I checked and didn't find a vampire thread - so here's one. First and foremost - no Twilight raves or rants. That young adult series is a romance, and not a vampire story.

So the first one that I knew about was Stoker's Dracula. It got the whole thing rolling, but was it the best vampire story?

I don't think so. So far, I think I favor Le Fanu's Carmilla. All that I have read of Le Fanu makes me praise him as a true master of ambiance and suspense, both critical components in a vampire tale. I also prefer a lack of description when it comes to the gory details --- my imagination fills that in quite nicely. And last, I prefer vampire stories that don't try to explain the whole mythology, or pretend to identify THE vampire.

But a recent read, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, was a nice surprise, and now rivals Carmilla as my favorite.

What are yours?

I used to be a huge fan of Anne Rice's stuff. But I think I've read so much so close that I made an overdose. And I did like the fact that she gives the vampire more depth than what we usually see, there's a whole lot of whining for some characters that get on my nerve. However, reading this as a 12-13 year old kid/teen, it was very refreshing and made me think a lot.

But more generally, I like vampire stories where they are "characters", not just bad guys, or monsters. Humans make the best monsters anyway. I unfortunately haven't read much vampire litterature because to many are shitty, and I got an overdose.(I even deleted most of the vampire I've written about because I was tired of just hearing the name)

Someone
And last, I prefer vampire stories that don't try to explain the whole mythology,

I'm not looking necessarily for an explanation, but I enjoyed it in The Queen of the Damned(NOT the movie, the book), which is my favorite of Anne Rice's book, although the "vampire rock star thing" gets a bit on my nerve now. And Memnoch The Devil, which explained the creation of everything. I'm a history addict, no matter if it is real history or fictive one.

Hmm... the only vampire literature I remember reading are the White Wolf V:tM game manuals. And those, I liked.

I guess it's just nerdtastic to have everything written into RPG terms and classified into traits/feats/abilities. It's either the scientist in me, or the boardgame geek in me.

Only book I've read is Bram Stokers. xD...

It's funny that you made this thread because we make an aside comment about the "vampire" genre in the quackcast coming out tomorrow. :] I think I said something about trailer parks... (although I think I also said it 'started' with Lestat, when of course it was Stoker and Le Fanu. I think I was thinking about just the mainstreaming of it?)

Anyway, I was disappointed in Dracula when I finally read it. I was expecting something different. It was all "we are good Victorian friends!" and non-scary vampire activity, and there isn't even ever a real confrontation between them. I'll probably re-read it sooner or later now that I'll know more what to expect.

I think I read that Historian book several years ago, but I don't remember much of it. Again I think I thought I expected something slightly different.

I have Carmilla on my eReader, but after Dracula I was put off reading it. If you say it's better then perhaps I should give it a chance. :]

skoolmunkee
- - - I think I also said it 'started' with Lestat, when of course it was Stoker and Le Fanu. I think I was thinking about just the mainstreaming of it?)

Anyway, I was disappointed in Dracula when I finally read it. I was expecting something different. It was all "we are good Victorian friends!" and non-scary vampire activity, and there isn't even ever a real confrontation between them. I'll probably re-read it sooner or later now that I'll know more what to expect.

I think I read that Historian book several years ago, but I don't remember much of it. Again I think I thought I expected something slightly different.

I have Carmilla on my eReader, but after Dracula I was put off reading it. If you say it's better then perhaps I should give it a chance. :]

I think I was inspired to start this thread after discovering SarahN's Vampire Phantasm - which is having a re-do that is a real benefit for newbies like me (I'm still just a, kindergardener? when it comes to DD age).

So don't you think that you pinpointed a trend when you mentioned Lestat? because I think Rice may have been one of the first to write from the vampire's perspective. Vampire Phantasm is in this category, for the most part. And I really like Vampire Phantasm, and I liked Rice's Interview With (the remaining books went too pop, imo)

Le Fanu writes from the victim's perspective still, which means there's less explained, and when told right, imo, is creepier. Le Fanu builds an atmosphere and a state of mind, so there's always a question of how much is monster and how much is the observer's paranoia. I was surprised when I learned Stoker was Irish, he writes like an Englishman. Le Fanu is also Irish, but his style is different.

