The 9 Best Vampire Movies and TV Shows on Netflix Right Now

‘Interview With the Vampire’ (2022)

Let’s start with the crème de la crème, AMC’s extraordinary “Interview With the Vampire” series, which is not just the best vampire media of its time, but one of the best new shows of the 2020s so far. Developed and showrun by HBO’s “Perry Mason” co-creator Rolin Jones (for its first three seasons, longtime series writer Hanna Moskovitch will take over as showrunner for the upcoming “Queen of the Damned”-centric season), “Interview With the Vampire” is a fearless, bold adaptation of Anne Rice’s beloved Vampire Chronicles that channels the spirit of Rice’s poetic, provocative novels while stepping into its own as a work all its own.

Sam Reid, a lifelong Rice fan himself, seems to have walked off the page as the iconic vampire Lestat, and he is extraordinarily paired with “Game of Thrones” scene-stealer Jacob Anderson (or Raleigh Ritchie, as he’s known in his musical career) as Louis de Pointe du Lac, who rise to the arguably even more challenging task of making Louis as fascinating as Lestat – hey, there’s a reason Lestat became the new franchise lead after the first book. They are dynamite together, just magnetic. Right now, Netflix has the first two seasons, which are based on Rice’s first novel in the long-running series and follow the duo from 1910s New Orleans to World War II-era Paris, boasting stunning sets and lush period costumes, in addition to the killer performances and sharp writing.

It’s a committed gothic romance and horror-forward enough to be a perfect Halloween binge-watch. Just know that if you get hooked, and if you’re a vampire lover, I bet you will, you’re going to need to head to AMC+ to watch the wild, present-day-set Season 3, “The Vampire Lestat.”

‘Day Shift’ (2022)

If you’re looking for something shorter, sillier and a lot more action-packed, you can’t go wrong with Netflix’s underseen vampire movie “Day Shift.” R-rated and bloody, but not too scary, the action-comedy stars Jamie Foxx as a Los Angeles pool cleaner who, in truth, earns his money by hunting vampires and selling their teeth. Directed by longtime stunt coordinator J.J. Perry, it’s a movie packed with action, including a fantastic vampire-hunting scene featuring martial arts movie favorite Scott Adkins. With that in mind, “Day Shift” is definitely geared toward the B-movie-loving crowd – if you have a favorite DTV action movie, you’ll have a good time here.

‘Midnight Mass’ (2021)

Another easy contender that goes toe-to-toe with “IWTV” for best vampire media of the 2020s, Netflix’s “Midnight Mass” is a fantastic, contemplative standalone original series from horror TV titan Mike Flanagan. The “Haunting of Hill House” and “House of Usher” creator spent several years at Netflix transforming seminal horror literature into beloved series (and has now taken that skill to Amazon with the recent “Carrie” and upcoming “Dark Tower”), but “Midnight Mass” is an outlier as a wholly original story. As such, it’s one of his most personal and painful; an intimate, heartbreaking collision of addiction, religious fanaticism and poisoned community, as told through one singular and unconventional vampire story.

As always in Flangan’s work, you can count on a completely stacked cast of fantastic actors and unforgettable characters, which here includes Flanfam regulars Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli and Henry Thomas. But there are two characters and performances in particular that will stay seared in your mind – Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill and Samantha Sloyan as the pious deviant Bev Keene, both extraordinary, and fascinating foils as two inverted pictures of corrupted faith. This one’s horror-forward, dense, and for adults, but a perfect pick if you want a binge-watch that won’t take too long to knock out.

‘Twilight’ (2008)

Naturally. “Twilight” has become such a seasonal essential that the arrival of crisp, foggy fall weather has been dubbed “hoa hoa hoa” season (named after the moody vocals heard in Blue Foundation’s “Eyes on Fire,” which featured in the film’s soundtrack). “Twilight” was a phenomenon the likes of which hit about once a generation. It consumed pop culture, launched Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson right into the A-list, spawned a million imitators and sparked, of course, an equal and opposite backlash.

Now that the dust has settled, “Twilight” – particularly the Catherine Hardwicke-directed first film – endures as a playful, campy, swooning, oh-so-moody teen vampire romance. And, after a painfully self-serious tonal detour for “New Moon” and the gorgeous but still way-too-serious “Eclipse,” director Bill Condon brought things back around to playful and punchy for “Breaking Dawn,” especially “Part Two.”

