Oh wow over 10,000 views I can't believe it! Of course I don't know who's been viewing or what it is any of you like about this blog but thanks for the views anyone, it's great to know people are visiting!
Happy Halloween as well, unfortunately I have been working over the weekend and I am working tomorrow and Tues, so there was no outright mad partying. Did still manage to attend two parties yesterday though, my dad's birthday one, which was supposed to be a costume party but only I went in costume so little humiliating and then a friend's party after that in which lots of people were in costume so yay!
Strangely I felt in person that my wolf tail rocked but my ears sucked but in the photos the ears seem to look good whilst the tail, not so much. The cloak managed to hide the tail pin so it really did look I had grown a tail, which was great but sadly no photos really demonstrating that since I'm holding the tail up in them to show it's there lol.
Anyway I hope you all enjoy Halloween whatever you are doing or have been doing!
Sunday 30 October 2011
Friday 28 October 2011
30 Days of Night
Just rewatched 30 Days of Night in hi-def, haven't seen it since it first came out in 2007. Despite it's flaws I still love it because it gives us vampires who are monsters, they are cruel, sadistic, animalistic, predatory and without mercy, they are vulnerable to beheadings and the sun, well ultra violet light really, and they do not sparkle and avoid blood! I've stated before that as mythical creatures vampires are up to interpretation but really they should follow some sort of blueprint, which for me would be the undead who drink blood and have weaknesses to light and are clever and cunning monsters. I think what makes vampires great are how easily they can deceive with their human exterior and how they maintain a humane intelligent, in fact they may even develop on from that but ultimately they are monsters and as such lack mercy, compassion and attachments.
I think 30 Days of Night offers an interesting combination giving us vampires that almost look human save for their shark teeth and soulless eyes, they are intelligent but they hunt in a pack like wolves communicating with sounds and gestures more than words. When they talk their language is old, strange and unknown and they use it to mock humans even though the humans do not understand it, it's sadistic, chilling and in a way ironic as the humans seem to interpret their sounds and gestures better than their words.
The vampires have their entrance made easy by mad human minion The Stranger (Ben Foster) a man with a Cajun accent who has lost all sanity and thinks that if he sets the town up for slaughter he will be rewarded by being turned. He does not stop to consider that maybe these callous creatures actually might not make an exception for him and that once he has weakened the town he has lost all purpose to them. The Stranger steals all the satellite phones, murders the sled dogs, and effectively cripples the town. The Stranger is thrown in jail by Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett) but it's not enough, their electricity fails and people start showing up dead and an obvious problem is at hand.
One would think they might have questioned The Stranger sooner, things go wrong when he shows up but instead of properly demanding answers they wait until it's too late, silly, silly.
The residents are told to go to their homes if they have a generator or to unite in the diner if they don't but it's too late. A string of fast and brutal attacks begin and we townspeople dragged from their homes and slaughtered in union until the snow is stained red and the main street is littered with bodies. The numbers wittle down and we are mostly following Eben; his ex-wife Stella (Melissa George), a fire marshal; Eben's younger brother Jake; outsider Beau; helicopter pilot and tourist guide Wilson, and his dementia suffering father Isaac; Doc, the somewhat bully of the group; Carter, a man who's has hidden the fact that his family died in a car crash; Billy, a cop who murders his family so the vampires can't, and two women who I think are called Denise and Lucy.
The problem with all these characters is a major lack of development and that none of them really have anything redeeming about them that makes you think they should live. Carter for example confesses when he is turning into a vampire, a fact that he kept quiet, that his family are actually dead and that he wants to join them, but rather than sacrifice himself as a distraction or something like Beau he ends up getting vamped and has Eben kill him because he can't be immortal. Pathetic, if he wanted to die he should have done it nobly. Billy is of a similar vein, he kills his whole family and signals for help, one might have thought he would have tried that before, and then he doesn't sacrifice himself or even try to help those he's with until the very end when he's bitten, then his destruction of the vampire, in a shredder, is as much about revenge as it is about trying to help his friends. His only aid was the unintentional gift of vampire blood to Eben.
It's the vampires who make this movie, though their names are never given in the movie, they are leader Marlow (played wonderfully by the great Danny Huston), Iris, Arvin, Zurial and others, including a disturbing young vamp girl and some turned townspeople, including John who had a rather gory death amongst some swings. These vampires are clever, fast, ruthless killers, they stake out the town out of greed, they play with the survivors and use them as bait and because they cannot leave witnesses they burn the town, which shows they aren't braindead monsters, they are smart. In a strange way they are like the Jurassic Park raptors with their organisation skills, their pack instincts, their ability to set traps and use bait and their guttural cries.
This movie offers plenty of blood, gore and suspense with villains that are near unstoppable, personally I did not like the ending, I didn't care enough for Eben to be upset when he died or be touched by his self-sacrifice and I don't think Marlow would have died so easily. I think an ending with the vampires winning would have been better but it's so rare for the villains to win. I would have also liked to have learned more about the vampires themselves but I guess that would have taken away the mystery and maybe made them too human.
30 Days of Night is based on a comic book series, which I have not read and probably won't, I know there are some differences between it and the film and that it continues on with several more series, and a book series. So I guess if you're really seeking more or interested in more details you could explore those. There is also a sequel movie 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, based on the comic book sequel but I've heard only poor reviews. Personally I would just be happy to see another vampire movie like this where we have some real monstrous villains rather than pansy good guys, stereotype goths, or vampires so human that they have jobs. Don't get be wrong I do love other vampire movies and novels, as I've stated many times, but it would just be nice to see vampires go back to their roots as monsters once in a while, given that is how they started out.
Truthfully I don't think vampires will ever truly be scary on screen but still movies with them as the villains are still rare and usually entertaining gems.
Thursday 27 October 2011
Supernatural Origins
I got two books cheap- one all about werewolves and one all about vampires, I finished the vampire one and it wasn't bad although when it went into real life killers who thought they were vampires it got just a little too gory for my liking, especially disturbing especially since it's not a long book and it's large and quite colourful with lots of pictures on the front so I'd say any child could easily get it. Of course maybe I'm just being too old-fashioned in not wanting youngesters to be reading about serial killers :-P
Anyway that and seeing a lot of movies basing their vampires' origins in Egypt and indeed some novels, I began to wonder where the myths did spawn from. I found quite a lot of useful websites on the topic and it seems likely that they came from ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, although images and writings of them certainly do crop up in ancient Egypt and Persia and all around the world really.
Two wonderful links on vampire origins and myths are- Historical Vampires and Vampires in History. As you can tell vampires did originate from Dracula, in fact Dracula was no more the first published novel on vampires than Nosferatu was the first movie, in fact the vampire is said to have first appeared in 18th century poetry, it is thought to have been Der Vampir by Heinrich August Ossenfelder in 1748 and the first novel was in fact John Polidori's The Vampyre, in 1819, the first film was Le Manoir du diable/ The Haunted Castle (1896), although Vampire of the Coast (1909) is given as the first silent vampire film.
People believe vampires are described in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the quote is given as: 'he man whose corpse lieth in the desert -
Thou and I have often seen such a one -
His spirit resteth not in the earth;
The man whose spirit hath none to care for it -
Thou and I have often seen such a one;
The dregs of the vessel - the leavings of the feast
And that which is cast out into the street are his food.'
Now it's a loose description of a possible aspect of vampires, the key line being 'his spirit resteth not in the earth'. However, suggesting this means vampires is a guess, it could just mean ghosts. Edimmu/Ekimmu were a type of utukku (ghost/demon) in Summerian myth, they were vengeful ghosts who had died violently or been ignored in death i.e not received their proper rites and were thought to cause disease and possess people.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was a Messopotamian poem thought to be based around Summerian myths, it centred on Gilgamesh king of Uruk's quest for immortality as he undertook quests with Enkidu, his equal created by the gods. It may have come from as far back as 2150-2000 BC ans is given on twelve tablets, although it is thought that the final tablet may have been the start of a sequel or a rewrite and often is not included as part of the official tale.
Lilith, widely considered as the mother of vampires, appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, briefly as one of three beings that plagues a tree, including a dragon and a zu bird, Lilith destroys her house and flees when Gilgamesh comes along and vanquishes the dragon and caused the bird to flee.
Lili (male) and lilitu (female) were used as names for spirits or demons in Mesopotamian myth, the lilitu were storm demons with bird talons and wings that spread disease, and preyed on women and children. There were also descriptions of lilitu demons who were maiden women that had sex with men, a little like succubi.
