WithRenfieldright around the corner, we thought it a perfect time to shout out our favorite blood-sucking love stories.RenfieldstarsNicholas Houltas Dracula’s devoted servant andNicolas Cageas the Count himself. The trailer promises a love story between Hoult’s Renfield andAwkwafina’s Rebbeca, a traffic cop who gets caught up in the toxic work relationship. And who knows, maybe Dracula will score a date too!
If you are like the rest of the internet, you are probably deep in the midst of theTwilightRenaissance– a resurgence of love for the early 2000s series. The increase in attention towards the saga also means an increase of criticism directed at the “epic”– yet often times destructive, love between Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson). Sure, the continued awareness ofTwilightisn’t always positive, but you can’t deny the appeal of watching a bunch of sexy vampires fall in love. There’s something captivating about watching the fantastical forbidden romances of vampire movies. But don’t freight if you never felt the love ofTeam EdwardorTeam Jacob, these equally (if not more) romantic vampire movies will quench all your bloodthirsty needs.
RELATED:How Vampires Evolved Into Modern Bloodsuckers In the 1980s
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A western-romance-horror mashup,A Girl Walks Home Alone at Nightis a feminist flick worthy of its high praise. In a dilapidated Iranian city lives an unnamed vampire (Sheila Vand) who roams the land on a skateboard. Unknown to Bad City’s few residents, the lonely vampiric woman travels the streets at night, hunting men who abuse and mistreat women. Though she lives her life based on a strict moral code, the woman lacks any sort of meaningful human connection. Arash (Arash Marandi), a deeply indebted citizen of the city, struggles to support himself and his drug-addicted father. When a chain of bloody circumstances lead to the pair meeting one another, the equally despairful duo finds themselves unable to escape their unique connection. ThoughA Girl Walks Home Alone at Nightis not as reliant on romance asTwilight, the movie’s a darkly enthralling narrative of two lonely people finding solace in one another and it makes for an original love story. Accompanied by gritty black-and-white shots, the film is a beautifully intimate take on the genre.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Starring the odd combination ofTilda SwintonandTom Hiddleston,Only Lovers Left Alivetells the story of a centuries-old married couple, living their vampiric lives through a long-distance relationship. Adam (Hiddleston), a musician, has become desolate from his long life without recognition. His wife, Eve (Swinton), comes to console her husband after becoming aware of his suicidal ideations. The couple’s sweet reunion is quickly ruined when Eve’s younger sister (Mia Wasikowska) shows up. Eve drinks Adam’s stash of blood, forcing the pair to hunt for their next meal. The love story of Adam and Eveis far more mature thanTwilight’sBellaand Edward and that works to the film’s advantage. This isn’t a tale of young love or a newfound relationship,Only Lovers Left Alive’s story is about what happens in a decades-old romance. It is heart-warming, funny, and captivatingly original.
Blood and Roses
An adaptation of the famed novella,Camilla, the 1960 erotic horror filmBlood and Roseswarns viewers against jealousy, lust, and wearing the clothing of your deceased vampire ancestors. A lonely heiress, Carmilla (Annette Vadim), grows increasingly jealous of her cousin’s (Mel Ferrer) engagement to her friend, Georgia (Elsa Martinelli). As her envy for her cousin’s lover grows, Carmilla becomes fanatical about the history of a rumored vampire relative. When her cousin throws a ball to celebrate his upcoming marriage, Carmilla, accompanied by the spirit of her vampire relative, decides to make her presence on the event barbarically known. The movie is ridiculous in the best way possible, shamelessly celebrating the oddities of its vampiric possession plotline while artfully portraying its 1960s setting. Although not as overt in its LGBT+ themes as its source material,Blood and Rosesis a good choice for anyone else who wishes Alice and Bella had gotten together duringTwilight.
