Image credit: IFC Films, CBS Films, Factory 25, Kino Lorber, Canal+, Shout! Factory, Free Lunch Productions, Strand Releasing
Right in time for Halloween, let's revisit something underrated.
Here's our top picks for the list of 2010s vampire horror films that didn't get the spotlight they deserved.
1. Stake Land (2010) Civilization has crumbled due to a vampire epidemic. Martin, a teenager, loses his family and partners up with a vampire hunter named Mister. These two roam through desolated America, fighting off not just vampires but also religious nuts who think the end is nigh. They collect other survivors as they go, making pit stops in fortified towns.
But the journey ain't a cakewalk, with a dangerous vampire leader on their trail.
2. Afflicted (2013) Two buddies, Derek and Clif, set out to document their globe-trotting adventure. All goes well until Derek has a one-night stand in Paris and starts to feel, well, not himself. He develops superhuman abilities but also an insatiable thirst for blood. Slowly, he turns into a vampire, and the film turns into a rollercoaster of desperate attempts to find a cure.
3. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) Iranian ghost town called Bad City, teeming with drugs, crime, and... a skateboarding vampire? This vampire, known simply as "The Girl," preys on men who disrespect women. It's all black and white, stylish, and oozing atmosphere. She forms a relationship with Arash, a guy who looks like he stepped right out of a James Dean flick.
The tension rises as their relationship deepens, and you can't help but wonder how long until he figures out her deadly secret.
4. Livid (2011) A young in-home care nurse named Lucy discovers her new elderly patient, a comatose former dance instructor, reportedly has a treasure hidden in her home. Tempting, right? Lucy decides to grab her boyfriend and another friend to plunder this treasure one night.
But here's where it gets freaky – the home turns out to be a labyrinth of dark secrets, with rooms almost frozen in time. The comatose woman? Yeah, she's a vampire. Lucy and her pals soon find out they've bitten off more than they can chew (pun intended).
5. Bloodsucking Bastards (2015) This Pedro Pascal-starring horror-comedy is, in essence, "Office Space" meets "Blade."
Evan is stuck in a soul-sucking office job, and his life isn't exactly going as planned. If navigating corporate politics and dealing with a terrible boss weren't enough, Evan finds out his coworkers are turning into vampires. Now, he must team up with his remaining human colleagues to fight off the undead and save the day.
Low on romance and high on gore, this one's perfect if you want horror served with a side of corporate satire.
6. Byzantium (2012) Meet Clara and Eleanor, a mother-daughter vampire duo with a complicated relationship. Clara makes a living in the world's oldest profession, and Eleanor? She's a more poetic soul, writing her life story again and again, only to toss it to the wind. They're on the run, you see, from a brotherhood of vampires who don't like them breaking the rules. The two find solace in a coastal resort town and befriend some of the locals.
The problems start when Eleanor spills the beans to her new friend Frank, who naturally finds the whole "I'm a 200-year-old vampire" thing hard to believe.
7. Midnight Son (2011) This indie darling follows Jacob, a young man with a rare skin condition that makes him sensitive to the sun. Moreover, he's developed a craving for human blood. His life becomes even more complicated when he falls for a cocaine-addicted waitress named Mary.
What's great about this film is how it grounds the whole vampire thing in reality. If you had to drink blood to survive, wouldn't you start with animal blood and work your way up? Yup, that's exactly what Jacob does.
8. The Transfiguration (2016) This indie gem follows a teenager named Milo who is obsessed with vampires. Living in a rough neighborhood of New York City, he's convinced he is a vampire and takes his obsession to unsettling extremes, including hunting down victims to quench his "thirst."
Things start to change when he meets Sophie, a girl as equally damaged but not a vampire. Milo juggles his violent tendencies with the simple human need for connection.
9. Summer of Blood (2014) Ever wondered how an utterly self-absorbed, socially awkward guy would handle becoming a vampire? Look no further. Erik Sparrow is that guy. After his girlfriend dumps him and he has a less-than-inspiring encounter with a vampire, his life takes a turn for the terrifying.
He gains all the traditional vampire perks – immortality, strength, hypnotic powers – but he's still the same loser, using his newfound abilities to get out of work meetings and score dates.