I think that the vampire genre has changed from the Dracula days, by necessity. A gentleman in a tuxedo with tiny little fangs just isn't scary anymore, no matter how well you tell the story. Hell, even in Let The Right One In I was only tense during the serial killer scenes. During the vampire scenes I was going either "Yawn" or "Hell yeah" or "Awwh that's so sweet." That's a semi-exaggeration (the vampire scenes were almost all good), but y'get my point.

Nowadays, you either full-on gross-out the vampire by allowing him/her to turn into a demon-like creature, or you go the audience identification/empowerment route, i.e. "I am not an emo geek; a vampire is I!" or "I am not lusting after an anemic dandy; a powerful (but sensitive) vampire is He!" Obsessive-compulsive emo stalker lust is supposed to be dangerous and/or sexy.

Cassidy from Preacher.

BEST VAMPIRE CHARACTER EVER.

I only tend to read short vampire story's. Tho I prefer my vampires to be monsters AND to have weaknesses! I can't stand the super powered vampires that can go out in the sun, throw cars around and never be killed! I did read and like quite a bit of the Vicky Nelson P.I. books (It was made into the godawful Blood lines T.V. show) some years ago. I quite get put off of reading vampire books because they tend to be some sort of uninteresting wish fulfillment.

I know I'm late to the party. I hope no one minds.


Hnn, I've tried to place "maturity" tag next to the books just so if you do check them out you know what to expect. I totally used movie ratings, except for the one book that I knew the age group for. They're completely my opinion of the content, so yadda, yadda, be cautious.


I know the White Wolf Books have already been mentioned briefly, but I just wanted to say they truly are some of my absolute favorite books. Even if you never plan to play the game, skip the rules section in the back, the front half is all about story telling and they're fantastic! Especially the Masquerade books, they're a more traditional view of vampires. The Requiem books are the new direction WW is taking with vampires and they're more instinctual, sorta animalistic, but the stories are still fantastic. (Also, I know this isn't really "art and Lit", but the Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines game really is one of my all time favorites.) White Wolf in general is a good wealth of mood and ideas for any of the supernatural creatures: Fae, Ghosts, Werewolves, ect. ect.

The first vampire book I can remember reading was "Silver Kiss" by Annette Curtis Klause. It was closer to '92 when it came out and I was much younger, but it was a good first experience in the genre. There was a little bit of romance, but it was mostly a horror/mystery. Its the only vampire book I've read in which there was a logical ending that involved a vampire's affection. The antagonist of the story, to this day, is one of my favorites of all time. There is nothing creepier, in my opinion, than the way the victims were stalked, lured in and attacked. I had read another book by her, "Blood and Chocolate" which was my first Werewolf book. I was pleased with both of them, but as a warning, they are not fuzzy, feel good stories. There were many times where my heart felt wrenched and stomped on or I was so disappointed by their actions, but they were very well developed "flawed" non-Mary Sue characters.

Have any of you taken a look at those "Monster encyclopedias" that had accounts through history of terrible events some people believed could have been supernatural creatures? They were very interesting. I read the "Werewolf" one, but honestly, it seems like the books would all have very similar incidents and I bet they overlap a great deal. People like Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad the Impaler came up and I always attributed them to vampire mythos more than werewolf mythos. I'm betting they make appearances in both books. I encourage horror writers to read these. There's such a huge mix of reported incidents through out history. I found that it was sort of inspirational to creating your own version of monsters. You see some really bizarre incidents and start asking yourself why these things would happen. Why would someone dig up most of a cemetery in a small town in the Balkan area. Why would people in a tiny village in France wake up to find several of their neighbors murdered and strewn about town.

While not appropriate for all audiences, I felt that "Liquid Dreams of Vampires" by Martin V. Riccardo was a fascinating experience. The book is rated as mature because a good portion of it is excerpts of letters he's collected over the years, people who wrote to him about their nightmares, their fantasies, or their practices that were all inspired by the vampire mythos. Its like a psychological approach to how the vampire myths of history and the vampire in media affect our society. It was really, really interesting, but like I said, it definitely has things that are not for all audiences, it is named Liquid Dreams for a reason. This was pre-Twilight. Also, I should mention that while the content is mature, its not written to "incite feelings", its more of a clinical take on these feelings that other people have, where they might have originated.