It seems that the demonic Lilith was merged with the Biblical one, a woman given as Adam's first wife who felt that she and Adam should be equal and refuses to submit to them, she then becomes wife either to the demon Asmodeus or the angel Samael and with them has demonic children. It also said that she may have had demon offspring with Adam and/or Cain.
Similiar to Lilith are the Lamia and Lamashtu. The Lamashtu also comes from Mesopotamian mythology and was a female demon or demigoddess who kidnapped breastfeeding children and sucked their bones and drank their blood, this clear reference to drinking blood of course creates an obvious link to vampires. She was thought to have a hairy body, a lioness' head with donkey's teeth and ears, long fingers and fingernails, and the talons of a bird. She was also thought to kill women in childbirth and spread disease.
The Lamia was a Libyan queen in Greek mythology, a lover of Zeus she was cursed by Hera, the goddess killed her children and then either gave her an appetite for children or she developed it in her madness. Zeus out of pity gave her the ability to remove her eyes since Hera would not let her close them, so that she could stop seeing dead children. Lamia was also a word used for demons that ate people and had serpentine bodies. One popular Greek story mentions a man called Menippus who falls in love with a woman and is about to marry her but his friend Apollonius is suspicious and accuses her of being a lamia, she admits that she is one and she only wanted Menippus for his blood.
Werewolves (wer or were- meaning man) also known as lycanthropes as the most popular type of therianthropes (beast-men) and it is believed their origins come from the Ancient Greek story of King Lycaon, who also gave lycanthropes their name.
King Lycaon was a king of Arcadia who thought to trick Zeus when he came to dine with him, he had his youngest son killed and his body parts mixed into the food. Zeus of course was not fooled and in his rage turned Lycaon into a wolf, his fifty sons were either killed or turned into wolves as well and afterwards Zeus may have called the deluge, a great flood that destroyed all but a few men.
In the Greek tales there were other mentions of werewolves, Herodotus mentioned the Neuri, a tribe of people who turned into wolves once a year.
Throughout the world and over time there have been accounts of werewolves and other therianthropes and shapeshifters, signs included the meeting of eyebrows in the middle, long fingernails, and fur in wounds. There is such a thing as clinical lycanthropy, which involves people who believe they had turned into animals and act in such a manner, and there is werewolf syndrome, properly known as Hypertrichosis, which causes a large, unnatural growth of hair on one's face.
There were many ways to become a werewolf, drinking from the pawprint of one, putting on a wolfskin or a magical salve, usually thought to have been obtained from the devil, sleeping under the full moon or being bitten, although this a much more modern idea. The idea of them being weak to silver did not appear until the 19th century, they were usually killed in ordinary ways. Wolfbane and exhaustion were amongst the given cures.
Linking to vampire myth, in Europe it was thought that a dead werewolf could come back as a vampire unless they were cremated or beheaded. The first werewolf novel was quite possibly Bisclavret 'The Werewolf' a twelfth century French tale in which the werewolf is a victim rather than a villain, cursed by his wife. Satyricon, a Latin collection of poetry from 61 A.D by Gaius Petronius or Titus Petronius mentions werewolves.
The Werewolf was the first werewolf film, it is a silent movie from 1913, which is lost.
Anyway that and seeing a lot of movies basing their vampires' origins in Egypt and indeed some novels, I began to wonder where the myths did spawn from. I found quite a lot of useful websites on the topic and it seems likely that they came from ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, although images and writings of them certainly do crop up in ancient Egypt and Persia and all around the world really.
Two wonderful links on vampire origins and myths are- Historical Vampires and Vampires in History. As you can tell vampires did originate from Dracula, in fact Dracula was no more the first published novel on vampires than Nosferatu was the first movie, in fact the vampire is said to have first appeared in 18th century poetry, it is thought to have been Der Vampir by Heinrich August Ossenfelder in 1748 and the first novel was in fact John Polidori's The Vampyre, in 1819, the first film was Le Manoir du diable/ The Haunted Castle (1896), although Vampire of the Coast (1909) is given as the first silent vampire film.
People believe vampires are described in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the quote is given as: 'he man whose corpse lieth in the desert -
Thou and I have often seen such a one -
His spirit resteth not in the earth;
The man whose spirit hath none to care for it -
Thou and I have often seen such a one;
The dregs of the vessel - the leavings of the feast
And that which is cast out into the street are his food.'
Now it's a loose description of a possible aspect of vampires, the key line being 'his spirit resteth not in the earth'. However, suggesting this means vampires is a guess, it could just mean ghosts. Edimmu/Ekimmu were a type of utukku (ghost/demon) in Summerian myth, they were vengeful ghosts who had died violently or been ignored in death i.e not received their proper rites and were thought to cause disease and possess people.
The Epic of Gilgamesh was a Messopotamian poem thought to be based around Summerian myths, it centred on Gilgamesh king of Uruk's quest for immortality as he undertook quests with Enkidu, his equal created by the gods. It may have come from as far back as 2150-2000 BC ans is given on twelve tablets, although it is thought that the final tablet may have been the start of a sequel or a rewrite and often is not included as part of the official tale.
Lilith, widely considered as the mother of vampires, appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, briefly as one of three beings that plagues a tree, including a dragon and a zu bird, Lilith destroys her house and flees when Gilgamesh comes along and vanquishes the dragon and caused the bird to flee.
Lili (male) and lilitu (female) were used as names for spirits or demons in Mesopotamian myth, the lilitu were storm demons with bird talons and wings that spread disease, and preyed on women and children. There were also descriptions of lilitu demons who were maiden women that had sex with men, a little like succubi.
It seems that the demonic Lilith was merged with the Biblical one, a woman given as Adam's first wife who felt that she and Adam should be equal and refuses to submit to them, she then becomes wife either to the demon Asmodeus or the angel Samael and with them has demonic children. It also said that she may have had demon offspring with Adam and/or Cain.
Similiar to Lilith are the Lamia and Lamashtu. The Lamashtu also comes from Mesopotamian mythology and was a female demon or demigoddess who kidnapped breastfeeding children and sucked their bones and drank their blood, this clear reference to drinking blood of course creates an obvious link to vampires. She was thought to have a hairy body, a lioness' head with donkey's teeth and ears, long fingers and fingernails, and the talons of a bird. She was also thought to kill women in childbirth and spread disease.
The Lamia was a Libyan queen in Greek mythology, a lover of Zeus she was cursed by Hera, the goddess killed her children and then either gave her an appetite for children or she developed it in her madness. Zeus out of pity gave her the ability to remove her eyes since Hera would not let her close them, so that she could stop seeing dead children. Lamia was also a word used for demons that ate people and had serpentine bodies. One popular Greek story mentions a man called Menippus who falls in love with a woman and is about to marry her but his friend Apollonius is suspicious and accuses her of being a lamia, she admits that she is one and she only wanted Menippus for his blood.
Werewolves (wer or were- meaning man) also known as lycanthropes as the most popular type of therianthropes (beast-men) and it is believed their origins come from the Ancient Greek story of King Lycaon, who also gave lycanthropes their name.
King Lycaon was a king of Arcadia who thought to trick Zeus when he came to dine with him, he had his youngest son killed and his body parts mixed into the food. Zeus of course was not fooled and in his rage turned Lycaon into a wolf, his fifty sons were either killed or turned into wolves as well and afterwards Zeus may have called the deluge, a great flood that destroyed all but a few men.
In the Greek tales there were other mentions of werewolves, Herodotus mentioned the Neuri, a tribe of people who turned into wolves once a year.
Throughout the world and over time there have been accounts of werewolves and other therianthropes and shapeshifters, signs included the meeting of eyebrows in the middle, long fingernails, and fur in wounds. There is such a thing as clinical lycanthropy, which involves people who believe they had turned into animals and act in such a manner, and there is werewolf syndrome, properly known as Hypertrichosis, which causes a large, unnatural growth of hair on one's face.
There were many ways to become a werewolf, drinking from the pawprint of one, putting on a wolfskin or a magical salve, usually thought to have been obtained from the devil, sleeping under the full moon or being bitten, although this a much more modern idea. The idea of them being weak to silver did not appear until the 19th century, they were usually killed in ordinary ways. Wolfbane and exhaustion were amongst the given cures.
Linking to vampire myth, in Europe it was thought that a dead werewolf could come back as a vampire unless they were cremated or beheaded. The first werewolf novel was quite possibly Bisclavret 'The Werewolf' a twelfth century French tale in which the werewolf is a victim rather than a villain, cursed by his wife. Satyricon, a Latin collection of poetry from 61 A.D by Gaius Petronius or Titus Petronius mentions werewolves.
The Werewolf was the first werewolf film, it is a silent movie from 1913, which is lost.
