The Morbius movie has officially hit theaters and that means that one particular kind of itch has been scratched by people who are Sony Spider-Man universe fans and that also like a good sci-fi horror flick. However, now that the itch has been scratched a bit, its understandable that people who went and saw Morbius might be looking for something else to watch that has the same kind basic plotline. Some people might be jonesing for any old vampire movie after seeing Jared Leto play a scientist turned vampire hero, but for those who are really looking for something that is similar to what they just saw, there are a few that are right at the top of the list.
Those who have seen Morbius is a special kind of vampire, especially because he doesn't want to have the thirst for blood that he got. He was looking for a cure to a rare disease and for a while thought he had found a miracle. It turned out that miracle was actually a curse. It also turns out that while Morbius is a unique hero in the Marvel Comics universe his story is not all that unique when it comes to Hollywood. There are several other movies out there that are at least reminiscent of the film.
Blade
It should come as no surprise that Blade would be right at the top of the list when it comes to these types of movies. After all, he was the first blockbuster “Vampire with a heart of gold” story. It turns out that something happened when Blade was being born that gave him the powers (and hunger) of a vampire. However, he’s able to walk in the daylight without any sort of negative effect. The one thing he does share is a desire for human blood, though he’s able to tamp that down in the movies by taking a kind of serum that takes blood’s place.
It appears that Marvel definitely likes the idea of a vampire that actually fights on the side of good. Years after the Blade trilogy ran its course, the Day Walker is going to be coming to the MCU in the very near future. If Sony and Marvel ever work out just how they could merge their properties audiences could even eventually see Morbius and Blade fight side by side.
Daybreakers
Daybreakers is definitely a different kind of movie because it involves basically the entire population catching a virus that turned them into vampires. However, these aren’t the mindless vampires that people are used to seeing in film. Instead, the vampire populace has simply sort of evolved. At least until the human blood supply starts to run out. Once their food supply does start to come to a halt, things take a turn. There is also a cure for this particular disease and that tends to be the eventual premise of the movie. While there aren’t superheroes involved in this flick, there are good vampires that are fighting for society to get back to what it was.
Underworld
While Underworld features a more traditional kind of vampire, the main character is kind of like a superhero. Kate Beckinsale played Selene in the movie that birthed a franchise. It turns out that while she’s not exactly a vampire with a conscience, she isn’t someone who enjoys killing just to kill and eventually she turns against the other vampires in order to fight for the person she loves. It turns out that there was even once talk that there might have been an Underworld-Blade crossover but that never came to be.
Interview With A Vampire
Interview With A Vampire certainly stands out on this list but there are some similarities to it and Morbius. Right at the top of the list is the fact that at least one of the protagonists might have enjoyed the long life and special powers that come with being a vampire, but they are a bit conflicted about the hunger for human blood that comes with being a “creature of the night.”
Of course, this isn’t the kind of vampire movie that means that someone became a vampire because there was some kind of disease that was being fought off with a cure that turned into a curse. In that regard, this is a much more traditional vampire story. However, it feels like this movie is more in line with something like Morbius than other vampire movies that feature the creatures that are just plain evil and out to kill everyone in their path. Even if the main characters in this movie don’t always demonstrate the ability to make the right decision, there are consciences at work every now and then.
Thirst
Of all the movies out there, it’s possible that Thirst has more in common with Morbius than any of the competition. Ignore the fact that the movie is not as well known since it’s a Japanese language flick and the description sounds like Morbius could have been an American version of this film. Minus the crime-fighting.
In Thirst, A Catholic priest named Sang-hyun volunteers to participate in a medical experiment that makes him gravely ill. However, before kicking off the mortal coil, his life is saved by a blood transfusion. Anyone who has seen these kinds of vampire movies before knows that things don’t go so well when he gets the blood transfusion and it turns out that he is now a vampire. Eventually, he finds that he has a thirst he simply can’t overcome.
Thirst is full of surprising turns and top-notch characterization, making it one that has to be seen to be fully appreciated. While it’s definitely more of a horror movie than anything else, it has the kind of sci-fi elements that will certainly make people who rent or stream it think they are watching something that is very familiar to fans of the Michael Morbius character. The main character, like Morbius, is even someone who struggles against his vampiric tendencies only to often enough make a bigger mess of things than he could have imagined.