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![The Vampire Diaries]()
Hollywood's long-term love affair with vampires has spilled over into television, leading to several well known vampire-themed TV shows. The newest in The CW's "Vampire Diaries," a teen drama about the growing pains of vampires living in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.![Bela Lugosi as Dracula]()
In the 1931 Universal pictures film "Dracula," Bela Lugosi starred in one of the most famous depictions of the blood-sucking villain.![Kate Beckinsale in Underworld]()
Six years before Bella and Edward fell in love in 'Twilight,' another human-vampire romance was kindled in 2003's 'Underworld.' In the movie -- given a big thumbs down from many critics -- Kate Beckensale plays a death dealing vampire, ready to avenge an ancient grudge against the Lycans, a werewolf clan. However, an attraction to a human completely derails the plan. To complicate matters, the human eventually becomes becomes a werewolf ... and later a vampire. Kate changes her life-long dream to kill the Lycans and ends up killing her elder vampire to save the human. Naturally, she and and her hybrid vampire-werewolf human run off in the moonlight to live a vampire-y life together and perhaps have vampire-human-werewolf babies together. (And you thought Bella had it bad.)![Shadow of Nosferatu]()
The Shadow of Count Orlock in the film Nosferatu, from 1922. The film was in essence an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's defining book "Dracula," with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel.![Elena Anaya in Van Helsing]()
Why was Kate Beckinsale typecast in vampire movies in the past decade? We don't have the answer, but a year after her performance in 'Underworld,' Beckinsale switched sides and teamed up with Hugh Jackman to fight vampires in yet another ancient grudge. Beckinsale plays Anna Valerious, the last member of her family who was destined to kill Dracula. Past generations of her family failed, and are waiting in Purgatory until the vampire is killed. The photo pictured shows Elena Anaya playing Aleera, a vampire that Anna is trying to defeat. The movie is a semi-family reunion for all of history's misfits -- a little Frankenstein, werewolves and of course Dracula. Does little Anna Valerious, with her barely 125-pound body, end up killing immortal Dracula? Well, this is Hollywood folks ... we'll let you decide.![Catherine Deneuve in The Hunger]()
The David Bowie / Susan Sarandon / Catherine Deneuve film "The Hunger," released in 1980, is more well known as a sexy film than as a vampire film. The films follows an ancient Egyptian vampire in a love story that crosses the ages. The film was based on a book of the same name by Whitley Strieber, who went on to write "Communion" about his experience being abducted by an alien.![Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing]()
Hugh Jackman plays the legendary monster hunter in the 2004 flick 'Van Helsing' -- a much more believable vampire killer than little Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Armed with several anti-vampire weapons, like a gas-powered crossbow (whatever happened to garlic and crucifixes, we don't know), Van Helsing sets forth to help pretty Anna Valerious kill Dracula. Along the way he finds the reclusive Frankenstein, discovers he's actually the left hand of God, and also a werewolf. All in a day's work.![Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula]()
Love never dies, proclaims this movie's tagline. Gary Oldman plays Count Dracula in the 1992 box office hit that spawned a board game, comic books, and action figures. What's an old, decrepit, heart-broken vampire to do when he thinks he's found the reincarnation of his dead wife? He follows her around the world, convinces her she loves him, and, naturally, makes her a vampire. In a cheesy love-conquers-all ending, Dracula's love kills him so he can go to heaven with his wife. Dracula in heaven seems a bit far-fetched ... more so than werewolves and demons.![Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire]()
If Casper was the friendly ghost, Brad Pitt was certainly the friendly vampire. Well, compared to the demonic vampire-child and his vampire mentor, he seemed to be. Brad Pitt plays Louis in the 1994 hit 'Interview With a Vampire.' He becomes a vampire after mourning the loss of his wife and child. After becoming an eternal soul, he rebels against hurting humans and drinks animal blood instead. But he succumbs to his natural ways and drinks the blood of a few humans along the way, including a child he takes as a daughter, and a woman he takes as a replacement mom for her.![Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire]()
Tom Cruise plays the evil vampire Lestat in the 1994 hit 'Interview With a Vampire.' In it, he bites the lead character Louis' neck after he suffers the death of his wife and child. Together, they become partners in crime in the vampire world -- until Lestat's evil ways and Louis' nice ones conflict. The movie is centered behind Louis' modern-day interview with a reporter who later asks to become a vampire. Since Louis refuses, Lestat arrives in the nick of time to tend to his evil ways and bite the man, invigorating the vampire to continue living.![Buffy the Vampire Slayer]()
Just another day in a typical teenage life -- shopping, prom and of course, slaying vampires. In this long-running television series, Buffy becomes the chosen vampire slayer for her town Sunnydale, a vortex of evil creatures and supernatural phenomena. Buffy dates her beloved vampire Angel, in yet another pre-dated 'Twilight' romance on and off throughout the series. Throw in a fast-food job, going to class, blowing up the high school and being resurrected, and you've got yourself a teen hit show.![Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer]()
Angel, Buffy's star-crossed vampire lover, got his own spin-off show in 1999. After a century of murder and torture of humans, Angel is transformed into a human by gypsies. His soul torments him with guilt and remorse, but he works to help others who have lost their souls to demons. (The show did well with ratings -- but most will agree they liked Angel better as a vampire.)![Robert Pattinson]()
Edward Cullen becomes a vampire to escape the Spanish influenza in 1918 after it claims the life of his family and everyone he knows. He grows up under the care of his adopted father, Dr. Cullen, who first drank his blood to save him from the plague. Edward, like Dr. Cullen, feeds on animal blood -- and resists temptation to drink a human's until he meets Bella, his high school mate. Forever 17 years old, he resists the smell of Bella's blood and falls in love ... just in time for the Twilight sequel, 'New Moon.'![New Moon]()
Jamie Campbell Bower takes a turn as Caius in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.![Dakota Fanning in New Moon]()
Sweet child actress Dakota Fanning turns the tables and becomes frightening 'Jane,' a high-ranking guard in the Italian royal family of vampires. Jane is responsible for keeping their kind a secret and has the ability to fire excruciating pain through a person's veins, comparable to a vampire's venom.![Wesley Snipes in Blade]()
Wesley Snipes takes the lead in the Blade series of films, based on a character from Marvel comics.![Dead and Loving It]()
Released in 1995, the Mel Brooks comedy "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" starred Leslie Nielsen as a bumbling vampire. Despite Hollywood's long term love affair with vampires, the public received the movie poorly; it rated only a 9% on the popular Internet movie website Rotten Tomatoes.Hollywood's Best Bloodsuckers
Mosquitos, the pesky vampires of the insect world have nothing on these guys. Here are the most vicious vampires Hollywood has to offer -- and their foes, the fearless vampire slayers.
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- Hollywood's Best Bloodsuckers
