Summary

• The best Dracula movies showcase charisma, sex appeal, and timeless terror that fans love and find enthralling.
• Over the years, many interpretations of Dracula have captivated audiences, from comedies to chilling tales of the undead.
• Christopher Lee as Dracula remains one of the most iconic portrayals, setting the stage for a legacy of the Lord of all Vampires.

Originally published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula became one of the most important horror novels ever conceived, introducing arguably one of the most prolific villains of all time, and he then moved on to the best Dracula movies for over a century. Dracula remains iconic thanks to cinema, and the debate over which interpretation did the greatest justice to the Lord of all Vampires will likely last forever. Over a century since the novel was first published, Dracula remains one of the most enduring monsters of all time — and the contenders for best Dracula movie exemplify why.

The best Dracula movies have a strong mixture of charisma, potent sex appeal, and a timeless Machiavellian stereotype that continues to entertain — and frighten — fans of vampire flicks related to Stoker's Dracula novel. Dracula continues to get the silver screen treatment over 100 years after Bram Stoker immortalized the character in his 1897 novel. As far as movie villains go, he's one of the most fascinating, frightening, and charismatic. The best Dracula movies find new and inventive ways of bringing him to the forefront, tapping in on centuries of superstition and historical culture to scare audiences.

25 Love At First Bite (1979)

George Hamilton As Dracula

• Not available to stream at this time

For anyone craving a comedy version of Dracula, look no further than Love at First Bite. The movie sees the regime of Romania evict Count Dracula from his ancestral home. Dracula and Renfield leave his home and search for the reincarnated Mina Harker, who turns out to be a fashion model in New York City. However, her current boyfriend is the grandson of Van Helsing. They become enemies, but nothing Van Helsing does seems to work, as Dracula seems to have all the luck on his side.

With George Hamilton and Susan Saint James in the lead roles, the movie remains a funny comedy, and it even earned Hamilton a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. As a comedy, this is one of the better Dracula spoof movies, but it also tries to keep some of the horror intact throughout as the vampire tries to adjust to life in the big city, and fails at most of his attempts. It is also a movie that has a "happy ending" for Dracula, as he isn't really that bad of a guy in this story.

24 Son Of Dracula (1943)

Lon Chaney Jr. As Count Alucard

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Released in the days of some of the best Dracula movies, Son of Dracula is the third of the original Universal Monsters Dracula franchise. While the title is similar to the second movie, Dracula's Daughter, this movie is not about Dracula's son — it is about Dracula himself, who has been living under the name Count Alucard (which is Dracula spelled backwards). He is invited to the United States by a woman named Katherine, and soon he turns her into a vampire and marries her, but her longtime boyfriend learns the truth and seeks to save her life.

The movie had Lon Chaney Jr. take on the Dracula role after previously playing The Wolf Man. Chaney Jr., the son of Lon Chaney, the Man of a Thousand Faces, is one of the few actors who have played Dracula, The Wolf-Man (he was the first actor to play Larry Talbott), Frankenstein's Monster, and The Mummy. While it never reached the level of success of Dracula, Son of Dracula was still a great late addition to the Universal Horror catalog.

23 Dracula: Untold (2014)

Luke Evans As Dracula

• Stream now on Netflix

While purists discount Dracula: Untold as one of the best Dracula movies, the truth is that it brings an interesting outlook to the bloodsucking fiend. For years, Dracula was displayed as a semi-tragic figure, a man who wanted to regain his youth and find his lost love, but through despicable means. In this movie, the legend went one step further and made Dracula a hero before his turn to evil.

Told as an origin story, Luke Evans stars as Dracula in 1462, a ruler who is forced to become a vampire to save his people — but then sees them turn on him when they realize what he has done. This was supposed to be part of a new franchise, but bad reviews doomed it. The movie made a decent box office dent, but it wasn't enough to continue investing in the character, although Universal tried one more time after this with a Mummy movie that finally put a stake in the heart of the new franchise.

22 Dracula 2000 (2000)

Gerard Butler As Dracula

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In 2000, Patrick Lussier set his sights on Dracula, and he brought the vampire to the modern day. What resulted was a movie that wasn't received well by Dracula fans, but it was one that brought a truly fascinating twist to his origin story. This twist was that Dracula is Judas Iscariot from the Bible, forced to live forever after betraying Jesus Christ. This explains his weakness for crosses and silver (Judas was paid in silver for his betrayal).

The movie also features a young Gerard Butler as Dracula, while Christopher Plummer as Van Helsing was a standout. Dracula 2000 received lackluster reviews, but the cast was incredible, with Jonny Lee Miller as Simon Sheppard, Van Helsing's apprentice battling Dracula, Jennifer Esposito and Jeri Ryan as two of Dracula's Brides, and familiar faces like Omar Epps, Shane West, and Nathan Fillion to round out the cast. While it seemed Dracula died here, there were two sequels in 2003 and 2005.

