TITLES TALES OF TERROR (Part 3)
We’re getting excited for the imminent arrival of the great pumpkin (firmly believing that “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” is the ultimate Halloween movie, no question about it!). With zombies and knife-wielding maniacs already checked off our list, it only makes sense to delve into… Vampires!
One of the laziest costume ideas, in our opinion, is dressing up as a ghost (let’s be honest, a sheet with holes in it is never a good look, unless you’re Charlie Brown). However, vampires, despite their simplicity, are actually some of the most iconic movie monsters that have stood the test of time.
In 1922, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau blessed us with his masterpiece “Nosferatu” during the early years of cinema, and tales of blood-sucking creatures had been captivating people around the world for centuries. But instead of delving into a detailed explanation of how Bram Stoker was inspired by Vlad Tepes to write “Dracula” (look it up, it’s fascinating), or discussing David Bowie’s alluring performance in “The Hunger,” or even how to handle atheist vampires who scoff at crosses, we’d rather invite you to explore three of our favorite vampire films, perfect for a chilling pre-Halloween movie night.
Let’s start with…
1. THE LOST BOYS (1987)
Vampires are meant to be seductive. Meaning, they sink their teeth into your neck, and if you want to join their “club,” you have to sip their bodily fluids (we’re talking about blood, what were you thinking?). The eponymous Lost Boys from Joel Schumacher’s 1987 film are heartthrobs through and through! Kiefer Sutherland plays the head vampire, and we even have the guy from “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” not to mention the dynamic duo of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman!
The story revolves around a single mother who moves with her two teenage sons to the coastal town of Santa Carla, where they soon realize that something isn’t quite right in their new home. Disappearing teenagers, levitating brothers—this place has it all. And we have to emphasize Kiefer Sutherland once again. Just take a look at his appearance: the leather, the hair… This guy is the epitome of a smoldering bloodsucker.
2. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1992)
Did you know that before Sarah Michelle Gellar became our beloved vampire slayer, there was already a movie featuring the iconic character Buffy?
Kristy Swanson takes on the role in this film, which essentially serves as a prequel to the later television series, explaining why Buffy moved to the town of Sunnydale. Expect a gymnasium filled with vampires up in flames, but we won’t spoil anything more for you.
No Xander, no Angel, and no Spike this time around.
Instead, our hero’s love interest is portrayed by none other than Luke Perry, the teenage heartthrob from Beverly Hills 90210. The movie stands on its own, but it’s even more enjoyable if you’re familiar with the classic “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series that aired from 1998 to 2012. Interestingly, in the recent series “What We Do in the Shadows,” Paul Reubens makes a cameo appearance as a member of the council of vampires, paying homage to the original Buffy. It’s nice to see that some people did their homework and acknowledged the O.G. Buffy with a small cameo.
3. FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)
We stumbled upon “Fright Night” because it boasts one of the most captivating movie posters of all time (check out our header), and often come across it on our favorite social media platform, Tumblr. This movie seems to draw inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film “Rear Window” from 1954, where a wheelchair-bound photographer suspects his neighbor of murdering his wife. However, in “Fright Night,” we follow the story of Charly Brewster, a teenager who becomes convinced that his new neighbor is an undead bloodsucker. Despite no one believing him, when dead bodies start piling up, Charly decides to reach out to the only person he believes will understand and assist him—his favorite horror TV show’s host, Peter Vincent.
Three years later, “Fright Night 2” was released, and in 2011, a remake starring Anton Yelchin, Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse, and Colin Farrell hit the big screen. So, you could easily have a thrilling triple-feature of Fright Night movies.
Choosing just three vampire movies for each category is always a challenge, but if you can’t get enough, we highly recommend other vampire films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (the opening sequence alone surpasses 99% of every movie you know), “Interview with the Vampire” featuring Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Kirsten Dunst (the sequel “Queen of the Damned” showcases Aaliyah as the aforementioned queen), “Blade” (with the best soundtrack and significant box office success that paved the way for Marvel movies), “Nosferatu” starring Klaus Kinski, and the absolute cult classic “From Dusk til Dawn.”
See you next week, children of the night!
