The sexy heirs of Dracula

More fascinating than ever - the very old vampire-myth. Since the ancient world there is the popular believe of bloodthirsty undeads. They crawl out of their tombs during the night, but only because of the 1897 published novel 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker they became like media-stars. Stokers definition of a vampire is that they drink blood, human blood, with help of their long spikey fangs. That's why they can life forever, and they can change their victims to vampires, too. You can fight a vampire by using garlic, crosses and sunlight - also these methodes are most totally irrelevant in the most of the new published books. For example the heroes from Twilight are a new kind of bloodsuckers. But the heirs of Nosferatu and Co. love to eat up people ...

Here is a timeline of vampire-movies from it's startings to now. The range of the beloved horror-beings runs from snarling demons over seduceing bloodsuckers to lovesick immortals.


1922: Nosferatu
The beginning of horror. Friedrich W. Murnaus classic silent movie staring Max Schreck to be Count Orlok.

1931: Dracula
Bela Lugosi, the man who got buried in a dracula-costume is king of all vampires.

1931: Vampyr
Director Carl Theodor Dreyer did an expressionistic horror-event.

1958: Dracula
Glaring eyes, laszive elegance: Sir Christopher Lee formed the dark count like nobody else.

1967: Dracula in Pakistan
Also in the islamistic world there'd been undeads, like this trash-gem shows us.

1967: Dance of the Vampires
Roman Polanskis farce who brought us the first gay-vampire: Herbert.

1968: Goke
An alien parasite changes terrorists to a blood-needing monster. Strange japanese movie.

1971: Vampyros Lesbos
Naked version of the Dracula-theme by Jess Franco.

1972: Blacula
An Afro-american blood-sucker.

1974: Andy Warhols Dracula
Psychadelic Vampires by Paul Morrissey with Udo Kier.

1974: The Seven Golden Vampires
Very crazy martial arts-horror-mix.

1976: Dracula pére et fils
In this smug parodie the count has trouble with his all too human son.

1979: Nosferatu
Brilliant Klaus Kinski got fangs in Werner Herzogs remake - very great vibes here.

1979: Graf Dracula in Oberbayern
Vampire in the alps - thankfully not with bavarian style leather trousers.

1985: Fright Night
Horror and comedy with great special effects.

1986: Vamp
Cult movie with Grace Jones.

1987: Lost Boys
In this 80th hit Kiefer Sutherland is leader of a gang of undead rowdys.

1992: Bram Stokers Dracula
Francis Ford Coppola created an tragic undead antihero - played by a phantastic Gary Oldman.

1994: Interview with a vampire
Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in quillings-shirts - adaption of the great Anne Rice book.

1995: Vampires in Brooklyn
Eddie Murphys comedy-movie is located in New York and was a big flop.

1996: From Dusk Till Dawn
'Everybody be cool': George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino did party in the vampire-conterminated club Titty Twister.

1996: Vampirella
Moderate comic-adaption with a not much dressed girl-vampire.

1997: Buffy
Sarah M. Gellar brought the vampires to TV - funny and phantastic.

1998:Blade
Wesley Snipes as grim Daywalker - half vampire, half human.

1998: John Carpenters Vampires
James Woods is brilliant as cynical stalker in this horror-western.

2000: Shadow of the Vampire
Wille Dafoe payes Murnaus 'Nosferatu' respect in this movie-in-movie-movie.

2000: The little vampire
Nice movie-adaption of Angela Sommer-Bodenburgs books, but not as good as the TV series from 1986.

2002: Queen of the Damned
Dubious Anne Rice book adaption with Aaliyah.

2003: Underworld
Sex sells: Kate Beckinsale between vampires and werewolfes in a skintight latex.

2004: Van Helsing
Gigantic budget - 160 Mio $ - but not successfull.

2005: Trinity Blood
This Animee answers the question if humans and vamps can live next to each other.

2007: Rise: Blood Hunter
Lucy Liu takes revenge at her makers.

2007: 30 Days of Nights
Great comic-adaption about a cohort of bloodsuckers which got a human-buffet in a 30 days dark polar town.

2008: Twilight
The vampire-hystery got it's start with this first adaption of Stephenie Meyers bestseller books about Bella Swan.

2008: True Blood
HBO and Alan Ball made a very great and stylish series - based on Charlaine Harris books.

2009: Vampire Diaries
The newest TV series based on a book series (this time from L.J. Smith), about a girl who is in love with a vampire.

2009: New Moon
Second movie ot the 'Twilight' series ... the hystery wents on and on and on


Next to all of this there had also been psychopaths, girlies and rebellian kids - just vampires for every taste.
For kids we had The Little Vampire. The adventures of cheeky bloodsucker Rüdiger and his human friend Anton are lovely kids-entertainment at it's best.

For teenies we had Buffy and Angel. The problem to get grown up and humoress heroe-action are the most important of this komplex series. Seven seasons fought Sarah M. Gellar against demons, David Boreanaz as Angel lasted only five seasons.

For grown-ups we had Martin. George A. Romeros cryptically parable of alienation and loneliness is the best for an evening with red-vine.

And for the whole family we had The Munsters. 45 years old but the sitcom with munster-dad Herman and vampire-grandfather is still popular and it lost nothing of it's wonderful comical charme.

Oh, and talking about vampires ... also the sesamestreet had it's own - Count von Count.

And what vampires and supernaturals do we have to expect in 2010? Yes, there will be the 3rd Twilight movie 'Eclipse' and the 3rd season of 'True Blood' - but will Robert Downey Jr. play Lestat in a new movie based on a book by Anne Rice? And what do you think - will Ethan Hawke be a cool and hot bloodsucker in 'Daybreakers'?
Anyway - my upshot: vampires and werewolfs are the new pop-culture! And I love them ... ALL!