Part One of V should really be called “The One With the Vampires” because this one is chock full of vampire films for you to read about. Horror loves vampires, and with 10 horror films on this list today, there is bound to be one for you to watch! 

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) 

Teenager Valerie is on the cusp of womanhood when she receives a pair of earrings. These are no simple earrings either; they allow her to see the world in a different manner, which in a medieval world of vampires and witches is some new manner of seeing things, but lecherous priests are always in danger of ruining your day. 

Suppose you go to Wikipedia to learn a little more about Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. In that case, you are presented with a glorious genre explanation. It goes as follows: Czechoslovak Gothic surrealist coming-of-age psychological dark fantasy horror. Now, I am not one to judge a film for having too much going on, but that is quite the bunch, no? 

What we are given is a beautiful, dreamlike film that loves a tasty bit of symbolism. Visually, we are treated to something that simply cannot bore us, and despite the story not really holding itself together, it is this fairytale-esque world that keeps its grip firmly on us. We are given a film with far more questions than answers, and you know what? You don’t mind it one bit; it is a fantasy horror that allows us to enjoy the wonder of the world it sets itself in. 

Valley of the Zombies (1946) 

Dr Maynard is pissed; blood is continually being stolen from his lab, and this time, 10 pints of it has gone missing. He soon discovers a person who he had committed to a mental institution years prior has been stealing the blood. The only problem is, said thief Ormand Murks died on the operation table. Now an unwilling blood donor, Maynard must find a way out of this hell. 

One of only two non-vampire films on the list today, Valley of the Zombies, is, in fact, closer to a vampire film than a zombie one, considering we have a character who needs human blood to stay alive. Despite the synopsis, this isn’t as nearly as serious as you would think (though a remake that takes a serious route would not be an unthinkable thing). Running at a smash-and-grab 56 minutes, there is so much 1940s B-movie charm crammed into this film that it’s a wonder why they didn’t lengthen the thing out by another 20 minutes. 

For those familiar with cinema history, this Republic Pictures film catered to B-movies through the 1930s-60s. I assume Roger Corman saw their template and thought he could do that, only better. Known for their *ahem* economic productions, they were known to keep things either noir-y, horror or western. As such, they relied heavily on the talents of their actors, and as expected, the cast is the highlight of this enjoyable B-movie, a great, easy watch. 

Vamp (1986) 

Going to college has its stresses; one in America seems to be joining a frat or sorority, which sounds horrific, anyway. Two fresh-faced frat pledges need to get a stripper. They try everywhere and eventually find the sleaziest bar imaginable. There is one problem: the bar is a vampire hangout, and these pledges are in a world of trouble! 

Taking a teen comedy of two young idiots trying to find a stripper for a party and then getting caught up in a horror is a great idea, and in fact, switching the genre, especially a teen comedy and making it something more…Fleshy, is inspired and we need more of it on our screens. Richard Wenk nails the tone of his film. He easily meshes the two genres together to give us a rather delightful romp of a horror that isn’t afraid to let loose on the gore and scares. 

For those who love their 80s, well, you get to fill your boots with this one, from the fashion and style to Grace Jones making an appearance to the jokes thrown around throughout the film. A great tongue-in-cheek film that will give you a good old smile. 

The Vampire (1957) 

Dr Paul Beecher is the type of small-town doctor that you would dream of having, the type of guy who would be all over 1950s Hallmark Channel films, just being a good dude who cares. Sadly for him, one day, he accidentally ingests a pill that he shouldn’t have, giving him a craving for blood. Now, people are dropping like flies, and it’s only time before detectives come knocking. 

A typical 1950s drive-thru movie with a little too much talking interspersed with quick flits of action, The Vampire is a decent little film with a great concept that could be executed just a little better. Aided by the always great John Beal as Dr Beecher and a few other B-movie resident actors who seem like they have been given a chance to really branch out and not give us that stereotypically wooden performance you would expect in a film like this. 

With a great cast, you need some good moments to get the audience even more on your side, and The Vampire does that here and, at the time, takes the vampire film in a new direction and one I wouldn’t mind seeing in a modern twist. (We should be remaking these 1950s films and giving them a proper budget to allow them to flourish, easy money). Having a vampire-esque story told in this manner is an eye-raiser, sure, but it works and certainly keeps things fresh for audiences. Give this one to watch, there is a lot you can get out of it. 

