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Our most Loved VaMpire made it onto his list .....
An unacknowledged adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (which was banned in Britain after copyright complaints from the author's litigious widow), FW Murnau's silent gem still startles and amazes; the sight of the vampire's shadowy hand grasping at the heart of his victim ranks among cinema's most enduring images. So convincing was Max Schreck's unearthly performance that the modern movie Shadow of the Vampirewould playfully suggest that he was the real deal; a genuine vampire hiding his identity in plain sight beneath the cover of movie magic.Federico Luppi, Cronos (1993)
Debunking that most enduring vampire cliche, Guillermo del Toro's chilling masterpiece manages utterly to desexualise its antihero's bloodlust with extraordinary results. Having availed himself of the weirdly mechanical "Cronos" device, Federico Luppi's Jesus Gris staves off death with the occasional snifter of spilled claret. A scene in which he licks fresh blood off the polished white floor of a public lavatory is a taboo-breaking highlight that lingers in the mind. Luppi would later perform an affectionate cameo as King of the Underworld in Del Toro'sPan's Labyrinth.Bela Lugosi, Dracula (1931)
Having made the role his own on Broadway, charismatic Hungarian Bela Lugosi became the defining screen count for the early sound era. A Spanish language version, shot by night on the same sets, is widely regarded to be a better-directed movie, but leading man Carlos Villarías was no substitute for the master, in any language. In the ensuing years, Lugosi would experience both fame and obscurity, famously ending his days working for trash maestro Ed Wood. In 1979, goth rockers Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead" reaffirmed his cult status. Undead, undead, undead indeed!Lina Leandersson, Let the Right One in (2008)
"I've been 12 for a long time…" Tomas Alfredson's brilliant adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel (which takes its name from a Morrissey lyric) was one of the most unexpected movie treats of the decade – an exhilarating, heartbreaking tale of adolescent angst in which, according to the director, the vampirism was a metaphor for repressed youthful rage. Lina Leandersson is extraordinary as the enigmatic Eli who comes to bullied Oskar's aid, smiting his tormentors and offering true friendship in a world of everyday suburban horror.Lance Henriksen, Near Dark (1987)
Long before becoming the first woman to win a best director Oscar, Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow was making a name for herself as a fearsomely talented purveyor of upmarket genre-movie thrills. Her latterday "horror western" Near Dark (which never actually uses the "V" word) reunited Lance Henriksen with Aliens co-stars Bill Paxton and Jenette Goldstein to form a nuclear vampire family who travel America in search of blood. Made in the same year as The Lost Boys, which this cult favourite could eat for breakfast.Ingrid Pitt, The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Polish-born actress Ingrid Pitt survived three years in a concentration camp as a child before becoming one of horror cinema's most celebrated leading ladies. Key films include Countess Dracula (in which she bathed in rejuvenating blood) and The Wicker Man – now dubbed "the Citizen Kane of British horror movies". In Roy Ward Baker's The Vampire Lovers, Pitt went head to head with Peter Cushing in a then-shocking adaptation of Le Fanu's 1872 novella Carmilla. According to legend, Pitt's vampire teeth kept falling out as she attempted to drink from Kate O'Mara's neck!John Amplas, Martin (1977)
Taglined "A Vampire for Our Age of Disbelief", George A Romero's weirdie boasted John Amplas as the blood-sucking boy next door who may be nothing more than a twisted youth with severe behavioural problems. All we know for sure is that Martin thinks he's a vampire and he drinks blood to prove it. Swapping glamorous fantasy for downbeat (and often extremely grim) realism, Martin won widespread applause among fans, critics and even musicians, most notably Soft Cell's Marc Almond, who sang: "Martin is a boy with problems… he's seen too many creepy films, he's read too many books."Gary Oldman, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
The tall, dark and gruesome Christopher Lee may be Britain's best-loved count, but Gary Oldman went deeper into the character in Francis Ford Coppola's operatic adaptation. Blessed with a backstory that directly invokes Vlad the Impaler, Oldman plays Dracula as a love-lorn mortal who declares war on God, thereby achieving damned immortality. Sporting assortment of hairpieces and subtle facial appliances, Oldman shape-shifts throughout the movie, breathing vibrant new life into a mordantly familiar icon. Along with his oddly moving turn in Sid and Nancy, this remains Oldman's finest screen role.Catherine Deneuve, The Hunger (1983)
Presenting moodily backlit vampirism for the MTV generation, Tony Scott's slickly vacuous hit is packed with modish pop-culture nods, ghastly 80s couture, funky Egyptian pendants (replacing the so-last-year traditional fangs) and endless photogenic smoking. David Bowie was the nominal star, but Catherine Deneuve dominated as the seductive immortal who kept her undead male lovers in dusty coffins while fondling Susan Sarandon in a now celebrated naff naughty bit. Critically ridiculed on its release, The Hunger proved an enduring video hit which spawned a spin-off TV series.
Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga (2008-)
hard to credit, perhaps, but Stephenie Meyer's blockbusting gothic romances have made R-Patz the most successful screen vampire of all time, outselling previous title holders Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the Anne Rice adaptation Interview With the Vampire. Hardened horror aficionados may balk, but hordes of Twi-hard fans have swooned to Edward Cullen's otherworldly charms, marvelling at the way his skin glitters in the sunlight, and dreaming of dying (and being reborn) in his sensitively pallid arms. Chastity never seemed so attractive.
well done rob!!
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