Nightwish and Imaginaerum

There is a musical group that has moved beyond the idea and stereotype of being a power metal band, or even a symphonic metal band, and have created for themselves an entirely new genre. While still using thematic melodies infused with harsh guitar riffs, and a blending of the operatic and the guttural, these individuals have emerged as a unique sound that stimulates mentally and visually, as well as audibly.

This group is Nightwish.

Formed in 1996 this Finnish group has undergone several changes in the lineup, the most notable being the departure of vocalist Tarja Turunen. Up until this point I had known and enjoyed the music they produced. It was a strong sound, both masculine and feminine, and several of their singles were quite powerful: Sleeping Sun, Gethsemane, I Wish I Had An Angel, and Nemo to name a few. Their cover of Walking in the Air is beautiful. At this point they were very good but, for me personally, not great. To be fair, at the time they were competing with an onslaught of such groups (Evanescence, Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Streams of Passion, Lunatica) that, although not exactly the same, had similar sounds or approaches to the craft. 

However, it was after Tarja's departure, and the album that followed,  that truly resonated with me.

Dark Passion Play is a beautiful symphony. The planning and intent that went into it are phenomenal. This album focused the band in a way that hadn't been achieved before, entwining the art of orchestra, vocals, and metal to create a glorious work of art.
There have been critics that claim that the new female vocalist, Anette Olzon, was not comparable to the original. In a way they are right. She is better. Anette's voice may not be as strong thematically (Tarja's was pure opera) but that is her strength. Her voice changes to suite the mood and tone of each song, so that nothing is lacking. This makes each song accessible to different audiences.
The album was released originally as two discs, with one having the "regular" tracks; ie, music and lyrics. The second disc was music only, which emphasized the genius of the musicians.

It is one thing to create a strong album, with powerful lyrics and melodies. It is another to have that same album be just as strong without the words.

Their latest album Imaginaerum has proven that this was not a one-off. There is less of the heavy male vocals, even in the harder rock pieces. Instead the album comes off as more creative, more soothing, more enticing and poignant. Love went into these tracks and it has touched every part of this masterpiece.  The format is the same as Dark Passion Play, where the songs are bound together to tell a story to the listener, and yet it does not feel the same. The tone of the two albums are comepletley different and that energy can be felt throughout. The lyrics for this album seem to be both more thoughtful and more playful than the previous one.

Although I have favoured songs from each album, the ones that move me to joy and to tears, both Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum are masterpieces of their own and both own my heart.

There is a bonus coming, a film based on the music of Nightwish, also titled Imaginaerum. The release date, at least the last that I am aware of, is for August 2012. I hope, though my heart is heavy, that it will be a wide release and come to North America theatres.

Link to the official Nightwish channel: 

http://www.youtube.com/user/nightwishofficial?feature=results_main 

Link to official website: 

http://nightwish.com/en/

Dark Passion Play found here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Dark_Passion_Play.jpg

Imaginaerum (album) found here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Nightwish_imaginaerum_cover.jpg

Imaginaerum (film) poster found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Imaginaerum_teaser.jpg

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows is immortalized in vampire mythology for its portrayal of the tragic figure of the vampire. In some ways it changes the way one looks at the vampire forever, moving it from the shadows into the mainstream.

 The story is about Barnabas Collins who, after spurning his witch lover, is turned into a vampire and meant to suffer for eternity. The majority of the series takes place in the seventies, which is when the original soap premiered, and tracked the vampire's struggles as he tries to become human again and find his beloved. In both the series and the new film this love is Victoria Winters, a doppelganger of his lost Josette. Throw in witches, werewolves, mutants, and family drama, the viewer finds themselves hooked for life.
The series ran for several years, spawned several books and series revivals. Tim Burton's adaptation is not typical of the director. It is truly dark humour and rather grim, with none of his usual extravagances. Even Danny Elfman has taken a more somber approach to the score. That said, the witch is malevolent and sexy, Alice Cooper (as himself) is beyond awesome, and Christopher Lee's short cameo steals the scene.

The bad is that, as based off a soap opera, it is full of over dramatics and campy scenes. Everyone woman loves Barnabas, despite his being a vampire. And he's not exactly apologetic about it: he'll smile to your face, greet you like a gentleman, and then slit your throat. Barnabas is ever true to his vampire nature.

Link to trailer of Tim Burton film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isjg9O7ifwM

Above image found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dark_Shadows_2012_Poster.jpg
Image at the top taken from Famous Monsters magazine issue #261, pg. 64
No copyright infringement is intended, no profit is being made, and all rights belong to the publisher.

Fright Night

There was a campy and fantastic duo of vampire movies produced in the eighties that had that wonderful blend of comedy and horror. The series is centred around Charles Brewster (Charlie to his friends) and through him the not so brave vampire hunter Peter Vincent.

Fright Night (the original) sees Charlie as a normal teenager who is trying to make it with his girlfriend, has a passion for a late night horror program on TV called Fright Night, and plays voyeur. This habit is what brings trouble down on him (moral lesson) when he spies his new neighbour Jerry and his "assistant" disposing of a body. He investigates and eventually discovers that his neighbour is a vampire. His life is in danger and his friends think he's crazy, however Charlie doesn't just give up; he goes looking for help in vampire hunter Peter Vincent (the host of Fright Night). Who only humours him until, by chance, he sees that Jerry casts no reflection. It's a battle between fear and courage from then on, with the heroes triumphing in the end.
As a side plot, and the reason it is not the featured film, is that Charlie's girlfriend Amy looks just like the neighbours long dead beloved. So of course she becomes his target and must be rescued. Not original and not appealing.

