The greatest female vampires in television and movie history include blood-sucking women from Swedish horror films, classic cult TV shows, and critically acclaimed independent movies. Vampires have always been an important part of TV and movies, and even earlier, books like Dracula were capturing the public's imagination with their tales of dangerous, hungry, and alluring creatures of the night. When most people think of vampires, they likely think of those strong male figures, such as the aforementioned Vlad Dracula or the vampire Lestat or Blade from the MCU.

However, some of the earliest depictions of vampires were actually women. Even before Bram Stoker's Dracula inspired numerous movies, vampires in fiction were often described as women. The 1797 short story, The Bride of Corinth, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is one of the earliest examples of vampires in fiction and tells the tale of an undead woman who stalks her former lover. There are numerous female vampires in fiction, particularly in the 21st century, and the best of them are equal parts frightening and beguiling.

25 Darla (Angel)

Julie Benz

Julie Benz first appeared as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel's long-time lover who killed and tormented people by his side until he regained his soul. While she was hugely important in the series to Angel, it was Drusilla who overshadowed her, thanks to Spike's explosion in popularity. However, after dying on Buffy, Darla received a second chance on Angel, and Benz was more than ready to step back into the role of the tormented vampire who doesn't understand her place in the new world.

It was Wolfram and Hart who resurrected Darla from the dead to torment and manipulate Angel. When Lindsey primed her to take out Angel, she returned as a human, but this didn't last long because Lindsey then brought in Drusilla to turn her again. Darla was a great addition to the Angel cast as a returning villain, and when she ended up pregnant with his child (Connor), it changed the series for good. Darla's sacrifice for her child finally helped her achieve her retribution in the end.

24 Star (The Lost Boys)

Jami Gertz

When people talk about The Lost Boys, it is almost always about the "boys." From Corey Haim and Corey Feldman to Keifer Sutherland and Alex Winter, it is always about the male vampires and their enemies. However, the story never would have happened without Star, the female vampire in the coven who turned Jason Patrick's Michael Emerson to begin with. Star, played by Jami Gertz, always seemed like a conflicted vampire who was not all-in, like the evil David (Sutherland).

As a matter of fact, Star ends up fighting on the side of good at the end, a partially transformed vampire who had not completed the ritual to change all the way (as well as a young member named Laddie). When Michael, his little brother Sam, and the Frog Brothers fought to kill David and his leader, the evil Max (Edward Hermann), it was to stop the evil and to save Star's life, making her a unique vampire in movie history, since she was never 100 percent turned throughout the entire movie.

23 Mary (Sinners)

Hailee Steinfeld

Sinners is d itself as a horror movie taking place in the racist Deep South. Directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed), Sinners tells the story of twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return to their hometown to get their lives back under control. However, there is a lot they left behind when they left that they have to face up to when they return. Part of this is Hailee Steinfeld's Mary, who was dating one of the brothers before he left, and reconnects when he returns.

For about half of the film, Mary is a human and has a relationship with one of the brothers. However, things take a dark turn when Jack O'Connell's Remmick comes into town, a vampire who wants to turn the community into his own multi-racial coven, but all with a strong hint of racism and gentrification at its base. When he turns Mary into a vampire, it causes the brothers to have to fight not only the new vampire in town but also their friends who have started changing for the worse.

22 Mae (Near Dark)

Jenny Wright

Near Dark and The Lost Boys are about as different from each other as vampire movies can be. However, they have two things in common. First, they came out in the same year. Second, they are both about a young female vampire turning a young man and then watching them struggle with the fact that they are changing into a monster. While The Lost Boys was a coming-of-age story with bright colors and loud music, Near Dark was a Southern horror movie that was violent and gruesome.

In Near Dark, Jenny Wright plays Mae, a vampire who turns a young man named Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) and then brings him along with her pack, who are not all happy to have him riding along with them. While Mae is not as memorable as her male cohorts Jesse Hooker (Lance Henricksen) and Severen (Bill Paxton), she is an important part of the story as she is there to help protect Caleb, who in turn is there to save her as the movie comes to a close.

21 Abigail (Abigail)

Alisha Weir

Child vampires are frightening, with examples including Eli from Let the Right One In, Claudia from Interview with the Vampire, and Homer from Near Dark. However, in the case of the 2024 movie Abigail, the titular character is not only terrifying but also one of the best young vampires to ever appear on screen to date. Abigail was introduced as a young girl who was a ballet dancer when a group of criminals kidnapped her and held her for ransom, only to find out she is a vampire and she is not hunting them.

