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Some of the best movies to watch during the Halloween season (and some of the coolest movies in the horror genre) are the classic Universal Monsters movies. Those awesome black and white movies that were built around characters like Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, The Mummy, the Wolf Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, among others. So now that Halloween weekend is upon us, we here at Arrow in the Head have put together a list: Universal Monsters Franchises Ranked! Below you’ll find our rankings of the classic franchises, from least to favorite. Check it out, and let us know how you would rank these franchises by leaving a comment!

Honorable Mention: Abbott And Costello

The comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello certainly weren’t Universal monsters (or any other kind of monsters), but they earn an honorable mention on this list because they played an...

Abigail is a unique reimagining of Dracula's Daughter, featuring a blood-soaked storyline and a 14-year-old intimidating protagonist. Classic creepy kid films like The Bad Seed and The Omen set the stage for Abigail's success in the horror subgenre. Abigail's critical and audience acclaim proves that the creepy kid subgenre still has a strong audience.

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett gave horror a modern classic with Ready or Not, which, like their newest feature, Abigail, is both unique and wears its inspirations on its sleeves. That said, their two Scream films are, of course, even more evident about referencing the past. But, whereas Scream has always made a point of emulating multiple past horror films, Abigail is effectively a reimagining of just one: Dracula's Daughter.

However, Abigail is quite different from Dracula's Daughter in at least two major ways. For one, Abigail is about as blood-soaked as a vampire flick has ever been.

Spoiler Alert: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending, of “Abigail,” currently playing in theaters.

The vampire thriller “Abigail” originated as a modern-day update of the classic horror film “Dracula’s Daughter.” But by the time the filmmaking trio Radio Silence — producer Chad Villella and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — began production on “Abigail” in Ireland in the spring of 2023, the movie had virtually no connection to the 1936 Universal picture.

“Dracula’s Daughter” follows the grown Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) as she tries — and fails — to rid herself of her vampirism following Dracula’s death. In “Abigail,” by sharp contrast, the titular vampire is a girl, kidnapped by a team of mercenaries — led by the hot-headed Frank (Dan Stevens) and self-possessed Joey (Melissa Barrera) — under the false impression that she’s the helpless daughter of a tycoon who will pay their ransom to get her back. Eventually, Abigail...

From the moment the film was announced a year ago, “Abigail” has been marketed as a remake of “Dracula’s Daughter,” the 1936 Universal Pictures curio. So it’s no spoiler to say that the title character of “Abigail” is…Dracula’s daughter. Yet if you went in not knowing that, it might be the only real surprise in the movie, apart from what a brutally monotonous blood-vomiting genre mashup it is.

For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...

Quick Links What Was Dracula's Daughter? How Abigail Became a Reimagining of a Universal Cult Classic How Dracula's Daughter Lives on Abigail joins a slew of new Dracula adaptations put out by Universal. A dramatic departure from its source material, Abigail is secretly an adaptation of a Universal Monsters classic. Dracula's legacy lives on as one of the most adapted works in literary history.

Horror is secretly reborn as Abigail reveals itself as an adaptation of a Universal Monsters cult classic. Today, everyone knows and reveres titles like The Phantom of the Opera, The Mummy, and The Bride of Frankenstein as classics of horror cinema. However, far-reaching and sometimes debated, the Universal Monsters pantheon has an extensive family of ghouls that go beyond the familiar faces often associated with the brand. Over the past few decades, people have seen remakes of The Wolf Man, Dracula, and even The Invisible Man.

Abigail's star and filmmakers could be teasing that Dracula is the vampire ballerina's father. Weir hints at a twisted history between Abigail and her dad, shrouded in mystery and secrets. Co-director Tyler Gillett reveals ties between Abigail and the 1936 horror film, Dracula's Daughter.

“Children can be such monsters.” That’s the tagline for Universal Pictures' upcoming horror movie, Abigail. The flick’s titular star, actress Alisha Weir, and filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett might be teasing that the monstrous child could in fact be Count Dracula. Without giving away what would undoubtedly be a huge, blood-sucking spoiler, Bettinelli-Olpin compared Abigail’s father to that of Keyser Söze from Bryan Singer’s 1995 film, The Usual Suspects. Bettinelli-Olpin said in a brand-new interview with Screen Rant:

“He's a big part of the story. His kind of presence is like the shadow that kind of just like, goes over everything that's happening.

