Ten Deep 03.25.10: The Top Ten Vampires

Posted by Mike Gorman on 03.25.2010

From Jessica Hamby in True Blood and Satanico Pandemonium in From Dusk 'Til Dawn to Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dracula in Dracula, and others, 411's Mike Gorman ranks his Top 10 Vampires in the latest edition of Ten Deep!

"The Top Ten Movie/TV Vampires"

The New Moon has risen and once again the country is in the grips of Twilight fever. That's great if you're a 12 year old girl but what if you're a real vampire fan? Which creatures of the night rise to the top of the blood bath in your opinion? This week I wanted to take a look at those night stalkers who have graced the big and small screens for almost the past century. It's clear that some would make interesting dinner companions while others would just like to have you for dinner.




10. Dracula

How could any list of the best vampires be complete without the icon on there? Dracula is the most widely recognized and performed character in the genre of vampire films. If I were to highlight the individual perfomances of the legend I would fill half the list so many of them have been that good. There is of course the classic Bela Legosi, the charismatic Christopher Lee and the stylized Gary Oldman perfomance. Even when a vamp film is not a complete success, as in Dracula 2000, Drac himself still stands out. Dracula defines the standard by which all other vampires are judged. He is so intrinsic to the mythos that they even brought him into the post modern world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer eventually.




9. Jessica Hamby from True Blood

There were several interesting characters from this show that I think could be recognized as stand outs here but it is Jessica that rose to the top in my analysis. She is the vampire who is taking us along with her on journey to discover just what it means to be a creature of the night. She is brash, impulsive, and needy. She does not understand nor recognize that her existence is governed by certain rules. There is a purity to her transformation that makes her unpredictable and infinitely watchable. She does subscribe to any of the traditional vampire archetypes and is a fresh set of eyes in the complex underworld being developed in this HBO series. Jessica, like most teenagers, is a creature of impulse and as we saw in the season finale this past year her desires will definitely be getting her into some trouble.




8. Spike from BTVS & Angel

I'll be honest I probably could have done a Top Ten Vampires from Buffy & Angel list and been perfectly happy. That is how big of a fan of the show I am. But like with the characters from True Blood I felt it best to limit their presence on the list so as not to take spots from other deserving blood suckers. That said I felt like I had to select Spike as the stand out in the Whedonverse repetoire of vampires because he is the one that showed the most development over his time on both shows. He first showed up on the scene with Drusilla seemingly a one note Sid & Nancy rip off. Over time we learned that "William the Bloody" was more than just a bleached blonde faux Brit. Both as a human being and then as a vampire, Spike was unlucky in love and ruled by his heart. We saw his devotion first to Drusilla and then to Buffy herself. Angel, the original vampire with a soul, almost had this spot but another reason it went to Spike was that not only did he also become a vampire with a soul but he chose to get his soul back and to be a champion when it counted.




7. Miriam from The Hunger

While others had tried to bring out the sensuality of the vampire in their performances, it was Catherine Deneuve's turn as Miriam in The Hunger that brought the sexuality of the vampire to the forefront. Sure she had no fangs and was missing some of the other traditional vampiric traits, but Miriam was a true blood sucker. She was seduction incarnate as she convinced her lovers to join her in immortality. The problem was she left out a few details, like the fact that after a certain length of time they would begin to age rapidly to the point of becoming a dessicated corpse that was still living. She kept them in coffins in her attic. If you haven't seen this film I definitely encourage you to check it out, if just to see Catherine seduce a young Susan Sarandon.




6. Jerry Dandrige from Fright Night

Far from a straightforward scary film, Fright Night is one of the campier entries in the vampire genre. The lead vampire in this case is the charismatic and larger than life Chris Sarandon. He portrays the powerful yet somewhat corny Jerry Dandridge. Sarandon steals the spotlight from his co-stars in this romp giving a truly tour de force performance. Dandridge is not a dark brooding vampire but instead relishes his power. He is not ashamed of his nature and Sarandon has the acting chops to make him alternatingly charming and terrifying. He is a true manifestation of the 80s in both his appearance and manners.




