There's no denying that vampire popularity is at an all-time high or that, thanks to the likes of Stephenie Meyer, it's still on the rise. But despite the popular perception that vampire movies have been taking a "dirt-nap" since the '90s, that's not exactly true. Here we look back at the two decades of movie undead that preceded the Cullens, a period that offers some awesome fanged films ... and a few that should have stayed buried.

The Lost Boys (1987) Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland (arguably the Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson of their time) starred in this look at teenage vampire punks in a coastal California town. Their nemesis? A young Corey Feldman. The Lost Boys portrayed a vampire lifestyle as slick as the movie's photography, with no angst-filled downside. In fact, the poster boasted: "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."	Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) When Buffy the Vampire Slayer burst onto the scene, Joss Whedon was still unknown, Luke Perry was just rising to teen fame, and the movie did poorly. Deemed too humorous and ditzy, it was overlooked by almost everyone — making it all the more surprising when Buffy was turned into a hit TV show with seven seasons and a spin-off. Whoever said girls are powerless was very, very wrong.	Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) Francis Ford Coppola left his mark on the Dracula mythos in what turned out to be an Oscar-winning movie. It won Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and Best Sound Effects Editing at the 1993 Academy Awards. It also proved that, yes, vampires are cool. Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder starred with Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves — an all-star cast, if ever we saw one.	Interview with the Vampire (1994) Based on Anne Rice's super popular Vampire Chronicles novels, Interview with the Vampire was one of the most anticipated vampire movies to ever hit theater screens. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt played the suitably tortured characters Lestat and Louis, showing the world that vampires can be seductive and sexy. Women swooned, the actors' profiles rose, and vampire popularity hit new heights.	From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) George Clooney as a vampire hunter and Quentin Tarantino's brother? Really? Unfortunately, yes. During his stint on the long-running ER, Clooney turned his healing hands to killing the undead, creating what is surely one of the worst vampire movies we've seen. Dracula would turn in his crypt if he saw this. We'd rather turn off our TV than sit through this terrible Texan flick again, let alone either of its two unfathomable direct-to-video follow-ups.	Blade (1998) Meet Blade: a kick-ass, leather-clad half-vampire with an armory the size of a large house. He protects the mortal race and dispatches vampires quicker than he can find them. We loved this one, considering it a welcome return to evil vampires that hunted for nothing more than their own enjoyment. We're not sure about the subsequent sequels, though — even Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds couldn't save Blade: Trinity.	The Forsaken (2001) Does anyone even remember this movie? Bland and forgettable, The Forsaken was nothing more than a showcase for popular teen TV actors to run around and not-so-convincingly kill vampires. It ranks in the "movies that never should have been made" category, and should be removed from all DVD collections immediately.	Underworld (2003) Underworld successfully combined vampires and werewolves in a movie that actually did okay at the box office. Dark and stylish, it chronicled an age-old war between the two races. It also had plenty of shots of Kate Beckinsale wearing tight leather and looking like a true vampire vixen. An attempt to draw a male audience, perhaps?	30 Days of Night (2007) If you can forgive Josh Hartnett's somewhat wooden performance, David Slade's attempt at adapting the popular graphic novel series isn't half bad. The vampires are truly evil — not to mention creepy — and tear up Alaska like violence is going out of fashion. It showed that vampires aren't necessarily the tortured souls we've come to know and love. It also got us wondering what Slade will do with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which certainly has its share vampire angst.