A Universal Monsters project is coming our way from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that previously brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen. Universal has scheduled an April 19, 2024 theatrical release date for the film, which was once going by the title Dracula’s Daughter and now going by the less informative title of Abigail. With the release date just a couple weeks away, the film has gotten a new trailer, which you can check out in the embed above, as well as a Dolby Cinema poster, which can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, is a producer. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment are also producing the monster movie alongside their Ready or Not producer Tripp Vinson.

A Universal Monsters project is coming our way from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that previously brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen. Universal has scheduled an April 19, 2024 theatrical release date for the film, which was once going by the title Dracula’s Daughter and now going by the less informative title of Abigail. With the release date swiftly approaching, a promo video in which cast member Kathryn Newton (Freaky) gives a tour of the set has arrived online, while co-star Dan Stevens – who can be seen in this weekend’s release Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – has given an interview where he described Abigail as extreme and hilarious. The set tour promo video can be seen in the embed above.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Steven said, “Those Radio Silence boys are so much fun. I’m slowly ticking off all of the guys from the V/H/S anthology.

A Universal Monsters project is coming our way from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that previously brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen. Universal has scheduled an April 19, 2024 theatrical release date for the film, which was once going by the title Dracula’s Daughter. Now it’s going by the less informative title of Abigail, and Universal has unveiled both a trailer and a poster for the film! You can watch the trailer in the embed above and take a look at the poster at the bottom of this article.

Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, is a producer. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment are also producing the monster movie alongside their Ready or Not producer Tripp Vinson. Ron Lynch and Macdara Kelleher serve as executive producers.

The Universal horror cycle of the 1930s and 1940s shaped the entire genre, and continues to exert its influence today. Its incarnation of figures like Count Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster remain definitive, surpassing the original authors in some cases, and setting the cinematic standard for classic Gothic horror. It also established the notion of a shared universe for the first time onscreen, setting a trend that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would ultimately capitalize on.

Unsurprisingly, it makes pitch-perfect Halloween viewing. Time and familiarity has lessened its terrors, but its atmosphere and charm haven't aged a day. Gentle enough for casual fans, but serious enough for hard-core horror lovers, the films in the cycle tick off a lot of boxes for solid Oct. 31 entertainment. While not all of them are classics, the cream of them are always worth another viewing.

The Mummy (1932) Streaming on Amazon Prime

The Mummy 2017 Could've Thrived...

A Universal Monsters project is coming our way from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that previously brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen. Universal has scheduled an April 19, 2024 theatrical release date for the film, which was once going by the title Dracula’s Daughter. We’ve previously heard that Dan Stevens (The Guest), Kathryn Newton (Freaky), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), William Catlett (A Thousand and One), Kevin Durand (The Strain), Alisha Weir (Matilda: The Musical), and Melissa Barrera, who worked with Radio Silence on both of their Scream movies, had been cast in the film. Now Deadline reports that Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) has also joined the cast.

Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are going to be directing the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, will be producing. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment...

Universal Pictures has set a April 19, 2024 theatrical release date for the Universal Monsters project that’s coming our way from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that previously brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen. Along with the release date announcement comes confirmation that the cast of the film includes Kathryn Newton (Freaky), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), William Catlett (A Thousand and One), and Kevin Durand (The Strain).

They join previously announced cast members Dan Stevens (The Guest), Alisha Weir, star of Matilda: The Musical, and Melissa Barrera, who worked with Radio Silence on both of their Scream movies.

Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are going to be directing the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, will be producing. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment will also be producing the monster movie...

Watching the 2014 film The Guest was enough to convince me that Dan Stevens is one of the coolest actors around these days, so I consider it very good news that he has signed on to take a role in the Universal Monsters project that’s coming our way from Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that previously brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen. Deadline reported the news of Stevens’ casting, but didn’t have any information on the character he’ll be playing.

Stevens joins previously announced cast members Alisha Weir, star of Matilda: The Musical, and Melissa Barrera, who worked with Radio Silence on both of their Scream movies.

Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are going to be directing the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, will be producing. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and...

Last month, it was announced that Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen, had come on board a Universal Monsters project that was previously going by the title Dracula’s Daughter. Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Alisha Weir, star of Matilda: The Musical, has signed on to play the formerly titular character.

Weir joins previously announced cast member Melissa Barrera, who worked with Radio Silence on both of their Scream movies.

Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are going to be directing the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, will be producing. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment will also be producing the monster movie alongside their Ready or Not producer Tripp Vinson. Jay Polidoro, Holly Goline, Kelly Cannon, and Jacqueline Garell...

