Writer/director Ryan Coogler’s horror movie,Sinners, presents a new vampire story from a unique perspective. Taking place in the American South during the Jim Crow era, the2025 movieSinnersshows two outlaw brothers, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who return to their hometown, hoping for a fresh start, only to find themselves fighting off a horde of bloodsucking vampires.
Given the story, A-list actors, and creativity on display so far in its trailers,Ryan Coogler’sSinnersis unsurprisingly one of themost highly anticipated movies of 2025.Sinnerscertainly presents a distinctive tale as a vampire film in the old Deep South, making for a fresh horror film from the director ofBlack Panther. However, there are many similar period horror films that can curb audiences' appetites as they wait to seeSinnersin theaters.
8Van Helsing (2004)
An Action-Packed Monster Movie About The Titular Vampire Hunter
Directed by Stephen Sommers, who masterminded Brendan Fraser’sThe Mummymovies, this 2004 film shows Hugh Jackman as Gabriel Van Helsing, who is tasked with traveling to Transylvania to kill Dracula and defend humanity from his wrath.Van Helsingtakes Universal’s classic monster movies and mashes them all together in a thrilling, superhero-style blockbuster revolving around the legendary beast hunter. The movie’s campy tone and dated VFX may be off-putting to some. However,this film still shines as an over-the-top horror-action adventure that features unique interpretations of iconic characterslike Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Van Helsing himself.
7Salem’s Lot (2024)
The Latest Adaptation Of Stephen King’s Beloved Vampire Novel
Based on the novel by Stephen King,Salem’s Lotfollows a writer who returns to his hometown just as an ancient vampire and his human familiar move into an abandoned houseand start turning people into undead bloodsuckers. Since King’s original novel was written in the 1970s, this modern adaptation by director Gary Dauberman stays true to the source material by setting the story in that time period. While bothSinnersandSalem’s Lothave different settings, the skeletons of both stories are very similar, with the latter creating a frightening and immersive Gothic nightmare that consumes small-town America.
6Interview With The Vampire (1994)
The Story Of A Vampire’s Eternal Life Through History
Based on the novel by Anne Rice, this classic horror film by director Neil Jordan depicts the life of Brad Pitt’s Louis de Pointe du Lac as a vampire over the centuries.The story goes from Louis’s beginnings as a human plantation owner in 18th-century Louisiana to raising a young girl who was also turned into a vampire. While it isn’t an action-packed horror blockbuster likeSinners,Interview with the Vampirestands out as a dark and tragic odyssey through history as Louis travels the world, burdened by the curse of immortality.
5Byzantium (2012)
A Family Of Vampires Attempt To Make A New Life For Themselves
Another film from Neil Jordan,Byzantiumdepicts two vampires, a mother and her daughter, on the run from an ancient cabal of vampires as they hide out at the titular seaside resort. LikeInterview with the Vampire, this movie presents the struggles of a vampire family as they spend centuries trying to survive in a harsh, unforgiving world.
Do you think Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners will be the vampire movie we have been waiting for?
It has been a while since horror fans have gotten an unforgettable, fun, and entertaining vampire movie. I am not counting Nosferatu, which is an incredible film, but falls more on the serious and dramatic side. Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners looks to be a good time and a fun watch. He knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to producing movies of high quality that are entertaining on many fronts. While Sinners does seem to be dramatic, the trailer showcases a bit of humor, meaning it will have some comedic moments. After the Salem’s Lot remake last year, I am ready for a really good vampire movie, and I think this will be it.
The film also parallelsSinnersby presenting a family of two trying to start a new life while facing off against an order of the undead. However,Byzantiumhas stood out for its exploration of womanhood asits female leads experience terror and oppression in a patriarchal society over hundreds of years.
4The Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023)
A Vampire Horror Film On The High Seas
Another Bram Stoker adaptation,The Last Voyage of the Demeterfollows the crew of the titular ship as they fight off the dreaded Count Dracula after he stows away with them. At first glance, this movie seems more comparable toAlienthanSinnersthanks to its story and visuals. But like the latter movie,The Last Voyage of the Demetertakes its characters and traps them in a claustrophobic setting as a ravenous vampire picks them off one by one.It also takes an oft-overlooked part ofDracula’s story and expands it into a haunted house movie set at sea.
3Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
A Metafiction Horror About The Making Of A Cinema Classic
Long before he faced Count Orlok in 2024’sNosferatu, Willem Dafoe played the vampire himself in director E. Elias Merhige’s overlooked indie gem.This meta-horror fantasy depicts the making of the originalNosferatuin 1920s Germany. However, it puts a unique spin on this real-world production by having Orlok actor Max Schreck be an actual vampire posing as a method actor.Shadow of the Vampirethus carries the distinct status as aNosferaturemake and a fictional biopic. It’s also a clever commentary about the lengths one will go to in the pursuit of creating art in the film industry.
2Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
A Classic Horror Film From A Legendary Director
As the title implies, this film from director Francis Ford Coppola is a faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel. Since this is a Coppola movie,Bram Stoker’s Draculanaturally presents a stunning and ambitious vision of horror that remains the closest embodiment of Stoker’s work yet. As the film crosses oceans of time to tell Dracula’s tale of love and loss, it immerses its viewers with a harrowing and epic dark fantasy. With an all-star cast, stunning visuals, and high production values,this Victorian-era horror film still holds up as one of the best vampire movies ever made.
1Nosferatu (2024)
A Magnificent Retelling Of The World’s First Vampire Film
Set during the early 1800s, 2024’sNosferatucenters around a clairvoyant woman and her husband as they become tormented by a sinister vampire who moves to their town and spreads a killer plague in his obsessive pursuit of the former. Just like withSinners,Nosferatuhas been a part of the modern resurgence of vampire movies with a genuinely terrifying vision of Count Orlok.
Michael B. Jordan’s New Vampire Movie Looks Like A Stealth Remake Of A Quentin Tarantino Cult Classic
Michael B. Jordan’s new movie Sinners will see a bootlegger battle vampires, and the genre hybrid is reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino cult film.
The way that director Robert Eggers merges death and desire in this film re-invokes the true horror of the vampire and makes it relevant, despite it being set in a bygone era. Overall, with his remake, Eggers takes a classic silent film and transforms it into a beautiful but deeply unsettling masterpiece.
Sinners
Cast
Sinners follows twin brothers who, in an attempt to escape their past hardships, return to their hometown seeking a fresh start. However, they find themselves confronted by a formidable and sinister presence awaiting their comeback. The 2025 film explores themes of redemption and malevolence.
