Vampires.
What used to conjure up images of a pale, aristocratic gentleman in formal
dinner wear has now been supplanted by pale, haunted-looking teenage boys who
twinkle. No matter. The vampire tradition is as old as the cinema itself, and
much older, still. Every country has their own version of the vampire in their
folklore, and believe me, no two are alike.
So,
how come all of the vampires in the movies are so...Dracula-esque? Have you
ever looked at the sheer number of vampire movies that have Dracula in the
title? It’s a lot. As literary figures go, Dracula is one of the most
successful, most popular of all time.
Maybe
that’s why I gravitate to different vampire stories. I like ‘em monstrous and
feral. Oh, they can look human at first, and they can even be attractive and
seductive, provided they ugly-up when the blood spills. I watched a lot of
Dracula films as a kid, and I kinda burned myself out on them. Now when I want
vampires, I go in a different direction. These films below pretty much sum up
what I’m looking for in a vampire flick.