The film collective known as Radio Silence has more than proved they know their way around a recognizable IP, having taken the reins on the "Scream" franchise following the passing of horror maestro Wes Craven. Following their success with Paramount's slasher staple, it was announced that the group would tackle a remake of John Carpenter's genre-bending "Escape from New York" and a series adaptation of the serial killer crime drama, "The Butcher and the Wren." But now, the Radio Silence team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are taking on the horror holy grail — a Universal Monster movie.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett will direct the currently untitled project with Villella producing. The script was written by Stephen Shields with revisions provided by frequent Radio Silence collaborator, Guy Busick. As of publication, Universal has not provided many details regarding the new project but...

Radio Silence, the filmmaking team that brought Ready or Not, Scream (2022), and Scream VI to the screen, has come on board a Universal Monsters project that was previously going by the title Dracula’s Daughter. Radio Silence members Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will be directing the film, while the third member of the trio, Chad Villella, will be producing. Their Scream movie collaborators William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt of Project X Entertainment will also be producing the monster movie alongside their Ready or Not producer Tripp Vinson. Jay Polidoro, Holly Goline, Kelly Cannon, and Jacqueline Garell are overseeing the project for Universal.

Stephen Shields wrote the initial screenplay for this take on Dracula’s Daughter, and Guy Busick (who co-wrote the two recent Scream movies with Vanderbilt) has since done some revisions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project was said to center on a group of kidnappers who...

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster director Thomas Hamilton on his upcoming series Horror Icons on interviewing Roger Corman: “He not only worked with Vincent Price, he worked with Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney.” Photo: Thomas Hamilton

Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Conrad Veidt, Maria Ouspenskaya, George Zukor, Paul Wegener, Emil Jannings, Brigitte Helm, Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Duane Jones, Max Schreck, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Lon Chaney Sr., Lon Chaney Jr, Fw Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu, Arthur Lubin’s Phantom of the Opera, Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, George Waggner’s The Wolf Man, James Whale’s The Invisible Man, Lambert Hillyer’s Dracula’s Daughter, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen’s The Golem, Hanns Heinz Ewers and Stellan Rye’s The Student Of Prague, and George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead...

Anne Rice and Bram Stoker, what other writers have done more to define vampire mythology and culture? Yes, there were stories before and more to come, but Interview with the Vampire, like Dracula before it, set the template for the classic and modern immortal nocturnal narrative.

Stoker’s Dracula was as much a feral creature as the historical figure from whom Stoker borrowed the name. Rice’s characters came from her imagination and had as much of the human essence in their psyches as the flesh between their fangs. They contemplated existential horrors, averted their eyes when loved ones died, and debated the ethics of nutritional hemoglobin, straight from the tap. They did it unblinkingly, and not only because of post-mortem ocular putrefaction.

Interview with the Vampire was originally a 38-page short story Rice wrote in late 1968 through early 1969. She extended it out of grief in 1972. Her five-year-old daughter, Michelle,...

The House of the Seven Gables

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1940 / 1:33:1 / 89 Min.

Starring Margaret Lindsay, Vincent Price, George Sanders

Written by Lester Cole

Cinematography by Milton R. Krasner

Directed by Joe May

In 1940’s The House of the Seven Gables, Margaret Lindsay transforms from sunny romantic to stone-faced recluse in the blink of an eye – her startling performance gives a 20th century hot foot to Universal’s 19th century melodrama.

Published in 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is set during the new era of enlightenment – a superstitious few may resist but the wheels of change are turning – just not fast enough for the Pyncheon family, a seemingly cursed dynasty plagued by corruption and cruelty.

Lindsay plays Hepzibah Pyncheon whose lover Clifford has been framed by his brother Jaffrey for the death of their father. A cold-blooded fop maintaining the family’s avaricious tradition, Jaffrey covets the distinctly gabled ancestral home and its hidden treasures.

The 2016 blu ray release of the Frankenstein and Wolf Man Legacy Collections was a moment of celebration for movie and monster lovers everywhere, bringing together all the golden age appearances of Frankenstein’s misbegotten creation and Larry Talbot’s hairy alter-ego. Universal Studios treated those dusty creature features to luminous restorations; from Bride of Frankenstein to She Wolf of London, these essential artifacts never looked less than impeccable and, at times, even ravishing. Colin Clive’s frenzied declaration, “It’s Alive!”, never felt more appropriate.

Now Universal has turned their attention to their other legendary franchise players, Dracula, the sharp-dressed but undead ladies’ man and Im-ho-tep, the cursed Egyptian priest who loved not wisely but too well.

Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection

Blu-ray

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

1931, ’36, ’43, ’44, ’45, ’48 / 449 min. / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date May 16, 2017

Starring: Actors: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. , Boris Karloff, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello

Cinematography: Karl Freund,...