I agree with Skoolmunkee's take on Dracula. I've found that I prefer many of the remakes people have done, taking that original idea and expanding on it. I can't think of any books at the moment, but I really enjoyed the Dracula 2000 film (no, I don't care how many of you hated it.) I thought it was all kinds of awesome for giving Dracula biblical roots and that's all I'll say about that.

Ann Rice, hnnn, I have really tried to get into her stuff. I like it when people tell me about the stories, it sounds really cool, but I just can't stick with them. My fiancee loves them, though, and talks me into a new attempt every once in a while. I wonder if I should try a different book next time? I usually just try "Interview with a Vampire."

There are probably some haters out there, but I really liked Trinity Blood and Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust.

And this is sort of vague, but I'm really a fan of all sorts of vampires, traditional and otherwise. For instance, the more animalistic, hive mind vampires are still cool with me. I really love looking at all the creative ways people change them. There really is a lot of cool stuff out there, there is a lot of crap to sift through as well, but there's still a lot of cool stuff that makes everything worthwhile.

I personally hate vampire fiction.

Especially nowadays but I never liked it before.

And when it comes down to Dracula - I think the novel was terrible.

Did you try different genres and age levels? Is it the idea of vampires you don't like or the style of the stories? I find it to be a pretty classic monster, no different from any other, but it is a genre that's more susceptible to butchering than many others. For instance, any vampire story that has "romance" as a sub-genre, I'm not interested in. I have read some with a little romance in them that were fine, but I just feel like every vampire romance novel is pretty much the same story and there's nothing really innovative.

