Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Subscribe
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows

Recommended reading

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Horror Movies The 25 best vampire movies to sink your teeth into in 2025
Sinners movie
Horror Movies Black Panther director reflects on Sinners' strong female characters, as he says "women ran the set" of the new vampire horror movie: "I just wanted it to feel like life"
Luc Besson and Caleb Landry Jones on set of Dracula: A Love Tale
Horror Movies If you’re having Nosferatu withdrawals, there’s a new Dracula movie coming this summer from The Fifth Element director Luc Besson
Michael B. Jordan as 'Smoke' and 'Stack' in Ryan Coogler's new vampire horror Sinners
Horror Movies Vampire horror movie Sinners is now available to buy, and fans are rediscovering their favorite moments, from its killer soundtrack to Remmick’s line delivery
Lulu Wilson as Doris Zander in the horror movie Ouija: Origin of Evil.
Horror Movies The 25 best Netflix horror movies to watch right now
Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's vampire horror Sinners
Horror Movies Black Panther director’s new vampire horror movie starring Michael B. Jordan debuts to fang-tastic 100% Rotten Tomatoes score
The 30 best horror movies of all time: pictures from The Wicker Man, The Shining, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Hereditary.
Horror Movies The 30 best horror movies that will haunt you long after the credits roll
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

12 Naughty Vampire Movie Rulebreaks

Features
By Joshua Winning published 8 January 2009

Crosses, holy water, sunlight? Rubbish!

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys

The Rule: Vampires hate garlic.

The Rulebreak: Using the age-old comic book rules to battle vampires, Sam and the Frog brothers trick their mother’s date (and vamp suspect) Max into eating a heap of garlic. Nothing happens.

Little do they know that “garlic don't work, boys!”, as they later discover when they use it on the very-definitely-a-vampire Paul. Lucky they had that bathtub full of holy water...

Why? Imbuing the rockin’ ‘80s tunes with tension, this also sets up the film’s nifty final act twist.

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In

The Rule: A vampire cannot enter a person’s home without an invitation.

The Rulebreak: As mini-vamp Eli stands on the threshold of his home, Oskar asks her what would happen if he didn’t invite her to come in.

In response, she enters anyway. But soon she begins to convulse. Then blood pricks from her eyes, nose, ears, scalp, streaking down her face...

Why? It’s a quiet, gory, shocking moment in a film packed with quiet, gory and shocking moments. Also, hella iconic.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Daybreakers

Daybreakers

The Rule: Once turned, you’re a vampire for the rest of your unlife.

The Rulebreak: The world is now populated by vampires, including Ethan Hawke’s Edward.

But when Ed stumbles on Willem Dafoe’s Elvis, he may have discovered a way of reverting a vampire back into being a sunlight-savouring, heart-thumping human...

Why? Sort of exploring centralised power in a very claret-soaked way, the reversion thing basically serves to uphold a bit of Christ-like imagery. Really, it's a load of guff.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Twilight

Twilight

The Rule: Sunlight reduces vampires to a pile of dust.

The Rulebreak: Instead of igniting Robert Pattinson’s pasty vamp Edward (and, with the amount of hair products he uses, he’d deserve it), sunshine turns him into a shiny, glittery fairy.

Scary. If this is a vampire, we're quite happy to walk around at midnight with a top that reveals our ample neck cleavage.

Why? It makes him more palatable for teenage girls. And it’s pretty. (Not.)

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
Thirst

Thirst

The Rule: Vampires are the bad guys.

The Rulebreak: Sang-hyun is a priest infected and transformed into a vampire after he is given an experimental vaccine that goes wrong.

Catch that? He’s a priest...

Why? A morality play with lashings of gore. Sang-hyun’s internal struggle forms the crux of this very adult vampire yarn, and makes for a riveting watch as he yo-yos between faith and desire.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
30 Days of Night

30 Days of Night

The Rule: Ingesting vamp blood will turn you into a killer vampire.