The remake of Fright Night is a much better version of this story, with Charlie being the vampire's main target. Anton Yelchin as Charlie is unparallelled (there are times when you can just feel his anguish and terror) and Colin Farrell as Jerry is menacing and alluring.


Fright Night Part 2 is by far the better film. It builds on what has come before and layers the horror as our heroes are stalked, their lives being slowly destroyed by the vampires hunting them. This time Charlie is the victim and one in need of rescuing. The vampire Regina plots to turn him into a vampire, kill his friends, and drive Peter Vincent crazy. After the trauma of the first movie Charlie is in therapy and has been convinced that vampires don't exist, so it is up to Peter and Charlie's girlfriend Alex to save him from an eternity of torture at Regina's hands.
I love this movie. The writing is strong, the pace is good, and the characters retain what made them so enjoyable: Peter is still not the brave hunter and Charlie is a sort of hapless hero. Although scoffing at the thought of vampires initially, Alex is awesome enough to take control and go off to rescue her man.

Fright Night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnRDxEE3PEI
Fright Night Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxN0glsaT3k
Fright Night (remake): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUipgKdTi_k

Forever Knight

This Canadian supernatural drama most likely paved the way for the modern vampire detective. The protagonist, an 800 year old vampire named Nick Knight, works as a police homicide detective as a means to atone for centuries of merciless killing. His love in the modern times, a medical examiner also working at the department, also knows his secret and is helping him find a way to become human again. Or at least hold onto his humanity.

Any progress is impeded by LaCroix, the ancient vampire who sired Nick, and his paramour Jeanette. LaCroix has a late night radio program which often gives insight, and taunts, that help or hinder Nick in his various cases. There are often scenes where Nick is driving, the glittering city around him, with LaCroix's sinful and melodious voice filtering through the radio. Jeanette runs a bar where he often goes to for information or just simple company. The relationships with his former companions hinders more than helps and, at the end of the third series, Nick appears to tire of trying to live a human life.

This show came to life in the early nineties, long before Angel or Moonlight. Judging by the formula (a vampire trying to make good in order to find redemption) Forever Knight is immortalised in how a vampire detective, or even just the modern vampire, will be portrayed. He struggles, he falters, and (depending on the tone of the series) he will either find his salvation or succumb in the end.

First image found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Knight
Second image found here: http://lucienlacroix.com/forever-knight.htm
No copyright infringement in meant by use of these images, no money is being made.

Christopher Lee as Dracula

Hammer films are the best. They had (relatively) strong stories, a number of gruesome and exciting ways to be killed, and some truly iconic and fantastic actors. Some of the ideas were bizarre, some were dark as hell, and some were simply brilliant.

Two of their greatest actors were Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, who stared in a great number of Hammer movies as various characters. For shear popularity however, Lee is mostly renowned for his portrayal of the vampire lord Dracula and Cushing as his everlasting nemesis Van Helsing. As Dracula, Lee had a charismatic menace and intensity that made his vampire pretty damned scary. He doesn't quit and doesn't die. He will target your loved ones just for the pleasure of revenge and then rub it in your face. He was a vampire's vampire. Cushing, as Van Helsing, is even more memorable. He is good, pure and uncompromising, and like Dracula will not cease until his missions is finished.

On their own, each actor was suburb. Together, they were perfection.

List of Christopher Lee (as Dracula) films:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTbY0BgIRMk     Dracula (also known as Horror of Dracula)   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udqm1gw28xo    Dracula: Prince of Darkness                      
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0_BVgmpxfI      Dracula Has Risen From the Grave            
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PGq8tXbgcg     Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht                   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdT-7D6fKxs      Taste the Blood of Dracula                        
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCiJr9ZFLZQ     Scars of Dracula                                        
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deJWUkiS42U    Dracula A.D. 1972                                   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yex1VZ96Jw     Satanic Rites of Dracula                          
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXA57J_NAbw    Dracula pere et fils (Dracula and Son) 

Images taken by me from my set of Hammer Horror Classics dvds. No copyright infringement is meant and no money is being made.

Aural Vampire

Not many would have heard of the Japanese darkwave band Aural Vampire. Even as K-Pop and J-Pop invade North America mainstream, so far this musical duo is not yet widely known. Hailing from Tokyo, I hope that this band will catch on with dance and rave scenes to cement themselves as a musical style to watch out for.

Exo-Chika (vocals/lyrics) and Raveman (music) have created for themselves an incredibly strong image. She's vampire and he's a...something. Something stylishly creepy. The music is fast and catchy, the sound having that little extra kick to move it beyond just being dance music, into something special.
Exo-Chika is particularly cute as the fanged female fiend, wearing a mixture of industrial style fashion with a wonderland kind of twist. She is adorable and sinister, and her head-to-tow clothed counterpart only adds to the ambience.