And, to be perfectly honest I've been steering clear of vampire books over the last couple of years. I saw some of the popular books that were out, read a few and gave up reading for a while. :( (Anyone else kinda cry a little inside after "House of the Night" came out and got popular shortly after the Sparkle Book that shall not be Named was still in its peak? I was pretty disappointed.)

```````````````

And in addition to my previous post, I really like Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, but she's YA and has a bit of romancy stuff too. She goes into the dark side and sticks to her character's flaws though. I also like that she is comfortable writing with alternative lifestyles, which is a breath of fresh air. She's one of the authors who inspired me to write my own stories. (She's close to my age and was like 14 or something when her first book was published.) And as a bonus, she's a really nice person who interacts with her fans and runs her own message board to answer questions and what not.

Snevilly
Did you try different genres and age levels? Is it the idea of vampires you don't like or the style of the stories?

Current vampire novels are terrible and basically all the same. I've just seen less sex in some and more in others as the groups targeted are older age wise.

I like the idea of blood sucking freaks of nature but I've never seen anyone get it quite that way. If I'm gonna read, watch, enjoy something vampire there's probably got to be a lot of gore and actual plot to it instead of lots of shitty dialogue and annoying comedy relief characters.

- - -

I will admit that The Reformed Vampire Support Club wasn't half bad a YA book but also that it was stupid but somehow in the right ways.

Other than that, I can't recall a vampire story I ever really liked.
Dracula - No
Salem's Lot - No
Historian - No
Vladmir Todd - No
Buffy (ha ha ha) - NO!
Cirque Du Freak - AW HELL NO!
etcetera, etcetera...

(I will also defend that Twilight is not the worst thing I've ever read because people overreact. There's things much worse but yeah, its bad. Just not the WORST.)

Snevilly
Especially the Masquerade books, they're a more traditional view of vampires. White Wolf in general is a good wealth of mood and ideas for any of the supernatural creatures: Fae, Ghosts, Werewolves, ect. ect.

I second that WW has built a deep and beautiful narrative universe around its supernatural RPGs. Same way Games Workshop has built an extensive narrative around its Warhammer 40K universe... but less geeky, less over-the-top.

The only WW book I have is Masquerade: The Dark Ages, and Who's Who Among Vampires: Children of The Inquisition. Both good.

I read the 1st cover-to-cover, even though "only a game manual". The book goes so far as to educate history-noobs on the everyday realities of Medieval Europe, and to ponder on things a goth-wannabe-gamer probably doesn't consider, when playing as a supernatural creature in a medieval environment.

It also describes a new vampire's psychological/social drift away from humanity in a logical course, instead of "I'm a vampire now therefore I'm suddenly EEEEEVIL (or suddenly AWWWWWESOME)."

AND, if you read between the lines, you can logically see why Medieval vampires would be more instinctual/animalistic (like the original Transylvanian ghoul-like ones) when compared to more "civilized/urbane" modern vampires.

The 2nd book I mentioned is only truly worth reading for the 1st chapter (Vlad Impaler), but it really gives a great supernatural account of Vlad's life/history. Reading that chapter made me almost want to draw it into a comic. I wish WW followed up with chapters on more history personages (such as Elizabeth Bathory or Gilles de Rais), rather than making up shallow characters as chapters after the great 1st chapter.

I really enjoyed the Dracula 2000 film (no, I don't care how many of you hated it.) I thought it was all kinds of awesome for giving Dracula biblical roots and that's all I'll say about that.

It was good, and it was the last time Winona Ryder was hot onscreen. I didn't care for the biblical roots, myself.

I don't understand how a sword through his torso somehow critically injured Drac, though. I guess he just took too much damage and blood loss.

There are probably some haters out there, but I really liked Trinity Blood and Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust.

Vampire Hunter D (both movies) are universally good... but, Trinity Blood was shallow beautifully-drawn tripe. Like most anime series drawn by Gonzo studio. I don't know why but they tend to get all the crap scripts, which is a waste of their animators' talent.

@ L33t

I like the idea of blood sucking freaks of nature but I've never seen anyone get it quite that way.

Hmm, there are definitely some movies that pop into mind, but horror movies can be pretty awful. There have to be some monstrous books out there though, there's too huge of a following for them as "blood sucking freaks of nature". If not, quick, there's a market to get into, lol. I'm fond of these kinds of vampires too. I liked the vampires from Priest (even though the movie was pretty terrible). I've seen a few other's where they're a hive mind or just out right monstrous before.

You seem to have a good grasp of the kinda of vampire you like, compared to what's out there. Have you thought about trying to write your own story or comic on the subject, to sort of "fix" them or do it the right way? I'm always interested to see how fans and non fans view a subject.

