Fangs for Listening

I would like to change up my usual zombie talk with a little vampire chat.  If you didn’t already know, I love vampires almost as much as my beloved zombies and am basically obsessed with all things undead.

I’ve been on a bit of a vampire kick lately.  I wouldn’t say I got caught up in the whole Twilight craze but I did read the first book and watched the movie and thought they were both pretty decent.  And of course, since the public has fallen victim to the Twilight fever, people are looking to cash in by riding the wave of popularity.  There’s all these vampire books and films and television shows popping up like a blood vessel.  I’m excited to see the new CW series The Vampire Diaries which premieres in September.  And I just watched the first season of True Blood about two weeks ago and I am completely hooked!  Finally, just last night, I finished the last Subspecies movie.  If you aren’t familiar with the Subspecies films, get familiar!  It’s B-grade gold!  

The movies are basically one whole story broken up into four parts, each movie following the events of the last.  It follows the exploits of Radu Vladislas, a disgusting vampire with freakishly long fingers and a penchant for drooling blood, as he chases a character named Michelle and struggles to keep control over an ancient relic, known as the Bloodstone, that drips blood from the saints.  It’s from Full Moon Studios, known for such gems as The Puppet Master series and the lesser known but just as good Witchouse series (well, at least the first two).  

What I like most about the Subspecies movies is how Radu is the complete anesthetic antithesis of "pretty" vampires such as Edward Cullen and Lestat.  To sum it up, Radu is gross.  His face is sharp and angular, with a Jay Leno chin and protruding cheekbones.  His fingers are frighteningly long and he makes a huge mess anytime he bites someone’s neck.  You could say he doesn’t take "TV bites."
 

I mean…look at the guy!
 
Plus, the movies are just fun!  Although it’s a B-movie, the production values are quite good.  Locations are beautiful, acting is competent and the special effects are old school and awesome!  We’ve even got claymation demons, people!  So fun!  I have to admit, though, the first three movies are the best.  The forth movie was created years after the second and third movie, which were shot back-to-back.  It feels like some of that magic was gone but it provided a better, more final ending, than the third film did.

And True Blood is freaking awesome.  I even got my mom hooked.  One of the things I really like about the show is how country they all are!  People in my town talk just like that so it’s familiar and fun to me.  When I watch it, it feels like home, like a warm bath.  Another aspect I really enjoy is how each episode ends on a cliffhanger.  One of the guys involved in the show, the creator I think, said that when he read the books each chapter made him want to read on and on and he wanted to capture that addictive quality in the show and he did a great job!  Each episode leaves me wanting more and more!

And then we have The Vampire Diaries on the CW.  I’ll definitely be watching that.  I actually know nothing about the books or the show but the vibe I’m getting is Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Dawson’s Creek.  Now, I loved Buffy but hated Dawson’s so this show is gonna be 50/50 for me.  I’ll definitely give it a chance.

I remember when I was younger, my sister was a big fan of Anne Rice.  At the time, I felt the books were a little ahead of my league and over the years, the idea of reading her books kind of slipped away from me.  Now, I feel like The Vampire Chronicles are a must read for me.  I’m not so much into the Gothic/historical themes but I gotta keep an open mind!  The Last Vampire series by Christopher Pike is also really great.  Although it’s marketed for the young adult crowd, I think people of all ages can enjoy the books as they deal with themes outstretching intellectual expectations in the young adult suspense market.

Although I don’t believe my fiction is that strong (I feel I’m much better, and much more comfortable, writing nonfiction), I wrote a four part vampire story back in 2007.  In the story, I tried to use vampirism as a metaphor for people with addictions.  Just as vampires and in some instances, drug use, is glamorized by society, I attempted to turn that idea on its head and make vampirism and addiction ugly, sad and pathetic.  I used blood as a metaphor for drugs, sex and the quest for life’s purpose.  And I’ve had some other vampire stories rolling around the ol’ noggin’.  Nothing too original, I hate to admit.

Ah, there’s just something about vampires, that teasing promise of everlasting beauty and youth that we all strive for, that terrifyingly ugly side in all of us that only shows its head in the safety of the dark, that uninhibited sexual thirst that secretly dries our throats, the unlimited possibilities carried within immortality.  Yes, there is definitely an appeal when it comes to vampires.  It’s easy to see why people are so enamored with them.  I’ve definitely been "glamoured."

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Everyday Entropy