Friday 21 October 2011
Vampire Hunters
Where there are vampires there are usually hunters in books, comics and the movies, they are usually the heroes armed to the teeth with crossbows, stakes, knives, crosses, holy water and the occasional swords and guns. What kind do you prefer though? The rough, tough gun-ho, Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing,James Woods' Jack Crow, and the modern, tough and sassy, Anita Blake, or Damali Richards; the traditional believer, Peter Cushing's Van Helsing and Roddy McDowall's Peter Vincent; the eccentric, Anthony Hopkins' Van Helsing or maybe the gothic, reluctant, drunkard, David Tennant's Peter Vincent or the combo of crazy, gun-ho believers, Jamison Newlander and Corey Feldman's the Frog Brothers? These are just some of the ones I can think of that have cropped out over the years, as Dracula seems to be the quintessential vampire so does his rival Professor Abraham Van Helsing seem to be the quintessential vampire hunter.
Hugh Jackman's Gabriel Van Helsing a hunter of general monsters with lost memories he takes out Mr. Hyde before being dispatched to hunt Dracula, along the way he faces werewolves and falls in love with gypsy Anna whose family are tied to Dracula and who she is determined to kill. Gabriel is relieved to be the literal Gabriel, the Left Hand of God, and becomes a werewolf, he is cured by Anna but kills her in the process. An interesting twist on Van Helsing and the general Dracula mythos with a combination of werewolves and Frankenstein's monster for added fun, this movie was colourful and exciting but lacked a decent plot.
Hugh Jackman portrayed an interesting form of vampire hunter, a true hunter and fighter working for the Knights of the Holy Order with all the weapons he could need at his disposal. He was both the hero and the villain in the end killing his enemy Dracula but also his love Anna, ending on the note that asides from his monk sidekick Carl he should probably stay alone, as his line of work is just too dangerous. His love for Anna and his loss of memories brought some depth to the character and his change into a werewolf and the revelation that he really was Gabriel brought some supernatural aspects to his character making him a worthy foe for supernatural creatures but it also took the humanity out of him. Anna's role compared to his seemed to make it clear that only someone less than human could successfully fight and destroy the likes of Dracula.
Jack Crow comes from the movie John Carpenter's Vampires, based on the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley. He is portrayed by James Woods and is the head of the Catholic Church's team of vampire hunters. He is hunting master vampire Valek who hopes to use an old cross to give him the power to walk in daylight. Jack is a tough, gritty hunter with little compassion, he witnessed a vampire turning his father and killing his mother and then was forced to slay his own father. At the end of the movie he does successfully slay Valek and then vows to come after Katrina, his link to Valek throughout the movie, and former friend and hunter Anthony Montoya who Katrina has turned, but he agrees to give them a two day start. It shows some mercy from the character but also shows his devotion to his job. He is ruthless in the end, savage, a mercenary and a pack leader. Perhaps he's what a vampire hunter needs to be, without attachments and emotions to deal with the dark nature of his job.
Anita Blake comes from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, which as far as I'm aware is really the first fictional series to have vampires and other supernatural creatures living amongst humans with their knowledge. I realise the likes of Vampire the Masquerade did have humans who were aware of vampires and the like, but with Anita Blake it's all humans not just the select few, and in this series there's a thin line between vampires being considered citizens or monsters.
There are 20 books in the series at the moment although to be honest you could stop somewhere around 8 or 10, I personally made it as far as 17 before I gave up. The books you see gradually go from crime/horror to heavy erotica and Anita is currently so steeped in lovers that I don't think it will be able to go back. However, that all being said you really should give this series a go. It also has a comic book adapatation series currenly ongoing.
Anita Blake herself is a small, pale, mixed heritage and dark haired twenty-something Christian necromancer, she raises the dead for a living as an animator, is the go to vampire Executioner and is a retainer for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. Over the series she develops into something less than human as she develops new powers and becomes sought after by more than a few supernatural creatures. As a character she is bold, funny, witty, clever and highly skilled both with guns, and in judo and kenpo. She starts off as somewhat jaded viewing the world mostly in terms of black and white, she sees the vampires as monsters but overtime her opinion begins to change and she is caught between identifying monsters, friends and even lovers amongst the supernatural as well as trying to solve crime, avoid danger and do her job. She's a tough, admirable character and definitely one of my favourites from any fictional series.
Damali Richards comes The Vampire Huntress Legend Series by L.A. Banks, currently there are twelve books in the series. Damali herself is a twentysomething African-American spoken word artist who with her bandmates also hunts vampires, she is The Neteru, not unlike the Slayer from the Buffy franchise, The Neteru is born every thousand years to fight The Dark Realms. She has had a tough life having been orphaned and fostered before she finally settles with her group of guardians who are part of her band team and have their own special abilities, but rather than be bitter about her shady past she draws from it and is inspired by it in her work.
Despite being a long series this series doesn't seem to have the love or popularity it deserves although with an alleged upcoming movie that might soon change. It has received unfair comparison to Buffy, come on people Buffy did not invent the vampire hunter genre and it doesn't have rights to female vampire hunters, but really this series is much more adult, darker and complex. The romance is bitter and realistic and the male love interest is far from Mr. One Dimensional Perfect, he's certainly no Edward or Angel.
Damali herself is a good lead, she's clever, tough and interesting, loyal and willing to keep herself open to love despite the hardships she has suffered.
Peter Cushing's Van Helsing first appeared in 1958's Dracula, also known as The Horror of Dracula, this was the first movie to pit him against Christopher Lee in his first performance as Dracula. Cushing later portrayed this role again in 1960's The Brides of Dracula, 1972's Dracula AD 1972, 1973's The Satanic Rites of Dracula, and 1974's The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. His advesary wasn't just Dracula but Dracula's Brides and the Seven Golden Vampire minions of Dracula as well.
He is usually just known as Dr. Van Helsing although in Dracula AD 1972 he is known as Lawrence Van Helsing and Peter plays both him and his descendant Lorrimer Van Helsing and has a daughter called Jessica, it is this Van Helsing who then appears in The Satanic Rites of Dracula, these two and the original 1958 Dracula were the three movies to feature both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as Van Helsing and Dracula.
I'll admit it's been a while since I've watched any of these movies so suffice to say I can only sum up Peter Cushing's portrayal a little, simply he's brilliant and my favourite of the vampire hunters, he's clever, well-educated, determined, willing to make sacrifices and perhaps so dedicated in thwarting Dracula that he's somewhat distant, although there is a certain warmth towards his granddaughter Jessica. This man is a true vampire hunter though, he's neither cocky nor gun-ho, just wise and determined and all too aware of the reality he and the world face if Dracula is not defeated.
Peter Vincent is a reluctant vampire hunter played by Roddy McDowall in Fright Night (1985) and its sequel Fright Night: Part II (1988). In fact he's actually the host of tv show Fright Night and a horror actor, who's down on his luck and facing cancellation. Charley, a huge fan of Peter, turns to him for help when he discovers his new neighbour Jerry Dandridge is a vampire, at first Peter is dismissive, refusing to believe in such things, and he only helps when Charley's girlfriend Amy offers him money. After meeting Jerry however Peter discovers the truth thanks to his handheld mirror, Jerry is indeed a vampire.
Peter flees the scene and wants nothing to do with it until vamped out Evil Ed comes calling at his door and Jerry kidnaps Amy prompting Charley to return to Peter for help. Peter is reluctant but he does eventually go to face his fears and don the mantle of Vampire Killer.
In both the movies Peter Vincent shows both cowardice and bravery, he's a realistic character, he knows he could be killed and naturally is reluctant to go to his death. Yet he also knows that if he doesn't do something people could be killed, including Charley who he forms a bond with, so he forces himself to take action despite the potential consequences. He is a vampire expert thanks to his vested time on Fright Night and his obvious personal interest in vampire lore and movies. Yet he is not Buffy, Anita or Van Helsing, he takes his time rushing into action to kill the vampires and when he does battle with them it's a gritty, close struggle and he is forced to use all his wits to win.
He's a loveable character, vulnerable and endearing and childlike in ways yet he knows he's the only adult hero and with that comes a responsibility he has to handle, and he does in both movies with succession. Even when he loses his show and faces losing his home he still doesn't give up and keeps going to the bitter end despite what believing in vampires has put him through.
