The Top 10 Best Vampire Creations in the Media

Welcome to the thirtieth day of my daily October posts! Throughout these next 2-days, I will be posting different spooky fun facts, tricks and treats. Today, I will be ranking the best vampire creations in the media! If you don't agree with any of these ranks, then please let me know your chosen ranks in the comments below!! Enjoy!

10. Novella: The Vampyre (1819) by John William Polidori - I had to add this Novella on this list for one specific reason and that is that this was the first ever vampire story published in the English language. It is specific to vampires and not just monsters that could drink blood from humans—it actually included the term “vampyre”. A little fun fact about this Novella, Lord Byron, who John William Polidori worked underneath, actually published this against Polidori’s wishes, and unfortunately, it was accredited to Lord Byron for many years—much to the dismay of both men. John William Polidori’s life story is brief and quite melancholy however he created such an interesting take on vampires. I definitely recommend you read it and check out my Frankenstein Friday post from earlier in this October series and you can hear a little bit more about the night he created The Vampyre alongside Mary Shelley’s creation of Frankenstein (1818)!

9. Novel: Carmilla (1872) by Sheridan le Fanu - This novel deserves to be on this list as it introduces the first novel based entirely on a female vampire and it is also the novel that brought vampires to Ireland! Carmilla is the first “seductress vampire”. Although unlike in her portrayal in other media creations, such as Carmilla in Castlevania (2017), she is actually more of a magnet to other young women rather than seducing them sexually per se. Sheridan le Fanu, much like Bram Stoker was writing about British colonialism pushing into Ireland at the time without actually saying it to avoid a punishment—by being hanged most likely. Carmilla has inspired many of the seductress female vampire roles such as Rosalie from Twilight (2005) and Katherine from The Vampire Diaries (2009).

8. Film: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012) by Timur Bekmambetov - So this is a rather crazy one to put on this list, but ever since I saw it in theaters, I was surprised by how good this film truly was! Recently, I was talking with my uncle at my nieces birthday party when we came across what we thought the best October films to watch are. To my surprise, he suggested Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. I didn’t know anyone else enjoyed this film as much as I did, but it is a phenomenal film soooooo... I definitely recommend watching it this October! It follows a young Abe Lincoln after losing his mother to a vampire bite as he falls into the footsteps of his rescuer, Henry—who is a vampire hunter. If you would like to watch a movie of historical fiction, focusing on Abe Lincoln becoming a secret vampire hunter, this is definitely the right film for you—and probably the only one as well! 😂

7. Book Series: The Vampire Chronicles (1976) by Anne Rice - I would be surprised if you haven’t heard of any of The Vampire Chronicles stories such as The Vampire Lestat (1985) or Interview with the Vampire (1976). If not, The Vampire Chronicles is a 13-book series created by Anne Rice starting back in 1976 with the novel, Interview with the Vampire. The books follow different stories and confessions of vampires. I can’t say much more without spoiling the series, but I definitely suggest you read them! I recently bought the complete series at Barnes & Noble and I am looking forward to diving into the series once I get a bit of a break from my current projects. Let me know in the comments below if you check the series out and who your favorite characters are! There are also TV shows and movies based off of these books that are just as fascinating.

6. Novel: Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker - We all know that Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the most famous vampire creation to this day! This novel has inspired almost every vampire film, book and TV show created since. I will say now that Dracula is still the most powerful vampire in creation—in my personal opinion! Dracula tackles social and immigration issues that were actually going on in the late 19th-century as well as covers the uncanny valley of the monstrous design of vampires that we have to this day. Films like Nosferatu (1922 and 2024) and TV shows like Castlevania (2017) have also included Dracula imagery within them. I did think I would place Dracula higher on this list, however, there have been so many amazing creations of vampires in the media that I just had to place this one here as a stepping stone for the others!