The Rulebreak: Trapped by the ice and the darkness, Sheriff Eben knows that he and the rest of the town are doomed.

Except, then he notices that people don’t become immediately evil once vamped. So he injects himself with vampire juice in order to match the physical prowess of his adversaries. Oh, and save his wife.

Why? Wrings tragedy out of the situation, and makes a martyr out of the Sheriff.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Interview with the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire

The Rule: Fang fiends cannot bear the sight of the holy cross.

The Rulebreak: “That is, how would you say today… bullshit?” reveals Louis, when Christian Slater’s brown-nosing journalist asks about the enduring myth.

‘Nuff said.

Why? Could we really fear a creature that’s afraid to look at something? Nope. Hence the rulebreak.

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Blade

Blade

The Rule: Holy water is deadly to the undead.

The Rulebreak: Just as Louis debunks crosses in Interview with the Vampire , Blade makes short work of the myths surrounding holy water.

“Crosses and holy water don't do dick, so forget what you've seen in the movies,” he growls. “You use a stake, silver, or sunlight.” Here endeth the lesson.

Why? Because the thought of vampires cowering away from water is, like, pretty daft.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Cronos

Cronos

The Rule: A vampire is created by being bitten by another vampire

The Rulebreak: A centuries-old mechanical device turns people by injecting them.

Given the facade of a scarab, this golden instrument is actually a tomb for a deadly insect that turns people into vampires when it stabs them.

Why? Mechanics-obsessed Guillermo del Toro goes 20th century on vampirism, making for a cool twist.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Lesbian Vampire Killers

Lesbian Vampire Killers

The Rule: Vampires have enormous sexual prowess which they can use as a weapon

The Rulebreak: Hmmm, bit of an unintentional rulebreak, p’raps. Lesbians have long been overtly sexualised through the media, so you can see why making them into vamps seemed like a good idea.

Instead, it’s as horribly cheesy as the title, and about as sexy as a wet weekend in Guernsey.

Why? Your guess is as good as ours. Watch the far sexier Underworld instead.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
Near Dark

Near Dark

The Rule: Vamps drink human blood.

The Rulebreak: Newly-turned bloodsucker Caleb just can’t bring himself to kill a human being.

So, in Kathryn Bigelow’s mostly under-stated (some would say under-rated) fangless fang flick, Caleb drinks the blood of his sire Mae for nourishment instead.

Why? It’s effectively a plot device to both illustrate how weak Michael is without blood, and to delay his first kill so that we’re never quite sure where his allegiances lie.

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Cirque du Freak: The Vampires Assistant

Cirque du Freak: The Vampires Assistant

The Rule: Vampires are immortal.

The Rulebreak: Well, there are quite a few kid-friendly rulebreaks here (vampires aren’t evil, they drink blood from veins not necks, they never kill, are spectacularly unscary like John C Reilly).

But the main break here is that they can die. Instead of unliving endlessly through the ages, a vampire merely has an extended lifespan.

Why? Because kids have to learn the cold, hard facts of life: death happens. Even if you’re a vampire.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
Joshua Winning
Social Links Navigation