Abraham Van Helsing as portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), his portrayal of the Dutch eccentric vampire expert is probably the most faithful of them all. Van Helsing is a doctor and the teacher of Dr. John Seward, he enters the story when Seward asks for his expertise with Lucy. He realises the truth of Lucy's illness and tries in vain to save her. He is an arbitrary, well learned man, he has a dark sense of humour and always manages to keep his head and shows little fear. He stakes and behead the vampire 'brides' and thus establishes himself as a serious, brutal vampire hunter. He also acts as a sufficient protector for Mina when the 'brides' try to lure her to them. Sir Anthony Hopkins plays him to perfection capturing his brutality, his eccentricity, his disturbing sense of humour, his intelligence and his controlling nature. He is a natural leader amongst the frightened men.
Thus we come to 2011's incarnation of Peter Vincent as played by David Tennant somewhat channelling Johnny Depp and Russell Brand before he and his character finally come into their own. This Peter Vincent starts off as a gothic styled magician with his own show in Las Vegas, he is a constantly swearing drunk who refuses to believe Charley until he sees some photographic evidence, and invites Charley back to give him advice, even then he is very reluctant to do battle and when Jerry and Ed visit them all in his home he hides in the panic room leaving his girlfriend Ginger, Charley and Amy to the vampires' mercy. After Amy is taken Charley once again implores Peter to help but he refuses, telling him that his parents were murdered by a vampire.
Peter finds some bravery and joins Charley for a showdown in the end and helps Charley defeat Jerry once and for all. Unlike his predecessor who destroyed Evil Ed (if you ignore the Easter Egg ending with Ed's laughter) this Vincent kills no vampires himself, he just helps destroy Jerry.
At first he is a somewhat annoying two-dimensional, sterotypical character, the brash mouthed drunkard goth but as the film progresses he is given some history and depth and when he swaps his magician look for that of a vampire killer he really comes into his own. He is not an endearing as his predecessor lacking his compassion, sensitivity and somewhat adorable, bumbling nature, instead he is cold, cruel at times and selfish to the point of leaving others to die and though his traumatic past does not make these actions forgiveable it does give us some understanding to this tough shell he has created for himself.
Though he has chosen to deny the existence of vampires for the sake of his own sanity his belief on them is very evident as Charley points out he keeps way too many artefacts and weapons for a non-believer, a little like his predecessor who had a mix of weapons and film props. In the end he accepts that he just can't run from the truth and he faces the vampires and helps avenge his parents.
The Frog Brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander) Frog, are two comic book store owners, rather they run it on behalf of their baked parents, who are actually vampire hunters, who warn Sam about the vampires in Santa Carla. When Sam suspects his brother of becoming a vampire he comes to these two eccentric, over the top brothers for aid, and together they go the vampires' lair and kill Marko and then prepare for David and the others' wrath with holy water, garlic, crosses and stake. With Sam and his brother Michael they have a successful, bloody showdown with David, Paul and Dwayne in Grandpa's home.
These two are loveable nuts perfect for a teenaged movie about vampires, since the vampires are eternal teens it makes sense for the hunters to be teens too. Their expertise in vampire lore comes from comic books and although they claim to be experts it does seem like Marko is their first real confrontation with a vampire and they staked him when he was asleep, a little one sided battle really. Still these guys are great they're funny, crazy and though they act brave who can forget when Paul made them fall to the bathroom clutching each other and screaming? They are also dedicated to their work to the point of threatening to end Star, Michael and Laddie on numerous occasions. Yet for all their boldness they still do answer to newcomer Sam who keeps a somewhat more stable frame of mind.
These boys simply don't exist in a logical world, in their world vampires exist and teenagers can defeat them if they're clever and resourceful enough. They're also few of the hunters who actually have partners who are all on equal terms.
I could go on with my list here but it's long enough, and yes I know I haven't mentioned Buffy Summers and her slayer allies- Kendra, Faith and those slayers in the final series, but I think Buffy is popular enough to speak for herself.
Hugh Jackman's Gabriel Van Helsing a hunter of general monsters with lost memories he takes out Mr. Hyde before being dispatched to hunt Dracula, along the way he faces werewolves and falls in love with gypsy Anna whose family are tied to Dracula and who she is determined to kill. Gabriel is relieved to be the literal Gabriel, the Left Hand of God, and becomes a werewolf, he is cured by Anna but kills her in the process. An interesting twist on Van Helsing and the general Dracula mythos with a combination of werewolves and Frankenstein's monster for added fun, this movie was colourful and exciting but lacked a decent plot.
Hugh Jackman portrayed an interesting form of vampire hunter, a true hunter and fighter working for the Knights of the Holy Order with all the weapons he could need at his disposal. He was both the hero and the villain in the end killing his enemy Dracula but also his love Anna, ending on the note that asides from his monk sidekick Carl he should probably stay alone, as his line of work is just too dangerous. His love for Anna and his loss of memories brought some depth to the character and his change into a werewolf and the revelation that he really was Gabriel brought some supernatural aspects to his character making him a worthy foe for supernatural creatures but it also took the humanity out of him. Anna's role compared to his seemed to make it clear that only someone less than human could successfully fight and destroy the likes of Dracula.
Jack Crow comes from the movie John Carpenter's Vampires, based on the novel Vampire$ by John Steakley. He is portrayed by James Woods and is the head of the Catholic Church's team of vampire hunters. He is hunting master vampire Valek who hopes to use an old cross to give him the power to walk in daylight. Jack is a tough, gritty hunter with little compassion, he witnessed a vampire turning his father and killing his mother and then was forced to slay his own father. At the end of the movie he does successfully slay Valek and then vows to come after Katrina, his link to Valek throughout the movie, and former friend and hunter Anthony Montoya who Katrina has turned, but he agrees to give them a two day start. It shows some mercy from the character but also shows his devotion to his job. He is ruthless in the end, savage, a mercenary and a pack leader. Perhaps he's what a vampire hunter needs to be, without attachments and emotions to deal with the dark nature of his job.
Anita Blake comes from Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, which as far as I'm aware is really the first fictional series to have vampires and other supernatural creatures living amongst humans with their knowledge. I realise the likes of Vampire the Masquerade did have humans who were aware of vampires and the like, but with Anita Blake it's all humans not just the select few, and in this series there's a thin line between vampires being considered citizens or monsters.
There are 20 books in the series at the moment although to be honest you could stop somewhere around 8 or 10, I personally made it as far as 17 before I gave up. The books you see gradually go from crime/horror to heavy erotica and Anita is currently so steeped in lovers that I don't think it will be able to go back. However, that all being said you really should give this series a go. It also has a comic book adapatation series currenly ongoing.
Anita Blake herself is a small, pale, mixed heritage and dark haired twenty-something Christian necromancer, she raises the dead for a living as an animator, is the go to vampire Executioner and is a retainer for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. Over the series she develops into something less than human as she develops new powers and becomes sought after by more than a few supernatural creatures. As a character she is bold, funny, witty, clever and highly skilled both with guns, and in judo and kenpo. She starts off as somewhat jaded viewing the world mostly in terms of black and white, she sees the vampires as monsters but overtime her opinion begins to change and she is caught between identifying monsters, friends and even lovers amongst the supernatural as well as trying to solve crime, avoid danger and do her job. She's a tough, admirable character and definitely one of my favourites from any fictional series.
Damali Richards comes The Vampire Huntress Legend Series by L.A. Banks, currently there are twelve books in the series. Damali herself is a twentysomething African-American spoken word artist who with her bandmates also hunts vampires, she is The Neteru, not unlike the Slayer from the Buffy franchise, The Neteru is born every thousand years to fight The Dark Realms. She has had a tough life having been orphaned and fostered before she finally settles with her group of guardians who are part of her band team and have their own special abilities, but rather than be bitter about her shady past she draws from it and is inspired by it in her work.
Despite being a long series this series doesn't seem to have the love or popularity it deserves although with an alleged upcoming movie that might soon change. It has received unfair comparison to Buffy, come on people Buffy did not invent the vampire hunter genre and it doesn't have rights to female vampire hunters, but really this series is much more adult, darker and complex. The romance is bitter and realistic and the male love interest is far from Mr. One Dimensional Perfect, he's certainly no Edward or Angel.
Damali herself is a good lead, she's clever, tough and interesting, loyal and willing to keep herself open to love despite the hardships she has suffered.
Peter Cushing's Van Helsing first appeared in 1958's Dracula, also known as The Horror of Dracula, this was the first movie to pit him against Christopher Lee in his first performance as Dracula. Cushing later portrayed this role again in 1960's The Brides of Dracula, 1972's Dracula AD 1972, 1973's The Satanic Rites of Dracula, and 1974's The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. His advesary wasn't just Dracula but Dracula's Brides and the Seven Golden Vampire minions of Dracula as well.
