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Vampires, vampires, everywhere! Our fanged favorites from television and film
We have nothing but love for these bloodsuckers.
Vampires come in many different flavors. There are the dark brooding ones, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Angel, and there are the anciently evil ones, like Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. There are even the very funny ones, such as Laszlo and Colin Robinson from What We Do In The Shadows.
Whatever your preferences, there’s likely a vampire out there for you. And, there are always new vampires for fans to sink their (metaphorical) teeth into. This month marks the premiere of Vampire Academy and Reginald The Vampire on Peacock and SYFY, respectively. Before the coffin gets too crowded, SYFY WIRE put together a list of some of the favorite vampires we’ve seen on screen to date.
Spike (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Angel — Buffy’s first vampiric boyfriend on Buffy The Vampire Slayer — gets a lot of deserved attention in the vampire space. Spike, however — the bad boy vampire who ultimately also has a romantic thing with Buffy, has quite the journey of his own over both Buffy and its spinoff show, Angel. Spike is rough around the edges, to say the least. But that only makes his journey of falling in love with Buffy, working to reaquire his soul to prove himself, and then subsequently sacrificing himself only to be resurrected as a ghost all the more admirable.
Colin Robinson (What We Do In The Shadows)
There are vampires out there that suck things other than blood, and What We Do In The Shadows’ Colin Robinson is the paragon of the non-blood-sucking kind. Colin is an Energy Vampire, a being that sucks the energy out of any situation he finds himself in. You know that co-worker who bores you with inane stories about his day? He, like Colin, might be an energy vampire.
The Count (Sesame Street)
How much do we love this Muppet? Let us count the ways!
The Count was one of the first vampires you were likely introduced to, and undoubtedly one of the best. The Sesame Street character doesn’t seem to be into blood much, though his passion for numbers is quite contagious. If you love anything as much as The Count loves numbers, life is going well for you.
Edward Cullen (The Twilight Saga)
Edward Cullen’s sparkling skin and brooding eyes enthralled millions of Twi-hards, including Taylor Swift! While the Twilight craze has eased in recent years, Edward’s undying love for Bella is something that will live on in the hearts of many forever.
Dracula (Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
We’ve seen several renditions of Dracula on the big and small screens, and Gary Oldman’s performance as the titular character in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one that deserves all the accolades. Dracula here as all the traits we want in the iconic creature of the night — a little bit of strangeness, a lot of intensity, and more than a little bit of sexual allure. He is one of the most well-known vampires out there, and his popularity is well-earned.
Selene (Underworld)
Selene is a centuries-old vampire who, in the beginning of the Underworld films, is in a fight against the wolfish Lycans who she believes killed her family. She’s tough and not afraid to face hard truths, even if it means turning against those who you’ve trusted for centuries.
Eric Northman (True Blood)
How could one not love a Viking vampire? A Viking vampire that runs a nightclub called Fangtasia, no less? Eric’s 6’4” frame towers over the other fanged folk on the show, and his insidiously charismatic ways make him stand out in True Blood in more ways than one.
David (The Lost Boys)
The Lost Boys was the first vampire film or television show to really focus on the angst of being a teen. While the movie is far from its teenage years (it just celebrated its 35th anniversary), you can still see its impact today in shows from Buffy to the Vampire Diaries. David was the leader of the vampiric biker gang in the film, and was one of the first to show that undead bloodsucking monsters can look cool while cruising around on a murdering spree.
Caroline Forbes (Vampire Diaries)
Caroline didn’t choose to become a vampire, but the former head of the high school cheerleading squad comes to terms with her vampiric nature and all the drama that comes with it. Her transformation over the series is also compelling, and you can’t help but route for her as anything and everything goes wrong.
Barnabas Collins (Dark Shadows)
Barnabas Collins is one of the vampires that resides in the town of Collinsport, Maine, and while he was both a help and a hindrance to his family members, he was always entertaining. Over the course of the 1966 soap opera Dark Shadows, we saw Barnabas travel through time and become involved in myriad high drama plots that included every supernatural trope you can think of — an inspiring accomplishment that few other vampires can match.
Matthew Goode (A Discovery of Witches)
It’s hard to resist a vampire who is also an Oxford professor. A Discovery of Witches’ Matthew Goode is just such a vampire. He’s also a vampire who really enjoys an exquisite glass of wine. We could watch him guzzle pinot noir all day, every day.
Looking for more vampiric action? The first season of Vampire Academy is now streaming on Peacock with new episodes dropping weekly, and SYFY’s Reginald the Vampire premieres on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
