1) Horror of Dracula (1958): Not only is this the best vampire film ever made, it may be the best horror film ever made. A clever reworking of the Dracula legend that still stays faithful to the original novel, this movie has THE classic performance by Christopher Lee as the Master of the Undead. Plenty of shocks, lots of sex appeal, and one of the great endings in cinema history, ‘Horror’ has it all. Truly a masterpiece.

2) Nosferatu (1922): A completely different take on the Dracula legend, Max Schreck’s performance still qualifies as the scariest ever put on film. F.W. Murnau was one of the cinema’s greatest directors, and this movie, a tour-de-force of lighting and camera trickery made during the height of German Expressionism, proves why. Like ‘Horror of Dracula,’ this is one of cinema’s true landmarks.

3) Vampire Circus (1972): A ‘baroque’ take on the vampire mythos produced during Hammer’s waning years, ‘Circus’ stands out as one of the most unique films in vampire cinema. The opening sequence alone, approximately eight minutes of decadence and brutality, are stunning. Surprisingly enough, the film manages to sustain its bizarre and twisted mood throughout the film. The result is one visit to the local carnival you’ll never forget!

4) Fright Night (1985): Simply put, this is the funniest vampire movie ever made. The film’s balance of humor and horror, along with a clever twist on crosses as protection against vampires ("You have to believe!"), succeed in bringing freshness to a genre that was dying thanks to the influx of post-"Friday the 13th" slasher films. Great performances all around add to the fun, making ‘Fright’ arguably the best vampire movie of the 80s.

5) Brides of Dracula (1960): Leave it to Hammer’s most reliable director, Terence Fisher, to come up with a sequel to ‘Horror of Dracula’ that a) doesn’t even have Dracula in it, yet b) almost manages to top its predecessor! For those in doubt, check out Van Helsing’s solution to eradicating the vampire’s bite. This sequence, along with the windmill climax, prove why nobody made vampirism as fun as Hammer.

6) Near Dark (1987): The other candidate for best vampire film of the 80s. Written by Eric (The Hitcher) Red and directed by Kathryn (Strange Days) Bigelow, this film comes on like a steam train and never lets up. Not for the faint of heart.

7) Martin (1977): Set against a backdrop of dysfunctional adolescence, the brutally realistic tone of ‘Martin’ brought a grittiness to the vampire mythos that had never been seen before. Wholly unique and containing some amazing early work by a pre-’Dawn of the Dead’ Tom Savini, ‘Martin’ may be the best vampire film to utilize a contemporary setting.

8) Vampyr (1932): Another one of cinema’s great masterpieces, ‘Vampyr’ is equal parts dream, hallucination, and nightmare. Although a bit ‘arty’ for some, the mood, atmosphere and cinematography of Carl Dreyer’s film is unequaled. Unlike Hammer’s later entries (or even Lugosi’s earlier interpretation), vampirism in the film is treated as anything BUT sexy. The film’s death imagery also brings home the message clearly: being a vampire sucks.

9) The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967): The other ‘funny’ vampire film, one too often neglected as a minor Polanski effort. Wrong. ‘Fearless’ works so well, because the filmmaker understands the genre he’s lampooning. This allows Polanski to turn vampire conventions on their head and push the laughter to the limit. Makes a great double feature with ‘Fright Night.’

10) Daughters of Darkness (1971): This is an intriguing (and again, somewhat ‘arty’) take on the Countess Elizabeth Bathory legend. Highly erotic and lushly photographed, ‘Daughters’ is an prime example of the ‘Euro-horror’ vampire film. Watch this one with a friend. For the truly adventurous, throw in ‘The Hunger’ (1983) for the perfect double [entendre] feature.