Actor Robert Pattinson and actress Kristen Stewart arrive for the UK premiere of "Twilight" in London's Leicester Square December 3, 2008. [Photo: REUTERS]

By Eric Alt

Vampires are back in vogue big time, baring their fangs in books and in movie spin-offs. The current screen craze surrounds the movie "Twilight" which is blitzing the box office. Obsessed fans are going again and again to see the first film in a projected series of adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's young-adult novels which are flying off book sellers' shelves around the world and making vampires hot again. But the history of vampire movies is long and the "Twilight" crew aren't the first or, some would argue, the best bloodsuckers to hit the big screen.

They are up against a tradition which has screen origins in "Nosferatu" (1922) and Bram Stoker's "Dracula" novel. So dim the lights, bless your water supply and get in the garlic as we take a big bite of the creepiest bunch of fangmeisters Hollywood can offer.

Gothiest: Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi)

The start of it all. Sure, novelist Bram Stoker deserves some credit, but in movie terms "Dracula" (1931) is the mother lode. The accent, the fashion sense, the aversion to sunlight and wine, the brides, the coffins, the bat transformations, the Bauhaus tribute - this is where it all began.

Creepiest fangs: Inspector Edward Burke (Lon Chaney)

Lon Chaney's talent for grotesque transformations can also be seen in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923), "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925) and "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" (1928), but the silent-film master's shark-like teeth and bulging eyes in "London after Midnight" (1927) make his Inspector Burke legendarily icky.

Most likely to be a vampire in real life: Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe)

Was Max Schreck, star of F. W. Murnau's silent classic "Nosferatu" (1922), an actor, an alias or ... the real thing? Willem Dafoe's portrayal of Schreck in "Shadow of the Vampire" (2000) left us leaning toward the latter, though Dafoe needs little help in being unsettling, even when he's playing Jesus.

Most ripped: Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman)

Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf? It's not an academic question in "Underworld" (2003): Corvin solves the alpha-monster tension between werewolves and vampires by mixing blood and eventually becoming a super-powered hybrid of both. Apparently it's pretty great for the abs.

Souliest: Mamuwalde (William Marshall)

"Blacula" (1972) is historically significant if only for showing that Count Dracula traveled to other places besides England: Mamuwalde was an African prince "turned" by the famous count. And, seeing that vampires exist in one form or another in every genre imaginable, it makes sense that they'd put their stamp on the blaxploitation realm.

Brattiest: Claudia (Kirsten Dunst)

Claudia, the most original character in "Interview with a Vampire" (1994), perfectly embodies the dark side of immortality: If you're a 20-something Brad Pitt it may be mildly depressing from time to time, but try being stuck in the doll-like body of an eight-year-old girl while your mind grows and matures. Staying young forever has its downside, not the least of which is you're never Spidey's girlfriend.

Awesomest hair: Vlad Tepes (Gary Oldman)

Despite being called "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992), Francis Ford Coppola's take on Dracula actually links the character more directly to his historical anchor, the misunderstood Prince Vlad "The Impaler" Tepes of Wallachia, while also taking Dracula's shape-shifting abilities to new levels. While some folks ragged on Coppola's vision, countless others bought the posters for their dorm rooms.

Best dancer: Satanica Pandemonium (Salma Hayek)

Female vampires have long been enjoying a reputation for being as jaw-droppingly sexy as they are deadly. At first Satanica, of "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996), fits the mold - and the bikini, and the albino snake - to a T. But when she finally reveals her true self, "sexy" is quickly replaced by "reptilian and evil." She does get points, however, for having, hands down, the greatest vampire name of all time.

Most revealing: Odette (Geena Davis)

Because Odette's "vampirism" turns out to have a pedestrian, not to mention ludicrous, medical explanation, "Transylvania 6-5000" (1985) makes no substantial contribution to vampire lore. Still, without Odette's "Count Dracula Meets Fredrick's of Hollywood" getup, what would sorority girls do on Halloween?

Swankiest: Count Dracula (Christopher Lee)

In "Horror of Dracula" (1958) Lee's count pulls Dracula out of the dank, desolate castles of old and posits him as, to borrow a phrase from the Rolling Stones, "a man of wealth and taste." Lee helped craft a more sophisticated vision of the vampire, even if the famed Hammer Studios production team was a little heavy-handed with the Technicolor-crimson blood.

Jambi's favorite vampire: Amilyn (Paul Reubens)

Who says the undead have to be so serious all the time? In "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992), even after Buffy has finally driven a stake through his heart, Amilyn stretches his "agonizing" final moments into one final, sarcastic and melodramatic exclamation of defiance. Plus his goatee-and-greasy-hair combo is probably at least marginally responsible for Korn.

Best title turned into a bad brains song: Count Von Krolock (Ferdy Mayne)

If you have power over the undead, you could use them as bodyguards or manual laborers, or you could take a cue from Krolock, of "Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967), and stage elaborate costume balls with zombies dressed as courtiers. Mayne's villainous count may look by-the-numbers otherwise - black cape, big fangs, pale skin - but his M.O. has a touch of the off-kilter ... same way the movie does.