When you started on VAMPIRE DIARIES, did you know that Caroline was going to turn into a vampire and, on occasion, a major ass-kicker?
I definitely did not know. It was a very wonderful surprise, especially considering that at the end of the opener for Season Two, Caroline dies, so it’s nice to know that I had an opportunity to come back and still be part of the show, but now as a vampire.

At this point, in terms of Caroline’s love life, are you Team Tyler, Team Matt or Team Klaus?
I am officially Team Caroline. I think that Caroline just needs to learn a lot about herself and that the audience hasn’t really met all of Tyler or all of Matt [or Klaus], so I think it’s too soon to decide.

Given the perils Caroline has consistently faced, have you read any scripts and thought before coming to the end, “Oh, no, I’m dead”?
No, I’ve just learned to accept it, because [if a character is being killed off], we’ll get an official phone call, and I haven’t received any official phone calls, so I feel okay at this point.

Read the full interview HERE.

While the interview Candace did was short, it did revealed one big thing – Caroline isn’t dying… yet. That’s excellent news for all of the Caroline fans here.

What are your thoughts on Caroline’s love life? Are you team Matt, team Tyler or team Klaus? Personally, I kind of like the idea of single Caroline. She needs to figure herself out first. But, her and Klaus could be fun too.

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. Vampire Diaries’ Candice Accola on Caroline
2. The Vampire Diaries’ Candice Accola
3. Vampire Diaries: Caroline’s Character Transformation

The coffin opens! Ha! How's that for opening with a big huge spoiler? And I was right about what was in it too. This was a great episode, very emotional, very climactic. Big things going on. The whole family of Originals is super-hot too. Those damn Vikings, all of them are ridiculously sexy. I think it has something to do with the Aryan ideal; look at Erik from True Blood. Phew. Anyway, are you ready? I'm ready!

Catch:

• Elijah, hot, as usual. He's so classy and hardcore. I like the dual personality thing he has going; he plays everything so close to the vest that there's no way to really tell what he'll do. It was close for a bit, but at the end, he made us proud.
• The continuation of the "murder mystery" subplot. I'm interested in seeing who is running around killing everyone. I'm wondering whether or not it's Jeremy. Maybe he wigged out after being compelled, and now he hates everyone.
• The Bonnie + Abby mother/daughter bonding moment. It was sweet, and it also allowed entry for another witch. Maybe Abby will hold onto her power, and there will be another benevolent witch in town. God knows they're going to need one.
• The 50/50 chance that Meredith isn't the one going around killing everyone. I'm with Elena. Alaric deserves to have a girlfriend for a while. A nice one, who isn't a psycho.
• The weird dinner that Stefan and Damon have with Elijah and Klaus. It goes on forever, but we get to hear a lot of interesting conversation, --and no god damn flashbacks, thank god.
• Elijah and Damon being all super-slick and waking up the entire Original family. Everyone's very angry with Klaus, but there might be a downside, since Rebekah is fairly irate with Elena.
• Getting to meet Mom. The matron witch pops out of the coffin, --and manages to not kill Bonnie and Abby in the process. And she forgives Klaus, and wants to be a family again. Uh...huh.
• Damon and Stefan bonding over a non-Elena issue. Strictly brotherly love. Awww.
• Alaric coming back to life. Phew. That ring needs to be looked at. Seriously. With luck, the ring will pull him through, one last time.
• Still no fairies! Join me in a celebration: 3 Years of the Vampire Diaries and Still No Stupid Fairies! Woohooo!

Cure:

• Klaus wears too much lipstick, and it looks absolutely ridiculous. Ahem, but producers? Can we tone down Klaus's Revlon? Maybe give him a nice shade of nude or beige so that he doesn't look like a cheap whore? Thanks.
• The fact that Damon and Stefan look like they're seriously considering abandoning Elena, and letting her marry Matt and pop out a bunch of babies for Klaus to eat. God. Seriously? We watch this show for the love triangle!
• Bill Forbes' plan to just go ahead and die. He was going to help Tyler be able to have some sort of willpower over Klaus, and now Tyler's sort of stuck. The loss of Bill was really sad, and I was more emotional than I thought I would be, especially since he and Caroline had just begun to re-bond over her being a vampire.
• The sense I'm getting that the big family of Originals is going to cause more problems than they're going to solve. Klaus is just one hybrid. Now there's an entire family of vampires floating around being led by the Wicked Witch of Eastern Europe. Now wtf are they going to do?