21 Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

Christopher Lee As Dracula

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Dracula A.D. 1972 brought back Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Dracula and Van Helsing, respectively, for another addition to the Hammer series. However, this movie took a very different approach as it took the action to the modern day, which at the time was 1972. The movie opens in 1872 when Lawrence Van Helsing kills Dracula and dies himself. However, 100 years later, Dracula rises and starts to kill again.

Cushing here plays Lorrimer Van Helsing, making the character a descendent of the Van Helsing line, while keeping a familiar face in the role. The seventh in the series, this wasn't one of the best Dracula movies, but it did bring something new with the time jump and bringing the Hammer Horror series into the present day. It was also nice to see Lee and Cushing back together again in a Dracula movie for the first time since 1958's Dracula. While the ending title card said "Rest in Final Peace," there was still one more Hammer Dracula movie after this.

20 Brides of Dracula (1960)

Dracula's Brides Take Over

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In 1960, Hammer Films released a sequel to its rebooted Horror of Dracula, which brought Dracula movies back after two decades on the shelf. Instead of bringing back Dracula in the first sequel, Hammer chose to make this movie about the vampire brides of Dracula. With that said, Peter Cushing did return as Van Helsing, as he set out to stop the vampires sired by a Baroness in Transylvania.

The entire idea was to have acolytes of Dracula rather than bringing the big baddie back for every movie, but his absence really kept this from reaching the same level as other Hammer Films releases. The reviews were mostly positive, but this caused the franchise to stall out and it took six years for Hammer to return with Dracula: Prince of Darkness, putting Christopher Lee's Dracula back at the forefront, where he remained for the rest of Hammer's Dracula movies.

19 Dracula’s Daughter (1936)

Gloria Holden As Dracula's Daughter

• Stream now on Peacock

After the major success of Frankenstein, Universal Horror released Bride of Frankenstein, which ended up as a better movie than the original. The company tried a similar tactic with Dracula's Daughter, but this wasn't nearly as successful as the Frankenstein sequel. In this movie, Countess Marya Zaleska is Dracula's daughter, and she hopes that his death will free her from his influence. However, as expected from a horror movie, she did not find her freedom and began to slowly change and follow in her father's footsteps.

The movie received favorable reviews and has been reappraised in later years. Dracula's Daughter has been influential throughout the years thanks to its homoerotic vampire themes. Anne Rice had a bar in The Vampire Lestat called Dracula's Daughter and author Ramsey Campbell wrote a novelization of it in 1977. The fantastic independent horror vampire movie Nadja shares the same basic storyline, as well.

18 House of Frankenstein (1944)

John Carradine As Dracula

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Released in 1944, this was the first time that Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man ever appeared in the same movie together.

While the movie has Frankenstein's name in the title, this is one of the best Dracula movies as well. Released in 1944, this was the first time that Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolf Man ever appeared in the same movie together. The film opens with the evil Gustav Niemann escaping from prison and then reviving the recovered corpse of Dracula to use him to gain revenge against his enemies.

The cast here was unique. Boris Karloff, the original Frankenstein, played Niemann, while Glenn Strange continued to play the Monster. As for Dracula, John Carradine took on the role, and only Lon Chaney Jr. returned to his original role as Wolf Man/Larry Talbot. The story sees Niemann and Dracula find the frozen-on-ice bodies of the Monster and Wolf-Man, and when Niemann thaws them, he convinces Talbot to help him in exchange for a cure. Things do not work out for the human villain.

17 Jess Franco’s Count Dracula (1970)

Christopher Lee As Dracula

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This version of Count Dracula was a unique take, as it was from Spanish horror director Jess Franco in the middle of Hammer Horror releasing their franchise. Franco's version of Dracula was easily the most loyal to Bram Stoker's novel, retelling the story without many of the changes made to previous movie versions of the vampire. Dracula here starts off as an older man who starts to regain his youth as he kills and feeds on his victims, which was done later in Bram Stoker's Dracula, but this was the first time it happened.

Interestingly, even though this was not part of the Hammer slate of movies, Christopher Lee played Dracula for Franco as well, delivering a different take on a character he had previously mastered. Another connection is that Klaus Kinski plays Renfield in the movie. Less than a decade later, Kinski would play Nosferatu, a character based on Dracula, in the remake of that classic German horror masterpiece.