Image found through Google here: http://www.tenkai-japan.com/tag/aural-vampire/ 
No copyright infringement meant. 


youtube link for official channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChannelAuralVampire/videos
And music videos:
Cannibal Coast  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQbAzXHyOfk
Freeeeze!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px0MwxZ_iEU&feature=relmfu


Music can be found on itunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/aural-vampire/id269036126

Anne Rice: The Vampire Chronicles

It is easy to have a love/hate relationship with Anne Rice. She is a controlling author, yet a masterful one. She is one of the few authors that is able to truly make me feel as if I were the individual in the scene. It can be argued that her works are not horror. Horrific things happen in them, that is certain; but they lack the edge to move them from intense supernatural drama into true horror. Her vampires are too real, too human, to be categorised as monsters. I will list all of the Vampire Chronicle novels and attempt to introduce the premise in a few short sentences (to fully explain even one novel would take too long). Below I am including links to the wiki site for each of them, so that a greater summary can be found for those who are interested.

(All images, save for Memnoch, taken by me. I only own hardcover Memnoch, so found image here: http://openlibrary.org/books/OL3665082M/Memnoch_the_Devil)

Interview With the Vampire
The vampire Louis tells the story of his life, death, and un-life to a young boy reporter in what seems to be a San Francisco motel room. It is a story of regret, futility, and of the consequence of choice. Louis speaks of Lestat (the vampire who made him), Claudia (the child vampire whom he dearly loved), and of Armand (an older vampire with the face of a teenager). While the boy reporter finds hope in the story Louis himself can find nothing but desolation.

The Vampire Lestat
 Like the previous story it is also a memoir, as told by Lestat. The past story tells of his becoming a vampire against his will, saving the life of his dying mother Gabrielle, relationship with Armand, and searching for the origins of the vampire race. He eventually finds his answers, which have repercussions. Lestat has fashioned himself as a rock god and spills the vampire secrets to the world in music, sparking a vampire civil war and awakening an ancient power. This is the first novel (of several) to feature Lestat as a vampire hero and, in a way, shapes the vampire ideal in popular literature.

The Queen of the Damned
My favorite novel, mostly as it introduces several fantastic characters. Sadly, few actually appear in the series again after this novel. The Vampire Lestat ended after the diastrous concert; this novel retells what happened before the concert. The narrative mainly follows three individuals (Jesse, a paranormal researcher), Daniel (the boy from Interview With the Vampire), and Khayman (one of the original vampires) as each heads towards Lestat's concert. Lestat's music has awakened the first vampire, the Queen Akasha, and she is not pleased in the direction the world has gone. The "good" vampires gather in order to stop her.

The Tale of the Body Thief
Mostly the aftermath of previous events in that Lestat is struggling with his new powers and with his grief. He feels a disconnect with the world and, in order to experience things as they were, he agrees to switch his body with that of a renegade psychic. The psychic once worked for the Talamasca, a paranormal investigative organization, and it is to another of these members (David Talbot) that Lestat heads to when it all goes wrong.

Memnoch the Devil
Lestat is benig hunted by the devil. Satan (or Memnoch, as he is known) wants Lestat to work with him. The book is mostly about a version of the Devil's origins and Lestat's struggles with being a vampire and wanting to be good. Religious imagery is heavily featured and at times detracts from the story. At the end Lestat goes slightly mad, falling in to coma.



The original Vampire Chronicles continues with The Vampire Armand, Merrick, Blood and Gold, Blackwood Farm, and Blood Canticle. I have only read the first in the list and did not enjoy it. I have not read the others.
The New Tales of the Vampires are not part of this series and consist of only two novels: Pandora and Vittorio the Vampire. I enjoyed these ones. The first tells of the story of Pandora (a character introduced in the Queen of the Damned), written at the urging of David Talbot. At this time Lestat is still in a coma. Vittorio is about an all new vampire, also telling his story, of seeking vengeance on a coven of vampires after they slaughtered his family. In a Romeo and Juliet twist he falls in love with one of the vampires and is unable to kill her; in response she turns him. Which intrigued me is that Vittorio, after being driven half-mad by the coven, is able to see angels. This element adds a new spin to Anne Rice's vampire lore and was possibly the inspiration for her later Angel novels.


Wiki Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview_with_the_Vampire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vampire_Lestat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen_of_the_Damned
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_the_Body_Thief
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memnoch_the_Devil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vampire_Armand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrick_(novel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_and_Gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwood_Farm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Canticle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_(novel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittorio_the_Vampire



BONUS
youtube link for Interview With the Vampire trailer. A fantastic adaptation of the novel! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrZ-2VT_29U
youtube link for Queen of the Damned trailer. Not a bad film, even if it strays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gu9HtN05sc

Rumour has it that Body Thief may soon be in production. Fingers crossed!

Subspecies

The Full Moon production company releases some of the most grotesque, bizarre, and honestly fantastic horror films I have ever seen. They seem to favour classic stop-motion and makeup effects rather than CGI, which is rare and gives a strange sort of realism to the scenes. They like to play with the unusual (with Evil Bong, Puppet Master, and DollMan as prime examples) and often add a dosing of liberal humour with their horror. While not producing large blockbusters, it is obvious that Full Moon loves what they do and have made their company with no rivals.
What other company would have animated puppets fighting Nazis?

