16 January 2020
Sink your teeth into these vampire series on internet TV
Vampires have been sucking blood in books, movies and TV shows since uncle Bram Stoker dreamt up Count Dracula way back in 1897. Whether he’s called Count Vlad The Impaler (based on a real 15th-Century Romanian warlord), Dracula or something else, vampires and the mystery around them make for great entertainment.
There’s something Gothically romantic about these strangers in the night who go in search of life coursing through people’s veins. Or it can be downright scary thanks to updated takes on vampires, where their faces open up like a flower full of teeth ready to infect you with the blood curse and turn you into a creature of the night.
No matter which version of vampire gets your blood pumping, you’ll find them all on streaming services Showmax and Netflix…
Dracula (Netflix)
Bram Stoker’s tale gets a modern update (there was also the 1992 movie with Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman) and it’s the best vampire series we’ve seen for some time because it stays true to the original.
Dracula lives alone in a castle. He feeds off his “pets”. He’ll die in sunlight. And he hates the cross. But there’s more to this three-episode version than meets the eye – especially in episode 3, when Dracula wakes up in a very strange new world. Watch it if only for Danish actor Claes Bang as a dry, witty and impossibly charming Count.
(Note that the disappointing IMDb rating below is mostly because of episode 3, which a lot of viewers hated, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s brilliant, and gets the perfect ending.)
IMDB rating: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 73%
A Discovery of Witches (Showmax)
The eight-episode first season sees a reluctant witch dragged kicking and screaming back into the world of magic and witchcraft after she discovers an ancient manuscript. But while Diana (Teresa Palmer) is trying to stay alive, she’ll need some help from her vampire colleague Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode). He’s the blood-sucking professor of biochemistry at Oxford and to say that he’s brooding and charming is an understatement.
The 1 500-year-old also loves wine, so he’s a pretty great date. Plus, he loves magic, which makes Diana all the more appealing to him – and not just because she’ll taste great… she’d make a wonderful undead-life companion for the professor.
IMDB rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 84%
Castlevania (Netflix)
The adult animated series is based on Konami’s legendary video game that has had a new version released almost every year since 1986. That means there’s loads of material to work with, and production company and streaming platform Netflix have made sure that the 16 episodes (to date) are packed full of action.
Episodes are 23 minutes so they’re quick to stream as hero Trevor Belmont protects the realm of Wallachia from evil Count Dracula, who wants revenge on the townsfolk murdering his wife for witchcraft. There’s loads of references to all the Dracula legends and the animation is second to none. Remember: not for kiddies even though it’s a “cartoon”.
IMDB rating: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%
The Vampire Diaries (Netflix)
Vampires have NEVER been sexier or more seductive than Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder as Stefan and Damon Salvatore. And their “prey” has never been more innocently gorgeous than Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert, an orphan in Mystic Falls who falls for the two brothers, unaware that they’re bloodsuckers when she starts seeing them.
There’s boatloads of other supernatural elements (like werewolves, time-travel and devils) but at its core, Vampire Diaries is a love story that romanticises the undead and their interest in loving the living rather than feeding on them. Did we mention that the cast are all really, really, really ridiculously good looking?
IMDB rating: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 84%
V Wars (Netflix)
The shoe is on the other foot this time for Ian Somerhalder – instead of being a vampire, he plays scientist Dr Luther Swann who’s investigating a mysterious disease infecting his city. And it starts with exposure to an ailing medical patient who doesn’t appear to have anything more than a very bad case of the flu.
Except, soon, Luther’s best friend Michael (Adrian Holmes) has transformed (physically and psychologically) into a vampire. And not a pretty one at that! Michael morphing into his vamp version looks painful as his bones break and muscles contort as he’s about to feed. Like The Strain, this is a different take on vampirism, but this one’s got the traditional fangs for the beasties.
IMDB rating: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
What We Do In The Shadows (Showmax)
Warning: this is not about vampires eating people! It’s based on “it-director” Taika Waititi’s 2014 mockumentary movie about four very different vampire roommates in a quiet suburb and how they’re just trying to co-habit.
Fast-forward six years and Taika returns as executive producer as four new biters live together in New York. Sticking closely to the movie, the bloodsuckers argue bitterly about mundane things like washing the dishes, closing the blinds before sunrise and taking out last night’s leftovers. The humour is drier than a corpse fed on by Dracula and the stereotypical vampires being poked fun at make What We Do In The Shadows a must for someone looking for a bloody good laugh… literally.
IMDB rating: 8.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
