Favorite vampire books and movies?

[Kalinychta]

What vampire films are on DVD in my bookcase?

"Dracula" (Gary Oldman), "Dracula" (Frank Langella), "Daybreakers", the "Blade" trilogy, "Interview With A Vampire", all the "Twilight" films, and "Lifeforce".

Nope, you won't find any Bela Lugosi "Dracula" films in my collection...though he was ok as the Frankenstein monster in "Frankenstein vs the Wolfman". Some of the "Underworld" series films with Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen were good, though I don't have any of them on DVD. Enjoyed Christoper Lee in the Hammer films where he played Dracula several times as well. Though I thought Lee was a hoot in one episode of "The Avengers" .

Loved the short-lived tv series "Moonlight" with Alex O'Loughlin as a private eye who was also a vampire. Too bad he didn't meet up with Carlisle Cullen. Also enjoyed the short-lived series "Dracula" with Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Bella Lugosi as Dracula was awful. That film is a comedy as far as I'm concerned. Do you like Bram Stoker's Dracula or Daybreakers better?

 

[Kalinychta]

Books:
Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) is the most obvious must-read vampire story.

The Vampyre by John Polidori (1819) — this is the very first story with the modern portrayal of vampires (fairly opposed to the hungarian folklore) that made of them a new literary genre.

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu (1872) is another early vampire book. It portrays a modern vampire but without the many cliches that are common nowadays.


Films:
I just started to get into movies, so I'm not familiar with them, but I quite enjoyed Nosferatu (1922). I think it's interesting that the main character has a very disturbing appearance, as opposed to modern vampires — he seems to me to be a middle point between the hungarian folklore and modern vammpires.

Do you like the novel Dracula? I read it years ago and seem to recall finding it rather tedious. Bram Stoker wasn't a very good writer.

Have you read Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson? Without it, Dracula would either never have been published or would be very different than it is. Olalla isn't a vampire story, but its title character heavily influenced Bram Stoker's idea of the vampire. Jack the Ripper deserves a shout out, too. Stoker was also inspired by the Whitechapel murders.

I remember Carmilla! That's another great one. Also, The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu. Again, not a vampire novel per se, but it's about Elizabeth Bathory, who murdered hundreds of young girls in order to bathe in their blood back in Hungary in I think the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries.

 

[Thinx]

I liked the Twilight books, and the films. I also enjoyed the Charlaine Harris series, with the girl who could hear people's thoughts. And A Discovery of Witches started off really well, but the way the heroine just turned into a little wifey was disappointing, the vampires kind of took over the series and were not very original. I think I like magical stories more than vampiric ones.

 

[AGXStarseed]

I liked the Twilight books, and the films. I also enjoyed the Charlaine Harris series, with the girl who could hear people's thoughts. And A Discovery of Witches started off really well, but the way the heroine just turned into a little wifey was disappointing, the vampires kind of took over the series and were not very original. I think I like magical stories more than vampiric ones.

I wasn't a fan of the Twilight film series myself. I barely got through the first film (it wasn't my cup of tea) and I've since seen plenty of people reporting problems with the saga as a whole - including that the effects are terrible, vampires shouldn't sparkle, Edward sharing no chemistry with Bella yet for some reason constantly wanting to throw himself at her feet, Jacob 'imprinting' on a newborn baby who will one day be his future mate (which some people class as pedophilia), Bella been too much like her book character - which is just a blank slate for readers to put on like a skin to enter into the world (kind of like how superheros were in older comics) - which in movies comes off nowadays as boring, lazy, uncaring, selfish, overly dependent and avoiding responsibility when trouble is afoot.
The list of problems goes on.

That all said, if you enjoy the Twilight series then continue to enjoy it. Heck, I've seen plenty of people riff on the numerous problems with the Star Wars prequels and I still enjoy watching those from time to time.
All depends on taste and if you're still entertained without the problems becoming too much of a pull away from the experience.

