Anyway, the thing that I love about vampire stories is that they are all different; so many different authors and filmmakers have different takes on these age-old tales. I personally get really annoyed when a story lives completely in the box and utilizes all the stereotypical vampire characteristics. My favorites are the ones that don't include:
- Garlic. An herb? Seriously? These creatures suck your blood to live and they can't handle a little garlic? Idiotic.
- Fear of holy symbols. Most vamp tales include some sort of God vs. The Devil internal debate, but it just seems small-minded for them to not be able to stand crucifixes or churches.
- Wooden stakes through the heart. Please. Get creative with how you have to kill these suckers. They're immortal. A simple wooden stake is just an insult.
These are just a couple of characteristics I'm not too fond of. I enjoy the nocturnal, pale, need to be ripped apart and burned to death type. Now, there are several contradictory characteristics that I find interesting. Some I'm strictly on one side, some I could go either way. Some are age-old staples of vampire lore, some are newly created. Lets take a look at a couple.
Retractable vs. Stationary Fangs
This is really just a simple distinction. I used to be a bigger fan of their teeth just being subtlety pointy, but True Blood really changed my mind. It is so awesome how their teeth just snap down! I am still a big fan of the subtle fang, I'm especially fond of Interview with the Vampire scene's when Louis and Claudia change. Below are videos demonstrating both True Blood's retractable teeth (to Lady Gaga) and Interview's stationary ones (from a fan video that includes Claudia's transformation into a vampire).
Nocturnal vs. No Sleep (aka: Twilight)
So just a short note on this one. In all vampire tales, they cannot go out in the sunlight or they will die. But not Twilight. Oh no. Twilight has their vampires never sleep. That would be okay I suppose. If Stephanie Meyer didn't make them sparkle in said sunlight. Yes, I said sparkle. What is scary or deadly about being sparkly? Good God.
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| Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys |
Beautiful vs. Deformed Face Upon Transformation
This is one that I take a powerful stance on. Vampires are supposed to be sexy and romantic and deadly seductive. While I am a fan of The Lost Boys, I hate it when vampires get all deformed when they "transform." This is not sexy:
Kiefer is sexy. This picture: not sexy. Fail.
Same goes for Angel. David Boreanaz has much too pretty a face to have get all nasty like that.
Same goes for Angel. David Boreanaz has much too pretty a face to have get all nasty like that.
Need Invitation In vs. No Invitation
Now this is a rule that is overlooked by most vampire stories. 9 times out of 10, it doesn't really matter to me. But in stories such as Let The Right One In and True Blood, it really adds something special. In True Blood, it adds this whole new level of sexual angst when Sookie won't invite Bill or Erik in. And in Let The Right One In, as the title suggests, inviting a vampire in can be the last thing you ever do. Yes, that sounded ridiculously cheesy, but that old lady in the book bit the big one after inviting Eli in just because he/she is in a child's body.
These are but a few of the vampire controversies alive among vampire lore. Finding the right combination will buy you a classic vampire story that will stand the test of time. Here's my favorites and why.
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| Claudia, Louis, and Lestat in Interview with the Vampire |
I absolutley love the world that Anne Rice has created for her vampires. If you've read the books you know that only Interview with the Vampire is through Louis' POV and that the following novels are through Lestat's POV. The books are fantastic. The history of how they came to be is fascinating and there is always a constant sense of romanticism infused with that history. I can't fully express in words how much I love these stories. For those of you only familiar with the film Interview, its pretty close to the book. I love the concept of a child vampire and how it is forbidden in their world. Also love the whole look and feel of the film. Makes me want to be a vampire.
This show is just such an ingenious concept: what would the world be like if vampires "came out" in society? The synthetic blood Tru Blood, makes it possible for them to interact with humans normally. This show is just epic thanks to Alan Ball and his vision. True Blood is nothing but pure sex. These vamps are so sexy, their blood is sold like drugs because it gets you high. This is the perfect modern day vampire story. Oh and Evan Rachel Wood rocks.
So I know I talked some smack about Kiefer in this movie earlier, but I can't deny my love for The Lost Boys. This cult classic is dripping with 80s amazingness - from the fashion to the motorcycles to the tunes. If I could go back to the 80s, I would hang out with these guys. I want to be Star. Yes, they do employ almost all of the annoying staples: aversion to holy water, stake through the heart, and bad breath (of all things), but you seriously cannot help but embrace the cheesy-ness. And can I please get a t-shirt with the tagline?
"Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."
Enough said.
There are plenty more vampire stories that I like bits and pieces of, but I'll leave my list at that. I have a love/hate relationship with Twilight, so I can't bear to include it in my "favorites" list. I will say, the things I do like about Twilight are all the different powers each vampire has, the "vegetarian vampire" concept, the Volturi, and Bella's whole pregnancy storyline (I find that insanely fascinating). Other than that, the movies pretty much slaughtered everything else about the story.
What is your favorite vampire movie or book and why? I seriously want to know.
Seriously.
Rock on.
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