He is usually just known as Dr. Van Helsing although in Dracula AD 1972 he is known as Lawrence Van Helsing and Peter plays both him and his descendant Lorrimer Van Helsing and has a daughter called Jessica, it is this Van Helsing who then appears in The Satanic Rites of Dracula, these two and the original 1958 Dracula were the three movies to feature both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as Van Helsing and Dracula.
I'll admit it's been a while since I've watched any of these movies so suffice to say I can only sum up Peter Cushing's portrayal a little, simply he's brilliant and my favourite of the vampire hunters, he's clever, well-educated, determined, willing to make sacrifices and perhaps so dedicated in thwarting Dracula that he's somewhat distant, although there is a certain warmth towards his granddaughter Jessica. This man is a true vampire hunter though, he's neither cocky nor gun-ho, just wise and determined and all too aware of the reality he and the world face if Dracula is not defeated.
Peter Vincent is a reluctant vampire hunter played by Roddy McDowall in Fright Night (1985) and its sequel Fright Night: Part II (1988). In fact he's actually the host of tv show Fright Night and a horror actor, who's down on his luck and facing cancellation. Charley, a huge fan of Peter, turns to him for help when he discovers his new neighbour Jerry Dandridge is a vampire, at first Peter is dismissive, refusing to believe in such things, and he only helps when Charley's girlfriend Amy offers him money. After meeting Jerry however Peter discovers the truth thanks to his handheld mirror, Jerry is indeed a vampire.
Peter flees the scene and wants nothing to do with it until vamped out Evil Ed comes calling at his door and Jerry kidnaps Amy prompting Charley to return to Peter for help. Peter is reluctant but he does eventually go to face his fears and don the mantle of Vampire Killer.
In both the movies Peter Vincent shows both cowardice and bravery, he's a realistic character, he knows he could be killed and naturally is reluctant to go to his death. Yet he also knows that if he doesn't do something people could be killed, including Charley who he forms a bond with, so he forces himself to take action despite the potential consequences. He is a vampire expert thanks to his vested time on Fright Night and his obvious personal interest in vampire lore and movies. Yet he is not Buffy, Anita or Van Helsing, he takes his time rushing into action to kill the vampires and when he does battle with them it's a gritty, close struggle and he is forced to use all his wits to win.
He's a loveable character, vulnerable and endearing and childlike in ways yet he knows he's the only adult hero and with that comes a responsibility he has to handle, and he does in both movies with succession. Even when he loses his show and faces losing his home he still doesn't give up and keeps going to the bitter end despite what believing in vampires has put him through.
Abraham Van Helsing as portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), his portrayal of the Dutch eccentric vampire expert is probably the most faithful of them all. Van Helsing is a doctor and the teacher of Dr. John Seward, he enters the story when Seward asks for his expertise with Lucy. He realises the truth of Lucy's illness and tries in vain to save her. He is an arbitrary, well learned man, he has a dark sense of humour and always manages to keep his head and shows little fear. He stakes and behead the vampire 'brides' and thus establishes himself as a serious, brutal vampire hunter. He also acts as a sufficient protector for Mina when the 'brides' try to lure her to them. Sir Anthony Hopkins plays him to perfection capturing his brutality, his eccentricity, his disturbing sense of humour, his intelligence and his controlling nature. He is a natural leader amongst the frightened men.
Thus we come to 2011's incarnation of Peter Vincent as played by David Tennant somewhat channelling Johnny Depp and Russell Brand before he and his character finally come into their own. This Peter Vincent starts off as a gothic styled magician with his own show in Las Vegas, he is a constantly swearing drunk who refuses to believe Charley until he sees some photographic evidence, and invites Charley back to give him advice, even then he is very reluctant to do battle and when Jerry and Ed visit them all in his home he hides in the panic room leaving his girlfriend Ginger, Charley and Amy to the vampires' mercy. After Amy is taken Charley once again implores Peter to help but he refuses, telling him that his parents were murdered by a vampire.
Peter finds some bravery and joins Charley for a showdown in the end and helps Charley defeat Jerry once and for all. Unlike his predecessor who destroyed Evil Ed (if you ignore the Easter Egg ending with Ed's laughter) this Vincent kills no vampires himself, he just helps destroy Jerry.
At first he is a somewhat annoying two-dimensional, sterotypical character, the brash mouthed drunkard goth but as the film progresses he is given some history and depth and when he swaps his magician look for that of a vampire killer he really comes into his own. He is not an endearing as his predecessor lacking his compassion, sensitivity and somewhat adorable, bumbling nature, instead he is cold, cruel at times and selfish to the point of leaving others to die and though his traumatic past does not make these actions forgiveable it does give us some understanding to this tough shell he has created for himself.
Though he has chosen to deny the existence of vampires for the sake of his own sanity his belief on them is very evident as Charley points out he keeps way too many artefacts and weapons for a non-believer, a little like his predecessor who had a mix of weapons and film props. In the end he accepts that he just can't run from the truth and he faces the vampires and helps avenge his parents.
The Frog Brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan (Jamison Newlander) Frog, are two comic book store owners, rather they run it on behalf of their baked parents, who are actually vampire hunters, who warn Sam about the vampires in Santa Carla. When Sam suspects his brother of becoming a vampire he comes to these two eccentric, over the top brothers for aid, and together they go the vampires' lair and kill Marko and then prepare for David and the others' wrath with holy water, garlic, crosses and stake. With Sam and his brother Michael they have a successful, bloody showdown with David, Paul and Dwayne in Grandpa's home.
These two are loveable nuts perfect for a teenaged movie about vampires, since the vampires are eternal teens it makes sense for the hunters to be teens too. Their expertise in vampire lore comes from comic books and although they claim to be experts it does seem like Marko is their first real confrontation with a vampire and they staked him when he was asleep, a little one sided battle really. Still these guys are great they're funny, crazy and though they act brave who can forget when Paul made them fall to the bathroom clutching each other and screaming? They are also dedicated to their work to the point of threatening to end Star, Michael and Laddie on numerous occasions. Yet for all their boldness they still do answer to newcomer Sam who keeps a somewhat more stable frame of mind.
These boys simply don't exist in a logical world, in their world vampires exist and teenagers can defeat them if they're clever and resourceful enough. They're also few of the hunters who actually have partners who are all on equal terms.
I could go on with my list here but it's long enough, and yes I know I haven't mentioned Buffy Summers and her slayer allies- Kendra, Faith and those slayers in the final series, but I think Buffy is popular enough to speak for herself.
Thursday 20 October 2011
Fright Night: Part II
I'm definitely developing an odd sort of affinity for this series and its subsequent remake. I just watched the rare Fright Night: Part II last night and I have to say I loved it, more that the first one even. This sequel carries on from the first movie only Charley is now at college and he is no longer dating Amy but has moved on to psychiatry student Alex, and he has fallen into denial about Jerry being a vampire. Instead Charley has attended therapy for 3 years and convinced himself that Jerry was a psychotic cult leader/serial killer not a vampire and that Peter Vincent is deluded and killed Evil Ed in self-defence not because he was a vampire. It's a little hard to swallow that Charley would opt for such denial on the one hand but on the other I guess if you think about it, would you really accept that your neighbour was a vampire or would you opt for the slightly safer explanation?
Cue the arrival of Regine a mysterious, sexy woman who keeps cropping up both in Charley's dreams and reality and seems to be less than natural. At first Charley and Peter become convinced that she and her crew are vampires but when they gatecrash a party Regine informs them that she is actually an actress and as they see fake teeth and contacts galore around them they accept that it's all an act and Charley leaves, realising that he has neglected his girlfriend too long for this fantasy. Peter Vincent however stays and with the help of his trusty mirror he discovers the truth, vampires are back to plague them.
It's not just a coincidence either, Regine is Jerry's vengeful sister who wants to turn Charley so that she can torture him forever. For a sequel it's quite brilliant and despite the absence of Evil Ed and Amy there are more than enough new characters to grab your attention, Regine's vampire crew are particularly unique and brilliant, including shifter Louie who has a crush on Alex, androgynous roller skater Belle and bug devouring ghoul Bozworth. It pays homage to the first movie with Louie going wolf like Ed, though unfortunately he never makes a full shift and Bozworth being a creepy ghoul guardian like Billy Cole and of course you have Charley and Peter Vincent, played again by William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall respectively.
This is a rare gem and not just because it's so difficult to find and lacks a decent DVD release but because it's a sequel that's actually good and worthy of the original. It has humour and horror and some memorable characters, it's not often you see a roller skating vampire, and Regine is wonderful as the villain and played beautiful by Julie Carmen, she's sufficiently creepy and sexy at the same time, and in my opinion a worthy successor to Jerry, she and Charley even do an infamous dance much like Jerry and Amy's. Peter Vincent really shines as a character in this sequel, he's quirky, funny, loyal and brave when it counts and generally is just a loveable character, I actually love him a lot more in this one than I did in Fright Night.
