The Deadbolt Feature - 10 Twilight Inspired Vampire Movies for Halloween

10 Twilight Inspired Vampire Movies for Halloween
by Alison Cox

Thanks to the success of the Twilight Saga and the first Twilight adaptation, vampire movies and vampires in general are dominating the pop-culture landscape, from Twilight fashion to New Moon merchandise and everything in between. With Halloween now upon us under a new Twilight moon, with fans sinking their teeth into all things Twilight Saga and stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, TheDeadbolt has put together a list of 10 Twilight inspired vampire movies to celebrate the yearly All Hallows Eve.

Put on your garlic necklace, grab your wooden stakes and climb aboard the batwings of The Deadbolt’s Twilight inspired vampire ride.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

It’s hard to say that the Twilight Saga cast can compete with the actors of Interview with a Vampire. Starring Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and Kirsten Dunst, Interview with the Vampire reads as a Hollywood A-list who’s who. Some say its casting may have hindered the success and execution of Interview with a Vampire. Others say the overhype of the adaptation of a brilliantly written 1976 novel by Anne Rice, drove a stake in Interview with a Vampire before it hit theaters. If there was one vampire adaptation that could have blown Twilight off the map in terms of potential, it was Interview with a Vampire.

But you can’t completely discount the movie given its rich vampire story and characters. Tom Cruise’s, Lestat takes a bit of a back seat to Brad Pitt’s Louis de Pointe de Lac. Anne Rice was initially put off by the casting of Cruise as her Lestat, but later warmed up once she saw his performance. Allow yourself to get swept away into the tragic, historical mythology of the vampire.

The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

If Twilight was made in the ‘60s LSD era, it may look something like The Lair of the White Worm. This is one f**ked up vampire movie! Intriguing and surreal, The Lair of the White Worm is a hallucinogenic campy art piece of blood, sex, serpents and a sexy vampiress that we couldn’t help but include in our list. It’s a real vampire trip, to say the least.

As far as vampire films go, The Lair of the White Worm is kind of like a car crash where you can’t look away.

Starring a very early Hugh Grant with the stunning Catherine Oxenberg and Amanda Donahoe, The Lair of the White Worm is based on a lesser known novel by Dracula author Bram Stoker. It’s an erotic, naughty indulgence. How else can you describe a film about a serpent of legend who must feed on virgins. Serpent, virgin, hmm … It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.

Salem’s Lot (1979)

Long before Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight Saga there was (and is) Stephen King, the master of horror, who penned Salem’s Lot. Like many of King’s stories, Salem’s Lot made its way to the small screen in a TV miniseries where historical vampire activity took place in Salem’s Lot, Maine, the spooky state setting of many Stephen King classics.

Who can forget that foggy scene outside the boy’s bedroom window and the spine tingling fingernails scratching at the glass to get inside? Although Twilight and New Moon fans love Robert Pattinson, horror fans love the glowing eyed vampire child suspended in mid for completely different reasons.

One could hardly stand the scream, “Don’t open the window!”

Blade (1998)

Blade What happens when a comic book writer sinks his teeth into the vampire genre? No, we’re not talking about the upcoming Twilight comic. Actor Wesley Snipes brought Blade to life as a superhero vampire killer on a mission to save the mortals. Killing vampires left and right with a battery of cool weaponry that included a shotgun, silver stake, fire, and a sword, Blade is a total departure from the historical vampire lore of death only by a wooden stake through the heart.

Written by screenwriter and comic book writer David Goyer, Blade is an action thriller vampire ride that will leave you pumping your fists instead of covering your eyes in fright. Big bucks were made from Blade, spawning Blade 2 and Blade Trinity, however our superhero Snipes couldn’t dodge the silver stake of the taxman in real life. Kinda gives new meaning to the famous Franklin quote, “Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

The Hunger (1983)

Can you imagine what a Twilight movie would be like if Tony Scott was behind the camera? Twilight Saga fans would have a romantic love triangle vampire movie that would be like Top Gun meets True Romance meets Twilight. Or you’d have a vampire movie like The Hunger.

Directed by Scott and starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie and Susan Sarandon who was also in the cult horror classic Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunger centered on a centuries old Egyptian vampire (Deneuve ) who, along with lover John (Bowie), prey on New York clubbers to satisfy their thirst for lust and blood.

