Screen vampires have been a staple of the horror movie genre for almost one hundred years at this point, but they haven't always been equal in terms of sheer fright factor. We've seen grotesque vampires, edgy vampires, teen vampires, and heartthrob vampires, but it's hard to get scared of the latter ones.
RELATED:The 10 Scariest Television Shows On Netflix, Ranked
Grotesque, gothic vampires are where it's at, and who better to carry the torch than the malevolent Kurt Barlow from the infamous 1979 miniseries Salem's Lot? While Barlow does come straight out of a nightmare, he does have sinister competition in the form of Count Orlok from the iconic silent horror masterpiece Nosferatu. Here's 5 reasons why Barlow is the scariest vampire, and 5 why it could be Orlok.
At first glance, Kurt Barlow seems to mimic the creepy design of Count Orlok from Nosferatu, but there's a lot going on to separate the two. Barlow's eyes glow a demonic yellow, signaling his complete departure from the last vestiges of his former humanity. His grayish-blue skin epitomizes his undeadness, and the rot that has set into his reanimated corpse.
Barlow's teeth are also far more pronounced in comparison to Orlok's, with a top row of fangs punctuated (no pun intended) by two abnormally large ones in the center. Barlow is evil incarnate in every way, and it's expressed perfectly in his twisted figure.
While Barlow practically oozes non-human, Count Orlok is much different. In many ways, he looks like the grumpy Grandpa with unkempt crazy hair who you'd find feeding the pigeons down at the wharf. Stick a hat on him, and he'd be able to blend in despite his off-putting facial features.
Still, Orlok is pure creep factor. His sunken eyes gleam malevolently, adding to his menace, and his high shouldered gait suggests something otherworldly about him.Orlok also seems to have slightly longer talons than Barlow.
When comparing these two creepy vampires, it's best to analyze their respective behaviors. Kurt Barlow is a pure animal; a destructive, instinctual force of evil who seeks to propagate his species and spread darkness.
While the novels portray Barlow as an intellectual in comparison to the TV miniseries, both are nonetheless extremely aggressive creatures who kill on sight, even if it means risking exposure. The manner of their attacks are vicious and brutal, like a tiger taking down a gazelle.
In contrast, Count Orlok is something of a gentleman, at least in facade. He's been around a long time, he runs a castle, and he seems educated about manners of real estate and business - something Barlow would probably have little patience for.
RELATED:10 Best Vampires (That Aren't Dracula)
Orlok was hesitant to attack Thomas Hutter when he first arrived in Transylvania, preferring to wait until the night to make his move. This suggests cunning, patience, and strategy from Orlok, who will only kill if it furthers his goal, rather than because of blind instinct.
The miniseries featured Kurt Barlow's human familiar Richard Straker in the role of the principal antagonist, at least until Barlow's coffin was shipped to the small town of Salem's Lot. Straker made preparations for Barlow's arrival by moving into the evil house and sacrificing young Ralphie Glick to his vampire lord.
This would imply that despite his ferocious and bestial nature, Barlow was capable of both restraint and cunning. The novel hints that Barlow had multiple familiars throughout the centuries, with Straker being his favorite. By sending Straker to do his dirty work, it demonstrated Barlow's reach and influence over his servants, as well as his skills as a master manipulator.
For all his unattractive looks and creepy persona, Orlok was a cunning vampire who took the time necessary to enact his plans and see them through to fruition. He refrained from killing Thomas Hutter in order to secure his move, and he didn't kill indiscriminately when he arrived in Wisborg.
Without a familiar to do his bidding, Orlok had to do a lot of the heavy lifting on his own. While he does influence and gains control over the psychiatric patient Knock in the film, it's a far cry from Richard Straker's long-term service to Kurt Barlow.
Salem's Lot wasn't afraid to shy away from the direct confrontation between Satanism and Christianity, and it was played up several times throughout both the novel and the miniseries. Images of crucifixes warding bloodsuckers away was child's play compared to the bold blasphemy against religious order.
The most infamous scene features Barlow directly attacking the Petrie family before confronting Father Callahan, whom he challenges to a battle of individual faiths. In the end, Callahan's religious faith fails before Barlow's evil, a rare example of good failing to triumph.
While Count Orlok undoubtedly had less-than-stellar things to say about the Christian religion, he did not attack it outright in an attempt to belittle or disgrace his ideological opponents. Rather, Orlok was far more interested in whatever suited him personally.
His move to Wisborg was based purely on his own selfish desires, including the need to leave his ancestral home, as well as his pursuit of Ellen Hutter.
Kurt Barlow has an advantage in the fact that he's part of the Stephen King multiverse, an interconnected and canonized series of storylines that interact and relate to one another. Barlow exists in the same universe as Pennywise the Clown, the events of The Dark Tower, and many more.
