Top 15 Movies like Twilight

The Twilight Saga was a series of five films based on the novels of author Stephanie Meyer.

Starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, they can perhaps best be classified as vampire romance movies.

The original Twilight movie was released in 2008, and over the next four years, four further movies followed: New Moon in 2009, Eclipse in 2010, Breaking Dawn Part One in 2011, and finally Breaking Dawn Part Two in 2012.

A decade on and for fans of Twilight, there is undeniably still a big gap in their lives which these movies used to fill. Sure, you can rewatch all of them, and they are definitely movies that stand up to repeat viewing.

But after ten years, even the most hardcore fans would be forgiven for wanting something new.

Which is why we have put together this list of the top 15 movies similar to Twilight to help fill that Twilight-shaped hole in your life.

Ready to dive in?

Interview with the Vampire

This 1994 classic is more gothic horror than romance, but its handsome and relatable vampires will certainly chime with Twilight fans.

It tells the tale of Lestat (Tom Cruise) and Louis (Brad Pitt), who he turned into a vampire in 1791. It is framed around Louis giving an interview to a journalist Daniel Malloy (Christian Slater), in which he tells how they turned Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) into a vampire and raised her as their own child.

Claudia is angry at being a child for eternity and kills Lestat. Louis helps her to cover up the killing, but two other vampires, Santiago (Stephen Rea) and Armand (Antonio Banderas) suspect them.

There follows a tale of revenge and reincarnation with some terrific twists and turns. One of the most famous vampire movies ever made, and frankly, one of the best.

Underworld

If vampire action is your thing, then Underworld is definitely another franchise you should check out.

The original movie, released in 2003, is a classic of the genre. It features Kate Beckinsale as Selene, a vampire-warrior who defies her instructions and falls in love with a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), who is being chased by the Lycans, on whom Selene has vowed revenge.

Along the way, she uncovers plots, and the truth about her family and tries to come to terms with her feelings too.

The original film also features Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, and Shane Brolly. And if you enjoy it, there are no fewer than four other Underworld movies for you to enjoy too; Evolution, Rise of the Lycans, Awakening, and Blood Wars.

Fifty Shades of Grey

This one isn’t a vampire film, but anyone who has seen both Twilight and Fifty Shades will know all too well the debt the latter has to the former.

This movie series stars Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Ana Steele, a literature student who interviews Grey and falls in love with him.

He has the same feelings but wants them on his terms which means control and no lack of BDSM.

What follows is a hugely popular erotic movie that few people realise is based on a piece of fan fiction written by author E.L James about, you guessed it, Twilight.

If you like Fifty Shades of Grey, there are two more movies, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, you can enjoy too.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

As well as being a vampire movie, Twilight is very much a ‘coming-of-age’ movie, and if you like that aspect of the series, then The Perks of Being a Wallflower could be a great movie choice for you.

It is set in the early 1990s and tells the story of Charlie Kelmeckis (Logan Lerman), a High School freshman with a history of mental health problems.

He is nervous about going to school, but his new friends Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller), plus their shared experiences, help him come to terms with things.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is more of a friendship film than a romance, but there is a relationship between Charlie and Sam that explores some of the same themes seen in Twilight as they grow older together.

Romeo + Juliet

Baz Lurhmann’s epic modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet is regularly on the list of best Shakespearean adaptations ever put on film.

It puts the ultimate story about ‘star-crossed lovers’ into film, which fans of Twilight will relate to. And of course, there are numerous references to Romeo and Juliet throughout the Twilight series.

Luhrmann puts the famous tale of lovers kept apart from their warring families into modern-day Venice Beach and offers up an all-star cast featuring Leonardo Di Caprio, Claire Danes, Harold Perrineau, John Leguizamo, and even Paul Rudd.

Timeless filmmaking described by the BBC as “a bold and vigorous adaptation” that “pumps new life into a well-known tale.”

Red Riding Hood

While we are on the tale of adaptations of classic tales, the 2011 movie version of the classic fairy tale Red Riding Hood is another film that Twilight fans will enjoy.

It keeps the medieval backdrop and tells the story of Valerie, played by Amanda Seyfried, whose family have plans to marry her to a rich and handsome man (Max Irons).

The only problem is Valerie has already fallen in love with the local woodcutter (Shiloh Fernandez). They plan to run away, but then she begins to suspect he may also be the werewolf that has been terrorising their community.

She becomes the bait to lure him out, but is it true, and can their love survive such a thing?

It’s not 100% loyal to the original story by any means, but it is a great teen romance with a gothic horror twist and plenty of action thrown in for good measure too.

Tuck Everlasting

This period romance, based on the popular American novel, tells the story of 17-year-old Winnie (Alexis Bledel), who falls in love with the handsome Jesse Tuck (Jonathan Jackson).

But her feelings get jolted when she discovers that he and his family are immortal. She has the choice to live a normal life or join them and live forever but quickly learns that immortality is not all it cracks up to be.

With a cracking support cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Sissy Spacek, William Hurt, and Julia Hart, this is not perfect by any means.

