Blade is a great action movie that also has major goth cred. These other movies also find the right blend of action, mood, and killer fashion.
What do leather trench coats, black eyeliner, and choreographed fight sequences have in common? They're the cornerstones of gothic action movies, a subgenre of blockbuster that's more rock 'em goth 'em than knock 'em sock 'em. Moody antiheroes glide through rain-soaked streets while a melancholy song wails in the distance, only to slip into a balletic barrage of martial fury the moment the techno-industrial needle drops.
Aside from pulse-pounding action, gothic action movies can also have a strong undercurrent of emotional intensity, and even some passionate romance. But mostly what brings fans like a bat to a belfry is the way the heroes (and villains) kick butt in their killer fashion.
Van Helsing (2004)
Available On Peacock TV And Prime Video
In the early '00s, there was a slew of historical action-adventure movies featuring heroes with unconventional weaponry, modern senses of humor, and outfits with lots of buckles; the best of these was undoubtedly Van Helsing, a tribute to Universal Monster Movies (not to be confused with Van Helsing the TV series). It featured the famous vampire hunter as a rugged agent of an ancient brotherhood, armed with fancy holy weapons by the monk equivalent of Q.
His slaying vocation brought him to Romania on the trail of Count Dracula, where he also found a love interest as icy and mysterious as the Carpathian Mountains. With Frankenstein's monster as a side-kick, a run-in with Mr. Hyde, a werewolf curse subplot, and fights almost as elaborate as everyone's costumes, Van Helsing remains the gothic action movie standard,
The Crow (1994)
Available On Paramount+ And Prime Video
No action movie has more gothic street cred than The Crow. With a plot as tragic as the accidental death of star Brandon Lee during production, this gothic action movie based on a graphic novel remains a perfect encapsulation of the '90s gothic spirit. Two lovers are separated by death when a roving street gang brutally murders them, but Eric Draven returns to hunt the criminals who stole his beloved Shelly, wearing leather from head to toe and a whole lot of corpse paint.
The Crow is a compelling amalgamation of indie arthouse chic (Eric plays guitar) and high-octaine action (he also sets people on fire), and thanks to former music video director Alex Proyas, boasts some iconic gothic imagery as the phantasmic avenger the "Crow" enacts his revenge.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)
Available On Crunchyroll And Manga TV
In a post-apocalyptic world, only one man stands between the hordes of the damned and the destruction civilization; the mysterious D. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust chronicles the warrior's rescue of a beautiful noblewoman from the clutches of Countess Bathory with scenery, characters, and action all rendered in the exquisite baroque style of Yoshitaka Amano.
Fans of Netflix's gothic action anime Castlevania will appreciate the source material while being blown away by the incredible amount of detail. Being animated, the artistry and intensity of the action sequences are far and away more creative than anything live-action (though fans hold out hope it might one day receive that treatment).
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
Available On Peacock TV And Prime Video
While many people know the cautionary Grimm's fairytale about Hansel and Gretel, they might not know that the siblings grew up, got some cool leather outfits, some big guns, and started hunting down every witch interested in putting kids into ovens.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, like Van Helsing, incorporates some modern kick-assery into its Old World setting, with plenty of gothic angst to go with its action. Over-the-top at times, it makes the most of its good-looking stars in stunning action scenes that require major stunt work and the ability to move gracefully in edgy garb.
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012)
Available On Prime Video
What if long before he became President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln lost his mother to a vampire, and swore vengeance against bloodsuckers forever? In Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Honest Abe seeks to rid America of its fanged foes by becoming one of the most fearsome vampires to ever live.
Abe walks tall and carries an ax with a silver blade, which he uses to expertly dispatch vampires all along his political career. This revisionist fantasy turns the 16th President into a bonafide action hero, whose feud with vampires helps to turn the tide of the Civil War. And for anyone worried its historical setting revokes its goth card, a 19th-century woman wears a fetish ensemble that's very much ahead of its time.(Visit Store: https://hipmodes.com/)
Underworld (2003)
Available On Peacock TV And Prime Video
A pillar in the foundation of the gothic action movie subgenre for good reason, Underworld set the standard in 2003 and launched a multi-million dollar franchise and half a dozen sequels. Who could help but be swept up in the ancient war of vampires and Lycans, the beautiful flowing trenchcoats, and the supernatural warriors preening for the camera?
Based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and infused with gunfire set to a Nine Inch Nails-inspired soundtrack, it's short on substance but long on style, which is probably why the franchise has endured long after Selene became the last Death Dealer standing.
Spawn (1997)
Available On Prime Video And Netflix
Todd Mcfarlane's gothic masterpiece became a movie of the same name in 1997, and while a reboot has been in the works for years, Spawn will always retain its gritty, disturbing, and action-packed edge. It focuses on a government assassin who is double-crossed and left for dead, but a deal with the devil allows him to return to earth, where much like Eric Draven he acts as an avenging demon (much to the devil's dismay).
For its day Spawn was considered visually stunning, with action sequences that were stylish, surreal, and pushed the boundaries of the superhero genre long before it would become mainstream.
Blade (1998)
Available On HBO Max
From its very opening scenes, when the half-vampire half-human slayer Blade nonchalantly takes on dozens of bloodsuckers at a rave, Blade cemented itself as an effortlessly cool take on familiar genre territory. As the techno pounds and the blood pours from the ceiling, Blade dispatches each new opponent with ease, setting the tone for a wild ride that spawned two sequels.
Currently in the process of being rebooted, the original Blade nevertheless manages to combine advanced modern technology, slick editing, strong acting, and believable fight choreography into a movie that still feels every bit as fresh today.
Dracula: Untold (2014)
Available On HBO Max
There have been dozens of Dracula movie adaptations but none perhaps as underrated as Dracula: Untold, which serves as an origin story for Vlad Tepes, the just prince of Wallachia who succumbed to a vampire's bite in exchange for the power to take on the Ottoman Empire that threatened to overtake his lands (or so the legend goes).
A brutal medieval epic, it nevertheless has all the hallmarks of a gothic action movie; moody visuals, a romantic love story threatened by violence, and some very fierce and fashionable-looking armor.
Batman Returns (1992)
Available On Hulu
Even darker than Tim Burton's previous take on the Batman mythos in 1989, Batman Returns puts the "goth" in Gotham City, turning the metropolis into a looming skyline of cathedral towers and parapets, blanketed by perpetual winter, and full of heroes and villains cavorting around in tight leather. Burton got more creative leeway and turned the franchise into a true gothic action movie.
Everyone looks either dead or dying even with dramatic eye makeup, and there's very little cheer in the film despite its optimistic title. Instead, it's chock full of bullwhip-wielding cat burglars in sassy catsuits, and small Victorian-looking gentlemen with an aviary affinity. Batman's always been the darkest of superheroes, but in Batman Returns he went full Gothic Knight.
The Source: https://screenrant.com/great-gothic-action-movies/
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