot was perhaps the greatest fictional depiction of vampires in anything, really. Because here's the thing, it manages to strike an incredibly delicate balance and it's a balance Stephen King intended that Tobe Hooper also managed to capture in the TV mini-series. It gives all the credit to the horror forefathers that predate it.
The classic image of Barlow being shipped in a steel crate by his familiar strikethrough teeth, pale skin, blood sucking Dracula, the whole nine yards.
But somehow it manages to maintain itself as an entirely original creation of horror. There's [music] nothing quite like the vampires of Salem's Lot.
They're familiar, but they're also strange and remote and entirely different creation. We don't need to talk about how good Tobe Hooper's 1979 version of Salem's Lot is. Just watch it. It's horror mastery and I hate to sound like a blaggard, but they don't make them like that anymore, do they?
>> And number five, we've got boneless boys. You may be familiar with the claim that vampires are shapeshifters.
Depending on who you ask and what vampires they're familiar with, you'll get all sorts of different stories about men who turn into beasts. [music] Bats are a popular figure, but there are also tales of cats, dogs, wolves, rats, and more. Hell, if you've seen Dracula 3D, you'll know that some might even transform into gigantic praying mantises and scuttle up the stairs to kill your dad. They're quite versatile vampires.
But you might not know about another type of shapeshifting some folks say they have. One that makes them even more versatile than any beastly form could ever hope to be. That's right, I'm talking about the boneless vampire. What do you mean boneless? Well, I mean they literally have no bones. Now, I can't prove this, but tell me, have you ever seen a vampire skeleton? Whenever they die, whether it be by stake or by fire, they disintegrate into dust or other similar vampire particles, right? They leave no bones behind because there are no bones. It's a revelation, I know. But they can still walk and talk like any other humanoid, but with the added benefit of vampire powers. Plus this bonelessness means they're fantastically flexible, which works wonders in their seductive activities and they're sneaking into homes to drink blood. Even if you lock your abode up tight, a vampire can contort its boneless form and make it through the tightest of cracks. Keyholes, not just for keys anymore. I bet you didn't expect me to lead with a legend like that, now did you? Hopefully, that sets the tone.
Coming in at number four, we've got the Sukuyan. A lot of folks look to European legends to find out about vampires, but they really do exist all around the world. By different names, sure, but they still suck blood and pass for people. One such fascinating bloodsucker is the Sukuyan from Jamaica. The creature takes on the form of a shriveled old lady by day. You might even see her at the market and offer her hand. But, if you knew what she did by moonlight, you'd take your helping hands elsewhere. A Sukuyan will shed her skin at night, becoming a blood-drinking fireball. This skinless apparition can then float around the community drinking the blood of anyone unfortunate enough to become a target. After a long night of draining folks of their vital essences, the fireball returns home to its discarded skin. It can then don the loose organ like a suit and return to life as an old lady. With every use, the skin becomes more and more wrinkly. Wear and tear and all that jazz. Usually, the Sukuyan will do a pretty good job of hiding her skin after she's freed for the night because [music] it's left pretty vulnerable. While flying around, nothing can really be done to protect the skin. So, if you ever find some skin, do your best to mess with it. Some folks say that if you salt or pepper it, it'll cause her to experience extreme burning and itching upon return. Another thing you can do to combat a Sukuyan is scatter rice or salt on your doorstep.
It won't protect anyone's blood, but it'll slow the monster down. Like so many other mythical demons, if it comes across a smattering of rice or salt, she'll be compelled to hunker down and count every last grain before leaving.
This tends to take a while, leaving the beast exposed and distracted. Take that opportunity to beat her to death or toss her in a vat of boiling oil. It might seem cruel to do that to what looks like an old lady, but hey, you got to save your blood somehow. Coming in at number three, we've got vampire pumpkins.
Legends are weird, all right? And this one's no exception. I don't quite understand how this came to be a common conception, but it's well documented by the ethnologist Tatomir Vukanović.
Apparently, there was a long-standing belief in the Balkans that if you left a pumpkin or watermelon out for more than 10 days, it would become a vampire.
That's right. The gourds would transform into humanoid bloodsuckers. I think I understand Akira Toriyama's vampire comic a little better now. Imagine that, leaving a pumpkin on your stoop for a solid fortnight after Halloween and waking up to an empty yard. Most folks would assume some vandals made off with it, planning to smash it with baseball bats or throw it off a building, but no.
It actually just turned into a vampire and now you're going to get seduced and bit. Great. If this is true, folks better get right on their composting habits. It's similar to the belief that any given object left outside overnight during a full moon will become a vampire. I think this legend originates from people being dumb with their belongings, but I might just be reaching. You can be sure that your produce is about to make a change if a drop of blood appears on its skin. Oh, and the pumpkin vampires can change back into pumpkins. So, even if it doesn't disappear, you can be the proud owner of some cannibalistic vegetables. Coming in at number two, we've got Caine. The first vampire in the mythos of the World of Darkness is also the most powerful.
Caine is [music] the firstborn son of Adam and Eve and was cursed with vampirism by God as punishment for murdering his brother. [music] After this, he was sent out to wander the land of Nod. During this time, he met Lilith, who gave him some of her blood to drink.
By partaking in this blood, Caine is visited by three angels who bestow curses on him after he refuses to repent for the murder of his brother. He becomes awakened and possesses new disciplines, granting him untold power.