(Also, I agree that Twilight is not the worst book ever written. My biggest gripe was that I bought the whole series before reading it. :( No, I was more griping about "House of the Night" in which the vampires go to boarding school, any famous movie star or musician or poet was probably a vampire, the main girl character has three boy friends at any given time and they are basically witches that control the elements because their Goddess grants them powers. The sad thing is that there were some good things in it, like the Native American element, it just couldn't overcome the bad for me. Even then, House of the Night still isn't the worst book I've read, no that glorious award goes to "Ranger's Apprentice" which I still don't understand the popularity of.)

@ Mlai
I will have to check out the books you mentioned. I've only read a handful of WW books, but I've really loved all of them. I have a handful of different vampire and werewolf books from them and the actual World of Darkness book, which is fantastic. I've perused the Antagonist guide and used it in games before. I have a hard time understanding how to "think" like a Vampire in modern WW. I don't know if that makes sense.

I didn't care for the biblical roots, myself.

I know its not for everyone. I just actually enjoy religious horror/mystery as a genre. "The Book of Nod" got me into vampires/religion, have you read that one?

...but, Trinity Blood was shallow beautifully-drawn tripe.

It definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea. It is beautiful. I liked a lot of the characters, though. Several of them are still pretty memorable. (The little witch girl comes to mind.) I was also very interested in the setting, post apocalyptic, future tech and sort of inquisitiony. I also liked the "idea" behind it, a vampire that eats other vampires, the sort of political side to things between humans and vampires. They didn't handle it perfectly, much of it was too vague, the ending was appalling and they should be ashamed, but overall, I felt like there was a good spark in there. I liked it because it made me think, imagine things differently and sort of rewrite it. I like when stories can be like that. Is there a vampire story you found yourself rewriting? :)



Also, how do you guys feel about "From Dusk til Dawn"? I personally didn't like it, but almost everyone I knows thinks I'm a freak for it, lol. Although I don't mind seeing Penelope Cruz dance around.

Snevilly
Hmm, there are definitely some movies that pop into mind, but horror movies can be pretty awful.

Want a good movie with monstrous vampires?
(1) 30 Days Of Night
(2) Blade II (better than Blade I)

Both are better than I, Legend (yuck). John Carpenter's Vampires is sort of okay.

No, I was more griping about "House of the Night" in which the vampires go to boarding school, any famous movie star or musician or poet was probably a vampire, the main girl character has three boy friends at any given time and they are basically witches

Oh, Lord.

I have a hard time understanding how to "think" like a Vampire in modern WW. I don't know if that makes sense.

Actually I can't empathize with that. Seems to me easy enough to imagine yourself apart from and better than the rest of mewling humanity, seeing them as dumb sheep only good for exploitation and pleasure. Teenagers think that way all the time.

Oh and all WW vamps are prison gangbangers. Only they call them covens or clans or bloodlines or somesuch, I forget. It makes sense, though. As a young vampire you'll feel badass only up until 5-10 other vampires suddenly descend upon you and suck your ass dry. Better join up with a gang/clan, quick.

I just actually enjoy religious horror/mystery as a genre. "The Book of Nod" got me into vampires/religion, have you read that one?

I have heard of the fictional book-within-a-book. I know the general WW mythos of how vampires are descended from Cain. Religion is indeed a rich area for idea-mining.

They didn't handle it perfectly, much of it was too vague, the ending was appalling and they should be ashamed,

That, and wooden characterization made Trinity Blood mediocre for me. This is a common problem with a lot of Gonzo projects. They're an incredible studio artwise, but I don't know what idiot edits their scripts.

I like when stories can be like that. Is there a vampire story you found yourself rewriting? :)

The only thing that comes to mind is the Vlad Dracula story from the WW book I mentioned. The idea is to make a comic out of Vlad's fictionally-embellished life, complete with him being an anti-hero with quasi-superpowers from drinking vampire blood. The comic would end when he finally becomes a vampire, cuz then it gets boring, LOL.

The man's life was extremely dramatic, and the circumstances of his country and world was very gritty, violent, full of war, politics, court intrigue, grey morality, struggle against impossible odds, and the annihilation of his nation always looming on the horizon. There is a good reason why even with all the impalings and genocide, many people still consider him a national hero.

Even without vampires and the psycho mass-impalings, his life story is still interesting by any account. Add that in, and him kicking ass all over the battlefield while high on vampire blood, and you have a super anti-hero who puts Spawn/Darkness/whoever to shame.

Also, how do you guys feel about "From Dusk til Dawn"? I personally didn't like it, but almost everyone I knows thinks I'm a freak for it, lol. Although I don't mind seeing Penelope Cruz dance around.

Only thing I can remember from that splatterfest is Penelope Cruz. God damn that scene was hot. I've resisted watching it again, just so that ideal of perfect sensuality can remain untainted in my mind. If I watched it again, I'd probably feel underwhelmed and my nostalgia crushed.

