Julia Slaughter

Posts Tagged ‘vampires’

At work I heard a statement that I found completely and utterly fascinating. Theresa, one of my coworkers standing by the microwave announced “I don’t like Vampires, they are all ugly.”

I considered that for a moment, “All of them?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Even though, like people, they are all different?”

Theresa nodded again, and this was right before she confessed that she had seen and liked Twilight, the first movie in the Twilight saga. I desperately longed to ask more questions, but I wasn’t sure where to start or if the lunchroom was even the appropriate place for my questions.

If all you know of vampires is the Hollywood portrayals, really what’s not to like? Way before Twilight and Rob Pattinson, Hollywood stars and constellations alike have played vampires – Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Robert Sean Leonard, Bill Nighy, Kate Beckinsale, Gary Oldman,and of course how can we forget Keifer Sutherland and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Vampire movies go back almost to the beginning of films and they long ago abandoned the white (not pale but white) skinned vampires with black circles painted around their eyes clad in a black cape.

As my mind wandered down those lines I thought if her issue isn’t with the Hollywood kind of vampires, which I don’t see how it could be, does she know real life vampires? I don’t think that I do. The closest I’ve ever seen in Don Henrie from Mad Mad House on SciFi (back before it was SyFy) and while I don’t know that he really is a vampire, (Googling him reveals that there seems to be conflicting reports as to if he could possibly be a vampire or not) I know that he is of Asian American descent and a fairly handsome man. (I did not post a picture because I couldn’t bring myself to bother him by asking for permission for a personal blog.) In fact if you look at his MySpace currently – http://www.myspace.com/donhenrie, the picture there is pretty mundane. (He looks more like a model than anything else.)

I guess I assume that like every other life form on this planet, there are attractive and less attractive examples out there. I still can’t stop kicking it around in my head, Theresa knows ugly vampires, who knew?

There are few things I enjoy as much as curling up with a good book, but I have to say that I’ve always loved to curl up with a good movie or tv show. This past weekend was all about good quality vampire television.

I discovered True Blood last year when it started. Last year at Comic Con HBO was getting the word out, they had street teams getting petitions signed for (and against) vampire rights, they gave out a comic book that discussed the general premise of the show, and somehow I managed to acquire some True Blood pint glasses.  I usually enjoy vampires and the premise seemed interesting so not only was I “in” but  I dragged my friends along with me. (I had a True Blood viewing party with some friends for the series premier.)

I love the writing on True Blood. I love Lafayette’s wit and wisdom, the way he is tough and vulnerable all at the same time. I love that the characters are complicated and well developed. There are characters that are likable even when you don’t want to like them. It makes my skin crawl, my heart race, my eyes water…it evokes real feelings. I love this show, I love talking about it with my friends who watch it – debating theories on what’s going to happen next (or sometimes on what just happened!).

However, this weekend I also discovered another vampire show the BBC’s Being Human. The general premise of the show is that a vampire,  a werewolf,  and a ghost are roommates. I know it almost sounds like a bad joke, but it’s a drama-comedy. The writing is sharp, I have fallen in love with the wonderfully flawed characters. They are struggling to remain in touch with their humanity and to live normal human lives.  I’ve only got one complaint, the werewolf has some special effects that seem a little cheesy, but let’s face it Hollywood’s big budget flicks have kind of spoiled us and I’d take a substantial story over flash effects any day.

I love that both shows have stories and plot lines that take you by surprise. However,  True Blood brings in elements that are unexpected and thrilling to true geeks.  I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give any spoilers but I have to say that C.S. Lewis actually gave me a hint as to what was going on in True Blood and that brought me no end of joy.

I just can’t wait to see what happens next!

HBO’s True Blood website

BBC’s Being Human website