“Watch Dawg” is a biweekly column exploring the wide, glitzy world of the entertainment industry. From films and television to award shows and scandal, “Watch Dawg” will discuss it all. For more informal film reviews, follow columnist Julia Kugel on Letterboxd.
As we near the end of the quarter, we approach perhaps the scariest time of the school year: finals, and for some (including myself), graduation. What could be scarier than that!
In honor of these harrowing times (and because I need some comfort as I write my senior thesis), I’ve decided that now is finally the time to talk about one of my favorite figures in films and television: the vampire.
As you may or may not have gathered, I had a vampire phase in middle school, and I’m unashamed of it. I spent some very formative years binge-watching shows like “The Vampire Diaries” (2009-2017) and its spinoff, “The Originals” (2013-2018), both of which still stand as two of my favorite haunts when I’m feeling a little nostalgic. While I’m not quite as obsessed with vampires as I used to be, I can’t totally shake my love for this genre.
Since you might also be starting to experience the reality of finals setting in, I figured for this installment of “Watch Dawg,” we could briefly discuss some of my favorite vampire films and series. Maybe, if you’re feeling frisky, you can watch them instead of getting work done.
As of right now, perhaps my favorite most recent rendition of the vampire is “Interview with the Vampire” (2022-present), which found its way onto Netflix last year. Adapted from Anne Rice’s series of novels by the same title (1976), the series modernizes her story and shifts (improves) it in several key ways. For one, the central character Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) is not a Louisianian plantation owner from the 18th century, but a Creole brothel owner circa 1910.
While it may not be the most loyal of adaptations, the changes made in this series rewrite the novel’s racist and incestual (yes, you read that right) tendencies. Also, the showrunners were brave enough to canonize a central queer relationship that was only heavily implied in both the novel and the earlier 1994 film adaptation, which is always a win in my book. Unfortunately, only one of two seasons is available on Netflix currently, but my hope is that eventually, Netflix will be able to contract the next seasons to stream.
Another awesome miniseries that inserts itself into the vampiric Southern gothic genre is “Midnight Mass” (2021). Complete with a very devout Christian small town and a mystery to solve, the vampires in this series are freaky, but the vibes are incredible.
I can’t talk about vampires in television and film without talking about Robert Eggers’ reimagining of “Nosferatu,” released in late 2024. While I didn’t necessarily find the writing to be showstopping, the aesthetics are undeniably immaculate. As a horror film, “Nosferatu” counteracts the more recent romanticization of the mythical vampire, which I can always appreciate. I’m also half Romanian, so whenever Transylvania (my mother’s birthplace) is mentioned, I can’t help but like a film a little more for it. I laud this film for bringing an impeccable visual experience, and for ironically releasing on Christmas Day.
If you want something super bingeable and nostalgic, I recommend “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003) for a light, fun, and more casual viewing experience. Though there is some vampire-human romance (it’s kind of unavoidable in any recent vampire teen drama), “Buffy” doesn’t make its vampires sparkle or amble around in the daylight with special rings.
Instead, its vampires play more into the more horrifying vampiric precedents (like the 1922 original “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror”). Allegedly, a reboot of this classic is in the works, so if you want to watch this series before the reboot releases, I’d start now.
To finish off these recommendations, I’d like to offer some of my favorite, pretty cheesy vampire media. The first is in my opinion perhaps the most underrated vampire television series, “Being Human” (2011-2014), which lived on Netflix for many years, but has now relocated to multiple streaming services for free. Picture this: a vampire (Sam Witwer), a werewolf (Sam Huntington), and a ghost (Meaghan Rath) live together. Antics ensue. It’s incredibly silly and pretty niche, but it’s perhaps more nostalgic for me than “The Vampire Diaries.”
One last film that’s great to watch together with friends is “Vampire Academy” (2014), which meshes Harry Potter and vampires into a terribly plebeian but nonetheless enjoyable viewing experience. It’s one of my sister and my go-tos if we want a casual movie night.
Perhaps I’ve revealed that I know a little too much about vampires in media, but it was going to happen eventually. You’d think that a horror figure would not be so versatile, and yet it is. From this list of recommendations, you can truly discover anything your heart desires to watch — romance, comedy, horror, action. Relax, grab a bite, and enjoy. I’ll be here, languishing away as graduation quickly approaches.
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Reach columnist Julia Kugel at arts@dailyuw.com. X: @julia_kugel Bluesky: @juliakugel.bsky.social.
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(1) comment
Midnight Mass is peak I recommend it to everyone I meet regardless of the social situation
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