The Best Vampire Shows on Netflix

We have seen vampires be bloodthirsty, terrifying, sensual, and maybe a combination of all those things. Regardless of whether you’re indulging in animation or live-action, you have to admit that vampires are pretty fucking great. Therefore, I’ve decided to compile the best vampire series currently on Netflix.

Grab your stakes, silver, and garlic, and let’s travel down this dark corridor in this extremely gothic mansion. We’re sure to run into some hot vampires here.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood is set in the 1800s and follows Jonathan Joestar and his battle with his adopted brother Dio Brando who gets turned into a vampire. Phantom Blood focuses heavily on Dio’s rise to low-level power as a vampire and how ruthless he is. It’s a fascinating story on all accounts and is necessary viewing if you’re getting into JJBA. The series as a whole may not be about vampires, but Dio remains an important part of the Joestar family lineage, and his actions impact generations.

The Originals

The Vampire Diaries expanding the franchise with The Originals was a wise move. The Originals follow the Mikaelson family as they face supernatural threats in New Orleans. It has an altogether different vibe than its parent series, and that works in its favor. There is more violence, more dramatic family moments, and major twists. The Originals focuses on how the vampires interact with other supernatural groups like witches, werewolves, and other creatures altogether. The vast majority of the time, nobody wants to work together. And there are themes surrounding entitlement that are woven into the storylines. It’s an all-around great series that you will certainly not get bored with.

Van Helsing

Van Helsing follows Vanessa Van Helsing and her allies, who embark on a mission to take the world back from vampires. It’s a wonderfully gory series with complex characters that all serve a purpose to the larger story. The spin on Dracula and the Van Helsings is perfect because women take the forefront. And there are a lot of canonically queer characters, Vanessa Van Helsing included. Each season has twists and turns that make a rewatch or first watch a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a vampire that’s serious, but also funny at times, then Van Helsing is absolutely for you.

Sirius the Jaeger

Sirius the Jaeger follows a werewolf named Yuliy who seeks to keep an ancient relic out of the hands of vampires. People seem to hold the series in high regard, and there’s no questioning why. The animation style is very appealing for starters! Also, stories surrounding revenge, ancient relics, and vampires who relish in violence and destruction are bound to be entertaining. Plus, with werewolves in the mix, you are guaranteed some fight scenes. Centuries-old beef doesn’t die off that easily, you know? 

Castlevania

Animated vampires can be just as hot and badass as live-action. Castlevania is a series loosely based on the Castlevania games. It follows Trevor Belmont in the Middle Ages, who is desperate to save the world from Dracula Țepeș. The animation style is absolutely stunning, the characters are memorable, and the story is captivating. If you’ve never played the games, then it’s alright because you can still follow the story. The series is incredibly violent, unapologetically queer, and gives viewers vampires that are beautiful but scary.

V Wars

V Wars is based on the comic book of the same name by Jonathan Maberry and follows Dr. Luther Swann and his best Michael Fayne who are at odds after he is turned into a vampire. V Wars maintains a relatively serious tone and focuses on the fractured relationship between Luther and Michael. What’s interesting is that climate change is the primary reason the vampire outbreak happened. Very relevant for our current time period, you know?

Midnight Mass

Midnight Mass follows a small island community that experiences miracles as soon as a priest returns from a spiritual trip. Only to find their miracles aren’t happening for the reasons they think. Midnight Mass isn’t your typical vampire series and focuses more on what vampire blood does to people … and how catastrophic religious extremism is. Mike Flanagan’s series tends to focus on spirits, so a very scary-looking vampire being one of the evil forces is excellent.

First Kill

First Kill follows the sapphic love story between a vampire hunter named Cal and a young vampire named Juliette =. The series takes a lot of inspiration from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in its premise but is more soapy than anything else. It’s perfectly imperfect, queer, and does capture that coming-of-age energy. Combine that with vampirism and ancient ways, and you’ve got a cute little teen series.

Vampire in the Garden

Vampire in the Garden follows a human woman named Momo and a vampire queen named Fine who venture out into the world together. It’s dystopian, and clearly Momo and Fine are into one another. The spin on vampires and humans coexisting before chaos ensued is also quite fascinating. If the animation alone isn’t enough to pull you in, then the complex relationship between a vampire queen and a human should be enticing enough. Kudos to an original idea involving a post-apocalyptic world.

Vampires

Vampires follows a teen vampire named Doina who desperately fights against her vampire nature by taking medication. The series seems to delight in teen angst and the desire to fit into a world that wants you to be “normal”.  And if that’s not a common occurrence in vampire shows like this, then I don’t know what is. The commentary surrounding that concept is very deep. It’s also a French series, and it’s always nice to expand your viewing palette for horror and vampires. Vampires seems perfect for folks looking to indulge in teen vampire antics. Bottles of blood, anyone? 

(featured image: Syfy, Netflix, and The CW)