Check out the preview for the next episode: Dangerous Liaisons! Someone... gets thrown off a building.. and there's a ball. Wow. Way to be vague.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related posts:

1. The Vampire Diaries Season 3 Episode 12
2. The Vampire Diaries Season 3 Episode 11
3. The Vampire Diaries Season 3 Episode 10

Here are the details on the big event:

Target announced that nearly 500 stores across the country will extend store hours to host a release event for Summit Entertainment’s “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” available on DVD and Blu-ray. Beginning at 11 p.m. on Feb. 10, fans will be shown an exclusive, world premiere scene from the fifth and final film, Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Then, at midnight, fans can purchase the Target exclusive Breaking Dawn – Part 1 DVD Limited Collector’s Edition that includes an authentic prop flower from the wedding scene beautifully encased in an acrylic keepsake.  The special edition DVD and Blu-ray will also be available.

“We’re making Target the Twilight Saga destination this February,” said John Butcher, vice president of entertainment, Target. “By extending our store hours, fans will not only get their hands on the exclusive merchandise first, but they’ll also get an exciting sneak peek of the final film.”

So not only do you fans get a limited edition of the film. But you get to see a scene from Part 2 as well. Target is definitely hooking the Twi-hards up this year.

As said above, only about 500 stores are holding this release event, to see if there’s a store near you that’s doing it check out Target’s Twilight site HERE. On that site you can also find LOADS of Twilight merchandise - from jewelry to bedding.

If all that wasn’t enough, Target is also holding a sweepstakes where a lucky winner gets to spend 5 nights at the Esme resort house in Rio De Janeiro.

Anyone planning on going to Target’s release party? What scene do you hope they’ll show from Part 2?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. ‘Breaking Dawn’ Release Date Set
2. ‘Breaking Dawn: Part 1′ Hits DVD Just In Time For Valentine’s Day
3. Four Things You May Have Missed in ‘Breaking Dawn: Part 1′

(Click titles to view on Amazon)

Blood and Bullets (Deacon Chalk Bounty Hunter) by James R. Tuck
Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl "hires" him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him--and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he's got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There's also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon's greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him. . .
Coming out February 7, 2012.

Eternal Captive: Mark of the Vampire by Laura Wright
Since feeding her his blood, Lucian Roman has struggled with his obsession with Bronwyn Kettler-fighting an uncontrollable desire to kill her, if he has to, and the vampire she has sworn to wed. But when a dangerous enemy threatens Bronwyn, only Lucian can save her life. Even if it means sacrificing his own...
Coming out February 7, 2012.

King of Darkness by Elisabeth Staab
Scorned by the vampire community for her lack of power, Isabel Anthony lives a carefree existence masquerading as human--although, drifting among the debauched human nightlife, she prefers the patrons' blood to other indulgences. But when she meets the king of vampires this party girl's life turns dark and dangerous.
Coming out February 7, 2012.

Deliver Me from Darkness: A Novel of the Paladin Warriors by Tes Hilaire
He had once been a warrior of the Light, one of the revered Paladin. A protector. But now he lives in darkness, and the shadows are his sanctuary. Every day is a struggle to overcome the bloodlust. Especially the day Karissa shows up at his doorstep. She is light and bright and everything beautiful—despite her scratches and torn clothes. Every creature of the night is after her. So is every male Paladin. Because Karissa is the last female of their kind. But she is his. He may not have a soul, but he can't deny his heart.
Coming out February 7, 2012.

American Vampire Vol. 3 by Scott Snyder
This third volume of the critically-acclaimed and badass American Vampire follows the star of AV Volumes 1 and 2, Pearl, and her husband Henry, as he is recruited by a mysterious group of vampire hunters, off to World War II Japan to find a new breed of blood sucker. But what does the notorious vampire Skinner Sweet have to do with it?
Coming out February 7, 2012.