5. Eli from Let the Right One In

First let me say that if you have not yet seen this film, stop reading and get your hands on a copy now. Go ahead, I will wait... You back? What did you think? Awesome right? Sweden's Let the Right One In is a very unique tale told with haunting detail. Eli is an amazing powerhouse of a vampire in the body of a 12 year old girl. By "powerhouse" I don't mean flying around, changing into bats kind of power, but that on a deeper level. It is funny that the most serious portrayal of a vampire, in my opinion, on this list comes in such a form. Eli is everything that Kirsten Dunst's Claudia in Interview With A Vampire is not. She is a dark creature, on a dark path that reaches out for some form of companionship. In his review of this film Roger Ebert talks about the despair that is palpable between the two main characters in the film. In some ways the atmosphere here is as much a character as the two children. Eli states at one point that she is not a girl. The chilling realization she brings you to is that she is completely correct.




4. Satanico Pandemonium from From Dusk Til Dawn

If Miriam brought sexuality back into play for vampires, Selma Hayek won the game in her portrayal of Satanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Til Dawn. She is not around for the longest time on screen but she has a huge impact. The concept is brilliant, vampires running a titty bar! What better way to lure in unsuspecting victims than with hot women and cold beer in the searing Mexican heat? Hayek's every move is mesmerizing to the men on the screen and in the audience. She truly earns her spot on this list for her quick change from sensual temptress to destructive monster. Never before has a mood swing been captured so perfectly on film.




3. Severen from Near Dark

Bill Paxton is a chameleon in every role he takes on. He can play stoic and proper as well as wild and crazy; which he does as Severen in Near Dark. He is a badass vampire who kicks ass and takes no names as he cuts a bloody swath across rural America. His role is supporting to Lance Henriksen and Adrian Pasdar but he easily steals the show in each scene he steps into. When the vampire gang decides to turn on the patrons of a bar, it is his time to shine. He is funny and captivating as he bathes in blood, slicing throats with the spikes on his cowboy boots. Severen is a maniac you definitely would not want to find yourself confronting in a dark alley. While many portrayals of vampires make them seductive and enchanting, here we see the animalistic nature they can possess. Severen cannot be romanticized and excused for his behavior.




2. Count Orlock from Nosferatu

Max Shrek's Count Orlock is a thinly veiled take on the Dracula mythos and stands out as one of the creepiest vampires ever captured on film, and silent film at that. Orlock is not beautiful or brooding, he is inhuman and freakish. Every part of him serves to remind you that he is different from a normal man from his deep dark features to his long, clawed fingers. The film as a whole while hauntingly beautiful is not necessarily scary. But Orlock is a creepy masterpiece in and of himself. It is no wonder that his stark appearance has been copied and reproduced in several films and on television programs.


And lastly…




1. David from The Lost Boys

When I think of Kiefer Sutherland's David from The Lost Boys and he convinces Michael to do in order to become one of them I find myself thinking, "Yep, he probably could get me to do those things too." Eat maggots? Sure. Hang from train tracks? Definitely. Drink blood? I'm in. He is the wolf in sheep's clothing with a face of innocence that can twist and contort from moment to moment revealing his more devious nature. He is charismatic, confident and clearly in control of those around him. It is commonplace now for vampires to be portrayed as characters you want to be, for lack of a better term as extremely "cool" individuals. This was not so until films like The Lost Boys came around and the paradigm of vampire portray shifted. Once seen as outsiders and loaners, more monsters than cursed, it was here that vampires turned the corner and cemented their place as anti-heroes. Sure they were cold blooded killers but damn they made it look like fun. That is what puts David where he is atop this list, well aside from that tragic mullet.

Check out this update of The Lost Boys's theme song "Cry Little Sister." It was re-done by the original artist, G Tom Mac, and in his words this version was inspired by the HBO series True Blood:



Before I let you bare your fangs and draw my blood in your comments, I want to highlight one last vampire who deserves special "Honorable Mention" status. For many of us he was our first exposure to the undead. I give you… The Count.




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