It’s Halloween weekend! Somehow in the nearly decade of writing this blog, I haven’t counted down (lol) my top five fave historical costume movie and TV vampires yet, so here we go!
Julie Delpy as Erzsébet Báthory in The Countess (2009)
Spinning the “did she or didn’t she?” take on Bathory’s rumored blood-drinking / blood-bathing, and making it more of a feminist look at women’s beauty and aging and power. This is an excellent movie, even if you don’t like vampires or horror, and the costumes are well done for late 16th / very early 17th century. Delpy wrote, directed, and stared in the film!
Antonio Banderas as Armand in Interview With the Vampire (1994)
No, he’s not accurate to the book. No, I don’t care. He’s so goddamn sexy! I immediately root for Louis to ditch Claudia and pair up with Armand in this movie (they do, just a little, but not enough!). Banderas steals every scene he’s in and is worth the price of admission.
Christopher Lee as Count Dracula in Dracula aka The Horror of Dracula (1958)
Sorry, Bela, Christopher Lee is my OG Dracula because he’s a little less remote and cold, and he leans into the horror and seduction. This Dracula is something of an action figure, craftily fighting Van Helsing. He’s got it all. 1958 was the first Lee’s Dracula films (this one was renamed Horror of Dracula in the U.S. for copyright reasons).
Gary Oldman as Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Right up there with Christopher Lee is Gary Oldman’s Dracula, for different reasons! This is a suave, elegant gentleman vampire, who’s a warrior underneath — and a creepy old guy on occasion. He’s seductive and deadly, don’t you forget it. That’s what vampires are.
Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac in Interview With the Vampire (2022-)
The newest to the screen but by no means the least among the undead! Jacob Anderson has created the best portrayal of Louis IMO. He wrestles with his humanity while his identity as a queer Black man in Jim Crow America sets him apart just as much as being a blood-sucker does. He’s a lover, a father, a businessman, a killer, a storyteller, and I can’t wait to see how his character develops in season two of the show!
Who’s your favorite vampire in historical costume movies & TV shows?
Louis Jourdan
Oui!! Absolument!!
Frank Langella…scary sexy.
Fist pump for Christopher Lee! I also love Frank Langella, and I have to give it to MoHub for her choice also. :)
Louis Jourdan, IMHO best version of the novel Dracula. TV vampire, Geraint Wyn Davies in Forever Knight
I love Natasia Demetriou as Nadja from What We Do in the Shadows! Not 100% Frock Flick, but come on. Costumes are better than White Queen&PrincessðŸ¤ðŸ¤
Frank Langella.
I also saw him in Dangerous Liasons, on stage, as Valmont— and the moment he appeared, you could see every woman in the audience sit on the edge of her seat, instantly mesmerized. Amazing presence that his role as Dracula almost caught on film.
::fans self::
OMG, I also can’t believe this topic has never been covered here!! Re your list: I AGREE!!! I never even heard of the Julie Delpy version of the Bathory tale, but I love her in everything and also, she is just exquisitely beautiful–even in a burlap sack, even on a Tuesday. Re Antonio Banderas as Armand: SO RIGHT!! Absolutely NOTHING like book Armand, but he was his own thing in the movie. That whole movie was its own thing and peerless. Re Gary Oldman: He is MY OG Dracula. I will FOREVER be in love with him based on his Dracula alone, even though he is AN AMAZING actor and attractive in other roles. Whenever I watch that version, I always cross “oceans of time” to my young self who saw that film at the movies on my 15th birthday with friends!!!
So, I can only ADD to your list because I agree with all your choices. I can’t rank these, but I also LOVE: Tom Cruise as Lestat; Sam Reid as Lestat; Claes Bang as Dracula (I LOVED his “cliche” costume in the first episode); Luke Evans as Dracula; all of Dracula’s brides in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Basically, I’m a sucker for most vampire stories–movies, TV, etc. So, yes, yes, yes! Bite me!! As an honorable mention I’ll add Gemma Arterton in Byzantium, which I haven’t seen yet, but I love her because she is sooo awesome. From the trailer the movie takes place in both the past (with passable costumes) and the present. Also, it’s by Neil Jordan and he’s never made a bad movie. LOVE this post!!!
The costumes during flashbacks are bloody awful, but somebody has to put in a word for the Scourge of Europe: Angel, Darla, Spike and Drusilla, all from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Actually, Darla does have a couple of nice frocks. The extras, though… ::shudder::