Explore a hundred years of iconic vampire films depicted through posters, still images, and artwork—from Murnau’s pioneering creations to contemporary series like True Blood and more.
This comprehensive collection honors classic vampire cinema—both mainstream and obscure—through the diverse visual formats that have shaped its cultural impact. Beginning with F.W. Murnau’s landmark 1922 premiere of Nosferatu in Berlin, despite Bram Stoker’s widow Florence’s legal attempts to suppress it, the film endures as the seminal vampire movie, spawning a legacy of dark imagery. The lineage extends from Hollywood’s Dracula series (1931–48), through Hammer’s Dracula/Horror of Dracula adaptations and sequels (1958–74), to explorations of Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and other lesbian vampire tales (1970–2020). It continues with modern reinterpretations portraying vampires as everything from outcasts and addicts to fashion figures, gay icons, and comic heroes (1975–2022). Richly illustrated with rare stills, posters, artworks, and press materials, this volume is penned by cultural historian Christopher Frayling, recognized as a leading expert on Gothic culture.
Sir Christopher Frayling is a cultural historian and connoisseur of the Gothic. He's the author of dozens of books, including Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula, Frankenstein: The First 200 Years, The 2001 File: Harry Lange and the Design of the Landmark Science Fiction Film and Vampyres: Genesis and Resurrection. He created the classic four-part television series Nightmare: The Birth of Horror.
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