It would have been nice to see Charley fully vamp out but it probably wouldn't have looked good having the hero turn into the villain and kill his girlfriend, still it would have set things up for a third movie pretty good and it might have been nice to have some explanation for Amy's absence rather than just ignoring her existence. Plus some additional mourning for friend Ed but hey it's a movie, there are flaws, and it's a cheesy eighties movie that doesn't take itself too seriously either.
If you can find it definitely give it a go, it deserves much more praise and attention than it's received over the years and unlike certain movies these days it keeps vampires as monsters and gives you action over romance though there's just enough romance to keep the story fresh nonetheless.
Also, Julie Carmen played a vampire in the Halloween Diagnosis Murder episode- Bela Lugosi Blues, an interesting bit of trivia I thought.
Monday 17 October 2011
Steampunk
I've always been aware of Steampunk fashion but only recently have I fallen completely in love with it. To me it seems to be cowboys/cowgirls, saloon girls, explorers and pirates meets goth, probably best described as Neo-Victorian i.e Victorian fashions and conduct in a modern world. Corsets, waistcoats, bustles, hats, cameos, military based clothes, pocket watches, belts, goggles and holsters all seem popular fashion choices and shades of browns and blacks seem most popular although really there is no set style. I know steampunk is much more than just a type of fashion, there's steampunk music, steampunk fashion and art amongst other things.
I came across this wonderful Steampunk Red Riding Hood costume today, which is just brilliant and if I could get it I would, it's different and pretty funky. Inspired by it I pieced together my own idea of a steampunk Red Riding Hood.
Steampunk Red
It's just another idea for Halloween really or a costume party, if you've got the time and money a Gothic, Steampunk or Victorian style Red Riding Hood might just be the ticket for scoring some originality points.
This one is from Etsy although I don't think it's there anymore, it's very cute and well made, I like the idea of a capelet instead of a cloak, although it's handier the cloak does keep you warmer, I think my current one that goes to the waist is the perfect size, the one before it went right down to my ankles and though it had a fantastic swishing effect it dragged on the ground and got dirty. The one above or something like it could be for a Victorian styled Red or you could add some belts, cogwheel jewellery, maybe a pocket watch and some goggles to steampunk it along with a stylish skirt and shoes or boots.
I came across this wonderful Steampunk Red Riding Hood costume today, which is just brilliant and if I could get it I would, it's different and pretty funky. Inspired by it I pieced together my own idea of a steampunk Red Riding Hood.
Steampunk Red
It's just another idea for Halloween really or a costume party, if you've got the time and money a Gothic, Steampunk or Victorian style Red Riding Hood might just be the ticket for scoring some originality points.
This one is from Etsy although I don't think it's there anymore, it's very cute and well made, I like the idea of a capelet instead of a cloak, although it's handier the cloak does keep you warmer, I think my current one that goes to the waist is the perfect size, the one before it went right down to my ankles and though it had a fantastic swishing effect it dragged on the ground and got dirty. The one above or something like it could be for a Victorian styled Red or you could add some belts, cogwheel jewellery, maybe a pocket watch and some goggles to steampunk it along with a stylish skirt and shoes or boots.
Monday 10 October 2011
The Hunger
Another 80s vampire flick, this time from 1983, it was director Tony Scott's first film and stars David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon with a very small early appearance from Willem Dafoe. It is based on the novel by Whitley Strieber who recently gave the novel two sequels- The Last Vampire (2001) and Lilith's Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life (2003), he also wrote Wolfen, which was adapted into a film.
I did expect more from this film, it started off with that wonderful Bela Lugosi's Dead song by Bauhaus, which set an appropriate mood, we see Bauhaus performing at a club that two people are at- Miriam and John, they seem to pick up a partner each and head back to the same place. There they make strange kills involving slashing the throats of their victims with daggers hidden inside ankh pendants, these scenes are mixed in with disturbing imagery of a monkey mauling another to death. At first these scenes are left unexplained but then we are introduced to Dr. Sarah Roberts who is studying aging disorders and hoping to cure them.
The basis of the plot is that Miriam is a vampire who takes on companions and gives them long life, she tells them it will be forever but it's now how they think, after a certain number of years of eternal youth, in John's case 200, her companions suddenly stop sleeping and age rapidly, they then find themselves trapped as decrepit, animated husks. This is their eternity. John goes to Dr. Sarah for help thinking her research can help him but she dismisses him and he leaves. He collapses before Miriam and unable to put him out of his misery she instead carries him upstairs and puts him in a coffin amongst other coffins, which contain all of her other lovers. Miriam loves them too much to lose them completely and so she keeps them all near.
Dr. Roberts, feeling guilty about her treatment of John, shows up on his doorstep and is greeted by Miriam who says John has gone to Switzerland for medical help, and so the bizzare, erotic relationship between Sarah and Miriam begins as Sarah finds herself drawn to Miriam, convinced she is phoning her when the phone does not ring and finding herself on her doorstep again. Miriam needs a new companion and she plans for Sarah to fill that role since her previous choice, teenaged music student Alice, has been killed by John in a last ditch attempt to restore his youth.
This film really could have been so much more, it hints at a certain depth and originality that apparently the book has, but it never quite reaches it. Quite simply it's too vague, it jumps about too much and the ending is just awkward in a way and the opening was just too long. It's an artistic movie that has become a cult favourite probably because it's gothic, artistic and original with risky themes of lesbianism, horror and despair mixed into it.
If you have not heard of it or seen it you soon might as surprise surprise it's up for a remake/reboot (at the moment details are vague), although for fans of the original it might be a comfort to know that original director Tony Scott plans to be on board as a producer and that original author Whitley Strieber is to write the screenplay or at least has connections with it.
What I liked about The Hunger was the Egyptian connections, like with Vamp this is never delved into just hinted at with the wearing of Ankh pendants and the brief imagery of Miriam in Nefertiti inspired Egyptian garb. There are brief shots of her and John in the past presumably somewhere in Europe, Wikipedia says it is 18th century France when they met when John was a cellist. All these hints in the movie were wonderful but they could have done with a little more explanation, sometimes it is better to hold back but in this case they could have offered a little more at least.
The film never really explains why John ages and Miriam doesn't, simply put she is a vampire, one of a kind, her companions are not they merely have their aging prolonged for some years by her blood but they do not have eternal youth just eternity and after a point they will rapidly age. Whether or not they can be killed or not without Miriam's demise remains a mystery in the film it seems as if she just won't kill them rather than can't because she is too in love with them to truly end them, selfish as it is.
I think the cast did the best they could with a confusing script, David Bowie in particular stands out, but for me this film was a disappointment and could have been so much more out there. It's different to the point of reminding of The Addiction, another very different vampire movie that tries to offer a more plausible version of vampires, but The Hunger just is nowhere near as good, it seems to abandon those hints of Miriam being far different from your typical vampire in exchange for sloppy scenes of Miriam's strange and sudden relationship with Sarah as their growing relationship eclipses any other plotlines in the film.
I did expect more from this film, it started off with that wonderful Bela Lugosi's Dead song by Bauhaus, which set an appropriate mood, we see Bauhaus performing at a club that two people are at- Miriam and John, they seem to pick up a partner each and head back to the same place. There they make strange kills involving slashing the throats of their victims with daggers hidden inside ankh pendants, these scenes are mixed in with disturbing imagery of a monkey mauling another to death. At first these scenes are left unexplained but then we are introduced to Dr. Sarah Roberts who is studying aging disorders and hoping to cure them.
The basis of the plot is that Miriam is a vampire who takes on companions and gives them long life, she tells them it will be forever but it's now how they think, after a certain number of years of eternal youth, in John's case 200, her companions suddenly stop sleeping and age rapidly, they then find themselves trapped as decrepit, animated husks. This is their eternity. John goes to Dr. Sarah for help thinking her research can help him but she dismisses him and he leaves. He collapses before Miriam and unable to put him out of his misery she instead carries him upstairs and puts him in a coffin amongst other coffins, which contain all of her other lovers. Miriam loves them too much to lose them completely and so she keeps them all near.
Dr. Roberts, feeling guilty about her treatment of John, shows up on his doorstep and is greeted by Miriam who says John has gone to Switzerland for medical help, and so the bizzare, erotic relationship between Sarah and Miriam begins as Sarah finds herself drawn to Miriam, convinced she is phoning her when the phone does not ring and finding herself on her doorstep again. Miriam needs a new companion and she plans for Sarah to fill that role since her previous choice, teenaged music student Alice, has been killed by John in a last ditch attempt to restore his youth.