Almost Everything: A Vampire Princess Novel by Tate Hallaway
Ever since her father banished the half-witch, half-vampire Ana Parker and vampire knight Elias from the court of the Northern vampires, Ana has been trying to live a normal life. But when the Prince of the Southern Region vampires informs Ana that they're on the brink of war and she accidentally offers up Elias as a peace offering, the princess knows that she's going to need some help to get out of this situation.
Coming out February 7, 2012.

My Boyfriend is a Vampire Vol. 3-4 by Yu-Rang Han
A comedy manga series about a beautiful boy named Ryu. Being beautiful is never easy, especially if you’re an eighteen year old boy like Ryu who is constantly mistaken for a girl because of his delicate good looks. Ryu is, in fact, anything but delicate. He is the ringleader of a group of tough kids in an all boy’s school, and he’s quick to beat the living daylights out of anyone who even hints that he resembles a girl. If that wasn’t hard enough for a regular teenage guy to cope with, his life is about to take a shocking turn for the worse. When Ryu stumbles upon strange happenings in the forest, he gets sucked into a world of vampire intrigue and sinister romance that he never knew existed. And he learns that there are worse things than being turned into a vampire: being turned into a girl?!
Coming out February 14, 2012.

The Half-Breed Vampire (Harlequin Nocturne) by Theresa Meyers
Ignorant of his true heritage, half-breed Slade Donovan is fated to feel like an outsider among his clan. Until a mysterious woman arrives with the ability to unlock his secrets—and make him crave a future he never believed he could have… As a game warden, Raina Ravenwing has only one mission in the Cascade Mountains: to hunt down a pack of rare wolves that is terrorizing her tribe. Her instant attraction to Slade is a distraction the beautiful wolf whisperer can't afford, unless she agrees to let him help her. Yet working so closely together only intensifies their passion…even as the unfolding truth of Slade's identity threatens everything Raina holds sacred.
Coming out February 21, 2012.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The Laughing Corpse Ultimate Collection by Laurell K. Hamilton, Jessica Ruffner and Ron Lim
Comic adaptation of the second novel in Laurell K. Hamilton's bestselling Anita Blake series! St. Louis is a city of the damned. The supernatural is commonplace, and the undead enjoy free rein. But whether warm- or cold-blooded, the laws of man still apply--and nobody dispenses justice better than Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter! This time out, a child's parents are gruesomely slaughtered by an unknown entity. With the child missing and time running out for his safe return, Anita is called in to lend her special expertise as an Animator--one who can raise the bodies of the dead. But as she pursues the truth behind his abduction, she descends into a maelstrom of voodoo mysticism and the many dark secrets of her foes, her friends and--inevitably--herself!
Coming out February 22, 2012.

Into the Darkness by V.C. Andrews
Amber Taylor is shy and introspective—qualities misread by others as being stuck-up and superior. Facing a long, lonely summer working at the family shop, Amber’s world lights up when the Matthews family suddenly moves into the house next door. And when she meets Brayden Matthews, Amber soon becomes infatuated with this handsome, quirky young man who seems to know her innermost feelings almost before she does, who takes her places she never knew existed in her small town. Their connection is electrifying, unlike anything Amber’s felt before. But as quickly as he appears, Brayden vanishes into the darkness. And finding out the truth about him will push Amber Taylor to the edge of madness….
Coming out February 28, 2012.

Jane Vows Vengeance: A Novel by Michael Thomas Ford
How will Jane Austen break the news to her fiancé that she’s not only undead, but also a two-hundred-plus-year-old literary icon? In sleepy upstate New York, Jane’s wedding preparations have taken on a bloodsucking intensity. So when Walter suggests they ditch it all and combine their marriage and honeymoon with a house tour of Europe, Jane jumps at the chance to flee Lord Byron and the lingering threat of Charlotte Brontë. But to Jane’s chagrin, more than one secret from her past is about to resurface.
Coming out February 28, 2012.