Their Subspecies series is one of rare vampire films that actually has a deformed and demonic looking vampire as the antagonist. Often the enemy is handsome and seductive; Radu, the vampire in question, is grotesque and each word is hissed out of bloody lips. The appearance is reminiscent of the original Nosferatu, with elongated spiny fingers and shadow effects as he moves swiftly after is prey, the fangs close together for a more vicious bite. But what truly sets him apart from any other vampire is his ability to create small demonic minions by tearing off the ends of fingers, which then mutate and form into the red horned creatures. The creatures are both incredibly creepy and cute, in a strange sort of way.


The series is a trilogy (with a spin-off) which follows the struggle between Radu and Michelle. Michelle is a survivor, technically, from the first of the three films though she did end up as a vampire at the end. In Subspecies she, and three of her friends, are researching folklore in Transylvania and are pulled into the battle between Radu and his handsome younger brother Stefan. The two fight over the Bloodstone, which drips the blood of saints, and gives the drinker power. Michelle's friends succumb to vampirism and, eventually, so does Michelle even as Stefan manages to kill his brother.
The first film ends with the two, quite in love, together for what is thought to be forever.

This happiness is promptly ended in the second film, Subspecies: Bloodstone, beginning right after the first ends, as their mother revives Radu who kills Stefan. Michelle flees with the Bloodstone, pursued by the others. What follows for her is actually a realistic portrayal of a vampire trying to live in a city of humans, as Michelle waits for her sister to arrive from America and help her. Again a battle takes place. Again Radu is supposedly defeated. And, like the first film, Radu manages to be revived to torment Michelle again.

Needless to say that the formula is apparent at this point. Subspecies: Bloodlust follows a similar pattern, with Michelle and Radu in a power struggle as Michelle tries to fight her vampiric nature, and Michelle's sister gathering help to stop Radu and rescue her sister. At this point the story branches into the spin-off, The Vampire Journals, which feature more beautiful vampires and one who hunts his own kind in search of vengeance and into the final of the series Subspecies: Bloodstorm in which Radu seeks help from one of his bloodline, Ash, who was featured in The Vampire Journals.
  

Any person who would like to see the vampire myth and the vampire treated seriously will enjoy this series. It is not as strong in acting as mainstream films (I'm being honest here) but it make up for this weakness in setting, atmosphere, and horror. Bonus, Full Moon is known for sneaking in a short "Making Of" documentary at the end of all their films.

Dracula (the series)

Early nineties YTV programming had more substance than what is offered on screens today. There was a wide selection of horror shows to choose from (Are You Afraid of the Dark, Goosebumps, Scariest Places on Earth, Big Wolf on Campus) that mixed the elements of fear and humour. Geared for younger audiences, they still had enough substance to be enjoyable for adults as well. Although lasting only two seasons, Dracula the Series was one of the stronger ones.

It builds on the original premise of Van Helsing versus Dracula, save that the battle is now a modern one where the undead count runs a multinational business and Gustav (this generation's Van Helsing) and his nephews try to thwart his plans for world conquest and destroy him. Dracula, going as Alexander Lucard, is suave and enticing; even when turning into a bat, baring his fangs, or wrapping his hand around a victims neck he is still at the height of sophistication. The children Max, Chris, and Sophie are adorable as novice vampire hunters (Max especially) as they play what seems like an endless game against an immortal foe. Which is the basic formula of the program: some times the vampire wins, sometimes the vampire loses.
And sometimes they must even work together to stop the greater foe.

The series works well at being just frightening enough, but not too much, and dealing with death in a way that will not turn off the parents. The vampires do die, but there is little to no blood to be found; instead they dissolve into the air. And, although most of the plots are generic for a youth orientated show, there is still depth enough to make it a worthwhile viewing.

                         


Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xOq8YX7FRE

Tale of a Vampire

When a movie begins with a quote from Edgar Allen Poe's "Annabel Lee" the audience should be prepared to suffer. After all, the poem is about the tragic death of the narrator's beloved and the lonlieness and loss he feels. Those looking for fangs and claws, and an allergy to sunlight, should look elsewhere. This vampire is a different type of monster.

The story itself can be considered as a simple one: a vampire meets a woman bearing the face of long lost love and falls in love again, only to have a hunter seeking vengeance on him tear them apart.
Right away the viewer is introduced to the vampire Alex and the first scene, where a black cat enters his room and he tears its throat open, is both elegant and brutal. He is a regular at a library that offers a closed off, archaic, atmosphere. It is here that he researches specific texts for mention of a woman named Virginia, whom he had met as a young girl ages before and who is the love he has lost. Anne, who bears a striking resemblance to this woman, is sent a letter by a mysterious figure and begins to work at the library. The two connect and passion grows between them. But a happy ending is not to be. Virginia's husband Edgar, who is also a vampire, has set a trap for Alex and Anne. For his wife's betrayal he has entombed her in the sea and stalks Alex, running any peace he could ever have. Although Alex does kill Edgar in the end, it is Anne who has paid the ugly price.
The last scene, as Alex begs her to wake, is heartrending.