RELATED:Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 10 Hidden Details About Sunnydale High You Never Noticed
This gives the vampire a mythology of his very own, which is separate from the one Count Orlok draws upon for his backstory. As long as Stephen King keeps writing horror novels, there's always the chance that Barlow's history could be further explored, which is a frighteningly tantalizing thought!
It's easy to see that Nosferatu was a direct ripoff of Bram Stoker's Dracula tale, and that caused a great deal of controversy when the film was released, prompting Stoker's heirs to sue director F.W. Murnau and attempt to have the film destroyed. Nevertheless, Orlok has Dracula's blood in his veins, and the film remains one of the best adaptations of the story.
As Dracula incarnate, Orlok bears the distinction of filling the shoes of the most popular vampire in pop culture history. He's the original baddie - Vlad the Impaler, the scourge of mankind, the vampire supreme! It's hard to top the O.G., even if he was wearing another hat at the time.
NEXT:10 Horror Movies That Were Victims Of Bad Marketing
Next South Park: 10 Episodes That'll Never Get Old
Derek's been a pop culture nut since he was a wee lad. When it's time to yell "Get off my lawn," he'll be dressed up like Kratos until the cops arrive. Derek loves contributing to both ScreenRant and TheGamer.
The rest is here:
5 Reasons Kurt Barlow Is The Scariest Vampire (& 5 Why Its Count Orlok) - Screen Rant
- The face of a 500-year-old vampire with a brick between her teeth - Metro.co.uk - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists recreate face of 16th-century vampire buried with brick inside mouth - WION - March 24th, 2024
- Montreal daily apologizes following backlash over Netanyahu vampire cartoon - The Times of Israel - March 24th, 2024
- This Major Aspect of 'Interview with the Vampire' Makes It Better Than the Movie - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Stare Into the Screen Not the Sun: Vampire Weekend to Livestream Special Solar Eclipse Show - Rolling Stone - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Dormitory Anime Cast to Cover Every Little Thing Song for Ending Theme - Crunchyroll - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend will livestream Austin eclipse show - Brooklyn Vegan - March 24th, 2024
- 10 Essential 80s Vampire Movies You Might Have Missed - Flickering Myth - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend, Slightly Stoopid, Portugal. The Man, and more shows announced at Dillon Amphitheater (so far) - Summit Daily - March 24th, 2024
- 'Interview With the Vampire': Meet the Real Armand With Assad Zaman (VIDEO) - TV Insider - March 24th, 2024
- Xbox Game Pass gets cowboy vampire-slayer classic today, just in time for weekend - ReadWrite - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Tease Punky, Jammy New Offshoot With An Imaginary Backstory - Stereogum - March 24th, 2024
- The GLAAD Wrap: Trailers for The Acolyte and Interview with the Vampire, New Music from Xana, Anglica Garcia ... - GLAAD - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With the Vampire Season 2 Will Unlock Deeply Hidden Memories - Gizmodo - March 24th, 2024
- Netanyahu caricatured as vampire in Canadian newspaper: 'Every Jew understands the meaning' - Ynetnews - March 24th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend tease a new offshoot project with an "imaginary back story" - NME - March 24th, 2024
- Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century 'Vampire Woman' Buried With Brick In Mouth - Study Finds - March 24th, 2024
- Here's a haunting, beautiful Interview With The Vampire season 2 trailer - The A.V. Club - March 24th, 2024
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Important Moment Features One Word - Den of Geek - March 24th, 2024
- TV Shows Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' That'll Suck You In - The Lineup - March 24th, 2024
- Remember When Pedro Pascal Was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? - Remezcla - March 24th, 2024
- Interview With The Vampire Season 2 Goes Bigger Than Ever, See The Extended Look Into Fan-Favorite Series Return - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- Fury Over Antisemitic Canadian Newspaper Cartoon Depicting Netanyahu as Blood-Sucking Vampire - Algemeiner - March 24th, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE: Memory Is The Monster In Stunning Extended Season 2 Trailer INTERVIEW WITH ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Extended Look: Memory Is Monster - Bleeding Cool News - March 24th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire trailer season 2 trailer is brimming with queer lust and the return of Lestat - Gay Times Magazine - March 24th, 2024
- Everything we're obsessed with in the new 'Interview With the Vampire' trailer - Pride.com - March 24th, 2024
- Pedro Pascal Was Saved By Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Giant Freakin Robot - March 24th, 2024
- AMC reveals an extended look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 - Claire and Jamie - March 24th, 2024
- "Interview with the Vampire" Season 2 Trailer Previews the Return of AMC's Anne Rice Series on May 12 - Bloody Disgusting - March 24th, 2024
- Scream directors explain how their new vampire horror movie fits into the Universal Monsters universe, and share ... - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- 'Blood Hunt' Connecting Cover Holds the Line Against the Vampire Armies - Marvel.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Official Distortions Trailer - IGN - March 16th, 2024