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

See more Movies Features
Read more
Bram Stoker's Dracula
The 25 best vampire movies to sink your teeth into in 2025
Sinners movie
Black Panther director reflects on Sinners' strong female characters, as he says "women ran the set" of the new vampire horror movie: "I just wanted it to feel like life"
Luc Besson and Caleb Landry Jones on set of Dracula: A Love Tale
If you’re having Nosferatu withdrawals, there’s a new Dracula movie coming this summer from The Fifth Element director Luc Besson
Michael B. Jordan as 'Smoke' and 'Stack' in Ryan Coogler's new vampire horror Sinners
Vampire horror movie Sinners is now available to buy, and fans are rediscovering their favorite moments, from its killer soundtrack to Remmick’s line delivery
Lulu Wilson as Doris Zander in the horror movie Ouija: Origin of Evil.
The 25 best Netflix horror movies to watch right now
Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's vampire horror Sinners
Black Panther director’s new vampire horror movie starring Michael B. Jordan debuts to fang-tastic 100% Rotten Tomatoes score
Latest in Movies
Superman literally punching the teeth out of one of Lex Luthor's troops
Director James Gunn says everyone knows Superman is an alien in the new DCU: "He's sort of this terrifying creature"
David Corenswet as Superman
New Superman trailer sees Lex Luthor's hatred burn bright while the Man of Steel is at odds with the Justice League
Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World
A24 movie based on viral found-footage horror videos adds Worst Person in the World actor to cast, taking the previously reported role of The Penguin star
A character with the Evil Eye curse if Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye
Dan Da Dan has beaten Marvel's Thunderbolts at the box office this week, and it could be a sign of anime's cinema domination in the rest of 2025
Sam Rockwell and Bryce Dallas Howard in Argylle
Argylle star Bryce Dallas Howard isn't surprised by her movie flops: "You can always see it coming while you're making it"
across the spider-verse prowler
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse star Shameik Moore may have just revealed that there are three versions of Miles Morales in the upcoming threequel
Latest in Features
Onimusha Way of the Sword Summer Preview
Onimusha: Way of the Sword looks like an incredible PS2 throwback in all the right ways, but with a modern feel and a swaggering protagonist I already love
Enemies run towards Charlie Disco in Dead as Disco
Batman Arkham combat is reimagined as a disco nightmare in this Steam Next Fest demo – and yes, you can already import your own songs
Resident Evil Requiem Summer Preview
Resident Evil Requiem's demo tops the series' scariest moments with what might be the most upsetting monster Capcom’s ever devised, and as a horror baby I'm afraid of how much I want to play it
Resident Evil Requiem screenshot showing Grace Ashcroft walking down a dark hallway with a lighter in hand. The GR+ Summer Preview 2025 banner frames the image
In just 30 minutes, Resident Evil Requiem scared me more than anything in the series' 29-year history
A close up of a man holding a gun during the reveal for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – Everything we know so far about the upcoming shooter
Link staring out at the skies in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
One week of Switch 2 backwards compatibility: The good, the bad, and the bilinear-filtered ugly
  1. Kofi serves an affogato in Date Everything
    1
    Date Everything review: "A masterclass in character design full of wonderful faces I love meeting, but juggling so many means sacrificing depth"
  2. 2
    Deltarune review: "This Undertale successor is an unapologetically weird RPG epic, where each chapter is a new canvas that doesn't have to conform to any rigid rules, style, or logic"
  3. 3
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege X review: "Bigger, better, and more user friendly than it's ever been – it's the perfect time to dive in"
  4. 4
    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die review: "This sequel's roguelike shift squanders the potential of its Burton-like world, yet I can't stop rolling the die for one more go"
  5. 5
    Survival Kids review: "A largely unambitious but extremely accessible My First Survival Game for Switch 2"
  1. The Yautja in Dan Trachtenberg's animated movie Predator: Killer of Killers
    1
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  2. 2
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  3. 3
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  4. 4
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: "Wraps up this spy franchise in spectacular style with Tom Cruise in peak condition, even if its villain lacks terror"
  5. 5
    Final Destination Bloodlines Review: "Meticulous murderous mayhem"
  1. Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim, Ruth Madeley as Shirley, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge Stewart, Varada Sethu as Belinda, Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, Millie Gibson as Ruby, Bonnie Langford as Mel, Susan Twist as Susan Triad, and Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble in Doctor Who: 'The Reality War.'
    1
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  2. 2
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision
  3. 3
    Rick and Morty season 8 review: "Largely plays it too safe after years of crossing boundaries"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 6 spoiler review: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is "a blast and sets the stage for a thrilling season finale"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 5 spoiler review: 'The Story & The Engine' is "one of the most original and ambitious episodes this show has produced in years"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...