He eventually settles in a city and becomes the dark father. He took on followers who became like children to him. If he embraces them with the gift of immortality, they become vampires, too. [music] Soon, there's an entire city full of generations of vampires and then an empire. Caine ruled over it all from an ivory throne. Thanks to having such longevity, Caine has mastery over all of the disciplines and his abilities outshine those of any other vampire. He can also cancel out the disciplines of any vampire near him, guaranteeing [music] his power in any situation. And finally, coming in at number one, we've got Gabriel Belmont, also known as Dracula, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew that we were talking about Castlevania. There are plenty of powerful men and monsters throughout this universe, but the prince of darkness reigns supreme. Once a vampire hunter, he knows all of the tricks of the trade, making it even harder to deal with. [music] He's got void, chaos, and blood magic, covering all sorts of potential matchups a burgeoning Dracula killer might throw his way, [music] and that's just the start of it. He can shapeshift into all sorts of legendary creatures. He can possess humans to do his bidding. He can turn into freaking smoke and travel crazy distances in no time at all. He's so resilient, he survived an explosion that took out an entire continent. There really is no competition when it comes to all powerful vampires. Hell, he even uses the Vampire Killer cross to end Lucifer.
This [music] vampire can kill all mortal beings. His consistent appearances in all sorts of Castlevania media speak to his longevity and versatility, too.
[music] There really is no vampire like Dracula, and this iteration in particular has what it takes to destroy [music] everything countless times.
Those damn Belmonts have plot armor. I think turtlenecks should make a comeback this year, not only because they're comfy and stylish, but because they hide your vulnerable throat flesh from potential vampire threats. Toss a silver chain on and hide a stake in your belt, and you're good to go. So, what did you think of the list? Did you already know these vampires were going to ruin everything? Who is the strongest vampire you can conjure up? Do you like these all powerful ones, or do you prefer the traditional aristocratic vampire?
>> You see, the term vampire wasn't actually as prolific as you might imagine, and the actual origin behind its etymology is still a matter of debate. It wasn't until 1734 that the English language first saw mention of these creatures, although some French, German, Austrian, and Serbian literature contained an allusion to vampires as early as 1718, which was believed to be derived from the Slavic form for vampire. However, others believe that the Slavic languages in turn borrowed that word from a pre-existing less assuming Turkic term, which means witch, uber. And even stranger still, there are records of that term in Old Russian that dates back to the 11th century, believed to be borrowed by the Turkish term that relates to the same ancient pagan practice, upiory. However, the first ever mention of this term in recorded history was back in 1047, written in a letter to a Novgorodian prince, which referred to him as upir lichit, which similarly served to name him as an undead priest. Although not in direct correlation, it is thought that upir lichit would later literally translate to wicked vampire. Interesting, right? I mean, the ancient etymology of it, not the fact that a secret kingdom of bloodthirsty pagan priests may have existed somewhere in ancient Russia.
Now, semantics aside, the exact notion of vampirism has existed in folklore for millennia, passed down through means of spiritual texts and oral tradition.
Albeit much more demonic in origin, the ancient Mesopotamians, the Hebrews, ancient Greeks and Romans all had tales of creatures that we would consider to be a precursor to the modern vampire. In these many tales of ancient belief, the act of blood drinking was actually quite prolific and often attributed to demons and spirits that would eat flesh and, well, drink blood. In fact, pretty much every nation on Earth has had some form of blood drinking undead revenant or demon, which in some cases even acted as a deity to several ancient belief systems. You see, it's no wonder that the very essence of the vampire has long been ingrained in our cultural psyche.
However, it wasn't until the late 17th and 18th centuries where these same shared cultural fears would begin to make themselves apparent, shall we say.
The very tales that formed the basis of the vampire legend that would later go on to form the literature behind vampirism first entered into historical record in 1672 with the case of Yuri Grando, a peasant that had died 6 years previous but had seemingly arisen from his grave to drink the blood of local villagers in Istria, which is now modern Croatia. After the strange case of Yuri Grando, Eastern Europe saw a frenzy of these same vampire sightings. The most famous being that of Petar Blagojević and Arnold Paole, both of which were Serbian peasants, a potential explanation for the Proto-Slavic origin of the term vampire. Now, the actual means of the sociological phenomena behind these historical events, if any, are a matter for a different video because the point is it injected a shared cultural belief that would quickly form the basis of one of the most important and impactful conventions in horror fiction, vampires. Because in 1748, during a time where these alleged vampire attacks were still happening across Eastern Europe, a German man named Heinrich August Ossenfelder manifested that very same zeitgeist and produced a poem simply titled Der Vampir, The Vampire. An incredibly short poem which is written from the perspective of a mysterious man presented as a jilted and aggressive seducer that lusts for a respectable and pious Christian girl who is protected by her mother. In it, the term vampire is only addressed twice with, as in vampires and mortal folk on the faces portal, and in till I myself avenging to a vampire's health a drinking him toast in pale to cake. Although the poem itself is a direct metaphor for the desecration of religious faith, it goes on to directly describe breaking through the girl's bedroom window and sucking her blood.
Hmm, where have we heard that one before, right? And in fact, the stark eroticism of Ossenfelder's poem would go on to influence the many other pieces of vampire literature that followed it.
Several decades later in 1773, another German poet, a man named Gottfried August Bürger, would produce a poem titled Lenore, an incredibly important landmark in literature and a vital entry into the Gothic ballad, but a poem that never exactly used the term vampire.