5. Television Series: What We Do In the Shadows (2019) by Jemaine Clement - This is definitely the funniest vampire media creation on the list! What We Do In the Shadows is one of my favorite television series that follows a group of several different vampires living in Staten Island, New York—near Ashley St. 😉 through a docu-series lens. The interactions are humorous to say the least and the take on vampirism leaves the audience wanting more every single time. I definitely suggest every reader to watch this who has not yet! Ultimately this television series definitely deserves to be within the top five best media creations of vampirism!

4. Novel: The Vampire Tapestry (1980) by Suzy McKee Charnas - I was extremely surprised by this novel! I picked it up recently as I saw glowing reviews from both Stephen King and Guillermo Del Toro about the novel. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! I was actually shocked to discover that I had never heard of this novel before as I have been an avid vampire lover for at least the past decade now. However, I must have not been looking very hard because this is a very—and rightly so, popular novel! The novel follows a professor, who is secretly a vampire as he preys on humans and attempts to discover what he actually is. You’ll have to read it for yourself to find out the rest!

3. Films: Nosferatu (2024) by Robert Eggers & Nosferatu (1922) by F.W. Murnau - An absolute classic and a beautiful re-do of a classic! Nosferatu is a phenomenal representation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, and takes a whole different view on the appearance of Dracula, or Count Orlock—read my post from earlier this week on how Count Orlock got his name! The long fingers with pointed nails, the pointed ears and sharp teeth as well as Count Orlock’s (now) well-known suit have created their own space within the film community. Specifically, the shadow of his hands. This list would not be complete without these two films. Robert Eggers did a phenomenal job capturing the beauty of the time and Lily Rose Depp deserves an award for her phenomenal performance as Ellen.

2. Anime: Castlevania (2017) by Warren Ellis and Adi Shankar - I would say this is the best vampire anime in creation, even though there are plenty of phenomenal ones such as Hellsing (2001) and Vampire Hunter D (2000). Castlevania captures the beauty and horrific mess of a grotesque monster, such as The vampire, but also includes a power scale and relationships between humans and vampires as they exist in the same communities together. If you cannot handle gore, this is not the one for you! The take on bats and vampire hunters is also extremely interesting. This definitely deserves to be in the top two of the best vampire media creations!

1. Film: Sinners (2025) by Ryan Coogler - I actually surprised myself when I put this one at the very top. This film was nothing short of incredible! Every single moment of the film was rich in history, grotesqueness and community. The music was wonderful and the actors were all phenomenal in performance. I enjoyed the take on vampirism and what changes in a person when they fall into their animalistic instincts. It was terrifying and sad, but also beautiful and life-changing within itself. This is one of the best films I’ve ever seen, and I do believe that it deserves to be in the very top spot on this list. 

Honorable mentions:

• Anime: Vampire Knight (2008) by Matsuri Hino - Okayyyyyy this one is just a joke, but if I’m going to be serious, then let me explain this a little bit. Back when I was in middle school and discovering anime for the first time, this was one of my favorite animes—throughout the first season anyway. I loved the cute uniforms and the idea of Yuki fighting for her loved ones and caring for them. However, as soon as the end of season two hit and I discovered the manga, I was absolutely mortified and no longer a fan. Originally the idea of Vampire Knight is interesting, but then it gets all involved with weird stuff, including incest and other crazy things. I don’t actually suggest this one. I will only stand for season one!

• TV Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) by Joss Whedon - One of the most famous vampire portrayals in all of television history, we have Buffy the Vampire Slayer! The 7-season long series from 1997 follows Buffy, a teenage girl who discovers that she is a vampire slayer and has been born to fight darkness and all things evil, as she works through the trajectories of high school. Her battles, alongside her friends, tend to represent different coming-of-age trials in teenage life. It is definitely a fun television series for younger audiences to enjoy!

Let me know in the comments below if there are any vampire creations in the media that you wish I had included! Maybe next year I’ll do a rerun of this if any new vampire creations come out—let me know in the comments if you would like me to. Thank you for reading Vampire Week and make sure to come back tomorrow for the final post of my entire October series!

Sincerely, 

        your 21st century poet <3