Shubhabrata Dutta
Bloodsuckers have been a part of the silver screen for ages now. All of these vampire characters were developed on some common ground but also exhibited their own uniqueness. Vampire movies were a great trend back in the day when such movies just kept coming one after the other. But slowly, they reached saturation and slowed down a little. But vampire movies are not dead yet. There are some amazing TV series out there that are pulling off a Vampire Renaissance. And the best part is that many of these TV shows can be found on Netflix.
15. Legacies (2018 -2022)
Starring Danielle Rose Russell, Aria Shahghasemi, Kaylee Bryant, and Jenny Boyd, ‘Legacies‘ is a supernatural fantasy drama television series created by Julie Plec. The show focuses on Mystic Falls’ Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, which offers the young werewolves, witches, and vampires a chance to suppress their villainous impulses and become a better version of themselves. Aware their enemies can strike any day, these mythical creatures rely merely on stories and ancient folklore to learn one-on-one combat so that they have a fighting chance once they face their adversaries. You can stream the series here.
14. V Wars (2019)
Inspired by Jonathan Maberry’s comic book and anthology series of the same name, ‘V Wars‘ is a science fiction horror streaming television series that stars Ian Somerhalder, Adrian Holmes, and Laura Vandervoort. The show is created by William Laurin and Glenn Davis and revolves around a vampire outbreak that threatens to pit humanity against the undead in an all-out war. The drastic events are triggered by an ancient biological infectious agent that is released from ice by climate change and is now turning people into vampires. As situations worsen with each passing day, Dr. Luther Swann joins hands with his friend Michael Fayne to stop the conflict from escalating further. You can watch ‘V Wars’ here.
13. Sirius the Jaeger (2018)
Produced by P.A.Works, ‘Sirius the Jaeger’ is a supernatural thriller anime written by Keigo Koyanagi. It follows Yuliy “Yuriychka” Jirov, a young werewolf who lost his home and loved ones to blood-thirsty vampires, so he now naturally desires to hunt them down and take revenge. When the undead run to Japan from China in the 1930s, Yuliy joins vampire hunters known as Yaegers. Once they reach the East Asian country, the stage is set for an all-out confrontation between the two groups, with the lives of countless innocent people on the line. You can check out the show here.
12. Van Helsing (2016-2021)
We’ve all heard of Abraham Van Helsing, the scientist and Dracula hunter from the classic Dracula novels. The show revolves around his daughter, who goes by the name Vanessa Helsing, who is resurrected back to Earth only to find that vampires now rule the entire world, and she may be the last hope to restore peace in a world where bloodthirsty monsters lurk in the shadows. If you enjoy watching post-apocalyptic worlds, then you’ll love this one. Just make sure you don’t judge this one from the first few episodes; it gets much better with time. Feel free to check out the series here.
11. Immortals (2018)
‘Immortals’ is a Turkish attempt at vampire mythology. The series begins in the past. In 1879, in a dungeon in Thessaloniki, Greece, a woman, who is later revealed to be Mia, is killed despite her shouts claiming that she isn’t a vampire. However, before the camera pans away, a mysterious man feeds her fresh blood. In the present day, Mia arrives in Istanbul seeking revenge against her maker, Dimitry, as she believes that killing him will restore her humanity. Meanwhile, Dimitry desires the destruction of humanity and wants to accomplish it with his friend Numel. However, the latter has become recluse and withdrawn and even drinks blood from hospitals instead of going after humans. You may watch the show here.
10. I Woke Up a Vampire (2023)
Created by Thomas Lynch, ‘I Woke Up a Vampire’ is a comedy-drama rated TV-PG, so it’s safe for kids above the age of 7. It tells the story of Carmie Henley, who wakes up on her 13th birthday only to realize that she has turned into a Vampling, i.e., half-human and half-vampire. However, her urge to show off her powers conflicts with the truth that the revelation of her powers will invite enemies, including another kid named Dylan Helsing, who hunts those like her- all this on top of her puberty and her school. How she manages all of this while trying to figure out more about her new self is what the series thus chronicles. If you are looking for a vampire show to have some fun with your kids, this one is a great pick. You can watch the series here.
9. First Kill (2022)
Created by Victoria Schwab from her short story of the same name, ‘First Kill’ follows Juliette Fairmont, a teen vampire hailing from a legacy vampiric family that can trace its roots back to Lilith, who chose to be bitten by the Serpent over residing in the Garden of Eden. As she has turned 16, she has to make her first kill to be an adult member of her family. However, Juliette has trouble accepting the notion that she has to drink the blood of a human. Her life begins to change after she meets Calliope “Cal” Burns, a girl hailing from a monster-hunting family. Even though they are supposed to be mortal enemies, neither can ignore the growing passion they feel for the other person. Despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics, ‘First Kill’ was canceled after one season. You may watch it here.