 

[Thinx]

I wasn't a fan of the Twilight film series myself. I barely got through the first film (it wasn't my cup of tea) and I've since seen plenty of people reporting problems with the saga as a whole - including that the effects are terrible, vampires shouldn't sparkle, Edward sharing no chemistry with Bella yet for some reason constantly wanting to throw himself at her feet, Jacob 'imprinting' on a newborn baby who will one day be his future mate (which some people class as pedophilia), Bella been too much like her book character - which is just a blank slate for readers to put on like a skin to enter into the world (kind of like how superheros were in older comics) - which in movies comes off nowadays as boring, lazy, uncaring, selfish, overly dependent and avoiding responsibility when trouble is afoot.
The list of problems goes on.

That all said, if you enjoy the Twilight series then continue to enjoy it. Heck, I've seen plenty of people riff on the numerous problems with the Star Wars prequels and I still enjoy watching those from time to time.
All depends on taste and if you're still entertained without the problems becoming too much of a pull away from the experience.

I think maybe these critics are taking it all a lot more seriously than I did . I enjoyed the books and the films, but I doubt if I will read or watch them again. You wouldn't be able to write a book or screenplay that pleased everyone, but this one succeeded in entertaining many.

 

[Judge]

Bella Lugosi as Dracula was awful. That film is a comedy as far as I'm concerned. Do you like Bram Stoker's Dracula or Daybreakers better?

Daybreakers is the bomb to me. The best of all spins on the vampire genre. Though relative to more classic interpretations (Bram Stoker), yes I also consider Gary Oldman's portrayal to be top notch. A brilliant actor.

As for Bela Lugosi, his portrayal of Dracula just doesn't make the cut it in comparison.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Here's a list of various Vampire films from IMDB; There may be some that you guys are familiar with but didn't remember (ranked from highest to lowest rated): Highest Rated Vampire Feature Films/TV Movies - IMDb

 

[Kalinychta]

I wasn't a fan of the Twilight film series myself. I barely got through the first film (it wasn't my cup of tea) and I've since seen plenty of people reporting problems with the saga as a whole - including that the effects are terrible, vampires shouldn't sparkle, Edward sharing no chemistry with Bella yet for some reason constantly wanting to throw himself at her feet, Jacob 'imprinting' on a newborn baby who will one day be his future mate (which some people class as pedophilia), Bella been too much like her book character - which is just a blank slate for readers to put on like a skin to enter into the world (kind of like how superheros were in older comics) - which in movies comes off nowadays as boring, lazy, uncaring, selfish, overly dependent and avoiding responsibility when trouble is afoot.
The list of problems goes on.

That all said, if you enjoy the Twilight series then continue to enjoy it. Heck, I've seen plenty of people riff on the numerous problems with the Star Wars prequels and I still enjoy watching those from time to time.
All depends on taste and if you're still entertained without the problems becoming too much of a pull away from the experience.

I didn't like Twilight either. I saw the first and second films but gave up after that. Among many other things, I couldn't get past the idea of a seventeen-year-old girl all but lapsing into a state of catatonic schizophrenia because her boyfriend leaves her. Ugh. And re: the pedophile thing: Edward is kind of one, too. What would a 100+ year old man want with a seventeen-year-old girl? The scenery is beautiful, though.

Has anyone seen Dracula Untold? No one has mentioned it. I heard it's pretty good.

 

[Kalinychta]

Here's a list of various Vampire films from IMDB; There may be some that you guys are familiar with but didn't remember (ranked from highest to lowest rated): Highest Rated Vampire Feature Films/TV Movies - IMDb

Wow, there are 1,280 of them on the list. I've only heard of a few of the ones on the first page.

 

[Kalinychta]

Daybreakers is the bomb to me. The best of all spins on the vampire genre. Though relative to more classic interpretations (Bram Stoker), yes I also consider Gary Oldman's portrayal to be top notch. A brilliant actor.

As for Bela Lugosi, his portrayal of Dracula just doesn't make the cut it in comparison.

Bram Stoker's Dracula will always be my number one, but I was blown away by Daybreakers, too. The cinematography alone makes it worth watching. Just gorgeous.
I see Bram Stoker's novel as being more "raw material" than a stand-alone story. It just isn't very good, but its mythology and/or plot have been used by other writers and filmmakers to create much better stories.

 

[Judge]

Has anyone seen Dracula Untold? No one has mentioned it. I heard it's pretty good.

Yep. Not all that memorable a film IMO. It was ok...but just that- ok.