Instead, it was responsible for creating another key theme that would later appear in vampire literature, immortality, or in this case, undeath, the ability for vampires to rise from their graves in the darkness of midnight, enter the homes of their victims or loved ones, and then carry them away into the night. After the widespread publication of Lenore, the Gothic idea of the vampire was well and truly a foot, and the following few decades produced several similar pieces of literature such as The Bride of Corinth, The Ballad of the Destroyer, Percy Shelley's The Spectral Horseman, as well as Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famously unfinished ballad, Christabel.
However, it wasn't until the year 1819 where vampire literature really began to become solidified when a man named John Polidori created the first prose piece of vampire fiction ever, The Vampire. It featured the iconic Lord Ruthven, the character of which was actually based upon Polidori's good friend and patient, the notorious Lord Byron. Now, whilst Byron also had a stab of his own at vampire literature, this was the first moment in literature where a fully formed vampire character would emerge, but more importantly, it served to paint Lord Ruthven as an anti-hero, seemingly down to Polidori's admiration for the whims of his friend Byron, which would form the basis of a trope rarely seen in horror or Gothic fiction, but would go on to become a key component of its themes, that of the sympathetic villain, the anti-hero. Now, how many likeable vampires can we name now in popular fiction? There's just too many of them, and all of them they're heroes or heroines of their own stories, but back then, this was cutting-edge stuff, or cutting teeth, I guess. The impact that Polidori's work had on vampire literature was huge, and throughout the 19th century, the masses couldn't get enough of our blood-sucking contemporaries. In fact, one of the most impactful methods of disseminating fiction in the mid-19th century were the classic Victorian era gothic pulp pieces, penny dreadful. Short, easily distributed pamphlets that gave rise to the essence of serialized horror, returning characters that formed their own anthologies, a visual tapestry that I'm sure we're all familiar with. Well, from 1845 to 1847, the second most popular vampire since Lord Ruthven snarled onto the scene, Varney the Vam pire, a character created by James Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest, that successfully managed to encapsulate all of the same vampiric themes laid out before him, and thus gave rise to the popular depictions of the vampire, long cloaks, high collars, drinking blood, coffins. But, there was another story that paved the way for vampire literature before we address the very evident elephant left in the room that we haven't yet talked about. A lesser-known addition into the gothic canon of vampirism, but one that is without a doubt even more important than Varney the Vampire. And that was with Sheridan Le Fanu's 1871 novella, Carmilla. And this was the first ever depiction of a female vampire, Countess Karnstein. In many ways, Countess Karnstein paved the way for the defining moment of vampire literature, and her influence as a symbol of occultism, as well as the enigmatic supernatural, almost deified creature that exists separate from the confines of civilization, it's one of the most important hallmarks for vampire fiction and gothic literature as a whole.
Because the character of Countess Karnstein was pretty much the archetype for the most important piece of vampire literature ever created, Bram Stoker's Dracula. And without detracting from both pieces, the similarities between the two are staggeringly clear. You see, it isn't with the actual inception of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula that we need to cast our gaze towards, because it was with the impact that matters. And it goes without saying that there is no greater effort in history to depict vampires in popular fiction as influential and as definitive as Dracula. Whatever the case, at the time of its release, it struck a chord across Victorian Europe, perhaps stirring up an ancient shared cultural fear that had long lingered within us all. Vampires in literature are the amalgamation of many things, a collection of one convention here and another there, but the point of them remains the same. They are both a blessing and a curse. They're what we want to be and what we want to defeat.
And Bram Stoker's Dracula was the compendium behind that very specific horror.
>> Coming in at number five, we've got The Master. You know, this guy came damn close to ending the world through vampirism. Hell, he basically infected all of New York with his strain. The Master comes from the series of books turned TV show, The Strain, penned by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
Basically, it is a virus that is very similar to ancient vampirism. It spreads quite quickly as viruses tend [music] to do and puts humanity in peril. So, by putting this strain in motion, The Master deserves every ounce of [music] fear he gets. He's been alive for millennia, taking multiple different forms over many lifetimes. [music] The Master has been a Roman slave, an ironworker, and most recently a Polish man with gigantism.
>> [music] >> As one of the original vampires, The Master has all sorts of unique strengths that other vampires in this universe [music] don't. One of the most terrifying of these powers is the ability to see through the eyes of all lesser vampires. This allows him to surveil any area that a vampire is in.
[music] It's also great for protecting himself and seeking out prey. He's also just ridiculously [music] strong. Like, way stronger than any vampire has any right to be. He'll crush your head with his pinky if he wants to. Don't try to fight him. And even if you're confident in your combat ability, he's got some wicked shadow-based teleportation abilities. If he steps into the dark, he can just dematerialize and rematerialize all over the place. It's crazy. And to top it all off, he's more resistant to sunlight than most vampires. He's not totally immune, but he can definitely roam around a little in the sunshine.
So, you can't rely on the UV rays to take him down. To make matters worse, he's got a master plan to turn all humans into blood banks. After collapsing the internet, he makes it to New York and [music] makes some key alliances and plans on transferring his consciousness to a new host. Then he'll take out the high-level finance folks and build processing plants for human collection. [music] Yuck. I mean, I guess the bankers get what's coming to them, right? Coming in at number four, we've got Victor. A powerful warlord in life, Victor was once a ruthless military leader who ruled over his land with an iron fist. This extended well into the afterlife as well. Upon his deathbed, the first vampire, Markus Corvinus, came to Victor with an offer.