Tale of a Vampire is very precise, from the dialogue to the action scenes and even the atmosphere. It wants you to feel a certain way at a certain time and, unfortunately, can have slow development at times. However slow, and even if it can be classified as more of suspense drama than a horror film, there are some truly horrific parts. One of the strongest of these is when Anne and Alex are together, she cuts herself, he licks the blood from her finger, and falls into a violent attack fantasy reminiscent of a rape. Powerful. Disturbing.
The true strength of this movie lies in Julian Sands and his performance as the vampire Alex. He is perfect at making the reader feel for him and is such an underated actor! There are scenes where he does little, but it is the nuances of his eyes, the tilt of his head, and the way he stares that creates more of an impact than if he sprouted fangs and snarled at the viewer. He is so polite and courteous, even when he kills.

Before there was Twilight, before there was the Vampire Diaries, there was Tale of a Vampire.

         Image found through Google search at this address: 
    http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YENGN8NML._SL500_AA300_.jpg


The movie can be bought or rented through itunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/tale-of-a-vampire/id290383276

Stephen King: Salem's Lot

READ THIS NOVEL

I have never found another vampire novel that is better then this one. Not even Anne Rice's novels (and yes, I will be revisiting her at a later date) have kept me enraptured as this single story has. Salem's Lot is timeless because at the heart it is a novel, not just about how a vampire infiltrates a town, but about the people and their struggle against an external and internal evil.
And note, these vampires are monsters. Which is exactly what a real vampire should be.

The novel begins after the events depicted throughout the story have taken place, retelling the events that lead to the fall of the the town by the two survivors Ben Mears and Mark Petrie. The entire first half of the novel relates the simple (and not so simple) lives of the Salem's Lot residents, revealing their sins and quirks, and the history of the 'Lot. Small town evil is often the most devious and the 'Lot has a dark past. Some readers may find the pacing a bit too slow, but it is the buildup that makes the horror more unexpected. A house where unspeakable things happened is purchased. A dog is slaughtered. A child goes missing.
These events begin the slow destruction of Salem's Lot.

The second half of the novel moves quickly and people who we have come to love succumb, die, or break beneath the pressure. It is hard to say whether the ones who know and recognize what is happening are heros or are simply survivors. Their actions lean towards the former, even as desperation takes over and they realize that they are fighting a losing battle. For even when the master vampire is destroyed, the nightmare never truly ends.

The reader is more than simply introduced to the town's inhabitants and can easily identify with these characters. Stephen King has always created strong characters and it hurts when bad things happen to these characters. Although the vampire Barlow is the antagonist, it is actually the Marsten House that takes centre stage as the true enemy in the story as it haunts, torments, and destroys all who come into contact with it. The details King gives for the town, its inhabitants, and even the surroundings make the reader feel like this could happen to them, to THEIR town.

                (I should be safe on copyright: I own and photographed this well-read book!)




Salem's Lot has also spawned several movie adaptions:

(1979 version, directed by Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIbJ2rQ59ZE

(2004 version, which was dark and fantastic! Rob Lowe!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MEC-TYORoo

Bram Stoker: Dracula's Guest

I am not doing Dracula. Well, at least not the novel version. The Count will be showing up in other forms and genres later, there is really no getting away from this iconic figure, but I wanted to begin with what heavily impacted my interest with vampires.

Dracula's Guest is a small piece of fiction featuring, and narrated by, an unnamed Englishman (which could be either Jonathan Harker or R.M. Renfield) as he makes the journey to Transylvania. The story takes place in Munich and already there are portents towards the supernatural. A storm is coming in, the sky darkening, and a cold begins to touch the world. The Englishman is warned that it is Walpurgis Night and that he should not linger outdoors at night.
While out in a carriage the Englishman stops, intrigued by a certain path that the residents fear, and is told that beyond the crossroads lies an unholy village that, after the men and women were buried, were found rosy cheeked with blood in their mouths.
Despite the warnings (as always) the Englishman decides to walk back and, by chance, strays close to the village. When the man stops he finds himself near a tomb, inscribed with strange words that seem to act as a warning: "The Dead Travel Fast". This is when the storm breaks and he seeks shelter, and moves to stand in the doorway of the tomb. The door he rests against opens and, though dark inside, the lightening illuminates it enough so that he sees with each flash a woman on a bier, seemingly asleep.
Then things turn strange.
He feels like a great and mighty hand hauls him from the doorway and out into the storm. Lightening strikes the tomb and sets it ablaze, and the dead woman cries out in agony as she burns within. And, through the storm he sees white shades come after him as he is dragged away by an invisible grip. He falls into a faint and, upon awakening, finds himself beneath the body of a great wolf that licks at his throat. He passes out again, and on the second awakening is found by and rescued by a group of soldiers. They talk about the wolf that, in all likelihood, is not a wolf and how it kept him warm. Upon returning to the town the Englishman is told that the search party was sent due to a telegram, warning of the need to see to his safety above all else. The message comes from Dracula.

As a young reader the original version (and not one of the many youth-friendly) versions of Bram Stoker's Dracula is impossible to handle. It is rich and thick with prose, layered with meaning, and is truly an intimidating read. Even now it is not a bedside novel. However Dracula's Guest works well as a teaser of things to come, still filled with the same prose but concise enough to be read and enjoyed easily. It sets the scene so well and, though short, contains all the elements that made Dracula an astounding novel. I really loved how, even though the danger is still vampires, the Count is possessive enough to be protecting what he considers as belonging to him.