Vampire (1979) 

Anton Voytek has been around for a long time. Long enough, in fact, that he can spend time making Caverns throughout San Francisco to keep his treasures and coffins in. That’s right; he is a good old vampire, but when one of his caverns is opened, the contents are taken by the police thanks to architect John Rawlins, who is building a new complex there. He decides that revenge is best served bloody. 

This could be the only TV movie on the list, and damn if it isn’t one that takes you by surprise with how good it is. Taking an interesting storyline and running with it, Vampire is a delight of a film. Anchored by Jason Miller as our architect, it is Richard Lynch as Voytek who runs away with the show. 

Fun fact: This was actually a TV pilot that never made it to the series. Golly, did we miss out on something dark and wonderful with this one? Luckily, we still get an open feature film to enjoy, but the possibilities of what could have been will linger; we were that close to watching a show about Jason Miller trying to chase down Richard Lynch as a European vampire. Regardless, what we do get is a must-see, even in its current grainy VHS form (unless there is a remastered version out there). 

Vampire Hunter D (1985) 

In the future, the supernatural run the world and Count Magnus Lee has claimed young Doris Lang as his next bride. To get herself out of such a one-sided deal and to remain human, Doris hires the mysterious vampire hunter D to save her. 

Style was the order of the day when Vampire Hunter D was made. What we have here is a gorgeous gothic, post-apocalyptic mystery horror western. Our titular character is very much inspired by Clint Eastwoods Man of No Name from the Dollars Trilogy, only given all of the typical 1980 anime quirks that you would expect. For instance, he has a stenient symbiotic left hand who can natter away to him and also heal him. 

While it has its obvious outlandish moments, what makes the film work as well as it does is that it is resolutely trying to scare you. At times, its brutality can feel overdone, but it perfectly fits the aesthetic that it is aiming for. It remains true to itself despite some of the flaws it has, and you are left in this appreciative stance towards it. Excessive but entertaining. 

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) 

Vampire nobleman Meier Link has his eyes on Charlotte Elbourne, so much so that he uses his hands to kidnap her. With a bounty on his head, he must not only evade capture from a family of bounty hunters but also the most famous bounty hunter of all, the legendary dhampir, D. 

Where the first Vampire Hunter D stuttered a tad with its storyline, Bloodlust soars. Fifteen years after the first adaptation, Yoshiaki Kawajiri has somehow managed to fill his film with enough action and horror to satiate the audience while making the film a character study in how D is stuck in a perpetual limbo. With a large helping of melancholy to add extra flavour, this is as close to storytelling perfection as you could wish for. 

A rarity in the sequel surpassing its predecessor, from the gorgeous animation to the punctuated violence, is its top level. There are fewer finer films on this entire list than Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. It hits the gothic animation horror spot. 

The Vampire Lovers (1970) 

The Karnstein family has terrorised the lands of Styria for far too long, and Baron Hartog is adamant about putting an end to it. Killing them one by one, he cannot find the beautiful Marcilla Karnstein, for she has fled in a vampiric amount of time. After a couple of years of peace, she returns to avenge those who killed her vampire family. 

A gothic Hammer Studio horror from the 70s? Sign me right up. The Vampire Lovers is probably up there with one of the best that the studio produced in the 70s. For the horror history buffs, we have a film that was Hammer coming out party when it came to titillation and pushing those censorship limits and was the influence for many a European rip-off. 

This is very much the Ingrid Pitt show, and goodness does Roy Ward Baker to shoot her as well as possible. While she just about gets away with the innocent act that Marcilla is trying to get away with to infiltrate those who “wronged” her. She excels when she is being the temptress and seducer of the daughters and to be honest, not many could blame the daughters for falling for her. 

While the budget only partially allows for a 17th-century aesthetic, there is still plenty to love from the art design in The Vampire Lovers. It’s needed, too, as after our opening, the film meanders for a touch too long before Pitt as Marcilla gets fully back into action. One thing is guaranteed, though: after watching this, you will be in a full Ingrid Pitt deep dive. 

Vampire’s Kiss (1988) 

A publishing executive, Peter Loew, is visited and bitten by a neck biter, and soon, his behaviour starts to become a bit too erratic to keep under wraps. Eventually, leading down a rabbit hole of paranoia, which has him mentally tormenting his secretary as he continues to lose the plot. 

Teetering along the lines of horror and comedy (while never embracing either to be fully one or the other), Vampire’s Kiss is probably the best look at what kind of actor Nicolas Cage was going to be. He is so over the top that he skipped and jumped over Everest and could easily take you out of the entire film, but his charisma is what keeps you tied down. It is one of those performances that you can’t keep your eyes off of him. 

