With a new Dracula movie set to hit cinemas next month in the US, a new study reveals that the 1931 classic Dracula remains the highest-rated Dracula-inspired film of all time.

The study, conducted by QR Code Generator, evaluated over 50 movies and TV shows inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula and ranked them using IMDb scores and Rotten Tomatoes ratings (Tomatometer and Audience Score). Only titles with all three ratings available were included, resulting in a final list of 27 movies ranked according to their overall average score.

Top 10 best-rated Dracula-inspired movies and TV shows

Rank	Title	Year	Media	IMDb Score	Tomatometer	Audience Score	Average Rating
1	Dracula	1931	Movie	73	96	82	83.7
2	Nosferatu the Vampyre	1979	Movie	74	93	83	83.3
3	Horror of Dracula	1958	Movie	72	89	81	80.7
4	Nosferatu	2024	Movie	71	84	73	76.0
5	Shadow of the Vampire	2000	Movie	69	82	73	74.7
6	Bram Stoker’s Dracula	1992	Movie	74	69	79	74
7	The Brides of Dracula	1960	Movie	66	79	62	69
8	The Monster Squad	1987	Movie	69	56	78	67.7
9	Dracula	2020	TV Mini Series	68	71	63	67.3
10	Dracula	2013	TV Series	73	53	75	67

The 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi achieved the highest combined rating of 83.7 across platforms. This iconic black-and-white film scored a 96% Tomatometer rating, an 82% audience score, and a solid 73 on IMDb (7.3 out of 10), cementing its status as the definitive vampire film nearly a century after its release.

Nosferatu the Vampyre from 1979 secured second place with an average score of 83.3. Director Werner Herzog’s reimagining of the vampire tale earned a 93% Tomatometer rating, an 83% audience score, and a 74 on IMDb (7.4 out of 10), making it the highest-rated Dracula film of the modern color era.

The Horror of Dracula from 1958, featuring Christopher Lee, ranked third with an average score of 80.7. This Hammer Horror production received an 89% Tomatometer rating, an 81% audience score, and a 72 on IMDb (7.2 out of 10), highlighting the enduring appeal of the British studio’s take on the vampire legend.

The 2024 remake of Nosferatu has made a strong debut in the rankings, securing fourth place with a combined score of 76.0. The film earned an 84% Tomatometer rating, a 73% audience score, and a 71 on IMDb (7.1 out of 10), showing that modern interpretations of the classic can still resonate with audiences.

Shadow of the Vampire from 2000 rounded out the top five with an average rating of 74.7. This meta-fictional account of the making of the original Nosferatu film received an 82% Tomatometer rating, a 73% audience score, and a 69 on IMDb (6.9 out of 10).

The analysis found that TV adaptations of Dracula scored well but didn’t reach the heights of the best films. The highest-rated TV production was the 2020 BBC/Netflix mini-series Dracula, which placed 9th with a score of 67.3, making it the highest-ranked TV adaptation in the study. It is followed by the 2013 TV series of the same name starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, which ranked 10th overall with an average score of 67.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Version Falls Short of the Top 5

Perhaps surprisingly, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1992, ranked 6th overall with an average score of 74. Despite its star-studded cast, including Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins, and its three Oscar wins, the film received a relatively modest 69% Tomatometer rating, though audiences rated it higher at 79%.

Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator PRO S.L, commented on the findings,

“The timeless appeal of Dracula is clear from the study, with adaptations spanning almost 100 years continuing to captivate audiences. What’s fascinating is how the 1931 classic still holds the top spot despite all the technological advances in filmmaking since then. This speaks to the power of great storytelling and iconic performances.”

References:

Methodology:

• A seed list of movies and TV shows inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula was collected from various media, such as IMDb and Wikipedia.
• Only the adaptations that had all three IMDb score, Tomatometer, and Audience Score available were included in the analysis.
• The final ranking is based on the average of these three ratings.

Full table:

Rank	Title	Year	Media	IMDb score (/100)	Tomatometer	Audience score	Average rating
1	Dracula	1931	Movie	73	96	82	83.7
2	Nosferatu the Vampyre	1979	Movie	74	93	83	83.3
3	Horror of Dracula	1958	Movie	72	89	81	80.7
4	Nosferatu	2024	Movie	71	84	73	76.0
5	Shadow of the Vampire	2000	Movie	69	82	73	74.7
6	Bram Stoker’s Dracula	1992	Movie	74	69	79	74.0
7	The Brides of Dracula	1960	Movie	66	79	62	69.0
8	The Monster Squad	1987	Movie	69	56	78	67.7
9	Dracula	2020	TV Mini Series	68	71	63	67.3
10	Dracula	2013	TV Series	73	53	75	67.0
11	Renfield	2023	Movie	64	58	78	66.7
12	Nadja	1994	Movie	60	64	67	63.7
13	Dracula	1979	Movie	65	64	59	62.7
14	Love at First Bite	1979	Movie	61	71	55	62.3
15	Hotel Transylvania	2012	Movie	70	45	72	62.3
16	Scars of Dracula	1970	Movie	60	50	43	51.0
17	Blacula	1972	Movie	58	46	43	49.0
18	Dracula Untold	2014	Movie	62	26	58	48.7
19	The Invitation	2022	Movie	53	32	59	48.0
20	Van Helsing	2004	Movie	61	24	57	47.3
21	Blade: Trinity	2004	Movie	58	24	58	46.7
22	Scream Blacula Scream	1973	Movie	57	29	37	41.0
23	The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen	2003	Movie	58	17	44	39.7
24	Dracula: Dead and Loving It	1995	Movie	59	11	49	39.7
25	Dracula A.D. 1972	1972	Movie	59	20	40	39.7
26	The Satanic Rites of Dracula	1973	Movie	55	33	30	39.3
27	Dracula 2000	2000	Movie	49	19	39	35.7
28	Argento’s Dracula 3D	2012	Movie	36	20	14	23.3

Featured image courtesy of Universal Pictures

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