The following four films are not necessarily the scariest vampire movies you will ever watch, but they go a long way towards defining the genre.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922): Directed by legendary filmmaker F.W. Murnau, this German black and white silent film is considered by many as the greatest film adaption of the vampire legend.
The vampire is known as Count Orlock rather than Dracula, as the film studio failed to obtain the copyright of the book. The studio was later successfully sued for plagiarism by Bram Stoker's widow Florence.
The creature is an ugly baldy with elongated fingernails and fangs. Despite his repugnant appearance, he shares his charming successors' soft spot for beautiful women, which eventually leads to his demise.
Dracula (1931 and 1958 versions): In 1931, Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi brought elegance to the blood-sucking creature with a performance that is - according to many critics - the definitive Dracula. His performance was characterised by a quirky speech pattern in what was the first official Dracula film, directed by Tod Browning.
Dracula evolves further into a dark Prince Charming in the 1958 British horror film Dracula, in which Christopher Lee (Count Dooku in the Star Wars films) plays his vampire role with an air of aristocracy.