He would give him eternal life if he helped lead an army of immortals against the werewolves. [music] Victor, loving life and combat, accepted this offer and became one of the most terrifying vampires of all time. This is the vampire who betrayed Markus, waged war against werewolves, and even killed his own daughter. You don't want to mess with Victor. He, like many vampires in Underworld, possesses superhuman abilities of the highest caliber. His strength [music] is unmatched along with his speed, and he can endure almost any injury. Even if grave wounds are inflicted, Victor can heal up quickly and keep on moving. He can also snag memories from those he bites, giving him insight into all sorts of secrets.
[music] These military conquests and supernatural powers are all terrifying on their own, but Victor's shrewd politics [music] are possibly the most dangerous thing about him. After living for millennia, Victor is well-versed in the ways of the world and knows how to take advantage of any situations.
[music] He is cunning and manipulative and knows how to act swiftly and brutally to get what he wants. If Victor [music] wanted to end the world, he doubtlessly could. As he says, "The dangers of the forest are not greater than those of the council. You must learn the dance of politics to [music] be ruthless and cunning." Those are the words of men who could ruin the world if he chose to do so. Coming in at number three, we've got Cars. That's right, folks. The Pillar Men are vampires. They drink blood, sunlight hurts them, they can make more monsters like them, they're super ancient, they have superpowers, and now we're talking about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on top five scary. Way to go, team. Of course, Cars is the most powerful of the Pillar Men.
Just look [music] at how Joseph had to deal with him in Battle Tendency. After learning that he is truly immortal and not even the sun can destroy him, JoJo literally fires him into space to freeze up and float around for the rest of eternity. That is a crazy powerful vampire. Like a lot of the other vampires on this list, Cars has superhuman strength, speed, and regeneration, but those powers are augmented by a connection to the world around him. He can sense all sorts of things that are invisible to the naked eye, changes in air pressure, tiny sounds off in the distances, rising temperatures, all seen by the all-seeing Cars. Plus, he's infused with the DNA of everything on Earth. He can evolve on the fly, always putting him ahead of the competition.
>> [music] >> Plus, he's got some wicked poses. Like, what other vampire can pull off so many model-esque looks? That's what I thought. Coming in at number two, we've got Jiangshi. Let's take a trip to China this time and learn about some of their bloody beasts. A popular one is the hopping vampire, also known as the Jiangshi. Usually appearing as a stiff corpse dressed in Qing Dynasty clothing, these undead beings hop around looking for life force to drain. Life force isn't specifically blood in this case, but the two line up just fine. They spring to and fro during the night hoping to come across some hapless folks. And just like vampires from other cultures, they spend the day locked up in dark places like coffins and caves.
They hop because they're corpses. Rigor mortis has long since set in, making it impossible for them to bend their limbs.
So, instead of walking, running, or any other sort of human locomotion, they can hop around as best they can. They're also an odd green-white tint [music] frequently attributed to mold from being buried so long. These vampires are a little less sexy than a lot of the other ones. There are a few ways to survive an encounter with a Jiangshi. You can write a spell in chicken's blood on a yellow piece of paper and stick it to their forehead, or you can use a sword forged from Chinese coins that has been charged under moonlight. Apparently, throwing sticky rice at one will draw the evil out. Maybe they were just hungry. Oh, and connecting this to the boneless bits, although I don't know if that really applies here, conventional wisdom says that a piece of wood could be installed at the bottom of a door to prevent Jiangshi from entering. It's always fun to connect those dots. And finally, at number one, we've got the blood countess. When discussing the origins of vampires, many folks look right to Vlad the Impaler. This Wallachian prince is more than likely the inspiration for Count Dracula's name, as he was a member of the Order of the Dragon. Being a member of this order gave him the surname Dracul, which is only one letter off from the name we know and fear today. But even though Vlad tended to be violent and stake-happy, the real blood drainer was waiting in Hungary. Elizabeth Bathory was a countess well-known for her brutal lifestyle. Legend says that she tortured and killed over 650 women throughout her life. In true vampiric fashion, she believed that bathing in blood of young girls would keep her young. She was going for a youthful appearance, not eternal life, but you can see how that might have influenced vampire lore.
Bathory drained plenty of girls of their blood in order to keep herself young.
This practice also seems to be a little more sadistic and fetishistic [music] than Vlad's brutal display of slain enemies. Hold on, aren't some celebrities paying for young people blood infusions now? History has an eerie way of repeating itself, doesn't it?
>> And so, at number five, 30 Days of Night, 2007.
>> [screaming] >> And to be honest with you guys, I still can't understand the lack of critical acclaim that this film received, because in my book, it's one of the most faithful adaptations of vampire fiction that I've ever seen. The thing that makes 30 Days of Night so endearing, without mentioning its stellar cast and performance, is that the villainous vampires in the film are so captivatingly original. They're bestial and primal in ways that horror cinema has rarely ever captured. Based on the comic book mini-series of the same name written by Steve Niles and directed by David Slade, 30 Days of Night focuses on the small town [music] of Barrow, Alaska, as it enters its 30-day long polar night. And it just so happens that a band of ancient vampires turn up on a ghost ship ready for an interruption-free all-you-can-eat buffet. Josh Hartnett as Sheriff Eben Oleson absolutely knocks this film out of the park, as well as supporting roles from Melissa George, Ben Foster, and Mark Boone Jr. 30 Days of Night is violent in all the right places, suspenseful in just the right amount, and a fitting tribute to the devices that make vampire fiction so damn awesome. Coming in at number four, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, 2014.
Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this film probably went under the radar for most people. And with a tagline stating it as the first Iranian vampire western, then I wouldn't exactly besmirch you for not taking note. But, if you haven't, what you've missed out on is one of the most unnerving, yet beautifully captured demonstrations of vampire cinema in recent times. Written and directed by the awesome American-Iranian director Ana Lily Amirpour, and also produced by none other than Frodo Baggins himself, Elijah Wood, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night tells the tale of a lonesome vampire who stalks her prey in the fictional Iranian ghost town >> [music] >> of Bad City. The film stars the relatively unknown actress Sheila Vand who plays the title role of the girl who also turns out to be a corporeal vampire of legend who spends her days in lonely isolation spooking unwitting pedestrians at night and feasting on villainous criminals just for kicks. I'm going to shoot straight, this film isn't exactly full frontal horror, but where it really shines is in its atmospheric dread and bleak demonstration of the human condition. Also, it's just [music] really good. Next up at number three, Bram Stoker's Dracula, 1992.
All right, if this was a list of literature, then of course Bram Stoker's original gothic masterpiece, Dracula, would be at the tip tip tippity top of this list because of course it's vampire fiction 101. But, if I'm being honest, Francis Ford Coppola's silver screen adaptation, although a horror showstopper, doesn't exactly bite the same necks that other vampire movies do.
But, that's the downside because the rest of this film in its own right is a fantastic depiction of our favorite hemoglobin obsessed Count Dracula.
Directed by the legendary Francis Ford Coppola [music] and released in 1992, this film emerged during a time when some of horror's greatest icons were getting a bit of a rework, to say the least. And rework it does, steering Count Dracula from a campy cape wielding Hammer horror figure to a creature steeped in ancient [music] history and dripping with the blood of long lost generations. Also, did I mention that this film is absolutely stacked? Gary Oldman as Count Dracula, the incredible Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing himself, Winona Ryder in all her glory, and of course the one, the only Keanu Reeves, whose English accent in this film is the stuff of cringe legend, but it's still awesome nonetheless.
>> I've seen many strange things already.
Bloody wolves chasing me through some blue inferno.
>> Coming in at number two, we have Rabid.
David Cronenberg rarely steers us wrong, and he most certainly didn't with his 1977 vampire classic. Rabid is a Canadian-American body horror that features Marilyn Chambers in the lead role, with Frank Moore supporting.
Chambers plays a woman who, after being injured in a motorcycle accident and undergoing a surgical operation, develops an orifice under one of her armpits. The orifice hides a phallic stinger that she uses to feed on people's blood. Those she feeds upon become infected, thereby spreads the disease, and they cause massive chaos starting in the Quebec countryside and ending up in Montreal. Now, Cronenberg's most hailed work includes movies such as The Brood, Videodrome, The Fly, and Dead Ringers. However, Rabid seems to have gone under the radar for a lot of people, and that's a damn shame. This is Cronenberg's second feature film and exists within his canon as a telltale exhibition of his raw talents, with him inflicting absolutely horrific horrors on the human body. As of right now, Rabid currently holds a 73% approval rating, with the general consensus reading, "Revolting, yes, but still an intelligent predecessor to some more moronic efforts in the same genre, as well as remains effectively squirming, gruesome, and even prescient nearly 40 years after its release." And finally, coming in at number one, we have Near Dark. Kathryn Bigelow's dark horror western [music] is a cult classic amongst movie lovers and definitely warrants a place on our list. Why?
Because far too many people have not seen this movie, and it hurts my soul.
Released in 1987, this neo-western horror stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Bill Paxton, and Lance Henriksen, and follows a young man in a small Midwestern town who becomes involved with a family of nomadic American vampires. Near Dark was an incredibly fresh take on a genre that had found new popularity in the comedy genre, and it paved the way for even more iconic movies down the line.
However, like many horrors of its time, upon release, it was met with scathing reviews. However, time has been good to Near Dark, with the film gaining quite the intense cult following over the years. As of right now, it currently holds an 88% approval rating, with the general consensus reading, "Near Dark is at once a creepy vampire film, a thrilling western, and a poignant family tale, with humor and scares in abundance." A remake of the film was announced in October 2006. However, it in 2008 it was announced that the project had been put on hold due to similarities in conception with Twilight. Yes, I know it's incredibly upsetting to hear that Near Dark was canceled because of Twilight.
>> Up at number five, the Nosferatu 30 Days of Night, which yeah, has been a long time coming really. And this is a two for the blood price of one because the fantastic 2007 movie starring Josh Hartnett is reason enough to check out this fictional portrayal of vampires.
I've no idea why that film gets so much hate, but it's awesome. For this particular entry though, we'll obviously be focused on the 2002 graphic novel series created by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith that tells the tale of the unwitting town of Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost settlement of the frozen north that for one month every year is cast into complete and utter darkness.
And that, as you might imagine, means one thing and one thing only for vampires, an all you can eat buffet.