Only 14 years old when the movie came out, Alicia Weir steals every scene she appears in and is fantastic in her role as a sometimes sweet and oftentimes scary vampire killer who loves to dance ballet when toying with her victims. Even when her father shows up and hints that he might be the legendary Dracula himself, it is Abigail who remains the scariest and best vampire in the movie from start to end.

20 Ernessa Bloch (The Moth Diaries)

Lily Cole

The Moth Diaries is a 2011 Gothic horror film based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Rachel Klein. At an exclusive boarding school, 16-year-old Rebecca Cantor (Sarah Bolger) begins to suspect that a new student, Ernessa Bloch (Lily Cole), is a vampire. While studying the short story Carmilla, Rebccea begins to notice eerie similarities between Ernessa and the female vampire in Sheridan Le Fanu's Gothic horror novel.

While The Moth Diaries did not receive widespread acclaim, it's an unnervingly dark and creepy story about grief and how easily lonely people can be manipulated when they are mourning. Ernessa is a particularly sadistic vampire and her delight in terrorizing Rebecca, specifically, is cruel and frightening. She doesn't jump out of dark corners and hunt Rebecca, instead, Ernessa tries to force others to commit violence for her.

19 Izabela (I Like Bats)

Katarzyna Walter

I Like Bats is a Polish black comedy horror by director Grzegorz Warchoł. The film stars Izabela (Katarzyna Walter), a vampire who works at her aunt's curio shop during the day, and at night, hunts the men in town. When she encounters psychiatrist Rudolf (Marek Barbasiewicz), she falls in love and decides she no longer wants to give in to her vampiric urges. She and a skeptical Rudolf engage in therapy to uncover what's really driving Izabela, and if she is a vampire after all.

Izabela is a delightfully oddball female vampire who seems just at home sucking blood out of unsuspecting men as she does selling knick-knacks to those who visit her store.

Izabela is a delightfully oddball female vampire who seems just at home sucking blood out of unsuspecting men as she does selling knick-knacks to those who visit her store. Romance is a key part of many vampire movies and TV shows, but in I Like Bats, it takes center stage, as if the movie is supposed to be viewed as a romantic comedy. Walter makes her a lovable protagonist who actually seems like she'll get a happy ending.

18 Dezzy (Bliss)

Dora Madison

The 2019 horror movie Bliss from director Joe Begos stars Dora Madison as Dezzy, an artist struggling with creative block. She takes an experimental drug known as "bliss" which has the side effect of making her overcome with bloodlust. While Dezzy gets the inspiration she needs, she also descends into madness as she increasingly depends on the drug for her creative pursuits. Like the drug metaphor in Talk to Me, Dezzy's dependence on "bliss" is a clear addiction analogy.

Madison does an excellent job as Dezzy, perfectly portraying the frustrated artist type who's desperate for any sort of success. Dry and sardonic when off "bliss", her pivot to raving and frenzied, whenever she takes the drugs, feels real and honest. It's a frightening portrayal of a vampire, but also one that's incredibly sympathetic considering what's driving her behavior.

17 Santánico Pandemonium (From Dusk Till Dawn)

Salma Hayek

From Dusk Till Dawn essentially changes genres halfway through the movie, first starting out as a gonzo crime film that quickly becomes something much more supernatural. In the film, the brothers Seth (George Clooney) and Richie Gecko (Quentin Tarantino) are on the run after robbing a liquor store. They hide out in a strip club, but unbeknownst to them, the bar, and the village it's in, are home to a legion of vampires leading the Gecko brothers and the other surviving humans to fight to survive the night.

One of the strippers at the bar the Geckos go to is named Santánico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek), a talented exotic dancer who prefers to wear a snake around her shoulder while she performs. Hayek is mesmerizing as Pandemonium, and she plays the vampire/dancer with such grace and steely-eyed confidence, that it's not hard to believe she's likely centuries old.

16 Elizabeth Johnson (American Horror Story: Hotel)

Lady Gaga

American Horror Story: Hotel is the fifth season of the beloved American Horror Story TV franchise. Hotel is centered on the Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles, a hotel that has been the site of numerous strange and grisly occurrences over the years. The employees and guests of Hotel Cortez all harbor secrets and mysteries that generally are dangerous for anyone else to learn. Lady Gaga appears as Elizabeth Johnson, or, The Countess, the owner of the hotel.

Lady Gaga appeared in American Horror Story season 6, Roanoke, as the Scáthach.

The Countess is actually a vampire and, in her past life, she loved basking in the spotlight. By becoming a vampire, she found a way to ensure her looks never left her and that she would always be the center of attention. The Countess does not have fangs, instead draining her victims the old-fashioned way, with a blade. Lady Gaga perfectly balances the alluring nature and hidden evil of Elizabeth.