In this ongoing Shock column, editor Chris Alexander muses on classic and contemporary films and music worthy of a deeper discussion. Ever since Gloria Holden first made ghoulish goo-goo eyes at her girl victims in 1936’s Dracula’S Daughter, horror films have been fascinated by the lesbian vampire. Blame J. Sheridan LeFanu, the Irish writer whose…

The post “Chris Alexander’s Shock Treatment”: In Praise of 1971’s Daughters Of Darkness appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Olivia de Havilland picture U.S. labor history-making 'Gone with the Wind' star and two-time Best Actress winner Olivia de Havilland turns 99 (This Olivia de Havilland article is currently being revised and expanded.) Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Olivia de Havilland, the only surviving major Gone with the Wind cast member and oldest surviving Oscar winner, is turning 99 years old today, July 1.[1] Also known for her widely publicized feud with sister Joan Fontaine and for her eight movies with Errol Flynn, de Havilland should be remembered as well for having made Hollywood labor history. This particular history has nothing to do with de Havilland's films, her two Oscars, Gone with the Wind, Joan Fontaine, or Errol Flynn. Instead, history was made as a result of a legal fight: after winning a lawsuit against Warner Bros. in the mid-'40s, Olivia de Havilland put an end to treacherous...

'The Fixer' movie with Alan Bates, Dirk Bogarde and Ian Holm (background) 'The Fixer' movie review: 1968 anti-Semitism drama wrecked by cast, direction, and writing In 1969, director John Frankenheimer declared that he felt "better about The Fixer than anything I've ever done in my life." Considering Frankenheimer's previous output – Seven Days in May, the much admired The Manchurian Candidate – it is hard to believe that the director was being anything but a good P.R. man for his latest release. Adapted from Bernard Malamud's National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (itself based on the real story of Jewish brick-factory worker Menahem Mendel Beilis), The Fixer is an overlong, overblown, and overwrought contrivance that, albeit well meaning, carelessly misuses most of the talent involved while sadistically abusing the patience – and at times the intelligence – of its viewers. John Frankenheimer overindulges in 1960s kitsch John Frankenheimer...

When you’re on a role you’re on a role! Once again here is a list of ten actors who achieved cult movie villainy on the strength of one movie. Some of the actors faded into obscurity while others continued their careers without scaling the heights of their defining cinematic performance. Perhaps I should do a one for heroes! Nah! Villains are much more fun!

[Spoilers follow]

Rudolph Klein-Rogge (Metropolis – 1927)

Although dated, Fritz Lang’s utopian masterpiece still has the unique power to fascinate. Not only did the film make a star of Brigitte Helm, it introduced the father of all mad scientists, C A Rotwang, played with eye rolling relish by Lang’s favourite actor Rudolph Klein-Rogge. The Austrian born star specialised in villainous roles so he was a natural for playing the nutty inventor who creates the legendary female robot used to impersonate Helm’s freedom fighter. With his exaggerated mannerisms and facial expressions,...

When Universal’s Dracula was released in 1931 vampires were a relatively underexplored creature of genre films. Sure you had Nosferatu, which was released a full nine years before, but Dracula was the first film to feature a blood sucking fiend that made a killing at the box office. Universal was quick to capitalize on the surprise success of Dracula and several sequels (some in name only) were made. There was Son of Dracula (‘Alucard’ is all I need to say about that one), Dracula’s Daughter, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein (which featured all the Universal monsters) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. While most of those films are disposable fodder, Dracula’s Daughter stands out from the pack as not only being entertaining, but also being the one sequel that had as much influence as its predecessor.

Released in 1936 and written by Garrett Ford and directed by Lambert Hillyer,...

Catherine Deneuve: Style, beauty, and talent on TCM tonight A day to rejoice on Turner Classic Movies: Catherine Deneuve, one of the few true Living Film Legends, is TCM’s "Summer Under the Stars" star today, August 12, 2013. Catherine Deneuve is not only one of the most beautiful film actresses ever, she’s also one of the very best. In fact, the more mature her looks, the more fascinating she has become. Though, admittedly, Deneuve has always been great to look at, and she has been a mesmerizing screen presence since at least the early ’80s. ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’: One of the greatest movie musicals ever Right now, TCM is showing one of the greatest movie musicals ever made, Jacques Demy’s Palme d’Or winner The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), in which a very blonde, very young, very pretty, and very dubbed Catherine Deneuve (singing voice by Danielle Licari...