Interestingly, Tony Scott was originally on tap to direct Interview with a Vampire.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Can you imagine if the Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart characters, Edward and Bella of Twilight and New Moon, found themselves wandering through the creepy Tex Mex setting in From Dusk Till Dawn? It would probably be the end of the young Twilight couple. From Dusk Till Dawn has been coined a "pulp" vampire movie, which makes perfect sense as it was co-written by the Pulp Fiction master himself, Quentin Tarantino, who also stars in the film opposite George Clooney.

A cult classic vampire ride was born when writer Tarantino and director Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Desperado) joined vampire forces. Fugitive brothers Seth Gecko (Clooney) and his brother Richard (Tarrantino) escape to Mexico after a bloodbath robbery in Texas. Their meeting place is a gritty bar called the Titty Twister where they must survive until dawn in the vampire infested establishment.

Even if Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart looked at George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino and said, "You, be Twilight cool," Bella and Edward wouldn’t stand a chance.

Twilight (2008)

Given the romantic elements of Twilight, it’s kind of weird to think of watching Twilight in the traditional sense of a Halloween vampire movie. But author Stephenie Meyer brings teen angst into the cinematic vampire world with the Twilight relationship between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, played by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. There’s no disputing that Twilight vaulted vampires back into the cinematic stratosphere, with a massive cult following that has almost become a religion. Call it vampirism. Call it pop culture. Call it Twilight-ism. Call it whatever you want. Twilight Saga teens are sucking up all things Twilight by the gallons. Given the success of Twilight and the hunger for New moon, the Twilight Saga is sure to capture the hearts of vampire lovers for a Twilight eternity. Who can’t relate to the alienation felt by a teen just trying to fit in the modern world? Enter Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) who leaves her mother’s home in Phoenix, Arizona for small town Forks, Washington to live with her father. At her new school, she quickly becomes mystified and intrigued by the sultry, smoldering Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Interestingly, Pattinson plays our never aging teen vampire who’s actually 108. Pretty tasty for 108, I’d say. Bite me, Edward Cullen, bite me please. Especially on Halloween.

Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu takes the number one spot on a lot of vampire film lists, and rightfully so. I saw this film on 16 mm in a film history class and was immediately mesmerized by the bleak imagery. Although the Twilight Saga is at the modern end of the vampire spectrum, why would you ever want to see a colorized version of Nosferatu?

Unlike the sexy, slick-backed widow’s peaked, eye-teeth fanged vampire versions of later films, the black and white medium and a creepy bald vampire with rat-like fangs made for an ultra spooky creeper of the night.

F.W. Murnau’s silent German classic set the bar for all vampire films to come. With Max Schreck in the role of the Count, Schreck himself became a mystery after Nosferatu and was later portrayed by Willem Dafoe in Shadow of the Vampire (2000).

The Lost Boys (1987)

The Lost Boys was the Twilight of the ‘80’s, with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman (more recently known as The Two Coreys). In The Lost Boys, budding heartthrob Kiefer Sutherland was a vampire long before he was government agent Jack Bauer in 24. With their mother post-divorce, Mike (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim) move to a town inhabited by a gang of biker vampires led by gang leader Michael (Kiefer Sutherland).

The only way to save his brother and mother from an evil vampire fate is for Sam to team up with vampire hunters to kill the head bloodsucker. Vampire lovers who grew up in the ‘80s still talk about The Lost Boys today and its one of the defining films in the young careers of all three of its stars.

Dracula (1931)

“The bats have left the belltower, the victims have been bled” – Bauhaus

The Bauhaus goth anthem “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” pays tribute to the iconic vampire of the black and white horror genre. Under the make-up and wardrobe of the legendary widow’s peak, cape and fanged eye teeth of the iconic Dracula is where the legendary Bela Lugosi made his mark.

Like the Coca Cola Santa Claus, Bela Lugosi became the personification of Dracula in the post Nosferatu era. For Twilight fans looking to go back in time to see where Dracula first took flight on the big screen in traditional form, the early black and white Dracula is a must see.

Happy Halloween and good eeeeeveeeening!

-- Alison Cox