10 Best K-Dramas About Vampires If You're Sick of The Cullens and The Salvatores

The popularity of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries reached South Korea in the 2010s, and vampire-related projects began to appear there as well. However, they turned out to be completely different from the Western ones – Korean culture left its mark on these shows.

So if you are tired of the same old vampires who are afraid of the sun and garlic, then these K-dramas are definitely for you.

1. Vampire Idol, 2011-2012

Of course, the Korean TV industry couldn't do without Vampire Idol. The show falls into the what-was-it category, but that's the beauty of this project.

A vampire prince from another planet and his three bodyguards arrive on Earth... to attend the concert of their favorite K-pop group. However, things do not go according to plan, and the prince has to stay on Earth. He decides not to waste time, but to fulfill his dream – to become a K-pop idol himself. And at the same time, win the heart of a member of the group whose concert he attended.

2. Orange Marmalade, 2015

This drama stands out among the others – there are a lot of musical sequences, and the main roles were played by K-pop idols – Kim Seolhyun, a former member of the group AOA, and Lee Jong-hyun from CNBlue.

In the alternate South Korea, people know about vampires and live in peace with them – vampires have not been drinking human blood for a long time, replacing it with synthetic blood. However, the bloodsuckers are oppressed in every possible way. Because of the bullying, Baek Ma-ri has already changed schools several times. In the new one she manages to hide her identity until she falls in love with the most handsome boy in the school.

3. The Sweet Blood, 2021

This mini-drama came as close to Twilight as possible, but switched the roles of the main characters. Yeon-seo is a vampire girl who falls in love with a human classmate. But as you know, a human and a vampire is a bad combination – the latter has to control his instincts all the time.

The situation is complicated by the fact that other vampires (and even werewolves) are hunting for Yeon-seo's beloved. Now, she has to protect him not only from other vampires, but also from herself.

4. Bite Sisters, 2021

Contrary to the title, the three main characters are not sisters, but simply best friends. The two older ones own a fashion boutique, and the youngest one works in a design company. The plot revolves around the middle sister.

As soon as she joined social media, she immediately became popular. The vampire decides to use her unexpected popularity to help people. And she will also find love – and not with just anyone, but with her own boyfriend from a past life.

This is a mini-drama that can be watched in a few evenings – there are only 10 episodes of 15 minutes each. But even that amount of time is enough to get you hooked and keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow the fate of the main characters.

5. Blood, 2015

Park Ji-sang is a surgeon at the best cancer hospital and a vampire since birth. In the reality of this show, people become bloodsuckers because of the virus, not because of the bite. In his spare time, Park conducts research to find a way to become a normal human.

What gives the show a special charm is the fact that the main actors Ahn Jae-hyun and Ku Hye-sun fell in love on set and even got married. However, not for long – a few years later the couple split up. But their real feelings stayed on screen and the most romantic moments look very sincere.

6. Vampire Flower, 2014

A vampire named Louis is searching for a magical flower that can give its owner unlimited power. He doesn't know what the flower looks like, but he can feel it. Louis doesn't want to search for the flower alone, so he asks his new friend for help – an ordinary girl named Seo-young, the daughter of a flower shop owner.

This mini-drama can literally be watched in one evening – there are only six episodes of 12 minutes each. This show does not pretend to be a masterpiece of the TV industry, but it does its job – helps to unload your head after a long day.

7. The Scholar Who Walks the Night, 2015

This drama takes us to an alternate period of the Joseon Dynasty. The main antagonist, a cruel vampire Gwi, has been living in the dungeon of the palace for hundreds of years, drinking blood and controlling every king who ascends to the throne. He is confronted by the scientist Kim Sung-yeol, the same one who walks the night.

Kim lost his fiancée and his friend because of Gwi, and he himself turned into a vampire. Now his only goal in life is revenge. And the main character, Jo Yang-sun, will help him. Since her childhood the girl is forced to dress in men's clothes in order to earn a living selling books. Together they try to find the prince's diaries in which he tells how to get rid of Gwi.

8. Vampire Prosecutor, 2011-2012

Min Tae-yeon is a prosecutor who experienced a devastating tragedy – his sister was killed by vampires. Later on, however, Min himself turns into the one he hated. Following all the rules of procedural crime drama, he investigates crime after crime in every episode – a drop of blood is enough for him to see who the killer is. However, he still cannot solve one main mystery – how he became a vampire.

The vampires in this show are quite unusual – they are not scared by the sun, garlic or a crucifix, and the focus is on the detective story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

9. The Vampire Detective, 2016

The project was created as an extension of the Vampire Prosecutor universe, which is why their plots are so similar. This time the main character is not a prosecutor, but a private detective who suddenly becomes a vampire and uses his new unique abilities to solve cases.

In each episode you will also find a new investigation and new clues that gradually shed light on the past of the detective. The main advantage of this show is the extremely entertaining cases that the main character will solve in each episode.

10. Beautiful Vampire, 2018

Ran is a charming vampire with violet eyes who runs a small, cozy cosmetics shop in Seoul and lives the quietest of lives. Her peace is disturbed by Lee So-nyeon, a sweet and slightly awkward young man. His scent reminds Ran of her love from the distant past and unexpectedly awakens a thirst for human blood that she has not felt for several hundred years.

This is the only full-length movie in this list, but it is a re-release of a web series. If you are looking for a light, entertaining and funny movie for the evening, then this project is for you.