This film really could have been so much more, it hints at a certain depth and originality that apparently the book has, but it never quite reaches it. Quite simply it's too vague, it jumps about too much and the ending is just awkward in a way and the opening was just too long. It's an artistic movie that has become a cult favourite probably because it's gothic, artistic and original with risky themes of lesbianism, horror and despair mixed into it.
If you have not heard of it or seen it you soon might as surprise surprise it's up for a remake/reboot (at the moment details are vague), although for fans of the original it might be a comfort to know that original director Tony Scott plans to be on board as a producer and that original author Whitley Strieber is to write the screenplay or at least has connections with it.
What I liked about The Hunger was the Egyptian connections, like with Vamp this is never delved into just hinted at with the wearing of Ankh pendants and the brief imagery of Miriam in Nefertiti inspired Egyptian garb. There are brief shots of her and John in the past presumably somewhere in Europe, Wikipedia says it is 18th century France when they met when John was a cellist. All these hints in the movie were wonderful but they could have done with a little more explanation, sometimes it is better to hold back but in this case they could have offered a little more at least.
The film never really explains why John ages and Miriam doesn't, simply put she is a vampire, one of a kind, her companions are not they merely have their aging prolonged for some years by her blood but they do not have eternal youth just eternity and after a point they will rapidly age. Whether or not they can be killed or not without Miriam's demise remains a mystery in the film it seems as if she just won't kill them rather than can't because she is too in love with them to truly end them, selfish as it is.
I think the cast did the best they could with a confusing script, David Bowie in particular stands out, but for me this film was a disappointment and could have been so much more out there. It's different to the point of reminding of The Addiction, another very different vampire movie that tries to offer a more plausible version of vampires, but The Hunger just is nowhere near as good, it seems to abandon those hints of Miriam being far different from your typical vampire in exchange for sloppy scenes of Miriam's strange and sudden relationship with Sarah as their growing relationship eclipses any other plotlines in the film.
Monday 3 October 2011
Codename: Sailor V
So Sailor V has finally got a much deserved official English release in two volumes, the first of which I have just finished reading. It has been re-released by Kodansha Comics USA who are also re-releasing the long out of print Sailor Moon manga, which I can't wait to finally get hold of.
For me Sailor V and Sailor Moon were the ones that started my love for anime and manga, without them I might not have ever known Fushigi Yuugi, Paradise Kiss, Nana, Hellsing or Slayers, to name a few. It was a fun anime with quirky, humorous and yet tough magical girl heroines, with enough myth, monsters and magic to keep up my interest. Although the villains seem somewaht two-dimensional it seems the manga did give them a little more depth, you've just got to watch out for it.
Although, I first watched the anime at 15 and started my first fanfics then too I do think I will ever stop loving it.
Sailor V is a curious heroine as she is very like Sailor Moon and indeed she says 'Moon Power, Transform' to transform, has a crescent moon on her forehead and uses a crescent moon compact to attack and she also has a cat companion with a crescent moon on his forehead. Ditzy, greedy, lazy and idol obsessed, she is incorrectly viewed as a Sailor Moon knock-off. In fact the Sailor V manga was created first then the Sailor Moon manga started running along side it but as the Sailor Moon manga grew in popularity and Sailor V was incorporated into it as Sailor Venus, the publication of the Sailor V manga waned and it was actually finished after the Sailor Moon manga even though it was much shorter, first at 3 volumes, later re-released as just two.
Sailor V/Minako Aino and Sailor Moon/Usagi Tsukino do have differences though. Sailor V is the born leader of the Senshi, she is more graceful and athletic and she is not clumsy or a cry baby. She also a lot more depth to her and really is the most mature of the Senshi having loved and lost before any of them and having spent a lot of time as a lone Senshi.
Codename: Sailor V is a short manga series that follows Aino Minako a thirteen-year-old high school student whose simple life changes when a talking cat informs her that she a destined warrior who must help the world find peace, this warrior is sailor suited Sailor V, though as her opening speech tells us her real name is Sailor Venus, Sailor V is just a codename. It is comical offering us a plucky lead who considers chasing idols more important than world peace, luckily for her these two interests coincide more often than not. She is young and prone to falling in love very easily and jumping from interest to interest whilst her schoolwork slides. She is a fun lead though and you can see her personality and depth developing as she starts to take her duties more seriously.
I think Sailor V deserved more interest than she got and it's nice to see that with this English release that just might happen. Overall it's light hearted but there's definitely a touch of seriousness towards the end and it's great to see all the cameos from the future Senshi as well as hints of their future together. There are a lot of similiarities between it and Sailor Moon such as Minako's parents looking exactly like Usagi's, both of them having cat guardians, Artemis and Luna respectively, Minako's geek friend Amanao being exactly like Usagi's geek friend Umino and Minako's best friend Hikaru looking like Ami's identical twin. This is to be expected though, Sailor V seems to have been the prototype for Sailor Moon after all.
Sunday 2 October 2011
Movies for Halloween
With Halloween approaching I think it's time to get into the mood by watching some good horrors so here's a list of suggestions for anyone looking to get into the spirit.
Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow
First on my list of viewing, I am in love with this movie, Tim Burton is my favourite director and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of my favourite stories and the headless horseman one of my favourite mythical spooks.
It stars Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, a policeman sent from New York to the village of Sleepy Hollow to solve the murders going on there, the villagers believe its a genuine ghost doing the killing but Crane thinks logical will prove otherwise. Christina Ricci is the bewitching Katrina Van Tassel, only child of Baltus Van Tassel who is the richest man in the village and, after Peter Van Garret's death, he is the new leader. Sir Michael Gambon plays Baltus, Miranda Richardson plays his second wife, and the wonderful Christopher Walken does an excellent and memorable turn as the very creepy Hessian Horseman.
This film is gripping, terrifying and funny with great comedic moments mixed in with genuine moments of horror. The setting is dark, gothic, creepy and almost surreal and the special effects are always believable, especially the headless horseman himself. The plot is engaging with some unpredictable twists and even when you know the story it's still just as wonderful watching it all over again. It sets a dark, spooky mood perfectly but it's not a mindless slasher horror like so many other movies, instead it has a likeable cast and a genuine plot worth following.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Another Tim Burton gem, it's been marketed and re-released numerous times both as a Halloween and a Christmas movie (Disney will get money any way it can lol) but chiefly despite being set at Christmas time really it's a Halloween movie.
This movie follows Jack Skellington (Christopher Sarandon) the pumpkin king and chief organiser of Halloween who lives in Halloween Town. Jack is bored with Halloween though and he wants something more, an accidental trip through a tree puts him in Christmas land where Jack finds a magical and strange land ruled by one "Sandy Claws", he falls in love with the idea of Christmas and returns to Halloween Town and persuades this residents that they must now prepare for Christmas as he plans to usurp the role of "Sandy Claws". Everyone but Sally (Catherine O'Hara) a mischievous creation of Doctor Finklestein's (the late William Hickey) thinks this is a great idea but Sally, who is secretly in love with Jack, thinks something will go wrong. She's right of course as Oogie Boogie (Ken Page) the Boogieman is not a fan of Jack's and he has his minions Lock, Shock and Barrel kidnap Santa Claus in an attempt to interfere with Jack's plans.
The Nightmare Before Christmas never gets old, it has a lot of memorable, creative imagery especially the Halloween Town residents and Halloween Town itself and the songs and music, created by Danny Elfman, are just perfect, they're simply beautiful and well-suited to the movie. It's a darker kids' movie but the overall tone is light hearted and there is a good message in there. It's Tim Burton's quintessential movie really, it's everything that he is- weird, original, funny, gothic and wonderful.
Trick R Treat
This movie struggled to get released, the date kept getting pushed back and eventually instead of getting it's deserved cinematic release it just went straight-to-dvd and as a result unfortunately a lot of people missed it. There was a lot of hype but that just didn't seem to do enough for it.
Apart from Halloween this the only movie I know that actually seems to be based around the holiday, only unlike Halloween it actually deals directly with All Hallow's Eve, originally known as Samhain. It stars a variety of famous people including Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox.