‘Blood Red Sky’ (2021)

“Blood Red Sky” is an action-horror hybrid that delivers on one simple promise: Vampires on a plane. If you don’t mind subtitles, it’s a fun ride that follows a mother with a mysterious “blood condition” (wink wink) who has to defend her son and reveal her truth after terrorists hijack the plane they’re traveling on. The 2021 German-British production is very much a “does what it says on the tin” type of movie, delivering on the bloody promise of its set-up with an entertaining blend of vampire horror and survival thriller tension.

‘First Kill’ (2022)

A cute, quippy teen vampire romance in the tradition of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The Vampire Diaries,” the 2022 series “First Kill” was one of many Netflix originals gone too soon, canceled after its first season, but that also means if you’re looking for a fun, teen-friendly but not-too-intensive vampire show to dig into, this is a good pick, with just eight episodes to its run. Created by best-selling fantasy author V.E. Schwab, best known for “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “A Darker Shade of Magic,” the series offers a “Romeo and Juliet”-tinged YA romance about a vampire and a monster hunter who fall in love.

Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) hails from a long line of vampires, and, having just turned 16, it’s time for her to make her first kill and complete the vampire transformation, joining her family’s proud legacy. At the same time, Calliope (Imani Lewis) is also on the hook to live up to her family name – and that is a family of Guardians, who expect her to slay her first monster and join their ranks. Naturally, that puts them on a collision path, and also naturally, if you know your romance tropes, that sets them up for a delightful enemies-to-lovers arc. Short (too short) and sweet, “First Kill” is a great vampire watch if you want the YA paranormal romance without having to commit to the 100+ episodes of its most popular predecessors.

‘Vampires vs. The Bronx’ (2020)

Another cute, more family-friendly pick, Netflix’s “Vampires vs. the Bronx” is a charming entry in the kids-vs-monsters genre tradition of films like “Monster Squad” and “Attack the Block.” Directed by regular “SNL” segment director Oz Rodriguez (who also helmed last year’s excellent “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music” alongside Questlove), “Vampires vs. the Bronx” follows a group of teens who have to come together to fend off an incursion of undead monsters coming to suck the life out of their neighborhood. Though not a subtle metaphor for gentrification, like all good social satire horror, “Vampires vs. the Bronx” doesn’t let the fact that it has something to say get in the way of being a good time at the movies. A light, breezy watch (though unfortunately front-loaded with its best moments), it’s an easy pick for some vampire fun if you like the “Goonies” era Amblin vibe.

Castlevania (2017)

If you’re looking for something a little more sprawling and epic, or if you’re a big fan of the animated format, Netflix’s “Castlevania” is an acclaimed series to sink your teeth into, with four seasons and a spinoff. Based on Konami’s decades-long video game series of the same name, the animated series follows a monster-hunting trio bent on stopping Vlad Dracula Tepes’ plot to unleash humanity-ending revenge after his love is burned as a witch. If you like your vampire sagas sweeping, heavy with political intrigue and rich with ensemble character drama, “Castlevania” probably has what you’re looking for.

Dracula (2020)

Of course, any vampire-loving watchlist needs a Dracula (actually, there are a couple on this one). This particular incarnation is one of the wilder ones, brought to you by “Sherlock” and “Doctor Who” duo Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat. It starts off with an excellent, blood-soaked, genuinely scary introduction to this version of the seminal title vampire, played exquisitely, seductively – and a critical third thing, grotesquely – by “The Square” and “Bad Sisters” actor Claes Bang, and while it never reaches that high again, it’s a worthy watch for the opening alone.

The first episode of the three-episode BBC One series is the most classic Dracula of the batch, introducing the vampire’s origin story and culminating in a Drac-vs-Nuns standoff that must be seen. The second episode gets a bit more inventive and a touch too clever, but still follows the beats of Bram Stoker’s book, taking us with Dracula on his voyage at sea aboard the Demeter. Unfortunately, the third and final episode is regarded as … quite bad. Don’t believe me? Check the IMDb audience ratings, which plummet from an “8” for Episode 1 to a “5.2” for Episode 3.

So why recommend it at all? Well, top of mind, that “8” rating for the first installment is well earned. But even moreso, part of the fun of loving vampire fiction is seeing the ways the myths and stories are retold through time – at the very least, I can promise you haven’t seen “Dracula” end this way before!