Top 10 vampire movies on Blu-ray

by edit@cnet.com.au (Michelle Starr)

We did, dear readers, have to cheat a bit with our round-up of the best vampire Blu-ray movies. So many vampire films are old, and/or simply not available in the format, so we turned to Amazon to make up the lack of releases in Australia.

Nevertheless, we did so; and it is with great pleasure that we present our top 10 vampire movies on Blu-ray. Pleasant viewing…

Note: starred films do not have an Australian Blu-ray release scheduled.

Interview with the Vampire<br /> Interview with the Vampire occurred, perhaps, a turning point in the perception of the modern vampire. Anne Rice's gorgeous, glamorous creatures were naive, cruel, ruthless, troubled, but above all filled with melancholy - trapped in time, living amidst but unable to be a part of humanity. Tom Cruise, no matter what you might think of him, smoulders with menace as Lestat, while Brad Pitt turns in a perfectly brooding performance and a young Kirsten Dunst nails the delicate balance between innocence and malice.</p> <p>(Credit: Warner Home Video)Bram Stoker's Dracula<br /> Everything about Bram Stoker's Dracula is a testament to opulence and excess: from the over-the-top acting to the sumptuous costumes and the endless parade of erotic and luscious imagery. It is also, at its heart, a love story spanning centuries; but what you should take from Bram Stoker's Dracula is a sense of the spectacle. The, it must be admitted, somewhat ill-defined narrative takes second place to the sensual journey, and what a gorgeous journey it is.</p> <p>(Credit: Sony Pictures)Underworld<br /> It could be argued, quite convincingly in fact, that the main reason for watching Underworld is to see Kate Beckinsale leaping and slinking about the screen in skin-tight leather. If this reason is not sufficient for you to devote 133 minutes to watching this film, then maybe it isn't for you. It is thin on the ground indeed, plot-wise, with a story revolving around a pending war between vampires and werewolves; but it's dark and brooding and gothy and atmospheric, with sexy outfits. </p> <p>(Credit: Sony Pictures)The Lost Boys<br /> The Lost Boys is corny. It has vamps that swagger and intimidate in that peculiarly 80's teen movie fashion, before giving bullies a raison d'etre became au fait. The Coreys (Feldman and Haim) are too cool for school, in their fringe-dwelling geekiness (which is still 42x cooler than any actual fringe-dwelling geek). It's uncomplicated. The good guys are good. The bad guys, led by Kiefer Sutherland in his best Stand by Me reprisal, are bad. Vamp butts get kicked. Hair gets gelled.</p> <p>(Credit: Warner Home Video)30 Days of Night<br /> In most vamp flicks, the vamps are, without a doubt, at the very least Let the Right One In*<br /> The child vampire has been explored before, but not like this; based on the novel of the same name, this Swedish film twists the definition of predator and prey until you can't tell which is supposed to be what. It also explores with an unsentimental eye the nature of loneliness and isolation: the two characters, so disparate in age and nature, find each other through a common feeling of aloneness and become each other's safe haven in a hostile world. </p> <p>(Credit: Magnolia Home Entertainment)Daybreakers<br /> Daybreakers isn't due to hit the shelves on Blu-ray for another couple of weeks (16 June), but here's what it has: Willem Dafoe. One of the top 10 actors who fit a vampire film like a hand in a glove (seriously, go check out Shadow of the Vampire, unfortunately not available on Blu-ray). In a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been overrun by a virulent disease (that's vampirism, you guys), Dafoe has discovered a cure ... the question is, is that what the vamps want?</p> <p>(Credit: Sony Pictures)Night Watch<br /> This frenetic Russian film about the ultimate battle between good and evil isn't really about vampires, but it has vampires in it. The forces of light (the Night Watch) and the forces of darkness (the Day Watch - they watch each other, see?) are gearing up for an apocalyptic battle. The watches are composed of supernatural beings - psychics, shapeshifters, vampires. It's gritty and action-packed and looks fantastic, but you probably won't grasp the plot very well unless you've read the book by Sergei Lukyanenko.</p> <p>(Credit: Fox Home Entertainment)From Dusk till Dawn*<br /> Quentin Tarantino (writer) and Robert Rodriguez's (director) vampire flick is a gloriously, unashamedly trashy affair. It starts with bank robbers feeling the law and ends up in a strip club where - you guessed it - the strippers are not what they seem. Yes, it is gory; but there's something about Tarantino's snappy dialogue and the frantic gory action that celebrates the B-movie category unreservedly.</p> <p>(Credit: Universal Home Entertainment)Near Dark<br /> Katherine Bigelow's second film mixes vampire flick with the western, reinterpreting both in a hypnotically thrilling tale. A kid in Oklahoma meets a girl, and when he discovers his world turned upside down after she bites him, he's taken in by a gang of ruffian vampires, roaming the land and causing havoc. And remember the top 10 actors etc? One of those is Lance Henrikson, here playing the cold, emotionless head of the vampire family. Fascinating from start to finish, and quite possibly one of the finest vampire films ever made.</p> <p>(Credit: Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

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