DVD Release Date: April 3, 2012

Price: DVD $19.95

Studio: Hen’s Tooth

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. let's his sword do the talking in The Corsican Brothers.

The 1941 action-adventure film The Corsican Brothers, adapted from the 1844 novella by Alexandre Dumas, stars the incomparable Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (The Mark of Zorro).

Hen’s Tooth’s DVD release marks the first time the Gregory Ratoff-directed movie has ever been issued on disc.

There’s plenty of swordplay and swashbuckling adventure in Dumas’ tale of identical twins Lucien and Mario, separated as infants, and raised unaware of each other’s existence. One becomes a Parisian gentleman, the other a country bandit.

When they are reunited as adults (both played by Fairbanks), they seek revenge on the evil Baron (Akim Tamiroff) who plundered their homestead and robbed them of their birthright. Complications arise when both fall in love with the same beautiful Countess (Ruth Warrick, Citizen Kane...

Horror maestro Tim Sullivan shares with doorQ.com his thoughts on his new Chillerama movie, the I Was A Teenage Werebear short, the Rising Star award for Sean Paul Lockhart (Brent Corrigan) and the best in Queer Fear. -Dqm

With 4th of July fireworks still bursting in the air, how fitting that this week also marks the arrival of Q Fest, Philadelphia’s premiere Lgbt film festival. Having just played San Francisco and Denver to great success, I Was a Teenage Werebear will screen this Friday, July 8th in the City of Freedom.

The response to Teenage Werebear and its playfully subversive message of tolerance and “Room For All” has been quite heartening and encouraging not only for me, but for my Chillerama partners in crime, Adam Green, Joe Lynch and Adam Rifkin. The goal was to make something that particularly spoke to gay audiences, but at the same time...

"Dracula's Daughter" is the 1936 Universal vampire sequel to Bela Lugosi's classic 1931 feature "Dracula".

Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, "Daughter" stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill and Edward Van Sloan.

Based on author Bram Stoker's story "Dracula's Guest", the film begins where "Dracula" ends, with the 'Count' destroyed by 'Professor Von Helsing' (Van Sloan).

Von Helsing is immediately arrested by the police and escorted to Scotland Yard, where he confesses to destroying Count Dracula, but because the vampire had already been dead for over 500 years, it could not be considered murder.

Van Helsing enlists the aid of psychiatrist 'Dr. Jeffrey Garth' (Otto Kruger), once one of his star students, while Dracula's daughter, 'Countess Marya Zaleska' (Gloria Holden), with the aid of her manservant,' Sandor' (Irving Pichel), steals Dracula’s body from Scotland Yard and ritualistically burns the fiend's body, hoping to break...

Holger Haase Oct 12, 2019

From the mesmerizing Countess Maja to the captivating Carmilla Karnstein, lesbian vampires embody immortal sin.

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

Vampire lesbians, is there any creature more seductive, hypnotic or seductively sinful? Jesus Christ himself had to come back in the 2001 film Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter to protect Canadian lesbians from the most provocative of predators.

Saphic sanguinarians started staking their claim in Joseph Sheridan le Fanu's novella Carmilla (1872). From Gloria Holden’s magnetic eyes in Dracula's Daughter (1936) through Ingrid Pitt’s sultry invitation in The Vampire Lovers (1970) to the revivalist Lesbian Vampire Killers, the irresistible sirens have held an almost fetishistic fascination over moviegoers.

Charles Busch lightly spoofed them in the downtown stage play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom. Jesús Franco exploited them in the 1971 West German-Spanish horror film Vampyros Lesbos, starring Soledad Miranda as the Countess Nadine Carody.

Here are ten reasons why...

Ever since Gloria Holden first made ghoulish goo-goo eyes at her girl victims in 1936's Dracula's Daughter, horror films have been fascinated by the lesbian vampire. Blame J. Sheridan LeFanu, the French writer whose risqué short story Carmilla broke the boundaries of homo-erotic bloodsucking and whose taboo allure helped eventually launch this evolving spate of increasingly explicit dark fantasy pictures, many of which reared their horny heads in the considerably more liberal 1970's. UK horror studio Hammer were the first ones to really make their muff munching mark with Roy Ward Baker's LeFanu adaptation The Vampire Lovers and other films, like Jose Laraz's almost hardcore 1974 epic Vampyres and Vincente Aranda's The Blood Spattered Bride (whose title I happily cribbed for this tome) continued to push the envelope, mixing fangwork with female nudity to grand effect.

But there's one incredible film that always gets lumped in with those lower brow sex-soaked exploitation pictures.