'80s horror is defined by camp, gory practical effects, and comedic undertones. The decade popularized the slasher, but it also played around with classic creatures like werewolves, aliens, and vampires. Bloodsuckers have been a staple of the genre since Bram Stoker wrote his 1897 gothic masterpiece, Dracula.
1979's Salem's Lot, adapted from the Stephen King novel, set the tone for '80s cinematic explorations of vampirism. From the hipster vamps in The Lost Boys to the animated, undead titular killer in Vampire Hunter D, the '80s contributed multiple cult features to the vampire subgenre. The rise of VHS culture contributed to the lasting influence of these films, directed by both horror icons and Oscar-winning filmmakers.
Lifeforce (1985) - 60%
Based on the aptly-titled novel The Space Vampires, Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame joined up with writer Dan O'Bannon (known for penning the original Alien) to make this cult classic. In the film, a space crew stumbles upon a massive ship while investigating Halley's Comet.
The crew returns to Earth with a bat-like creature and three comatose humanoids from the ship, who all turn out to be members of a vicious species of intergalactic bloodsuckers. The vamps are set loose in London, where they turn people into zombies.
Waxwork (1988) - 60%
A prime example of '80s horror-comedy, Waxwork follows a group of high school students who find themselves in a mysterious wax museum. Inside the museum, the stock wax figurines from classic horror stories come to life.
One of the characters, China, stumbles into Count Dracula's gothic castle, where she's attacked by the infamous vampire's undead brides. Other classic monsters in the film include werewolves, zombies, the Mummy, Jack the Ripper, and the Phantom of the Opera.
Vampire's Kiss (1989) - 61%
Nicolas Cage stars in this bizarre black comedy about a literary agent who becomes afflicted about being seduced and bitten by a female vampire. Cage's character Peter meets Jennifer Beals' Rachel at a night club. Peter, convinced he is transforming into a vampire, begins to lose his already tenuous grasp on reality.
Rachel visits Peter night after night, continuing to feed on him. Meanwhile, Peter tries to act like a vampire, even buying fake vampire teeth when he doesn't grow fangs. Vampire's Kiss is chock-full of the requisite Nicolas Cage freak-outs that make the actor so iconic.
The Monster Squad (1987) - 64%
Director Fred Dekker updates the Universal Monsters for '80s audiences in The Monster Squad. Led by Count Dracula, the supernatural crew return to Earth, where a group of monster-hunting kids pledges to keep them from destroying the planet.
Dracula is joined by Frankenstein's monster, Wolf Man, Gill-man, and the Mummy. As it goes with Count Dracula, the fearless vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing isn't far behind. Despite being a box office bomb, The Monster Squad went on to become a cult classic thanks to its VHS release.
The Lair Of The White Worm (1988) - 65%
Ken Russell's surreal horror film is based on the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, published in 1911. Set in a remote part of England, The Lair of the White Worm takes the vampire legend into new, occult territory.
Dr. Who's Peter Capaldi plays Angus Flint, an archaeology student investigating a local legend about an ancient snake, while Hugh Grant co-stars as owner of a local manor, Stonerich Cavern. Vampire-like creatures, pagan god worship, and sojourns through bucolic landscapes ensue.
The Monster Club (1980) - 75%
An anthology film, The Monster Club's narrator is none other than Vincent Price. Price plays a vampire named Erasmus who attacks a fictionalized version of British horror author R. Chetwynd-Hayes, played by John Carradine. After sucking on the author's blood, Erasmus invites him to a special club for supernatural creatures.
Erasmus then shares three stories based on works by the real R. Chetwynd-Hayes, one of which features a group of vampires. In the short, Donald Pleasence plays an undead vampire killer who stalks a family of bloodsuckers.
The Lost Boys (1987) - 78%
Joel Schumacher's teen vampire drama turned out to be one of the more popular mainstream horror movies of the '80s. With its attractive cast, angsty supernatural battles, and illicit romance, The Lost Boys spawned a franchise.
Jason Patric and Corey Haim play brothers who move to a new town, a town overrun by a vampire gang led by Kiefer Sutherland. Haim's character Sam teams up with Corey Feldman's Edgar in order to keep the vamps from killing everyone in town.
Vampire Hunter D (1985) - 78%
Vampire Hunter D is a seminal animated feature film from Japanese director Toyoo Ashida. Based on the light novel series of the same name, the film tells the story of a girl bitten by a vampire, who requests the help of a vampire hunter to help her kill the source of her infection.
The movie is set in a dystopian far-off future of 12,090 AD. After a nuclear holocaust, the titular half-vampire, half-human main character is tasked with killing a 10,000-year-old vampire known as Count Lee.
Near Dark (1987) - 87%
Before directing her Oscar-winning film Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow directed this western vampire story. Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Jenny Wright play a trio of nomadic vampires at the center of the film's action.
Wright's character Mae meets a young man, Caleb, and bites him at the end of their night together, turning him into a vampire. Caleb is forced to join the bloodsucking gang, embarking on a journey full of bloodshed, carnage, and endless hunger. While it wasn't as popular theatrically as The Lost Boys, also released in the same year, Near Dark developed a cult following with time.
Fright Night (1985) - 91%
17-year-old Charley Brewster is a horror-obsessed teen who believes his attractive new neighbor is a vampire. Chris Sarandon plays the neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, who is exactly what Charley believes he is. Dandrige goes after Charley when the vampire realizes the young man hopes to kill him.
Charley brings together a ragtag group of vampire hunters to defeat Dandrige once and for all. Fright Night is a fun, entertaining film that pays homage to genre buffs.