Loosely based on a novel from the 1800s, famed Korean directorPark Chan-wookdelves into the horrifically steamy world of vampires withThirst. A beloved priest, Sang-hyun (Kang-Ho Song), volunteers to endure medical experimentation in hopes of creating a vaccine for a deadly virus. The experiment fails and the priest is infected by the virus, resulting in a blood transfusion. Sang-hyun miraculously recovers– something that should be impossible. Sang-hyun reconnects with his childhood friend, Kang-woo (Shin Ha-kyun) and his wife, Tae-ju (Kim Ok-bin), finding himself attracted to her. Soon, Sang-hyun realizes his healthy state only remains when he drinks human blood. The man is torn between his catholic faith and lust for both blood and his best friend’s wife.Thirstworks perfectly for someone who enjoyed the passion ofTwilight, but is searching for something a bit more thrilling. The movie captures the forbidden romance aspect but presents it in a horrifically original way.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Of course, the quintessential vampire tale! Broken by his wife’s (Winona Ryder) suicide, a 15th-century prince, Count Dracula (Gary Oldman), renounces his human ways to become the famed vampire of legend. Centuries later, a solicitor (Keanu Reeves) arrives at Dracula’s home regarding a property deal. When Dracula glimpses a photo of the man’s fiancé, he sees his late wife staring back. Convinced that she is the reincarnation of his beloved, Dracula starts a war to bring her home.Francis Ford Coppola’sDraculahas gained a notable cult following over the years for its version of the classic gothic tale, with much love given to Oldman’s acting as well as the gorgeous Victorian-era set design. Though the film still has its fair share of criticisms, notably Reeves'…interesting accent choices, the splendidly atmospheric nature of the film has made it stand out from the crowd of many Dracula remakes.
The Wisdom of Crocodiles / Immortality
Jude Lawplays an aging vampire who has fueled his blood lust by feeding on helpless single women. No longer able to sustain himself off of the blood of the lonely, the vampire searches for the youthful plasma of a woman who will love him. He pursues a beautiful scientist, Anne (Elina Löwensohn), seducing the woman into a relationship. While the feelings between the pair mutually grows, the vampire knows only one will come out alive. If you feel that you’ve grown up from the fairytale ending of Twilight, then this might be the perfect pick for you. The adult nature ofThe Wisdom of Crocodiles(also known asImmortality) takes the best elements ofTwilight’steenage love affair and pushes them further, making a more seductively mature feature. And Sure, the romance of the film isn’t exactly healthy, but hey, neither wasTwilight.
Underworld (2003)
This five-filmUnderworldfranchiseis remembered most for its intense action scenes, but at its non-beating heart, especially in the first film, it is a love story.Kate Beckinsalestars as Selene, a werewolf-killing vampire assassin caught up in the war between vampires and lycans. She then finds an ordinary man named Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman) who is being sought after by both vampires and lycans alike. Selene rescues Michael and refuses to kill him after he’s bitten by a lycan. She is a lonely soul, and in Michael, Selene has found someone she can trust and confide in. Yes, there’s a lot of blood and guts and a plethora of well-staged fight scenes to be found, but it’s the love between Selene and Michael, and her desire to rescue him, that drives everything. In the end, it’s her bite that saves an injured Michael. They are now one, and with the villains defeated for the moment, the couple runs off into the night together, ready to love and fight together forever.
Let the Right One In (2008)
Let the Right One Inisn’t your traditional vampire love story, but it’s the purest. Based on the Swedish novel of the same name byJohn Ajvide Lindqvist, the plot focuses on a lonely and bullied boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) who befriends Eli (Lina Lesandersson), the strange girl who has just moved into his apartment complex. It turns out that this girl is a vampire and not who she appears to be on the surface. When Oskar finds out what Eli is, he does not run from her or try to use her, as so many have done over the centuries. Instead, he loves her for who she is. They become inseparable, and in a bloody but beautiful ending, Eli comes to Oskar’s rescue to save him from his demented bullies. Most vampire films lean into the sexual element of their romances, but here, it’s all about two kids falling in the purest of love, based on acceptance and the willingness to give your all (and your fangs, if you just so happen to have them) for the one who has your back.