I liked Luke Evans much more in the television series "The Alienist".

 

[Trophonius]

Do you like the novel Dracula? I read it years ago and seem to recall finding it rather tedious. Bram Stoker wasn't a very good writer.

Have you read Olalla by Robert Louis Stevenson? Without it, Dracula would either never have been published or would be very different than it is. Olalla isn't a vampire story, but its title character heavily influenced Bram Stoker's idea of the vampire. Jack the Ripper deserves a shout out, too. Stoker was also inspired by the Whitechapel murders.

I remember Carmilla! That's another great one. Also, The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu. Again, not a vampire novel per se, but it's about Elizabeth Bathory, who murdered hundreds of young girls in order to bathe in their blood back in Hungary in I think the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries.

I like Dracula, but I read the Spanish translation so I cannot say anything about Stoker as a writer. I thought the story was nicely constructed, interesting while stereotypical of vampires.

I haven't read Olalla. I'll read it tonight, since I just looked it up and it's very short. Thank you.

 

[Mia]

excerpt from the book Of Plagues and Vampires: Believable Myths and Unbelievable Facts from Medical Practice by Michael Hefferon.

Picking and choosing what I'm quoting here, original article:
Vampire myths originated with a real blood disorder

Vampire myths originated with a real blood disorder, by Michael Hefferon

It appears that the folklore surrounding the vampire phenomenon originated in that Balkan area where Stoker located his tale of Count Dracula. Stoker never travelled to Transylvania or any other part of Eastern Europe.

It was his friendship with Armin Vambery, a Hungarian writer, that led to his fascination with vampire folklore. He consulted Vambery in the writing of Dracula, whose main character was loosely fashioned on Vlad the Impaler, a bloodthirsty prince born in Transylvania in 1431.

Like many myths, it is based partly in fact. A blood disorder called porphyria, which has has been with us for millennia, became prevalent among the nobility and royalty of Eastern Europe. Porphyria is an inherited blood disorder that causes the body to produce less heme — a critical component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues. It seems likely that this disorder is the origin of the vampire myth. In fact, porphyria is sometimes referred to as the “vampyre disease.”

Symptoms of patients with porphyria:

+Sensitivity to sunlight
+Fangs - after attacks of the disease their gums recede.
+Blood drinking - the urine of porphyria patients is dark red, hence people assumed they drank blood.
+Aversion to garlic: The sulfur content of garlic could lead to an attack of porphyria, leading to very acute pain.
+Fear of the crucifix: During the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834), 600 “vampires” were reportedly burned at the stake. Some of these accused vampires were sufferers of porphyria.

 

[Metalhead]

Chan-wook Park’s Thirst is my favorite vampire movie. Sadly underrated.

 

[elbowgrease]

I liked the movie What We Do In the Shadows quite a bit. I guess it's a series now.

 

[Judge]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the character Charlie Manx in the tv series NOS4A2. Even in its second season.

Is this a knockoff of "Salem's Lot" where the lead vampire luring away children is a Rolls Royce Wraith rather than a person? That NOS4A2's Zachary Quinto is to his car what Salem's Lot James Mason was to Kurt Barlow?

Ironically the creator/author Joe Hill is the son of Stephen and Tabitha King.

IMO this one is really out there in terms of the vampire genre.

 

[Kalinychta]

What about the television series Penny Dreadful? No one has mentioned it, not even me. I so rarely watch TV shows, but I did watch Penny D. and loved it.

 

[NightMuse]

Yay vampire movies!
I love, love, love "The Lost Boys," "Interview With The Vampire," and "Queen Of The Damned". They're my favorites.

 

[Judge]

IAnd re: the pedophile thing: Edward is kind of one, too. What would a 100+ year old man want with a seventeen-year-old girl?

Remember "Harold and Maude" ? A couple who well....sort of stood out in the crowd.

Volturi reasoning: Vampires never make a scene in public.

 

[Kalinychta]

Chan-wook Park’s Thirst is my favorite vampire movie. Sadly underrated.

I got it and watched part of it, but it made me nauseous (the blood!), so I had to turn it off. I really enjoyed what I saw, though! I’ll give it a whirl again sometime.