Robert Pattinson is film viewer’s favourite vampire

Brit actor Robert Pattinson has topped a poll of movie-goers' favourite vampires. The English actor's portrayal of Edward Cullen, the teen protagonist of the Twilight series, received 38 per cent of the vote ahead of second-placed Christopher Lee's 1958 Hammer Horror Dracula, which polled 15 per cent.

Other notable undead in the Pearl and Dean survey include Wesley Snipes's Blade, who came third with 10 per cent, and Kiefer Sutherland's turn as an earlier teen vampire in the 1987 film The Lost Boys, which trailed in seventh.

Film connoisseurs may be shocked at the lowly position of the silent 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu, with Max Schreck's chilling, iconic Graf Orlok trailing in ninth. However, this may simply reflect the demographic make-up of people attracted to the Pearl and Dean website.

It's a safe bet that a goodly proportion of the 3,000 people polled have had their heads turned by the publicity for the Twilight sequel New Moon, which is released in the UK next month.

Adding to that buzz is the director of Eclipse - the third film in the Twilight saga - who says filming for his contribution to the teen vampire phenomenon is almost at an end. "Just a few more days shooting left. Finish line is approaching," he wrote on Saturday, before an "almost wrap party".

TOP VAMPIRES IN FULL
1. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson): Twilight - 38 per cent
2. Dracula (Christopher Lee): Hammer Horror Dracula films - 15 per cent
3. Blade (Wesley Snipes): Blade - 10 per cent
= 4. Lestat (Tom Cruise): Interview with the Vampire - 8 per cent
= 4. Dracula (Gary Oldman): Bram Stoker's Dracula - 8 per cent
6. Selene (Kate Beckinsale): Underworld - 7 per cent
7. David (Kiefer Sutherland): The Lost Boys - 6 per cent
8. Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek): From Dusk till Dawn - 4 per cent
9. Graf Orlok (Max Schreck): Nosferatu - 3 per cent
10. Dracula (Bela Lugosi): Dracula - 2 per cent