The underrated vampire movies from around the world
From F.W. Murnau’s silent classic Nosferatu to today, the cinematic bloodsucker has been a horror mainstay for over a century. Timelessly versatile in themes, style, and scares, vampire cinema has given film some of its most iconic villains, lushest productions, and entertaining thrills: Universal’s caped count, Blade’s badass daywalker, Twilight’s supernatural romance, and From Dusk Till Dawn’s gonzo genre blending, among countless more. But for every classic and popular vampire tale, there are myriad more worthy of interest that go unknown.
Below is a list of lesser-known vampire hidden gems from outside the U.S.; fangs and gushes of crimson abound.
Where to watch: Netflix
German action-horror film Blood Red Sky boasts a premise that could have easily been an eye-rolling SyFy original: A 30 Days of Night-esque primal bloodsucker predator goes Passenger 57 on hijackers. Yet director Peter Thorwarth elevates that “Vampire McClane’’ conceit with slick direction and a relentless spiral of fanged carnage. Despite an overstretched pace and flashbacks occasionally muddling the execution, Blood Red Sky continually builds its claustrophobic stakes and evolves its power dynamics in violently clever ways that maximize the airplane setting. The sympathetic and savage presence of Peri Baumeister grounds those high-altitude thrills in earnest humanity, thanks to a performance that excellently juggles mother and monster.
Where to watch: Tubi; for rent on Amazon,Vudu, and YouTube
This low-budget French-Swiss co-production is a romance at its core, immersing us in the relationship between Alex (Yannick Rosset) and Livia (Jasna Kohoutova), which takes a turn after Alex is hit by a car and receives a fateful blond transfusion. Chimère
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