There are many enduring monsters in horror. But one of the most iconic in the entire genre is the vampire. The character was cemented as one of horror’s most important with Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1931, and it has been continually remixed, reinvented, and reintroduced since then.
One of the reasons why vampires have survived so long (pun only kinda intended, by the way) is because of just how versatile they are. They can be truly terrifying or romantically sympathetic — or somewhere in between. Whether we’re talking about horror comedy, the gothic, or even romance, vampires have a definite place in the canon.
Cody Meirick on November 2, 2023