It has been nearly twenty years since the first movie in the Twilight Saga premiered on November 21, 2008, and the fandom around the franchise is still going strong!
The story of Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart), a clumsy teenage girl who moves to the rainy Pacific Northwest and falls in love with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a 108-year-old vampire, was adapted for film by Melissa Rosenberg based on Stephenie Meyer’s 2005 novel Twilight.
The first Twilight movie already had a built-in audience, yet it still exceeded expectations by earning $407 million at the worldwide box office. Fans of the books were delighted to see their favorite characters brought to life on screen, and there’s no denying that director Catherine Hardwicke’s vision for the first movie has a moody, ethereal quality that perfectly serves the romantic teen angst of the plot.
That’s a difficult vibe to pull off, and we want more! The ten movies below aren’t all about vampire love (though some are), but they all evoke the same feelings of mysticism, yearning, and forbidden yet enduring love.
Let The Right One In (2008)
If it’s atmosphere and emotion you’re looking for, look no further than Let The Right One In, a 2008 Swedish film directed by Tomas Alfredson. Kåre Hedebrant stars as Oskar, a 12-year-old living with his mom in a dumpy apartment in Stockholm. Oskar suffers relentless bullying from kids at school and in the neighborhood, but when Eli (Lina Leandersson) moves in next door with her strange adult male caretaker Håkan (Per Ragnar), they become friends despite Eli’s assertion that they should keep their distance. It doesn’t take long before Oskar realizes there’s something sinister going on between Eli and Håkan.
While this movie was filmed in Swedish, the dubbing to English is seamless, we promise. You won’t even notice it’s dubbed! But if you really hate foreign language films for some reason, you can check out the 2010 American Remix Let Me In starring Chloë Grace Moretz. But seriously, watch the original.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
As promised, Lisa Frankenstein does not include any vampire lovers! Zombie lovers, yes, but zero vampires. This silly horror romp was written by Diablo Cody (Juno) and directed by Zelda Williams (daughter of the late, great Robin Williams, in case you didn’t know). Kathryn Newton stars as the unfortunately named Lisa Swallows, a teenager who’s still mourning after her mother was bizarrely axe-murdered two years ago. Her dad has remarried, giving Lisa a horrid step-monster (Carla Gugino) and a bubbly step-sister (Liza Soberano) to deal with, and she has somehow fallen in love with a teenage corpse in the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery nearby.
Wait … what was that last part again? Yes, Lisa Frankenstein is exactly as weird as it sounds! It’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but with more malfunctioning tanning beds and late-’80s flair.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Warm Bodies is one of the rare horror-romance movies that asks the question, “Can love restore humanity?” Isaac Marion wrote the novel of the same name in 2010 very loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The star-crossed lovers in this case are R (Nicholas Hoult), a zombie wandering aimlessly nearly a decade after the zombie apocalypse, and Julie (Teresa Palmer), the human he befriends against all odds. Their blossoming romance spurs a change in the reality they’ve come to know, and soon humans and zombies find a way to combat a common enemy and restore humanity to all.
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Director Catherine Hardwicke’s sublime use of darkness and light is on full display in this romantic horror film loosely based on the classic “Little Red Riding Hood” folk tale. Amanda Seyfried sets a somber tone as the lead character Valerie, a young woman torn between Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), the man she loves, and Henry (Max Irons), the man she’s been promised to marry. Loyalties are tested when a decades-long pact with the local ravenous werewolf ends abruptly and the villagers start getting picked off one by one. That’s when Valerie discovers a dark family secret that threatens the safety of the entire village.
A Ghost Story (2017)
You won’t find any pottery-throwing scenes set to “Unchained Melody” in this Ghost story, but it’s similar in that it explores the bond between loved ones that does not simply disappear when separated by death. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star as C and M, a couple living in a house together when C dies unexpectedly and becomes a ghost. No one can see or speak to him, so he wanders around and watches M as she grieves his loss and moves on with her life. There’s no happy ending in this version of the tale; there’s merely the recognition that life is an endless circle of beginnings and endings, and we’re only here for a brief, shining moment, so we’d better make it count.
Underworld (2003)
We’ll be honest, the first Underworld movie is a bit light in the plot development category, but it makes up for its shortcomings with chillingly atmospheric effects, exciting stunts, and Kate Beckinsale at the very height of her butt-kicking game. The story follows Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire who is an elite werewolf hunter called a Death Dealer. Whilst killing Lycans, she encounters a human named Michael (Scott Speedman) and they fall in love. Their relationship causes worlds to collide between the warring subsets, and Selene faces an impossible decision.
The first Underworld movie launched a successful film franchise including the sequel Underworld: Evolution (2006), prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), and two more sequels: Underworld: Awakening (2012), and Underworld: Blood Wars (2017).
Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Beautiful Creatures might be the closest film to Twilight on this list, but it’s also got much more humor and lightness than anything in the Twilight universe. Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) is a southern teen who keeps dreaming of a mystery girl. One day at school, he meets the girl in the flesh: Her name is Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), and she comes from a family the locals say are witches. Ethan and Lena fall in love and discover a shared past life dating back to the Civil War, but soon their families and circumstances threaten to pull them apart.
The cast in this movie is worth the price of admission alone: Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, and Emma Thompson costar.
Thirst (2009)
This vampire tale dates back to the 1867 novel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, which was the source material for this horror film written, produced, and directed by Park Chan-wook. It’s about a Catholic priest named Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) who volunteers for an experimental treatment for a virus only to find it turns him into a bloodthirsty vampire. Locals think he’s been healed and bestowed with healing powers, so they flock to his church services. There he meets Tae-ju, the wife of his childhood friend, and they start an affair. In time, Sang-hyun can no longer hide his thirst for human blood, so he invariably starts racking up a body count. After Tae-ju gets involved things get even bloodier, leading to a sizzling conclusion that’s sure to make you cringe.
The Lost Boys (1987)
The Lost Boys was a big hit from the moment it premiered on July 31, 1987. It went on to gain cult classic status, and the film still holds up today when it comes to sexy teen vampire stories. This movie stars Jason Patric as Michael and Corey Haim as his brother, Sam. The teen bros move to a fictional beach town called Santa Carla, California to live with their grandfather. They get jobs and make friends, and Michael falls in with a scary biker gang led by David (Keifer Sutherland). During an initiation ceremony, Michael drinks blood and inadvertently begins to transform into a vampire. Sam and his buddies must help him figure out who the head vamp is so they can kill him and free Michael from the spell.
Bones And All (2022)
Bones And All takes place in a world in which there are regular people, and there are “eaters.” Eaters are cannibals, but not by choice; they’re compelled to feast on humans in spite of the moral dilemma their proclivity raises. Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell star as Lee and Maren, teen eaters who meet and fall in love while embarking on a cross-country road trip to find Maren’s birth mother (Chloe Sevigny). Finding dear old mom doesn’t go as planned, and the two must figure out how to live with their shared affliction while defending themselves from other eaters, and from the world at large.
These fine films should do the trick to recapture some of that Twilight magic! If not, you can always watch the sequels: New Moon (2009), Eclipse (2010), Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (2011), and Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (2012), which are all streaming on Hulu and Apple TV+.
(featured image: Summit Entertainment)
