The last decade saw an influx of Gothic romance to both the big and small screens, so there’s no shortage of movies like The Vampire Diaries out there for viewers looking for something similar.
The CW’s hit show ran for eight seasons and 171 episodes between 2009 and 2017, and even spawned a spinoff after the main series had concluded, reinforcing just how popular it was.
Fans couldn’t get enough of the blend of teen drama, horror and supernatural elements, and it played a huge role in the return to prominence of the Gothic romance after years in the wilderness.
10 Gothic Romance Movies Like The Vampire Diaries
1. The Twilight Saga (2008-2012)
The simplest and most obvious place to start when talking about movies like The Vampire Diaries is The Twilight Saga, which became a pop culture phenomenon with a rabidly dedicated fanbase.
The franchise tells the complicated love story of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, tracing their relationship and the complicated dynamics that surround it in both the human and vampire worlds.
It might not be for everyone, but billions of dollars at the box office just go to show how popular The Twilight Saga was at the time, and many longtime fans revisit the movies on an annual basis.
2. Vampire Academy (2014)
A human/vampire hybrid attends the titular school in Mark Waters’ supernatural horror-comedy, which marries the tropes of the teen genre to the standard vampire mythos.
The director certainly knows his way around the setup having previously directed Mean Girls, and Vampire Academy also features a school of impossibly beautiful people split into cliques.
Movies like The Vampire Diaries don’t have to be entirely preoccupied with the romantic side of things, and Vampire Academy definitely appeals to the target audience it was clearly aimed at.
3. Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Despite the title, not all movies like The Vampire Diaries need to be about the bloodsucking undead, and rom-com veteran Richard LaGravenese’s Beautiful Creatures still hits all of the expected beats.
A teenager finds himself drawn to a mysterious newcomer to his small town, even though her supernatural powers could end up spelling disaster, especially when she also happens to be cursed.
An impressive cast including Alden Ehrenreich, Emmy Rossum, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis and Emma Thompson bring gravitas to the material, and are the unsurprisingly the highlight of the movie.
4. The Covenant (2016)
Director Renny Harlin may be best known for action fare, but he turns his hand to the supernatural in telling the story of five families sworn to silence, before secrets are revealed centuries later.
Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch and Chace Crawford play four of the lead roles, which instantly lets you know that The Covenant will be more about jawlines and abs than narrative depth.
That being said, if you’re actively on the hunt for movies like The Vampire Diaries but don’t have the time or patience for eight seasons of TV, then The Covenant distills the same concept down to 97 minutes.
5. Beastly (2011)
A modern-day spin on Beauty and the Beast, a cocky student who bullies his peers is forced to reevaluate his life after a curse turns him into the very thing he hates.
Daniel Barnz’s contemporary twist on the classic fable is hardly designed to be high art, but it definitely hits the spot for those looking for Gothic romance movies like The Vampire Diaries.
Hardly the greatest adaptation of Beauty and the Beast ever committed to film, but Beastly was obviously intended for one particular demographic.
6. The Craft (1996)
A telekinetic high school student falls in with a trio of witches in the beloved teen horrors, and endures almost a quarter of a century later, with new fans discovering The Craft all the time.
Movies like The Vampire Diaries don’t need to be beholden to either the romantic or vampiric side of things, and The Craft stands out as a darkly funny and postmodern twist on the genre.
If you’re getting a kick out of The Craft, then you’ll be thrilled to know that a sequel is heading straight to Disney+ in a couple of weeks, just in time for Halloween.
7. Red Riding Hood (2011)
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke tackles the classic fairy-tale in an altogether darker spin on the Little Red Riding Hood that everyone read as a child.
Gary Oldman unsurprisingly steals the show as the scenery-chewing Father Solomon, but the entire movie is shrouded in a thick layer of atmosphere and some hugely impressive production design.
There are plenty of movies like The Vampire Diaries that don’t feature a single fang or string of garlic in sight, and Red Riding Hood is one that’s well worth checking out.
8. Warm Bodies (2013)
Not strictly a like-for-like example, but Warm Bodies is one of a lot of movies like The Vampire Diaries that welds the classic staples of the horror genre onto a story that appeals to modern audiences.
A teenage girl bizarrely finds herself developing feelings for the zombie who saved her life in Jonathan Levine’s unique mashup that succeeds in treading a delicate tonal balance.
Charming, sweet, warm and often hilarious, those aren’t terms that get used in conjunction with zombie movies very often, which is a huge credit to Warm Bodies’ uniqueness.
9. The Lost Boys (1987)
Joel Schumacher’s cult classic has endured as one of the vampire genre’s all-time favorites for over 30 years, and remains just as re-watchable today as it was back then.
Two brothers move to a small coastal town, and soon discover that it’s a haven for vampires, who try and convince the newcomers to join their gang of undead hooligans.
Not exactly a Gothic romance, but still a great movie, The Lost Boys has enough smarts and scares to keep the horror crowd happy while still appealing to a much wider audience.
10. Meet Joe Black (1998)
Martin Brest’s very loose adaptation of 1934 classic Death Takes a Holiday stars, Brad Pitt, as the title character, the human form of death who decides to stick around to experience being human.
At over three hours long, there’s certainly an awful lot to chew on, but strong performances from the ensemble cast and some interesting ideas make it worth the watch if you’re determined enough.
Of course, there’s plenty of love, life lessons and schmaltzy sentimentality to be found along the way, making Meet Joe Black a lengthy-if-worthy addition to the genre.