Abraham Van Helsing is the first real vampire hunter in modern literary history, brought to life by Bram Stoker in his 1897 gothic masterpiece Dracula. In the cinematic world of vampires, almost every fanged ghoul lives in fear of the vampire hunter one or two steps behind them.
In horror movies, vampire hunters come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them are much better than others at getting the job done. For those with blood-sucking, night-stalking tendencies, half of the supernatural annihilators below are formidable opponents; the other half not so much.
Best: Blade In Blade (1998)
Wesley Snipes brings Marvel comic book character Blade to life with style and charisma. A half-vampire himself, few are better equipped to eliminate rogue vamps than this gothy daywalker. Not only is Blade skilled in martial arts, but he works with his mentor Abraham Whistler to develop state-of-the-art weapons that destroy vampires.
In the first Blade film, the title hero battles against a young, ambitious bloodsucker named Deacon Frost, played by Stephen Dorff. Frost wants to end the human race. Frost has many tools and tricks on his side, but he ends up being no match to the fearless vampire killer.
Worst: Jack Cutter In Night Hunter (1996)
This cheesy erotic horror movie interlaced with poorly-executed action sequences stars martial artist Don "Dragon" Wilson as Jack Cutter, the last in a long line of vampire hunters. This reluctant hero is recruited by the LAPD to help them squash a vampire uprising.
Cutter uses his kickboxing and gun-yielding skills to wage war, but he ends up with a giant target on his back after he kills a few vampires. Soon, he has a legion of nightwalkers after him.
Best: Edgar Frog And Sam Emerson In The Lost Boys (1987)
Corey Feldman and Corey Haim were a big deal in the '80s, and they make an excellent vampire-hunting team in Joel Schumacher's cult classic. After Haim's character Sam moves with his older brother and recently divorced mom, he soon realizes his new sleepy California town becomes a hunting ground for vampires by night.
He joins forces with Feldman's character Edgar and his brother Alan, the local vampire hunters who are trying to eliminate the motorcycle-riding, blood-sucking gang led by Keifer Sutherland's character David. The teens manage to set up a series of traps and end their enemies.
Worst: Abraham Lincoln In Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
In the sea of historical revisionism that occupies a good portion of popular cinematic creations, few movies come close to being on par with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Benjamin Walker plays the 16th president, a secret vampire hunter whose rise in political prominence is apparently tied to his supernatural legacy.
As the Civil War wages on, the oldest vampire, 5,000-year-old Adam, engages in an underground war against humans. This goofy film takes itself way too seriously, and it tries to make highfalutin statements about slavery and racial oppression that fall flat.
Best: General Spielsdorf In The Vampire Lovers (1972)
This British Hammer production stars Peter Cushing as a 19th-century Austrian general whose young daughter falls under the seductive trance of a female vampire. The vampire, Marcilla, played by Ingrid Pitt, moves on to a new family after she takes what she wants from the general's daughter, Laura.
Marcilla assumes a new name, Carmilla, and preys upon a girl named Emma. However, Cushing's character, General Spielsdorf, tracks Marcilla down, aided by a vampire hunter named Baron Hartog. The general drives a stake through the vampire's heart and then decapitates her for good measure.
Worst: Jesus In Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)
In this laughable cult movie, Jesus is tasked with saving Canadian lesbians from vampires. He hustles through the streets of Ottawa with a sidekick: Mexican wrestler El Santo.
The only film on this list to include singing, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter is a delusional musical that incorporates every genre imaginable. Jesus may be an iconic character, but he's no vampire hunter.
Best: Van Helsing In Dracula (1931)
Bela Lugosi made Count Dracula a charismatic character in this 1931 feature, but actor Edward Van Sloan also deserves recognition for his compelling portrayal of Van Helsing.
Character actor Van Sloan makes Van Helsing an entertaining and layered character, a knowledgable foe to his much older opponent. He applies the now-stereotypical tricks of the trade to end Dracula's reign of terror, slamming a stake through the vampire's heart with precision.
Worst: Connor In Vampires: The Turning (2005)
When a young American couple vacations in Thailand, they find themselves on the menu. An old chain of vampires who feast on blood, known in Thai as jai tham, kidnap the woman, Amanda, in order to feed on her. The ancient vamp in the middle of the action, Niran, is pursued by Amanda's boyfriend Connor.
Connor, played by Colin Egglesfield, just so happens to be skilled in Muay Thai, and he uses his abilities to rescue his girl from her exotic captors. A medley of appropriated Thai beliefs and classic horror tropes, Vampires: The Turning is a real dud.
Best: Katherine Fuller In From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
In this gruesome and trashy vampire flick from Robert Rodriguez, Juliette Lewis plays the insurmountable final girl Kate. After the criminal Gecko brothers hijack her family's RV, the troupe is forced to travel to Mexico. They arrive at a bar, aptly titled the Titty Twister, only to discover it's a feeding group for ugly vampires.
Kate and Seth Gecko, played by George Clooney, end up the only survivors of the night. Kate's innocent appearance and naive attitude disguises her fighting talents, and she slaughters quite a few bloodsuckers.
Worst: Derek Bliss In Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
Thank Tommy Lee Wallace for Jon Bon Jovi's brief stint as a vampire hunter. Wallace, a writer and director associated with John Carpenter, cast this hair metal veteran as a jaded stake-yielder named Derek Bliss. A sequel to 1998's Vampires, Wallace's movie features new characters and scenarios.
Bliss is tasked with jobs by the Van Helsing Group, and he accepts a gig in Mexico, where he teams up with a priest named Father Rodrigo. A poorly-made tale of vampire princesses and Catholicism ensues.