Yeah, while this is an exciting and incredibly fresh premise, which it is, it also features one of the most genuinely compelling depictions of vampires in modern fiction. And to do that, it does away with the age-old beauty and serene mystery often captured in vampire fiction, and instead, it turns them into beasts, creatures that are far more similar to sharks than they are of the average vampire. And it works. The most telling of these is Vincent, the antagonist of the series, although in the movie he's depicted as Marlow. As it explains, Vincent's vampire, otherwise known as the Nosferatu, were once ruled by an elaborate council of elders who, after deciding to reveal themselves to the human race, were completely destroyed and persecuted, dwindling to only a handful of vampire survivors. After a millennium, Vincent led his vampire in secret, lingering in the shadows of the world until humanity had completely forgotten about their kind, maintaining themselves as creatures of just myth and legend. Now, I won't spoil anything, but obviously that kind of goes awry, mainly down to the fact that they messed with the wrong damn town, but still, they're awesome. In the series, vampirism is portrayed as a virus, which is spread through contact with vampire blood. It kills those afflicted by it, turning an an infected human undead, where they grow a mouthful of shark-like fangs and bleak, lifeless black eyes. Obviously then you've got the superhuman strength, acute hearing, and sense of smell, teleportation, telepathy, glamour, the ability to resurrect your burnt ashes via a single drop of blood, but that goes without saying at this point.
Vampires. Swinging in at number four, every vampire ever, and Anno Dracula.
Yeah, this one is as equal parts interesting as it is awesome. Now, if I said to you, "What do you think would have happened if in the events of Bram Stoker's Dracula, instead of saving the day and all of humanity, Van Helsing is defeated by the vampiric overlord Count Dracula, ushering in a brand new age where vampires rule the entire planet in a secret, shadowy coalition?" Well, Anno Dracula answers that very question, and the result is a whole-heartedly captivating series that just so happens to portray perhaps the most malevolent vampires of all time. Well, I mean, versions of themselves. Because what Anno Dracula does to hammer home the reality of the matter is take pretty much every vampire that you've ever seen in literature and then give them a brand new position in the hierarchy of the global vampire to varying effects. By scale alone, Anno Dracula is staggering, but the real fear lies in the reality of its alternative history because, guys, Dracula marries Queen Victoria. And don't worry, that's not spoilers, really, believe me. And jeez, we haven't even started talking about the wider series yet, but yeah. Written by Kim Newman in 1992, the first entry of his series Anno Dracula focuses on Dracula's rise to power in 1888 following the death of Van Helsing, where he spreads his overwhelmingly powerful vampire curse, creating thousands of new vampires and taking them all to England.
Soon enough, he marries Queen Victoria, as you do, and ushers in a brand new period of vampire-led political domination of the United Kingdom, where he rules from the shadows under a vampire-orchestrated police state. Not only that, but Jack the Ripper makes an appearance alongside Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Diogenes Club, who are scheming their way back to human safety. There's a crack group of Carpathian mercenaries loyal to Dracula. Uh Sherlock Holmes shows up. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, too.
Count Orlok, Lord Ruthven, Elizabeth Bathory, for crying out loud. Hell, even Lestat de Lioncourt from Anne Rice's novels makes an appearance. Seriously, if you love both history and vampires, Anna Dracula does it like nobody.
And talking of Lestat, next up at number three, Anne Rice's vampires, The Vampire Chronicles. And I hear you guys. I know a lot of you called for these particular bloodsuckers to make an appearance, and whilst we held off a little down to their overwhelming popularity, shall we say, there's no denying the fact that Anne Rice's vampires are considered a staple of the genre for a reason.
Because they're really good. That's the truth of it. They're everything we want from vampires. Ancient creatures, a rich, complex mythology that spans the entirety of human history, supernatural creatures with incomprehensible power, and you know, they're also pretty attractive. Unless you get trapped beneath the sands of ancient Egypt for a few thousand years. But that's by the by. They scrub up pretty well. And there is perhaps no other vampire in the series that scrubs up better than Lestat de Lioncourt, given the fact that the man survived off of swamp lizards and rats for several decades, and still managed to come off smelling like roses.
But although Lestat is indeed a symbol of the ancient gluttony of vampirism, the real ancient terror lies in the deep into the urban history of Anne Rice's vampires. As first mentioned in Rice's 1985 novel, The Vampire Lestat, and later elaborated on in her 1988 novel, The Queen of the Damned, the first vampires of the series emerged in ancient Egypt. Their origin mysteriously tied to an energy force of ancient spirits that existed long before Earth.
Here, a bloodthirsty shade known as Amel grew infatuated by two young witches that lived on Mount Carmel. And before long, Amel took Mekare as her familiar, bestowing on her the first powers of vampirism. But then Queen Akasha of Egypt grew jealous of the witches' new power and burned their village to the ground. She imprisoned them and tortured them, eventually cutting out their eyes and tongue respectively. But in time, Akasha's own bloodlust attracted the shade of Amel instead. And alongside her husband King Enkil, they became the divine parents of all vampires.
Eventually they faded into legend of the vampire world, but it was thought that if Akasha died, all vampires would die with her as the shade of Amel would no longer have a vessel. Honestly, the mythology of the Vampire Chronicles is kind of second to none. It's so rich and beautifully woven that it's tapestry of ancient vampirism reads almost like the scriptures of some long-lost civilization.
Uh let's hope not. That's food for thought.
>> 30 Days of Night. This is perhaps one of my favorite vampire movies, not just on our list, but in general. Controversial opinion. 30 Days of Night is a 2007 horror film based on the comic book mini-series of the same name. The film was directed by David Slade and stars Josh Hartnett and my favorite Melissa George. The story focuses on an Alaskan town beset by vampires as it enters into a 30-day long period of polar night.
