Thanks to the resurgence of vampires due to AMC's television adaption of Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, Lestat and Louis are taking the world by storm with their bloody encounters and queer romance.
But long before Lestat and Louis, plenty of other vampire characters ruled the world of entertainment. From shows themed around the bloodsuckers to hot takes on Count Dracula to the very first vampire to break out into the horror genre, vampires have been a beloved type of character for centuries.
Damon Salvatore ('The Vampire Diaries')
The Vampire Diaries is, of course, full of vampires, but everyone's favorite will always be Damon Salvatore. Throughout The CW series, Damon acts as a hero alongside his brother Stefan.
Despite being turned into a human in the series finale, Damon spent the majority of the show as an over-a-decade-old vampire who, despite his selfish and malice ways, managed to make amends with his brother and find love.
Vampirella ('Vampirella')
Vampirella dates back to the comic book series of the 60s starring an overly-sexualized vampiress who acts as a heroine, despite her bloodthirsty desires. After appearing in over 200 issues of the comic series, the female vampire starred in her very own movie.
In 1996, Vampirella became a direct-to-video film based on the comics, following the superhero on her journey from her home planet to Earth, where she must stop the league of vampires who arrive to suck the blood of humans.
Drac ('Hotel Transylvania')
It's impossible not to love a vampire voiced by Adam Sandler, which is exactly what you get in the children's horror film Hotel Transylvania. Not your typical vampire, Drac runs a resort for monsters while parenting his teenage daughter Mavis.
Despite being the overprotective dad he is, when Mavis falls in love with a human boy, Drac puts his vampire instincts aside and decides not to kill him, assuring him that it would set the vampire/human relations back centuries.
David Powers ('The Lost Boys')
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The Lost Boys stars plenty of vampires, but David Powers led the gang - or so everyone thought. David acts as an antagonist throughout the film, teetering from blond bad boy to yellow-eyed, fang-cracking vampire.
While he may not have been the official leader of the gang, David remained a loveable but cruel member of the posse, never failing to persuade newcomers into joining him in doing thrilling but dangerous things.
Count Chocula ('Count Chocula Cereal')
Count Chocula may be best known as the face of the chocolatey cereal, but he also starred in several animated commercials alongside his fellow spokes-monsters Boo Berry and Franken Berry.
Count Alfred Chocula made his debut in 1971 as the titular character of the General Mills spooky-time breakfast, known for his tagline, "I want to eat your cereal!" In commercials, Count Chocula would sell you his cereal by claiming to be the super sweet monster with the super sweet cereal while battling Franken Berry for whose was the best.
Edward Cullen ('Twilight')
While there are certainly better vampires in the Twilight saga, you simply can't think of the blood-sucking monsters with Edward Cullen's pale white face popping into your mind.
While leading a pack of vampires at school, Edward winds up falling in love with Bella Swan. Despite his best efforts to keep his mortal girlfriend from the vampire life, Edward is forced to inject his venom into Bella in order to save her life, turning them and their daughter into one, big, blood-thirsty family.
Lily Munster ('The Munsters')
The Munsters centered around a family of classic monsters, with the matriarch Lily Munster as the head vampiress. This wife and mother appears with dark makeup and white streaks through her long, black hair, but her signature accessory was always her bat-shaped pendant.
Despite never doing much blood-sucking, Lily is known for her temper and short fuse, both her husband and father often warning others of this fearsome vampire's wrath.
Count Orlok ('Nosferatu')
As the very first horror film character to be depicted as a vampire, Count Orlok starred in Nosferatu. This 1922 black-and-white silent horror film was considered an unofficial, unauthorized film adaption of the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.
Count Orlok appeared with pointy buck fangs and dark eyes that popped against his pale skin and was considered a realistic representation of a vampire for the time. This horror villain lived in a Transylvanian castle, but wasn't prone to feasting on the blood of local townspeople.
Angel ('Buffy the Vampire Slayer')
Buffy the Vampire Slayer starred a slew of notable characters, but everyone's favorite will always be Angel. Despite being considered the worst vampire in history, once Angel met Buffy Summers, everything changed.
Angel was always a friend and ally - and even sometimes a lover - to Buffy, despite her vampire-slaying intentions. Dark and brooding, this redeemed bad boy will always be a fan-favorite vampire, whether or not he acts on the blood-thirsty desire.
Dracula ('Dracula')
He may not be the first character to be depicted as a vampire on film, but Dracula is certainly the most popular vampire in cinematic history. This titular character from the 1931 monster movie Dracula was loosely based on a real-life villainous man named Vlad the Impaler.
The character of Count Dracula may be recreated in dozens of different ways with dozens of different characters, but this Universal classic monster's blood-thirsty fangs and black, popped collar will always keep this vampire as an original.