After being delayed six times, Morbius is finally due in theaters this April. With Jared Leto at the helm as Dr. Michael Morbius, the film will introduce the MCU to horror. As we've glimpsed from the trailer, the story follows our antihero as he attempts to cure his rare disease in unconventional ways, resulting in vampiric side effects.
Though regularly attributed to their literary origins, there are vampire myths from just about every part of the world. Modern vampires owe a lot to depictions in early pop culture thanks to iconic historical horror works like Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and the 1922 silent German Expressionist film Nosferatu. Depictions of vampires have changed over time, but for many, what makes vampires so compelling is how they balance the line between villain and hero. As we look forward to the good doctor continuing this proud tradition, there are a few others films that gave us characters who walked that antihero line to watch ahead of Morbius.
The Lost Boys (1987)
The song playing in the first trailer for Morbius - "People Are Strange" by The Doors - references the iconic soundtrack from the 1987 movie The Lost Boys. Well before Batman & Robin, Joel Schumacher directed this campy cult classic that sees Santa Carla overrun by a gang of leather-clad, motorcycle crazy, bloodsucking vampires led none other than by the villainous but alluring David (Keifer Sutherland).
When a recently divorced mother moves to Santa Carla with her two sons - Michael (Kason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim), the two boys find themselves drawn into the so-called "murder capital of the world" and get caught up with the eccentric characters of the town. Whether it's the comic-obsessed, self-proclaimed vampire hunters, the Frog Brothers, or the superhuman allure of David and his gang, The Lost Boys shows that living in a town rampant with vampires...sucks.
Blade (1998)
While 2008's Iron Man may have seen the start of the MCU, Blade saw the beginnings of Marvel's film success that helped revive superhero movies into the 21st century. With Wesley Snipes playing the suave half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter that uses his supernatural abilities to protect humanity from rebel vampires, Blade has all the action of a classic superhero movie with a unique and stylistic bizarre twist.
In 2009 San Diego Comic Con, Kevin Feige announced a Blade reboot that will see Mahershala Ali following in the footsteps of Wesley Snipes. With many of the Marvel comics suggesting Blade received his powers from Morbius, fans can only hope that these two foes cross paths in the near future of the MCU.
Let the Right One In (2008)
At first glance, 12-year-old Eli (Linda Leandersson) looks like any other 12-year-old girl, except she isn't - she has been 12 for over 200 years. Set in 1982 in a small Swedish town, Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a lonely 12-year-old boy bullied at school by his peers. While he often dreams about seeking revenge against the boys who torment him, he does nothing.
However, when the allusive Eli moves in next door, only appearing at night at the snow-covered playground near their house, they form a unique friendship in their shared loneliness. Encapsulating the antihero character via arthouse cinema, Eli is a formidable force capturing a complex duality of innocence and maturity. Beautifully directed by Tomas Alfredson, Let The Right One In challenges the assumption of the villainous vampire in this melancholy tale of young friendship.
Underworld (2003)
Before the Edward vs. Jacob blood feud in the Twilight Saga, vampires and werewolves were centuries-long rivals in Underworld. With Kate Beckinsale playing the mighty vampire warrior Selene, Underworld masquerades as a dark action film. However, beneath every scene lies a classic forbidden love story between Selene and a peaceful werewolf named Michael (Scott Speedman).
With its gothic and noir aesthetic, Underworld is a modern vampire film with just enough supernatural style, one-liners, and leather to make it enjoyable for action and horror fans alike. If you like The Matrix, you'll love Underworld.
Daybreakers (2009)
When a plague transforms nearly all the world's population into vampires, the remaining humans are harvested for their blood supply. As the last drops of human blood run thin, the vampires need to quickly find a solution to their blood shortage before they transform into something much worse than creatures of the night.
An interesting take on the vampire narrative, Daybreakers explores the vulnerability of the immortal creature. The movie challenges perceptions of the horrific vampire by creating a world where most of the population are vampires and positioning them in opposition to an even scarier threat.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)
Teenage vigilante patrolling the quiet streets on her skateboard through the fictional town of Bad City, the unnamed vampire played by Sheila Vand in Ana Lily Amirpour's debut film A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is a modern and empowering vampire tale for all teenage girls fighting for justice.
With all sorts of bad people in Bad City - drug dealers, pimps, and abusive men - A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night gives a unique and powerful agency to a teenage girl who wouldn't typically possess such freedom. Protector of women and fighter for justice, all while dealing with the tumultuous romances of a teenage girl, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night captures all aspects of the vampire character in a multi-faceted and empathetic way.
Thirst (2009)
Before the success of Parasite, Song Kang-Ho played a respected priest who, desperate to cure a deadly disease, receives a controversial blood transfusion that leaves him with a thirst for human blood. Torn between his faith and his bloodlust, Thirst is a violent love story from the stylistic director of Oldboy and The Handmaiden.
Both Thirst and Morbius reveal the drastic lengths people go to in order to find a cure for what ails them, whatever the cost. Such desperate yet well-meaning characters offer a glimpse into the unique origins of the vampire, offering an empathetic yet complex depiction of the creature of the night.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Another tale of family comes from director of The Godfather in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. With Gary Oldman playing the iconic vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula changes the relationships of the book ever-so-slightly to create a tragic love story as Dracula seeks to be reunited with his dead wife through her reincarnation Mina Harker (Winona Ryder).
Leaving a trail of blood and fear throughout the streets of London, it's up to Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) and vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins) to put an end to the lovers reuniting before it's too late. With its gothic imagery and a stellar cast, Bram Stoker's Dracula is a modern classic vampire film that places tragic romance at its center.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Starring two of Marvel's iconic actors - Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton - Only Lovers Left Alive is a quiet musing on the romantic vampire tale. Unlike classic bloodsucking vampires who sink their teeth into their victims, Adam and Eve source their blood from local suppliers for fear of consuming blood contaminated by the 21st-century environment.
As their romance has endured several centuries, the immortal couple is tested by the temptations of the modern world. While Coppola's Dracula is a tragic love story of reuniting lost souls, Jim Jarmusch's film offers a more realistic take on the downsides of immortality and romance in this modern tale.
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
The MCU is much loved for its comedy just as much as its action. While vampires are often depicted as brooding, uncontrollable and ancient creatures of the night, not all their depictions are reserved for such horror. From Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi, What We Do In The Shadows has the same rugged comedic charm that runs throughout all of Waititi's movies.
A documentary crew follows the lives of four vampire housemates as they try to adjust to the complexities of modern life. What We Do In The Shadows removes the illusion and mystery that often surrounds the mysterious vampire figure by highlighting both the pros and cons of an immortal existence. Waititi's film inspired its own TV spinoff.