Link to full text of Dracula's Guest:
 http://www.literature.org/authors/stoker-bram/draculas-guest/

Image found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bram_Stoker_1906.jpg No copyright infringement meant, no money made from its use.

Prepare to be bitten!

If there is one movie that I am dying to see this year it is Dark Shadows. For me, there are three must-see reasons for this:

1. It is a Tim Burton film. I have never found a film of his that wasn't enjoyable on some level (even if I didn't like it) and I am anticipating some creepy and quirky dark comedy with this one. Plus, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton together is a dynamic duo.

2. The music will be by Danny Elfman, which means it will be lyrical and dark, whimsical and strident. Think I am wrong? Remember, this man scored for Alice in Wonderland, Nightbreed, Mission Impossible, Tales From the Crypt, Black Beauty, and the Batman movies to name a few. Yeah, this is going to be a must-have for a soundtrack.

3. And the final, but truly the most important reason, is that is a vampire movie. I love vampires. As a child they more my favourite monster (besides Godzilla, but that is a whole other genre) and I devoured every story that featured them. Nowadays there are some vampires I love more than others (I am NOT a Twilighter) but the passion for these fanged creatures remains.


That said, I will now be posting every day, until Dark Shadows is released, a short piece of writing on one of the many vampire-genre works that I enjoyed while growing up and, in all honesty, still enjoy today. I am going towards the not so common items and staying away from mainstream ones like Lost Boys, 30 Days of Night, Blade, and so on. They have their merits, but they are not the ones that have influence me.


As I go on feel free to respond with your own personal favourites; I am always open to new works!

Seven Days of Poe final post: The Raven

It wasn't my plan to write about this particular poem of Poe. Everybody knows The Raven. Even if a person has not actually read The Raven themselves, they know someone who has or have seen a version of it on television.The most popular being the Simpson's version which is narrated by James Earl Jones and is, in all honesty, fantastic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxJHUD9Su2E&feature=related
Or there is this version, as read by the brilliant Vincent Price. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7zR3IDEHrM
Or this version with Christoper Lee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofSOul1NB8Q

The story is about psychological horror and the devious tricks that the mind will play upon itself.
The unnamed narrator is sitting alone and reading, something he often does to take his mind off Lenore, his lost love. Poe sets everything up so perfectly: a vast and gloomy room, a man deadened by his grief, and the noises that taunt him from the shadows, from the corridors, and from outside. When the raven first flies into the room it is welcomed and is a curiosity. The raven speaks, even if it is only a single word: Nevermore. However, when the melancholy once again falls upon the mind, the narrator's questioning of the raven takes a darker and more desperate turn, and the raven changes into an omen of evil and ill fortune.

"'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!-prophet still,
if bird or devil!-
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest
tossed thee there ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by Horror haunted-tell me
truly, I implore-
Is there-is there balm in Gilead?-tell me-
tell me, I implore!'
        Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'"

Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Will I ever find peace?
And yet, in the poem as is in real life, there is no answer to be given to the living. He can find no answers for himself and the raven itself can offer nothing. And, like the doubts it represents, it is implied that the raven will stay with the broken man for the rest of his days.

"And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, 
still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my
chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's
that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws
his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies
floating on the floor
           Shall be lifted-nevermore!"

The Sixth Day of Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart

If there was ever a single story that chilled me it was The Tell-Tale Heart. The name alone invokes a shudder to creep up the spine and palms to sweat. I was young when I first heard it, as it was on a record of  horror stories. I can clearly recall watching the needle slide over the black glossy surface, watching it fall, and the scratching from the speakers that always preludes the start of a record playing.


The premise is of two men sharing lodging. The older man has a single eye that is a deformed vulture-like eye. This unnerving and strange eye so distresses the narrator, the younger gentleman, that he plans to murder his companion in order to free himself from the hideous eye. Anything to rid himself of that horrible eye.
As the story goes on one has to wonder if the man is truly insane or if he is just trying to convince himself, and the reader, that the eye was the only reason for the murder. His planning is meticulous and vengeful, and he takes a sadistic pleasure in the fear he invokes in the older man. Many nights he creeps to the older man's room and looks on him and, on the night of the murder, the younger man plays a game with the older in the dark.
"For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed, listening;-just as I have done, night after night, harkening to the death watches in the wall..."
 The narrator drives the other man mad with the terror of knowing that there is someone, something, waiting in the dark. It is the fear of discovery, the older man's frantically beating heart growing ever louder, that moves him to ending it.
"With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once-once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead."
It is implied that the older man suffocated beneath the heavy mattress and, in order to conceal the event, the body is dismembered and buried beneath the floor. If this is not premeditation, nothing is.
What follows is inevitable. Madness overcomes the mind (if it hadn't already) and revenge is sought, seemingly from beyond the grave. The passion of the crime has faded, but not the pleasure of the event, and when the police come the young man is confident that he is beyond suspicion.
And yet, a heart beats in his ears. It beats in a steady, powerful, unending rhythm.
Guilty, it beats.
Guilty. Guilty.


The story of The Tell-Tale Heart is one of slow building madness, murder, and a free-fall into greater insanity, is intense on its own. The actor's voice getting more and more frantic as the beating heart in the background grows louder and louder, made it one of the most anticipated and, in all honesty, feared stories of the collection.


NOTE: here is a link to a video on YouTube of Vincent Price (who is one of the best actors of ALL TIME) reciting The Tell-Tale Heart. Watch and be chilled by the performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LNjgv5p3Ek
And the second part here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-tAb-bM-s&feature=relmfu

Thank-you to Mirkodamian for posting it!

Fifth Day of Poe: Masque of the Red Death

There is no escaping death is most likely the lesson Poe intended for The Masque of the Red Death. The other might be the folly of pride.

Prince Prospero has surrounded himself with opulence and beauty. For all of this he is not a good man, and cares little for the responsibilities of his station and seeks only pleasure. His abbey, a fortress, is full of wonders and strange rooms, and the fantastic masquerade that he throws sets the scene for the tale. Beyond its walls a plague that has overcome the world. The Red Death, this sickness is called, as the infected will bleed out through their pores. It is a painful and horrendous lingering death, which Prospero has locked his doors against. After all, he and his friends are not tainted and will be safe within the abbey's walls.

And yet, on some level, they know that they aren't.

There is an ebony clock that, when the hour strikes, echoes loud and discordant even over the revelry. The people still and are uneasy. Then the moment passes and the party continues. And the clock slowly counts down their hours.
And then, when none had noticed him before, their attention is drawn to a tall figure dressed in the garb of the Red Death as he moves through each room. Corpse-like is his mask and blood-red are his robes. "His vesture was dabbled in blood-and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror."
Prospero, both wary and enraged by this, moves to confront the figure and even draws a knife on him when, at a single look into the face, the prince drops dead. The rest throw themselves towards the figure as well and see that they had been vain and foolish.
They had thought to hide from death, but death had come to them.

"And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-dewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripod expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."

The Masque of the Red Death has always held strong imagery. The vividness the Poe creates, from the descriptions of the prince's abbey to the images of a series of rooms, each different in decor and colour, lead the reader deep into the extravagance. In 1964 the story was made into a movie starring Vincent Price and Jane Asher, and although the storyline was expanded and changed to create for a more dramatic movie (the prince worships Satan and is quite evil) the fundamental elements and message of the original remains.
Rich man or poor man, death comes for us all.

Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Masque_of_the_Red_Death_(film)
Image found at following address. I am receiving no payment and no copyright infringement is intended by use of this image: MasqueOfTheRedDeath(1964film).jpg‎

The Fourth Day of Poe: The Bridal Ballad

The Bridal Ballad has always has always haunted me.

The poem is from a woman's perspective as she is trying to convince herself that she is happy to be married. In true Poe fashion there is more to the story than this. The woman's true love is D'Elormie, who is not the man she is marrying. Her true love is dead and each line of the poem is her trying to convince herself that this is the right thing to do.
If only she could believe it herself.

"And thus the words were spoken,
And this the plighted vow,
And, though my faith be broken,
And, though my heart be broken,
Here is a ring, as token,
That I am happy now!"

In order to go through with the marriage she seems to go into a trance and sees the groom as D'Elormie, only to come to her senses  and feel a chill at the thought of having broken faith with her beloved. Although The Bridal Ballad contains no overt supernatural elements, underneath is a great sense of unease and the words of her being carried to the church-yard are reminiscent of a casket being carried to a funeral service. For this woman they are most likely to her one and the same.

Although Poe dedicates a great deal of his writings to a strong female presence, it is rare to have the narrator actually be that woman.

The reason I identify so strongly with this poem is the version of it that soprano Hayley Westenra performed in the Merchant of Venice film. The harp, the gentle vocals, and the melody turn what could have been a simple mournful poem into a haunting scenario where one is not entirely sure if more is occurring then what is at first evident.



The song can be purchased on itunes from The Merchant of Venice soundtrack as an individual track.

The Third Day of Poe: Bernice

Bernice is a strange short piece of fiction that, while not overwhelming in atmosphere or horror, does tease with hints of premature burial, obsession, madness, and dentistry.

The narrator, Egaeus, is about to marry his cousin, Bernice, who is wasting from an unknown ailment. What is apparent early on is that he has an odd fixation on the morbid and his thoughts are full of visions and fancies which, in most cases, would make him a romantic and soulful person.
In this case, like all of Poe's characters, it does not.

Bernice, once as vibrant as Egaeus is gloomy, has declined and her soon-to-be husband falls ill himself with a malady of the mind; a monomania (a pathological preoccupation) that changes her in his mind from a living creature into something that is both more and less. In a scene where she comes to speak with him her appearance is described as nearly corpse-like, and yet when she smiles, he is captivated by her teeth.
"Would to God that I had never beheld them, or that, having done so, I had died!"


It should be humorous, the idea of a person so obsessed with another's teeth. t isn't. Egaeus agonizes and each written thought leads the reader to the conclusion that he is, or soon will be, insane. Even the  death of Bernice does little to rouse him. It is not until after she has be entombed that he suffers from a blackout and, upon awakening in the study, is filled with an overwhelming horror. Before him on the desk is a box that, until that moment, had never held his attention with the same weight.