Now, as much as I enjoyed this movie, it did polarize critics with it currently holding a 51% approval rating, which is the lowest we have on our entire list.
Sometimes the general consensus reads, "While 30 Days of Night offers a few thrills, it ultimately succumbs to erratic execution." However, I disagree and believe this film to be incredibly claustrophobic and a non-stop anxiety attack from start to finish. Not to mention, I used to live in Alaska and the winter months can be incredibly dark and isolating, creating its very own unique horror. However, what I will say is that casting Josh Hartnett in the out-of-his-element role was a little disappointing. Yet it somehow managed to work. 30 Days of Night ultimately warrants its R rating with genuinely disturbing violence, terrifying monsters, and a haunting score that will linger in your mind for a long time. 30 Days of Night is immensely better than a lot of the vampire movies that have been turned out in recent years, and it's certainly better than David Slade's Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Yeah, you heard me correctly, Twilight. David Slade also did Twilight. Coming in at number four, we have Martin. George A. Romero is considered to be the godfather of zombie cinema, and rightfully so. He is the man behind films such as Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and also Day of the Dead. However, there is one movie that is remarkably overlooked in his collection, and that is Martin. Martin is a 1978 psychological horror film that follows a troubled young man who believes himself to be a vampire.
Johnnie Ample with charm and incredible creepiness plays the titular character, a lonely man who injects victims with the syringe before slurping on their blood. Lovely stuff. The film currently holds a 90% approval rating, with the general consensus reading, "George A.
Romero's contribution to vampire lore contains the expected gore and social satire, but it's also surprisingly thoughtful and boasts a whopper of a final act." Martin expertly mixes dark humor with satisfying gore, with Romero approaching this vampire hit with sharp wit and undead force. For the first half of the movie, Martin is unsettling while provoking chuckles, albeit uncomfortable chuckles. However, once the second half hits, the gruesome finale kicks in, and that is something that will linger with you for a very, very, very long time.
Coming in at number three, we have Cronos. From the legendary mind of Guillermo del Toro, we have Cronos, a 1993 Mexican horror film and also del Toro's first feature film. The plot concerns an antique dealer named Jesús Gris, who stumbles across Cronos, a 400-year-old scarab that, when it latches onto him, grants him youth and eternal life, but also a thirst for blood. As Jesús enjoys his newfound vitality, he's unaware that a old man, Dieter de la Guardia, has sent his nephew Angel to find the scarab and bring it back to him. But, Jesús will not give immortality up easily, even risking the life of his orphan granddaughter. del Toro does a superb job with his directorial debut, with him diving into vampire lore and tweaking the mythology to his own liking. [music] Rather than a bite to the neck, it is an ancient amulet that latches onto whomever is unlucky enough to find it.
The film received critical acclaim by critics for its acting, originality, mythology, religious references, and its balance of horror and drama. It has since been recognized as one of the greatest horror films and Spanish language films of all time. As of right now, it holds a 90% approval rating, with the general consensus reading, "Guillermo del Toro's unique feature debut is not only gory and stylish, but also charming and intelligent." Cronos has some incredibly disturbing moments, including a scene where a mouth that has been sewn shut is opened without any assistance. Yeah, you can see where I'm going with this. You don't even have to love horror to appreciate the gift del Toro gives us with Cronos. Although I've said that, it is recommended.
>> Swinging in at number two, the Vampiric.
We cannot make this list without laying down Brian Lumley's incredible Necroscope series, and I'm fully aware that many of you Top 5 Scary Viewers are particular fans of his resounding horror series. The thing is though, Lumley completely shook up the concept of what makes a vampire so fervently that in some cases it's hard to tell where monster of folklore legend begins and alien parasitic monstrosity ends. And believe me, don't worry, I say that as a good thing, not a bad thing. In Lumley's Necroscope series, first written in 1986, gone are the classic interpretations of the vampire legend, and instead, Lumley's vampires are a leech-like parasite from an ancient world deep in the cosmos. Through a painful and grotesque process, these alien leeches attach to their host and begin a symbiotic life cycle that grants them their immortality of legend, as well as many other devious superhuman machinations. What makes Lumley's Vampiric so awesome though, is that they're essentially the vampire version of Marvel Symbiotes and their life cycle is wholly similar to that of a fungal creature transforming its host through a slow spore-ridden process that turns them into the immortal villains that populate Lumley's Necroscope series.
Because of that incredibly unique process though, the Vampiric Leaches can also infect other non-human entities such as in a few cases foxes or wolves and then so begins Lumley's absolutely awesome fictional explanation as to the nature of werewolves and lycanthropes that populate his horror series. It's never been done before. The thing is in Necroscope the Vampiri are so damn ancient and so adept at understanding the parasitic process [music] that created them. In the later series they move into an entire industry of breeding lesser versions of vampires to enact their bidding whether across the Earth or on Starside. In fact, Lumley's depiction of vampirism in the Necroscope series is pretty damn bleak and the one true evil against humanity are the Vampiri because eventually even the most purest of hearts succumb to their evil will. Also, vampire cannibalism. Yeah, that one's not been done that much before. Hmm. And finally coming in at our number one spot, the higher vampire.