8. Vampires (2020)
Created by Benjamin Dupas and Isaure Pisani-Ferry, ‘Vampires’ is a supernatural horror streaming television series starring Oulaya Amamra, Suzanne Clément, Aliocha Schneider, and Kate Moran. The show centers on a Paris teen who is half-human and half-vampire. Once she begins to realize her true powers, the clueless teen is forced to come to terms with her true identity while struggling with family turmoil. To make matters worse, a secret vampire community approaches the protagonist while she has barely realized the true extent of her powers. You can stream the series here.
7. Vampire in the Garden (2022)
‘Vampire in the Garden’ is a Japanese animated mini-series that offers yet another approach to the relationship that we, the audience, have seen humans and vampires share and shows how the two races can co-exist. We have Fiine, a vampire queen, and Momo, a female human soldier, who connect over their love for music amidst a war between humans and vampires. The two then decide to escape to the plane where the two species co-exist without even knowing whether the place is real. But even then, their journey is a hostile one as they are targeted by both species. Whether they can reach the “paradise” they are looking for is what we find out. You may watch ‘Vampire in the Garden’ here.
6. Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes (2021)
‘Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes’ is a Norwegian series directed by Harald Zwart and Petter Holmsen. The show is about a bloodthirsty woman who is conflicted between her urge to save her own life and those of other people. It tells the story of Live Hallangen, who wakes up in a morgue in the small town of Skarnes in Innlandet, Norway, after being brought in dead. She realizes that she has become a bloodthirsty entity who can hear people’s pulses and has increased strength, among other unusual physical and biological developments. With her family’s funeral home business struggling to survive, she decides to put her thirst to use. But can she do this? And if yes, then for how long? Everything begins with controlling herself and her overwhelming thirst for blood. You may stream the series here.
5. Tooth Pari: When Love Bites (2023)
Created by Pratim D. Gupta, ‘Tooth Pari: When Love Bites’ is an Indian Hindi-language series that offers a romantic take on the vampire genre and explores different ways in which the love between a vampire and a human can go wrong. Rumi arrives at dentist Roy’s chamber after losing a tooth, and the treatment not only fixes her tooth but also sparks a romance that, as expected, doesn’t sit well in either plane, the one where the vampires live or the human one. While both Rumi and Roy struggle with their respective issues, they cannot help but be attracted to one another. Will they be able to get together? The answer lies in ‘Tooth Pari: When Love Bites.’ You can watch the series here.
4. Supernatural (2005 – 2020)
A series with a cult following, ‘Supernatural,’ created by Eric Kripke, isn’t a dedicated vampire show but incorporates them in the plot big time. The series shows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester and how they carry forward their missing father’s legacy of hunting evil supernatural entities, like vampires and demons, and protecting humans. But there’s more to their story, including a mother murdered by an evil entity, Sam’s supernatural powers, the Devil, and the apocalypse itself. The cast includes Jensen Ackles as Dean, Jared Padalecki as Sam, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the father of the two brothers, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard, Jim Beaver, and Alexander Calvert. You can check out the show here.
3. Dracula (2020)
Based on the 1897 namesake horror classic novel by Bram Stoker, ‘Dracula’ is a three-part miniseries that manages to give one of the most popular stories of all time a new twist. The narrative is split into two parts: now and then. The story begins in the now, where we see a nun interviewing a man with certain deformities. The man is revealed to be Jonathan Harker, who tells the nun that he escaped the clutches of Count Dracula. The series explains how Harker, a lawyer, ended up in the nunnery before going to the past to depict Harker’s arrival at Dracula’s castle and gradually realizing that something is terribly wrong with his host. Upon its release, the miniseries received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised how well humor and horror supplement each other in the story. Feel free to check out the series here.
2. Midnight Mass (2021)
You might want to avoid uttering the word ‘vampire’ while watching this mini-series because the series itself doesn’t use it even once despite the entity’s strong, significant presence. Created by Mike Flanagan and lauded for its distinctive approach to the vampire genre, ‘Midnight Mass‘ takes place in Crockett Island, a fishing community, and shows how the new priest’s faith is put to the test when sinister events start to occur under the cloak of miracles by a monster (vampire) who is considered an angel. While the townsfolk drink its blood and get rid of their ailments only to die and reawaken to be like the entity, the deliberate dodging of the word “vampire” compels viewers to wonder whether the entity is a vampire or something else, maybe an angel. You may watch the show here.
1. Castlevania (2017-2021)
This lauded adult anime is inspired by the Japanese video game series of the same name by Konami and is created by Warren Ellis. It follows a war between bloodthirsty beasts and a man who is the only survivor of the Belmont Clan, a clan that was known for hunting vampires. When Dracula’s wife is burnt alive for practicing witchcraft, he loses his mind and unleashes bloodsucking monsters to end all of humanity. That’s where Trevor Belmont comes in as humanity’s last hope, as he is the only person who can bring the lunacy of Dracula to an end. The best representation of vampires is right here in this show. You can watch it here.
There is also a follow-up series titled ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ that is set during the French Revolution and follows Trevor’s descendant, Richter Belmont, as he tries to stop the rise of power-hungry Vampire Messiah. It is created by Clive Bradley. You can watch it here once you have completed watching ‘Castlevania.’
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