But there is no doubt that Twilight fans will love the romance and fantasy elements in this timeless tale.

The Village

An altogether darker tale, The Villiage is an M Night Shyamalan movie with all the usual hallmarks.

It is set in a remote village, where there is an agreement between the inhabitants and the monsters in the surrounding wilderness. They will not enter the woods, and the creatures won’t enter the town.

But when someone does enter the woods looking for medication, the creatures descend on the town. Horror and chaos ensure with a classic M. Night Shyamalan ending tacked on too.

It has a great cast including, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Brendan Gleeson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Judy Greer, and loads more recognisable faces.

The Village was not well received by critics, but audiences liked it a lot more, and if the Twilight movies were a favourite, The Village is a film you will love.

Warm Bodies

If you like vampire romances, then why not a zombie romance eh?

Well, Warm Bodies is exactly that. It tells the story of ‘R’, a zombie played by Nicholas Hoult who is capable of thought and who meets Julie (Theresa Palmer), a human who he finds himself compelled to save rather than consume.

As their relationship grows, ‘R’ starts to rediscover his human qualities of compassion and recover, but can they stop the other zombies from killing the remaining survivors.

This is a deeply silly, and yet sweet and tender movie that will definitely appeal to Twilight fans.

It also features John Malkovich, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, and a solid ensemble cast. Great, life-affirming entertainment.

The Hunger

The Hunger is a classic vampire movie made in the 1980s and starring an incredible trio of actors; Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, and David Bowie.

It follows a love triangle between Miriam Blaylock (Deneuve) and her partner John (Bowie), who she turned and promised eternal life to. But now he realises that doesn’t mean eternal youth and seeks the help of Dr. Sarah Roberts (Sarandon).

But Miriam locks him up with her other tormented former lovers and seduces Roberts. But she kills Miriam and releases John and the others from their torment.

The Hunger can look a little dated, but the plot is right up Twilight fan’s street, and the performances in this movie really are second-to-none.

Beautiful Creatures

Another recent and well-regarded gothic romance is Beautiful Creatures, which tells the story of Ethan, played by Alden Ehrenreich, who dreams about Alice Englert’s character Lena before he even meets her.

When they start to date, she tells him that she and her family have magical powers, and it is only when she reaches the age of 16 that she will know whether she is good or evil.

This beautiful and mysterious film will have you routing for the pair to stay together as the drama and romance unfolds.

There is also an excellent cast featuring Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, and Thomas Mann.

No vampires, but gothic romance at its very best.

Let the Right One In

Oskar is 12 years old and the victim of bullying at his school when he meets a strange girl. They fall in love and band together to help Oskar exact revenge on his bullies.

It is while they are doing this that Oskar discovers his girlfriend is a vampire, and he has to decide whether to stay with her or move on.

This is a much slower-paced film than Twilight and is Swedish made too. There is plenty of blood and guts, but it’s all a bit more serene and less violent than we might expect.

It has a strong cast of Swedish actors and lots of positives. It won’t be a movie for every Twilight fan, but for those that it clicks with, this is a film you will enjoy.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Best known as a TV series and well worth watching if you are a Twilight fan that hasn’t dipped into it yet. But Buffy was also a movie too, and a pretty good one at that.

It came before the TV series, and so has a different cast. The role of Buffy is played by Kristy Swanson. She is a cheerleader who learns that it is her fate to fight vampires.

She finds herself in a conflict with Lothos (played by Rutger Hauer) and his sidekick Amilyn (Paul Reubens). There is violence, romance, high school shenanigans, and no lack of people turned into vampires along the way too.

With a cast that includes Donald Sutherland, Hilary Swank, Luke Perry, and David Arquette, the Buffy movie is a terrific piece of standalone entertainment, provided you can set it aside from its more famous TV show equivalent.

Bit

Bit is vampire romance for the ‘woke’ generation.

It tells the tale of Laurel, a transgendered teen girl, played by Nicole Maines, who moves to Los Angeles and falls in with a group of vampires who don’t let men into their club.

The group is led by Duke (Diana Hooper), who lures a reluctant Laurel into their group. But when she finds out about Duke’s past, a struggle for supremacy and the future of the coven ensues.

There is lots of action and masses of stylistic design in this beautiful and artistic film that updates the vampire genre for a modern-day young audience extremely successfully.

The Lost Boys

Perhaps the most famous 1980s horror movie, The Lost Boys is a Joel Schumacher movie which references the characters from Peter Pan who, just like vampires, never grow up.

For a movie based around a group of young vampires essentially hanging out, this is surprisingly dark with lots of gruesome episodes, no shortage of romance, and plenty of fear and trepidation too.

This cult classic has a cast which features many of the big names in young 80’s moviemaking including, Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, and Alex Winter.

A rollicking good ride and a cast-iron classic that all fans of Twilight will love.

As Roger Ebert rightly concluded when he reviewed it back in the 80s, Lost Boys has “a cast that’s good right down the line” and is “a triumph of style over substance and an ambitious entertainment.”

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.