And whilst we're talking about hunting vampires, we cannot talk about bloodthirsty monsters in literature without taking note on the resounding works of Andrzej Sapkowski with The Witcher [music] saga that rightfully deserves its place at our number one spot. Now, in my opinion Sapkowski's depiction is the most complete, compelling, and intriguing creation of vampires in horror in the whole of literature. And I know that's pretty damn hyperbolic, but really if you've read his work or played any of CD Projekt Red's fantastic video game series, you'll know exactly the impact that vampires have on this world. And I say world because the most intriguing notion of vampires in The Witcher saga is that not unlike Lumley's Necroscope series, these ancient entities are from another planet entirely. Well, not exactly another planet so to speak, but another dimension, another sphere. Now, I'll try not to spoil anything but to be fair, speaking about the conjunction of the spheres isn't exactly giving anything away. [music] In Sapkowski's world, vampires aren't created or turned or otherwise conjured into existence.
They're born, just like humans are, and exist as corporeal [music] beings who can manipulate their body at a molecular level in blood and matter just as easy as we can breathe. Over a thousand years before The Witcher saga began, during the Conjunction of the Spheres, different realities where monsters and magical [music] entities reside freely on their own plane collided and merged with our world, which eventually necessitated the need for the Order of the Wolf and the many witchers that came with it. As you know, someone had to try and keep a lid on all that chaotic magic going on, right? Cheers, Geralt.
Honestly, I can speak about The Witcher saga all day, but as far as vampires are concerned, there is so much to feast on.
The bruxa, the katakan, the alp, grotesque mutagenic versions of vampires created from humans and the corporeal dimension beings that are absolutely terrifying. Regis, the awesome [music] ancient vampire who's best friends forever with Geralt, the unseen elder, the list goes on and on. And if you're a fan of vampire fiction and are yet to delve into the works of The Witcher series, please consider this as a reminder because as far as vampires are concerned, there's nothing else like it, and it's the best for a reason.
>> Coming in at number three, we've got the Vampire of Buckinghamshire.
Vampires have been terrifying forever, and this sighting is proof of that. Way back before Count Dracula or even Vlad the Impaler, there was a vampire sighting in Buckinghamshire. A woman had buried her husband after he died and was going through a difficult grieving period. [music] Two nights after the burial, she was startled awake. There was someone in her room. The person came closer and closer to her bed, and eventually it was revealed to be her husband. Sadness and terror overcame her as the husband climbed on top of her with the intent to kill. He put all of his weight on her, and she nearly suffocated, but somehow she survived. The next day, she petitioned her friends [music] to keep watch as she slept. The husband returned, but was scared off by the folks standing guard. After this, the vampire husband was seen all over town attacking people for seemingly no reason, but nobody seemed to be able to pin him down. The townspeople asked the church for help and the Archdeacon wrote to the bishop. His advice? Dig up the body and burn [music] it. But the Archdeacon wasn't too happy with this strategy as he thought it was disrespectful to the man's soul. So instead he had the bishop write a letter of absolution for the man and then pinned it to the vampire's chest.
Somehow this worked. The vampire was no longer seen around town. You have to wonder what brought him back in the first place. Coming in at number two, we've got the Carter brothers. New Orleans is rich with occult history, so of course there are some wicked vampire tales to tell. Back in the 1930s there were two brothers living in the French Quarter. John and Wayne Carter had regular jobs and kept to themselves.
They didn't bother anyone and they didn't cause any trouble. Well, at least that's how it seemed. To everyone's surprise and terror, a young woman came to the police in hysterics. She had just escaped from the Carter brothers' apartment. They had been holding her captive and drinking her blood for weeks. The police took this very seriously and raided the apartment. What they found would make anyone sick to the stomach. Inside were four more girls all covered in wounds meant to siphon blood for consumption. After freeing the prisoners, the police attempted to arrest the Carter brothers. When they found the vampiric siblings, an insane fight ensued. Apparently [music] it took eight men to restrain the two brothers.
They had been possessed by some otherworldly strength, likely that belonging to vampires. In the investigation that followed, [music] it was discovered that the brothers had kidnapped and killed over 14 victims.
That's a fair bit of blood for two brothers who seemed to be a couple of average guys. They were tried, found guilty, and executed, but the story doesn't end there. Years down the line, another Carter died and was to be put in the family [music] tomb. When the vault was opened up, the bodies of the brothers were gone. See, that's why you got to burn the vampires. Burying them is just inviting disaster. Ever since then, many people have claimed to see the two brothers skulking about New Orleans. So add that to your list of paranormal experiences in the city. Be careful when you check it off, though.
If you [music] see them, they probably see you, too. And coming in at number one, we've got a CCTV scare. We mentioned earlier that vampires don't get picked up on camera, right? Well, they don't have much of a reflection, either, which is why this video is so confusing. [music] Check it out.
A man in black walks right by the gigantic mirror that we just saw reflect someone else, and there's no reflection, but he's still picked up on CCTV. How does that work? What's going on here?
You have to wonder why a vampire would be shopping at a retail store during the day, too. There are so many things to consider here, but very few satisfying answers. Makes you think about all the times you might have walked right by a vampire and not even known it. I suppose I have to admit something after this clip. This vampire was not spotted at 3:00 a.m. I know, I know, false advertising and a lot, but the footage was too interesting to give up. The rest of the vampires are eyewitness accounts, you know, because vampires. But, this one seems to defy logic and follow it at the same time. Is it just a cool camera trick? Maybe a glitch in the Matrix?
Tell me how you think this happened. All right. So, did any of these vampire sightings convince you of their veracity, [music] or are you more skeptical than ever?
>> [music]
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