16 Count Dracula (1977)

Louis Jourdan As Dracula

• Not available to stream at this time

A BBC adaptation, this version of Dracula follows the book quite closely. In fact, other than Dracula not being portrayed as an old man, the entire arrival of John Harker at Dracula's castle is verbatim to the novel, which was a rare display of strict adherence to the source material. It is truly one of the most faithful adaptations when it comes to retelling Soker's original tale. First shown on British television in its full 155-minute glory, it was eventually split up into a miniseries for repeat broadcasts.

French actor Louis Jourdan, known for his dashing and charming parts, played Dracula in one of the best Dracula movies, with a subtle yet ominous glare that sells the character well in this often-overlooked BBC adaptation. The movie received mostly positive reviews when it was released, but it is one that is difficult for Dracula fans to enjoy as it was only released on home video in the UK through BBC Video.

15 Dracula (1979)

Frank Langella As Dracula

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This Universal remake starred Frank Langella as the dashing Count and continued the theme of him looking for love, as opposed to simply being an evil bloodsucker. Langella also played the part on Broadway in 1978, for which he won a Tony, and accepted the movie role provided there was no depiction of fangs dripping blood. Speaking on the character, Langella said:

“I don’t play him as a hair-raising ghoul. He is a nobleman; an elegant man with a very difficult problem, a man with a unique and distinct social problem. He has to have blood to live, and he is immortal.”

As such, his performance was one of the most "human" in any of the best Dracula movies. Langella's performance, and the nuances of Dracula as a character, saw this movie receive mostly positive critical reviews. It went on to win the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film in 1979. Langella also received a nomination, as did Donald Pleasence for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Jack Steward, John Badham for Best Director, and Peter Robb-King for Best Make-up.

14 Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Adam Sandler Voices Dracula

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This animated family comedy is one of the few of the best Dracula movies to throw out the horror elements in favor of family-friendly fun. The story centers around Dracula opening up a vacation hotel that caters to the world's most infamous monsters, and their loved ones. When he invites them to celebrate the 118th birthday of his beloved daughter Mavis, they are interrupted by the chance arrival of the young human Jonathan, who develops a fondness for Mavis, and vice versa. Dracula is forced to deal with his own prejudice against humans as the two get close.

The movie picked up three Hotel Transylvania sequels and a TV series. The two sequels, Hotel Transylvania 2 and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, received mostly mixed reviews, although the movies still combined to gross over $1.3 billion worldwide. A fourth movie, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania dropped on Prime Video in 2022 with Brian Hull taking over as the voice of Dracula from Adam Sandler.

13 Renfield (2023)

Nicolas Cage As Dracula

• Stream now on Prime Video

It might seem strange, but Nicolas Cage delivered a fantastic performance as Dracula in the 2023 release Renfield. Part of the mastery of the role is the fact that Cage studied classic Dracula movies and reenacted many of the moments from those in this modern-day story. Renfield has been alive for decades, serving as Dracula's loyal servant. He also has superpowers he gains by eating bugs which helps him successfully complete the tasks Dracula needs from him.

However, when Renfield wants to break free, Dracula finds a new servant and sets his sights on getting revenge against Renfield and those he loves. The movie is not a comedy, but its kitsch makes it an entertaining watch for Dracula fans. While Nicholas Hoult is great in his role as Renfield and Awkwafina is solid in her supporting role as Rebecca, it is Cage who steals the movie every time he appears on the screen. The Saturn Awards nominated it for five categories, and Cage won Best Supporting Actor.

12 The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

Javier Botet As Dracula

• In theaters now

The Last Voyage of the Demeter adapts one single chapter in Bram Stoker's Dracula novel, and what resulted is one of the best Dracula movies when it comes to terror and horrifying moments. The movie takes place on the ship that brought Dracula from Transylvania to England and shows why that ship arrived with the crew decimated. Directed by André Øvredal (Trollhunter), The Last Voyage of the Demeter kept a claustrophobic atmosphere and delivered a very scary tale about people trapped aboard a ship they cannot escape from the ultimate predator.

While it seems strange to adapt a single novel chapter into a feature-length movie, Bram Stoker's book chose to make the entire journey across the ocean a mystery, and that made this ripe for a terrifying tale of isolation, superstition, and horror. The movie received mostly mixed reviews, but critics praised its bleak atmosphere of dread where it was clear anything could happen.

11 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Bela Lugosi As Dracula

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In the 1930s, there wasn't anything bigger in horror movies than the Universal Monsters, led by Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf-Man. However, by the end of the 1940s, horror was going out of style thanks to the real horrors of World War II and comedies picked up, led by Abbott and Costello. In 1948, the two worlds collided in one of the best horror-comedy mashups ever made. Abbott and Costello played it for laughs while Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and Glenn Strange played it for scares.

