Screen legend Lauren Bacall is urging vampire fans to check out 1920s horror movies - because the Twilight blood-suckers pale in comparison to classic monsters.

The Hollywood veteran sat down to watch the 2008 blockbuster to check out the cinematic craze her grandchildren were so excited about.

But she was disappointed after watching the movie, starring hunk Robert Pattinson, and sat her granddaughter down to give her a lesson in frightening films.

Bacall writes on her Twitter.com page, "Yes, I saw Twilight - my granddaughter made me watch it, she said it was the greatest vampire film ever. After the 'film' was over I wanted to smack her across her head with my shoe, but I do not want a (tell-all) book called Grannie Dearest written on me when I die. So instead I gave her a DVD of Murnau's 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu and told her, 'Now that's a vampire film!' And that goes for all of you! Watch Nosferatu instead!"