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The Vampire Lestat is a continuation of the wildly popular Interview with the Vampire, following in line with Anne Rice's book series. Whereas Interview with the Vampire is moody, slow-paced, and focuses on issues of morality and mortality, The Vampire Lestat is campy and fun, with the considerably less gloomy atmosphere doing a much faster job capturing fan attention than previous seasons.
Although Lestat has gained quick attention, elevating it to one of the biggest fan-favorite vampire series of all time, there are other deliciously dark shows to consider. These shows also specifically deal with vampires, have similar themes, and contain characters that can't quite decide if they're antagonists or protagonists. They're arguably even better than The Vampire Lestat, and certainly deserve at least the same amount of attention.
Castlevania: Nocturne Is a Bloody Spectacle in the World of Animation
A sequel to the Netflix Castlevania show, and carrying influence from the original Castlevania video games, Castlevania: Nocturne features Trevor Belmont and his friends attempting to stop the evolution of Erzsebet Báthory becoming the Vampire Messiah. Along the way, the Church evolves to support vampires in a quest for power, and other magical and spiritual forces are brought into the fight to stop an eternal eclipse from happening.
Although this 2023 sequel series lacks a compelling antagonist like Dracula in the original Castlevania or Lestat in The Vampire Lestat, the animation is gorgeous, and it has some of the most interesting magical systems within an entirely original version of the French Revolution. The protagonists are just as dynamic as the original series, but the writing between the two seasons feels overall more balanced than in Castlevania, where the pacing and writing felt rushed by the last season.
Penny Dreadful Is Deliciously Dark and Eloquently Written
While Penny Dreadful's seasons from 2014 to 2016 can feel slightly disjointed at times in terms of writing, it cannot be denied that this show had the horror/supernatural fan community in a chokehold. With fantastic dialogue, themes surrounding subjects not often touched upon (like early feminism), and a talented cast, this show is one of the best supernatural mash-up horror shows of all time.
At the heart of it all is Eva Green's performance as Vanessa Ives, a woman with deep spiritual and magical abilities who wants to rescue her friend Mina. Although the show isn't only about her character, with Dorian Grey, werewolf gunslingers, Victor Frankenstein and his creatures, Dracula, witches, and Lucifer involved.
Still, Vanessa is the force that grounds the show and ties the fantastical storylines together. Poetic at times and philosophical at others, with a consistent foreboding (and graphic) air, this show was a force to be reckoned with.
What We Do in the Shadows Has Some of the Best Writing of Any Vampire Show
Tone-wise, it's easy to question why What We Do in the Shadows would be considered one of the best vampire shows. This mockumentary-style show is purposefully silly, weird, and downright droll, compared to the other more dramatic and gory options.
But this six-season show (based on the 2014 What We Do in the Shadows movie from Taika Waititi) is one of the most beloved cult-classic television comedies of all time. Much of this is due to simply how well-paced and written the show was, in addition to the brilliant acting, but most also comes down to the ridiculously hilarious plot.
Released in 2019, the show follows four vampires -- Nandor, Nadja, Colin Robinson, and Laszlo -- who live on Staten Island alongside Nandor's human familiar, Guillermo. Portrayed as if a documentary is being filmed about these vampires and how they live in the modern world, the show is similar to The Vampire Lestat in that there is comedy and drama that comes from the parallels between the supernatural world and the human one.
However, due to its structure, it also shares quite a bit in common with shows like The Office.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Remains One of the Best Vampire Shows to Date
An ultimate teen show, as well as a top supernatural show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer set the foundation for future vampire shows to thrive. The show was meant to be unique in two distinct ways: balancing the lives of teenagers who just so happen to be entangled in supernatural events, and changing horror stereotypes where a woman doesn't need to be rescued; she is the one who does the rescuing (and kills people).
Taking place in a fictional town in southern California where a portal to another reality accounts for the majority of supernatural events that take place, Buffy is a vampire slayer who has the job of (unsurprisingly) slaying vampires. With witches, werewolves, and other beings involved that both help and hinder Buffy, the show follows the classic "monster of the week" format, but does have longer-lasting storylines that interlace over the seasons.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a game changer for the genre and continues to hold up to this day.
Midnight Mass Is Terrifying in How Realistic the Distinctly Supernatural Scenarios Are Made to Seem
A true definition of a slow burn, Midnight Mass is an underrated horror masterpiece, released in 2021 on Netflix and created by Mike Flanagan, the director of the Haunting series. The miniseries follows Riley Flynn, who returns to his hometown after time in prison, only to discover that the island's small population is being slowly overtaken by strengthening Catholic ideologies after a few "miracles" were performed by a new priest.
As the show goes on, viewers unwrap who the new priest is and how these miracles are happening, only to discover that a vampire and his blood are responsible.
Meticulously crafted with painstaking attention paid to pacing and symbolism, Midnight Mass is perhaps one of the most important shows on this list. It shows the danger of groupthink and how religion and power can become intertwined to a point where fervor and terror can't be distinguished from each other and instead exacerbate one another.