- How Mel Brooks and Twilight inspired a vampire visual novel mixing funny with therapy - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Game Theory: Yes, please, bring on the Vampire Survivors clones - The A.V. Club - March 16th, 2024
- Son 'stabs dead his mum he believed was a vampire biting him at night' - Metro.co.uk - March 16th, 2024
- Man accused of killing mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - KOIN.com - March 16th, 2024
- 11 Best Songs of the Week: Ride, Vampire Weekend, Drahla, Waxahatchee, and More - Under the Radar Mag - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend Give Upbeat History Lesson About Cruelty Through the Ages on New Song Classical - Rolling Stone - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist - Counsel the undead and help them rest in peace - ReadWrite - March 16th, 2024
- Watch: Vampire Weekend Share Classical, Third Preview Single from 'Only God Was Above Us' - Relix - March 16th, 2024
- Oregon man claims mom was vampire before he's alleged to have killed her - Toronto Sun - March 16th, 2024
- Court docs: Man accused of killing elderly mother in Siletz believed she was a vampire - Fox 12 Oregon - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend present the orchestral single, "Classical" - The Line of Best Fit - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend releases new song & video from upcoming album, 'Only God Was Above' 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 16th, 2024
- The 'Vampire Survivors' soundtrack is coming to vinyl this month - NME - March 16th, 2024
- Blood Hunters #2 introduces an all-new vampire hunter and shows what happens when vampires drink the Hulk's blood - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire survival game V Rising sinks its teeth into a full-blooded 1.0 release this May - Rock Paper Shotgun - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend have released a new album cut, 'Classical' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Is Leaving Early Access On May 8th - MMORPG.com - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Therapist Releases New Distortions Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survival Game V Rising Launches Into 1.0 This May Before It Hits PS5 Later This Year - Game Informer - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend glance at the cruelty of history on Classical - Beats Per Minute - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Horror Abigail Is 'Very R-Rated', Says Tyler Gillett: 'We Want The Blood To Stick To You' - Empire - March 16th, 2024
- After 2 years, this vampire anime based on one of our favorite manga is getting the second season it deserves - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Man brutally kills mother, believing she is a vampire - The News International - March 16th, 2024
- Vampire Survivors is the next Nintendo Switch Online Game Trial in Europe - Nintendo Everything - March 16th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire stars tease "fierce" and "feisty" season 2 - Gay Times Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- New action RPG combines the best of Diablo and Vampire Survivors - PCGamesN - March 16th, 2024
- 'Your vampire ball is over' Putin to Western elites - azrbaycan24 - March 16th, 2024
- 8 Interview With The Vampire Book Moments We Can't Wait To See In Season 2 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Inside Ukraines terrifying Vampire drones unit striking fear into Russian troops who liken them to chi... - The Sun - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 will let you become a super vampire by drinking vamp blood, taking their ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire' grave over 300-years-old that lies on Liverpool's edge - Liverpool Echo - March 8th, 2024
- Meet the Bloodcoven, the extra-creepy vampire villains of Marvel's Blood Hunt event - Gamesradar - March 8th, 2024
- The Vampire Diaries: Every Main Characters Age At The Start Of The Show To The End - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Vampire Facials' at Spa Linked to HIV Infections - Medpage Today - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Weekend launches 'Vampire Campfire' podcast 105.7 The Point - 105.7 The Point - March 8th, 2024
- Interview with the Vampire Season 2 premiere date confirmed (get the details) - Claire and Jamie - March 8th, 2024
- Skyrim remake of 24-year-old Vampire RPG shows off its modern London level, and the guns are way less janky than I ... - PC Gamer - March 8th, 2024
- Ancient Origins of the Vampire Squid - Deep-Sea News - March 8th, 2024
- 2024 Canadian Screen Awards: BLACKBERRY, HUMANIST VAMPIRE, And INFINITY POOL Rack up Massive Nominations - ScreenAnarchy - March 8th, 2024
- Vampire Breast Lift 101: Everything to Know About the Trending Treatment - NewBeauty Magazine - March 8th, 2024
- Luke Perry and the Untold History of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' - Vanity Fair - March 8th, 2024
- Rose Byrne Wore The Vampire's Wife To The Roundabout Theatre Company's 2024 Gala - Red Carpet Fashion Awards - March 8th, 2024
- Candice King to Reunite With 'Vampire Diaries' Creator Julie Plec On New Series 'We Were Liars' - Just Jared - March 8th, 2024
- Marvel thinks Dracula & Morbius aren't enough of a threat for the Avengers, so they've created a vampire supergroup - Popverse - March 8th, 2024
- Learn about the Brujah's playing style in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Gaming Trend - March 8th, 2024
- Mike Gordon Adds Headlining Shows Ahead Of Tour With Vampire Weekend - Live for Live Music - March 8th, 2024
- This Is Still 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Most Underrated Season - Collider - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero