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.