What, he wonders, is in that box that so terrifies him?

When an attendant comes with the news that Bernice's grave has been violated and her still living body mutilated. At this point there is no need for Poe to point out he muddied and bloody clothes, nor to the spade by the wall, or even the box's contents.

The reader already knows what is in that box.

The Second Day of Poe: The Cask of Amontillado

Perhaps the second most featured theme of Poe's writing was that of revenge. Many of the stories featured one person or another extracting some form of horror on their victim for a real or imagined slight.

In the situation described in The Cask of Amontillado the victim Fortunato has wronged Montresor (the narrator) in some unknown way. In obvious premeditation Montresor lures his drunk and unwary victim into the depths of his home under the guise of having a very rare wine, and every word and act leads the unfortunate further into the trap set for him. Perhaps, as the reader, one is meant to think that the man deserves it; after all, we are not aware of what ills he has done and Fortunato comes across as a brash and arrogant man. And yet, the resolute nature of Montresor's rage is clearly beyond limit.

"At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitively settled-but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity."

This is not a well-deserved vengeance; this is divine judgment. And so it goes on, the one man leading the other on, until Fortunato enters a hollowed-out space in the Montresor crypts and once inside...

Poe rarely used bloody or overly violent acts, preferring to play on the psychological horrors that only the mind (and human experience) can conjure. In reading this short story, the reader has to wonder at how truly sinister it is that this terrible deed is being done during Carnival, where celebration and joy are at their height.  Even at the end the presence of sinister revelry remains, with the victim begging for this to all be a jest and the perpetrator gleefully taunting the man as he is entombed alive.

And, even worse, poor Fortunato won't be missed until far too late.

In pace requiescat!

The First Day of Poe: Lenore

I have chosen Lenore to start this list as it functions as a perfect introductory piece. It is one of the shorter works, consisting of several small sections, dealing with the narrator's lamentations on the death of his beloved. The anger and despair is realistically portrayed, which most likely could have mirrored events that had happened or were happening in Poe's own life. And what is expected of society in terms of death and funeral services is brought into question and critique:

"Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride,

"And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her - that she died!

"How shall the ritual, then, be read? - the requiem how be song

"By you - by yours, the evil eye, - by yours, the slanderous tongue

"That did to death the innocent that died, and died so young?" 

The reader can just see the fake polite smiles on faces while, as a person turns their head, the satisfied gleam in their eyes becomes evident. As is the disgust of the narrator. And the plea in the final lines, "Let no bell toll!" is a poignant plea that, for any person who has been forced to say farewell to one that they have loved, will understand all too well.

The second reason that this poem is included on the list is for the title. The subject of this poem, Lenore, was also the name of the tragically lost love in Poe's The Raven, and so it felt right to include this as the first showcased work.

Seven days of Poe

In celebration of The Raven, the new film based on (and featuring) Edgar Allen Poe, I will posting a short article on a different work of his on the days counting down to the movie's release.

Poe's life was one of tragedy and this was a strong influence on the subject matter of his writings. A sense of desire and despair hovers over the pages and, as the story winds down to what is often a tragic resolution, what is revealed is the ache that lingers within the human heart.
Not all of his works involve some form of lost love. Mystery, or course plays its part, as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is strong detective fiction. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a fantastical tale of mental degradation and horror.
And yet it is revenge that takes the leading role, more often than not. There is often a sense of a person getting what is deserved, in most cases not as deserved as the perpetrator seems to believe. "The Cask of Amontillado" illustrates this idea most profoundly.

Which of Poe's tales will be used in the movie's plot remains to be seen (though the chosen title is a large hint of what is to come, and those who know Poe have an idea what horrors the writers have chosen) so, in the following posts, I will touch on some of his less known works.


Link to movie trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeLrtwniqM4

NOTE: I have something similar planned for the release of Tim Burton's Dark Shadows. I am counting the hours!

Fashion Week Internationale

When I first viewed Fashion Week Internationale I was struck at how, even as it tore through society's conventions on what beauty and fashion is, it also praised them as well. There was a celebration for the people involved, be they from Cambodia or Islamabad, even as facets of the everyday life lived in the areas resounds with the tragic. Perhaps the greatest message it declares is that there is beauty to be found in everything, even through the horror.

At only six episodes (Nigeria, Columbia, Cambodia, Islamabad, Las Vegas International Lingerie and Full Figured Fashion week) it is too short to handle all of the issues that it unearths. Yet, unlike other fashion documentaries, it at least touches upon them.

The series can be found at Vice.com and, whether you view it for the social concerns or for the love of fashion, it is something that should be watched.

Link: http://www.vice.com/fashion-week-internationale

To begin again and a copyright reminder

Welcome! What was once old is now made new, and hopefully it will span a new future to move towards as well.

As mentioned above, but will repeated once more, this is a blog that will have many features, ranging from item and product testing (mostly when I buy and try out something new) to reviews and critiques of past and present literature, film, and music. My personal tastes vary and so shall the posts.

It must be stated before I begin that I am receiving no pay for this and will only own personal pieces that will labeled as such; everything else is owned by that particular company's copyright. Links, when possible, will be provided to the accurate sites.

Every thought and opinion, however, comes from my own mind.