Set on Halloween night it follows four different stories, all tied together via Sam, a disturbing child-sized pumpkin headed creature who carries a sack with him, and appears in all the segments. There's a gripping opening sequence, which quickly lets you know just what's in store, then the stories begin. The Principal, a chilling tale about a principal who likes to poison kids and has a strange relationship with his son. The School Bus Massacre, which follows four kids trying to play a prank on outsider Rhonda by taking her to a place were a school bus with eight mentally disabled children was deliberately crashed by the driver at the request of the parents. Surprise Party, which follows self-conscious virgin Laurie and her friends heading to a Halloween party in the woods, Laurie goes alone and is sprung upon by a vampire but there is more to Laurie than meets the eye. Meet Sam is the last of the stories and follows grumpy Mr. Kreeg who gets a strange trick or treater at his door who isn't too happy to leave without a treat. Then follows the Conclusion.
Trick R Treat is clever and refreshingly original, it's great to finally see a movie deal with Halloween, there just aren't enough of them and think how many Christmas movies there are, it's ridiculous! It's stories are interwoven flawlessly, and it's quite cool to see certain characters popping up in the background of others' stories reminding us that this is all occurring on the same night, in the same town.
The cast do a great job with the material, especially Quinn Lord as Sam, he's fantastically creepy. It deserves a sequel and is apparently getting one and it's just a shame it never got the cinematic release it deserved. It has so many Halloween concepts in there and for those who don't know much the holiday and its origins it's certainly a good teacher, for example did you know why pumpkins were lit? No? Well watch the movie!
The Halloween Tree
This is an oldie, a 1993 kids' animated movie it's still good for adults. It's based on the same named book by Ray Bradbury and follows four children in costume who learn the origins of Halloween when their sickly friend is taken from them. They are guided by one Mr. Moundshroud (Leonard Nimoy) who takes them through time after their friend Pip and throughout the world teaching them the origins of their costumes- a skeleton, a witch, a mummy and a gargoyle.
I've only seen this once because bizzarely it's hardly ever shown despite being both entertaining and educational. I do believe it is on youtube if you can't find it anywhere else. It's great for the kids especially.
Hocus Pocus
Another 1993 movie, a Disney one set on All Hallow's Eve it follows Max, his sister Dani, his crush Allison and a talking cat known as Thackery Binx as they are chased by three witch sisters who want their spell book back. It is Max who accidentally brought the sisters back by lighting a black candle in their home after Allison told them a virgin doing so on Halloween would bring them back and he of course sought to dispute the tale.
Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters- Winifred, Sarah and Mary, three sisters who kept their youth by sucking it out of children until Thackery's villagers hung them after he and his sister disappeared, they return 300 years later to cause chaos in Salem once more. It also stars Omri Katz, a young Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Doug Jones and the voice of Jason Marsden.
This movie is just plain good fun it is scary in parts but not too for the kids and it's not too childish for adults not to enjoy it either, I loved it as a child, I was 5 when it came out, and I've loved it ever since.
Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow
First on my list of viewing, I am in love with this movie, Tim Burton is my favourite director and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of my favourite stories and the headless horseman one of my favourite mythical spooks.
It stars Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, a policeman sent from New York to the village of Sleepy Hollow to solve the murders going on there, the villagers believe its a genuine ghost doing the killing but Crane thinks logical will prove otherwise. Christina Ricci is the bewitching Katrina Van Tassel, only child of Baltus Van Tassel who is the richest man in the village and, after Peter Van Garret's death, he is the new leader. Sir Michael Gambon plays Baltus, Miranda Richardson plays his second wife, and the wonderful Christopher Walken does an excellent and memorable turn as the very creepy Hessian Horseman.
This film is gripping, terrifying and funny with great comedic moments mixed in with genuine moments of horror. The setting is dark, gothic, creepy and almost surreal and the special effects are always believable, especially the headless horseman himself. The plot is engaging with some unpredictable twists and even when you know the story it's still just as wonderful watching it all over again. It sets a dark, spooky mood perfectly but it's not a mindless slasher horror like so many other movies, instead it has a likeable cast and a genuine plot worth following.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Another Tim Burton gem, it's been marketed and re-released numerous times both as a Halloween and a Christmas movie (Disney will get money any way it can lol) but chiefly despite being set at Christmas time really it's a Halloween movie.
This movie follows Jack Skellington (Christopher Sarandon) the pumpkin king and chief organiser of Halloween who lives in Halloween Town. Jack is bored with Halloween though and he wants something more, an accidental trip through a tree puts him in Christmas land where Jack finds a magical and strange land ruled by one "Sandy Claws", he falls in love with the idea of Christmas and returns to Halloween Town and persuades this residents that they must now prepare for Christmas as he plans to usurp the role of "Sandy Claws". Everyone but Sally (Catherine O'Hara) a mischievous creation of Doctor Finklestein's (the late William Hickey) thinks this is a great idea but Sally, who is secretly in love with Jack, thinks something will go wrong. She's right of course as Oogie Boogie (Ken Page) the Boogieman is not a fan of Jack's and he has his minions Lock, Shock and Barrel kidnap Santa Claus in an attempt to interfere with Jack's plans.
The Nightmare Before Christmas never gets old, it has a lot of memorable, creative imagery especially the Halloween Town residents and Halloween Town itself and the songs and music, created by Danny Elfman, are just perfect, they're simply beautiful and well-suited to the movie. It's a darker kids' movie but the overall tone is light hearted and there is a good message in there. It's Tim Burton's quintessential movie really, it's everything that he is- weird, original, funny, gothic and wonderful.
Trick R Treat
This movie struggled to get released, the date kept getting pushed back and eventually instead of getting it's deserved cinematic release it just went straight-to-dvd and as a result unfortunately a lot of people missed it. There was a lot of hype but that just didn't seem to do enough for it.
Apart from Halloween this the only movie I know that actually seems to be based around the holiday, only unlike Halloween it actually deals directly with All Hallow's Eve, originally known as Samhain. It stars a variety of famous people including Dylan Baker, Leslie Bibb, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox.
Set on Halloween night it follows four different stories, all tied together via Sam, a disturbing child-sized pumpkin headed creature who carries a sack with him, and appears in all the segments. There's a gripping opening sequence, which quickly lets you know just what's in store, then the stories begin. The Principal, a chilling tale about a principal who likes to poison kids and has a strange relationship with his son. The School Bus Massacre, which follows four kids trying to play a prank on outsider Rhonda by taking her to a place were a school bus with eight mentally disabled children was deliberately crashed by the driver at the request of the parents. Surprise Party, which follows self-conscious virgin Laurie and her friends heading to a Halloween party in the woods, Laurie goes alone and is sprung upon by a vampire but there is more to Laurie than meets the eye. Meet Sam is the last of the stories and follows grumpy Mr. Kreeg who gets a strange trick or treater at his door who isn't too happy to leave without a treat. Then follows the Conclusion.
Trick R Treat is clever and refreshingly original, it's great to finally see a movie deal with Halloween, there just aren't enough of them and think how many Christmas movies there are, it's ridiculous! It's stories are interwoven flawlessly, and it's quite cool to see certain characters popping up in the background of others' stories reminding us that this is all occurring on the same night, in the same town.
The cast do a great job with the material, especially Quinn Lord as Sam, he's fantastically creepy. It deserves a sequel and is apparently getting one and it's just a shame it never got the cinematic release it deserved. It has so many Halloween concepts in there and for those who don't know much the holiday and its origins it's certainly a good teacher, for example did you know why pumpkins were lit? No? Well watch the movie!
The Halloween Tree
This is an oldie, a 1993 kids' animated movie it's still good for adults. It's based on the same named book by Ray Bradbury and follows four children in costume who learn the origins of Halloween when their sickly friend is taken from them. They are guided by one Mr. Moundshroud (Leonard Nimoy) who takes them through time after their friend Pip and throughout the world teaching them the origins of their costumes- a skeleton, a witch, a mummy and a gargoyle.
I've only seen this once because bizzarely it's hardly ever shown despite being both entertaining and educational. I do believe it is on youtube if you can't find it anywhere else. It's great for the kids especially.
Hocus Pocus
Another 1993 movie, a Disney one set on All Hallow's Eve it follows Max, his sister Dani, his crush Allison and a talking cat known as Thackery Binx as they are chased by three witch sisters who want their spell book back. It is Max who accidentally brought the sisters back by lighting a black candle in their home after Allison told them a virgin doing so on Halloween would bring them back and he of course sought to dispute the tale.
Starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters- Winifred, Sarah and Mary, three sisters who kept their youth by sucking it out of children until Thackery's villagers hung them after he and his sister disappeared, they return 300 years later to cause chaos in Salem once more. It also stars Omri Katz, a young Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw, Doug Jones and the voice of Jason Marsden.
This movie is just plain good fun it is scary in parts but not too for the kids and it's not too childish for adults not to enjoy it either, I loved it as a child, I was 5 when it came out, and I've loved it ever since.
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