Taking the vampiric concept and making it something rather psychological is an interesting approach to what, in its truest form, is a dark comedic tragedy about being spurned romantically and the loneliness of it all. Prepare yourself for some House and American Psycho-style madness, as Vampire’s Kiss has it.  

Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020) 

Gentrification seemingly comes for us all, no matter how hard you try to fight it in your area. For a group of kids in the Bronx, there is a lot more at stake than some rich folk moving in and eventually kicking them out. These rich folk happen to be vampires, and they will come for you to take what they want. 

If you loved yourself a bit of The Monster Squad, then this is the film for you. Vampires vs. The Bronx is a fun watch that knows not to take itself too seriously. It’s not a film that is going to push the envelope or open up the vampire subgenre to new levels, but it does the job of being a more than enjoyable flick. 

Films mostly centred around kids’ living and dying by their casting, luckily, here, the cast is all in top form, and no one really puts a foot wrong. We don’t have the most graphic or scary of horrors here, but as one that you want an easy watch or are introducing a child to due to how well it balances the comedy and horror. 

 Vampyr (1932) 

Drifter Allan Grey gets dragged into a plot to save an inn owners from a vampire. Interested in the supernatural, he takes them up on the request as he tries to help the family and their stricken daughter. 

It’s a Carl Dreyer film, and it will always look better than most films you have ever watched. One of the first horror films made with sound, Vampyr is a fantastic adaptation of In a Glass Darkly. Filmed as if what we are seeing is a never-ending nightmare, the camera work is as inventive as they come for the time, allowing the film to build a nauseating surrealist atmosphere that traps you. 

Yet, it isn’t just the visuals that work so masterfully well, it’s the story, too. It’s purposefully scatterbrained to emphasise the nightmare-esque world that Dreyer has pulled us into. Equally, the performances are of such a high calibre that few horrors from that decade can compare to it. Another purposeful touch is the pace of the film. Something that modern audiences will probably now revel in with the gluttony of slow-paced horrors that have graced our screens. 

The use of shadows helps unsettle the viewer, so do yourself a favour and ensure the version you watch is restored German (with English subtitles). 

Vampyres (1974) 

A pair of women lure passersby into their massive, dark mansion in the countryside with motives that are not just of the kindly innkeeper kind. As each passerby disappears, never to be seen again, it is only time before the duo are caught. 

I half imagine the script for Vampyrs was two pages long, and the first page was just the set-up to the film, with the rest being “they lure the people in, shag them, kill them and then shag each other. Rinse and repeat until the big ending:” If you are in the mood for a vampire film that plays the sexual aspect as its core thread, then boy, do we have the cheap film for you with Vampyrs. Blood, sex, some acting and more sex.  

Very much one for fans of Jess Franco’s vampire work, this film supposedly cost £80,000 and not to be rude, but how much budget do you need when the majority of the cast are in costume? A sleek jaunt that those with a particular appreciation for bloody boobs will enjoy. 

To check out our previous letters have a click below! Come back for the letter W, tomorrow.

Horror films to watch: Letter A

Horror films to watch: Letter B

Horror films to watch: Letter B (Part 2)

Horror films to watch: Letter C

Horror films to watch: Letter D

Horror films to watch: Letter E

Horror films to watch: Letter F

Horror films to watch: Letter G

Horror films to watch: Letter H: Part 1

Horror films to watch: Letter H: Part 2

Horror films to watch: Letter H: Part 3

Horror films to watch: Letter I; Part 1

Horror films to watch: Letter I – Part 2

Horror films to watch; Letter J

Horror films to watch; Letter K

Horror films to watch: Letter L

Horror films to watch: Letter M

Horror films to watch: Letter M (Part 2)

Horror films to watch: Letter M (part 3)

Horror films to watch: Letter N

Horror films to watch: Letter N (Part 2)

Horror films to watch: Letter O

Horror films to watch: Letter P (Part 1)

Horror films to watch: Letter P (Part 2)

Horror films to watch: Letter Q

Horror films to watch: Letter R (Part 1)

Horror films to watch: Letter S (Part 1)

Horror films to watch: Letter T (Part 1)

Horror films to watch: Letter U

Horror films to watch: Letter V (Part 1)

Horror films to watch: Letter W (Part 1)

Horror films to watch: Letter X

Horror films to watch: Letter Y

Horror films to watch: Letter Z

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