From dusk til dawn is awesome, it's not penelope cruz either, it's salma hayek. far better looking.

Someone
Ann Rice, hnnn, I have really tried to get into her stuff. I like it when people tell me about the stories, it sounds really cool, but I just can't stick with them. My fiancee loves them, though, and talks me into a new attempt every once in a while. I wonder if I should try a different book next time? I usually just try "Interview with a Vampire."

If you can't get on with interview with the vampire then don't bother with the rest of her stuff.

Genejoke
If you can't get on with interview with the vampire then don't bother with the rest of her stuff.

Depends, it's actually one of the few of her vampire books that I didn't bother to get to the end. Wasn't that bad and I do want to get to the end someday, but not the most entertaining I think.

Heh, different strokes I suppose. it's the only one of hers I've finished, the rest meander on too much.

Snevilly
Have you thought about trying to write your own story or comic on the subject, to sort of "fix" them or do it the right way?

My only novel I've written has vampiric style characters, except the novel was written when I was 13 and it's more like the modern vampire fiction style than anything.

So I might one day rewrite that to fit my vision of the people someday...tomorrow tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow, you're only a day...a...way...

mlai
Want a good movie with monstrous vampires?
(1) 30 Days Of Night
(2) Blade II (better than Blade I)
Both are better than I, Legend (yuck). John Carpenter's Vampires is sort of okay.

I haven't watched 30 Days of Night yet. It got pretty mixed reviews from the people I know. I loved the Blade movies, two and three were the best. (Not looking at them as "greatest vampire movies ever", but in more of a "Action movies I love and Westly Snipes is a bad ass!" kind of light.)

I enjoyed I am Legend, but I didn't really think of it as a vampire movie. Actually, before I'd heard of the book, I thought they were supposed to be a new(ish) take on zombies. I am Legend was one of those movies I thought was really good, but was too much to watch more than a few times in your life. (I felt the same way about 300 and Watchmen. Excellent movies, but I'm too faint hearted to survive them over and over, lol.)

mlai
Actually I can't empathize with that. Seems to me easy enough to imagine yourself apart from and better than the rest of mewling humanity, seeing them as dumb sheep only good for exploitation and pleasure. Teenagers think that way all the time.

Hnn, no one has ever really put it that way when explaining it to me. I think it may just be hard for me to empathize with a vampire character at all. I'm just not "mean" enough, lol. Its hard for me to even be mean to pixilized characters, lol. I always go paragon. I don't have a hard time writing or reading about them, but there's something subtly different about slipping into the roll. Vampires are evil creatures, some can do good things, but they're basically the same as Drow from D&D, right?

mlai
Even without vampires and the psycho mass-impalings, his life story is still interesting by any account. Add that in, and him kicking ass all over the battlefield while high on vampire blood, and you have a super anti-hero who puts Spawn/Darkness/whoever to shame.

I don't know why there aren't more of these. If the stories are sort of based on him why wouldn't people have done more with him? I did see a movie, once, that sorta followed his weird life, but it wasn't supernatural at all and they ruined the movie for me when in the last two minutes he rose from his crypt to kill one of his former attendents (or someone, I don't remember.) I'd love to see this get done. :)

mlai
I've resisted watching it again, just so that ideal of perfect sensuality can remain untainted in my mind. If I watched it again, I'd probably feel underwhelmed and my nostalgia crushed.

Resist the urge and remember it for the time, lol. It didn't hold up very well to time, in my opinion, but I didn't really like it to begin with. I think it was just so racy and sensual at the time, but now middle schoolers are doing that kind of thing in school these days, right? (lol, maybe its not that bad yet.)

From dusk til dawn is awesome, it's not penelope cruz either, it's salma hayek. far better looking.
Oh my Goodness, you're right! I get them confused a lot, like Natalie Portmen and Keira Knightley or Dane Cook and Ryan Reynolds (<-yummy) I think Cruz was on mind more readily because she was just in the latest Pirates movie. Has Hayek been in anything recently?

My biggest problem with the movie was that Tarantino's character just made me too uncomfortable in the beginning. Also, I felt like there was too much of the first half. Years after watching it the first time, my impression was that the vampires were thrown into the last half hour of the movie. (Although, I know that isn't the case. I really should give it a go as an adult. Part of me wonders if I was just too young to appreciate it.)

So I might one day rewrite that to fit my vision of the people someday...tomorrow tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow, you're only a day...a...way...
Well, I look forward to seeing it someday! The vampire genre is one of those that needs multiple injections of different views. If it gets taken over by these "romance sods" for too much longer the genre may really be lost. Hehe, it needs fresh blood.

@Genejoke and demontales:

I'm thinking I should try finding an audio book and that might help. I find some authors just take better to the spoken word. (I couldn't get into Sense and Sensibility before audiobooks, but its one of my favorites now.) My Fiancee really enjoyed Memnoch the Devil and I eventually would like to try it. Some of the other supernatural stories sounded really cool, but I think there are themes in a lot of them I'm not comfortable with. I just can't come to a comfortable position on....er...damn, what's her name? Claudia? I think that's right, Claudia and Louis relationship. Rice really seems to like walking the line of right and wrong and really make you question your point of view and moral guidelines. I think its good to question these sorts of things, I just don't consider it to be a "light reading before bed" kinda deal.

Snevilly
My Fiancee really enjoyed Memnoch the Devil and I eventually would like to try it. Some of the other supernatural stories sounded really cool, but I think there are themes in a lot of them I'm not comfortable with. I just can't come to a comfortable position on....er...damn, what's her name? Claudia? I think that's right, Claudia and Louis relationship. Rice really seems to like walking the line of right and wrong and really make you question your point of view and moral guidelines. I think its good to question these sorts of things, I just don't consider it to be a "light reading before bed" kinda deal.

Anne Rices' favorite subjects seem to be sex, religion and complicated relationships, so you're not the first I hear the books/stories get them out of their comfort zone. I don't remember much with Claudia and Louis except that Claudia would like to be able to have a relationship as a woman and Louis can only have pity for her. But since I didn't read it all, maybe I missed some stuff.

Snevilly
I haven't watched 30 Days of Night yet. It got pretty mixed reviews from the people I know.

It's a good movie. Read some online reviews.

I loved the Blade movies, two and three were the best.

Bwuh?!
Blade 3 was terrible. 1 was good. 2 was very good.

I am Legend was one of those movies I thought was really good, but was too much to watch more than a few times in your life.

I felt that the movie was great up to the point where he met the Bible-thumping woman and orphan. What was supposed to pick the movie up, instead killed it dead. The Christian proselytizing and blatant "science is EVIL" message was disgusting, and the idealized "church in a pristine Bible Belt town" image at the end sealed the deal for a razzie award. This was never in the book, but was ramrodded into the movie.

The alternate (i.e. original and more faithful-to-book) ending was much better. But supposedly the preview screening audience didn't like it, so the studio changed to the lower-IQ-required alternate ending. They must have pre-screened the movie in Hicksville, Texas.

Vampires are evil creatures, some can do good things, but they're basically the same as Drow from D&D, right?

It's the fact that vampires aren't innately evil that attracts me to WW's logic on how/why vampires "descend into evil." The process is not automatic, no "Oh I'm infected, presto I'm evil!" The infected one still wants to go home, still wants to live his life, still loves his family, etc.

And no, it's not because the urge to drink blood is overwhelming (it is strong but it doesn't override reason). Just because you're hungry for a hamburger, you don't eat your cat.

I don't know why there aren't more of these. If the stories are sort of based on him why wouldn't people have done more with him?

I'm sure Hollywood will eventually catch on, and soon release a spate of "Historical Dracula" movies. Just like it had caught on and released a spate of "Historical King Arthur" movies.

The irony is that his real life is richer, more dramatic, more complex and more horrific than his fictional straightforward unlife. And yet writers/movies keep concentrating on the unlife and beat it like a dead horse.

The Gary Oldman/ Winona Ryder movie played a tiny bit with Dracula's real life, but only touched the tip of the iceberg. And you thought that was a gripping dramatic origin for Dracula?

I think Cruz was on mind more readily because she was just in the latest Pirates movie. Has Hayek been in anything recently?

Oh I know it was Selma Hayek; I can picture her in my head (the movie scene). I just forgot what her name is. I don't even remember who Cruz is or what she looks like.

My biggest problem with the movie was that Tarantino's character just made me too uncomfortable in the beginning.

I just remember him gulping down liquor running down Selma's leg. I think he got killed later, but that doesn't even matter LOL.

If it wasn't for that scene, I would've already forgotten what Tarantino's face looks like. Now I'll remember him forever as the guy slurping on Selma's heel.

Haha! I forgot about that part! Now I can't stop laughing. I remembered seeing him in a Kill Bill interview and thinking, "Dude! That's the creepy guy!"

I know this is slightly off topic from current conversations, but do any of you know of any collaborative vampire fiction? I've been pretty interested in collaborative work lately.

Collaborative as in round-robin comic? Or as in a bunch of authors getting together with their characters from their own comics? Or as in you looking for a co-author for a new title?

Any of the above. :D

Round-Robin comics can be really fun, so it would be interesting to check out if there are any. A Cross-over vampire comic seems like it has all kinda of potential. And its always good to know if people are looking to pair up for a project, or at least, I think its worth checking out, lol.