The movie was part of a larger overall crossover sensation, as Abbott and Costello went on to "meet" Boris Karloff, The Invisible Man, Captain Kidd, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Keystone Cops, and The Mummy. It was these "Meet" movies that dominated the end of the duo's movie career. However, none of the later movies came close to the brilliance of the first with the Universal Monsters. One of the best Dracula movies, it was added to the Library of Congress in 2001.

10 The Monster Squad (1987)

Duncan Regehr As Dracula

• Stream now on Paramount+

This classic 1980s horror/comedy combo was forgotten by many in the years after its release but has more recently strengthened its reputation as an '80s cult classic. It tells the story of Dracula, who comes to a small town to find a powerful amulet that can give him control over the entire world. He's aided by popular movie monsters Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. A 12-year-old boy and his friends are the only ones standing between them and total victory. In typical 80s fashion, it's creepy, atmospheric, and loaded with fun.

In what might come as a surprise to casual viewers, Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) wrote the script for this movie. The Monster Squad has become a cult classic in recent years, and there was even a documentary about the film and its legacy released in 2018 called Wolfman's Got Nards, which was a line from the movie. Wizard magazine even said, in a countdown of the best villains ever, that Regehr's version of Dracula was the "definitive version of the character."

9 Horror Of Dracula (1958)

Christopher Lee As Dracula

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Christopher Lee created perhaps the most iconic Dracula ever caught on film, scaring multiple generations of horror fans as the titular villain. Hammer deserves a lot of credit for crafting one of the most authentic and genuinely scary vampire films of the time period, and even by today's standards, it's a work of art. The movie also handled its secondary characters well, particularly Van Helsing, played by Peter Cushing. In the U.S., the title was changed to Horror of Dracula in order to differentiate itself from the original Bela Lugosi classic.

Lee would go on to portray the character a total of nine times, along with other iconic characters in Hammer's Vault, including Sir Henry Baskerville, Kharis the Mummy, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Fu Manchu, Rasputin, and Mycroft Holmes. However, his back-and-forth with Cushing as Van Helsing might be the best version of that relationship in any Dracula movie.

8 Dracula (2020)

Claes Bang As Dracula

• Available on Netflix

This three-part Netflix feature-length Dracula story is perfect for fans of Dracula movies, and Claes Bang's depiction of the character is one of the most refreshing in recent memory. He blends a terrifying monster with an authentic gentleman, creating a charismatic and foreboding villain in equal measure. In contrast to many modern vampire films which prioritize gore or special effects, this version of Dracula harkens back to a more classical method of storytelling, and that's good news for traditionalists and purists.

Many of the changes made the miniseries stand out from the movies that just copied the original's main plotline. Skipping over most of Renfield and Jonathan Harker's parts in the story, and moving to a younger and more polished Dracula made him really stand out in the movie. It was also a brilliant decision to have Van Helsing as a woman — and particularly a nun — in this version of the story, as her scenes facing off with Dracula offered a new dynamic never seen in a movie about the vampire before.

7 Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)

Christopher Lee As Dracula

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Lee would continue on in the role of Dracula — sometimes begrudgingly — and this follow-up to Prince of Darkness remains one of his best performances. During an exorcism, the Count is revived from his eternal slumber with one thing on his mind — revenge. He decides to attack the man who previously defeated him by going after his young niece Maria, in order to make her his bride. Hammer's eerie and entertaining horror formula hit the right mark, thanks again to Christopher Lee's near-untoppable presence as Dracula.

While Prince of Darkness might be the best of the Hammer vampire movies, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is a close second and might be the best that Lee has ever looked playing the Prince of Darkness. The movie was not highly praised by critics, who had grown tired of the form by the time this one came out, but it was still a successful horror movie with great direction and a great look, thanks to director Freddie Francis.

6 Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)

Willem Defoe As Max Schreck

• Not available to stream at this time

This vampire movie focused on the making of the classic silent film, Nosferatu, and centers around a "what-if" scenario between the movie's director, and its main star, Max Schreck. In order to create the ultimate vampire flick, director F.W. Murnau seeks out and casts a real-life vampire in the role, for the sake of authenticity. Things start going wrong when Schreck's ability to feed freely causes people to suddenly go missing, and Murnau keeps filming to get his vampire masterpiece completed.

It's a black comedy mixed with horror elements that goes a long way toward creating a more haunting mystery around the original movie. Plus, it's a clever gateway film to the classic 1922 silent film. Willem Defoe is masterful as he goes deep into the role and is the closest anyone has come to the creepy nature of the original Max Schreck vampire creation. John Malkovich also deserves credit for his performance as Murnau. Shadow of the Vampire picked up two Oscar nominations, including one for Defoe. It also won Best Screenplay at the Bram Stoker Awards.