The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles by Andy Remic
This volume contains all three books in the Clockwork Vampire Chronicles. The land of Falanor is invaded by an albino army, the Army of Iron. A small group set off to warn the king: Kell, ancient hero; his granddaughter, Nienna and her friend, Katrina; and the ex-Sword Champion of King Leanoric, Saark, disgraced after his affair with the Queen. Fighting their way south, betrayal follows battle follows deviation, and they are attacked from all quarters by deadly albino soldiers, monstrous harvesters who drain blood from their victims to feed their masters, and the twisted offspring of deviant vachine, the cankers. As Falanor comes under heavy attack and crushing invasion, only then does Nienna learn the truth about grandfather Kell - that he is anything but a noble hero, anything but a Legend.
Coming out February 28, 2012.

There you have it Dear Readers, the vampire books coming out this February! Which one do you plan on picking up this month?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. Vampire Books Coming February 2011
2. Vampire Books Coming January 2012
3. Vampire Books Coming October 2011

By that time the scientists hadn't been as close to the 20th century's conventional unanimity that had regarded the pyramids themselves or what the mathematically perfect colossal structures  at the Giza Plateau had once been erected for.

Having read aloud or shown this sentence to ten different friends, I got the same reaction each time.  No one could tell me what it means.  Quite rightly, too.  Technically, its flaws abound.  More, its flaws permeate the more-than-seven-hundred pages of this novel.  To start, the author wrote in the passive voice--not only here but in at least three fourths of the book.  It thus contains all the razzle and dazzle of cell phone instructions.  As far as this sentence goes, it not only ends in a preposition but lacks a concluding clause to serve as an object.  Thus it draws a comparison to--nothing.

Is the rest of the book this bad?  Honestly, no.

Is it worse?  Again, no.

How much better is it?  Barely.

As a writer, the first things I noticed was not in fact the passive voice, nor the word padding (endemic to almost every sentence), nor the length of paragraphs (they average one page each).  Rather, the adjectives grabbed my attention.  The number of them.  Ever since Stephen King wrote On Writing where he yearned to write without any adjectives at all, lots of authors seem to take that as holy writ.  Myself, I think that becomes dogma after a time.  Yet here I read precisely what King wrote about.  Hardly a sentence lacks at least one.  Many nouns (the majority by my sense of it) end up with two or more!  Yet for all that the prose lacks precision, leans on cliches, and lacks nearly any sense of rhythm.

A very difficult book to read.  Like trying to swim through molasses.  Anyone harping on the terrible writing Stephanie Myers should take a look at this.  Likewise those who think Anne Rice long-winded.

Here is how the book itself describes the plot:

Dennis Hollister's life changes forever when he receives a phone call from Patrick Crust, a famous writer and an old family friend. Patrick is terminally ill, but totally determined to side with his own imminent death and astound the world with his last masterpiece. The whole affair seems straightforward enough until Patrick reveals to Dennis his swan song idea: the country's first legal euthanasia establishment he unofficially calls the Death Palace. It is there and ready to open its doors to anyone... for a price. Patrick implores Dennis to inherit this splurge slaughterhouse with the rest of his immense fortune. What he keeps to himself for the time being is that he also wants Dennis to become his executioner. What Patrick doesn't know is that his suicidal plans may not be actually his, after all, and that his misfortune is but a fragment of a bigger and infinitely more tragic picture. Will Dennis, a man of law, be able to murder his sick friend? And what about the mysterious woman, Magdalena, who permeates his thoughts since the moment their eyes met for the first time? What role does she play in all of this? And why does Dennis suddenly have the feeling she is not entirely human?

Even this burb suffers the same problems as the novel itself, but at least remains mercifully brief.  The story itself seems to hold promise, and one can see the sense of atmosphere Danflod is aiming for.  As suggested by the title, he also seeks to link the undead with the world of faerie.  Not an unpromising notion!  But the author needs a ruthless editor, one to break him of a long list of bad habits before he comes close to telling a good story.  Personally, I would recommend he force himself to never write in the passive voice, restrict himself to one adjective per page, avoid the verb "to be" like a passion,  and make himself break every single page into no less than four paragraphs.   That way he can at least achieve readability, and his characters might then come alive (right now they feel like word factories, sans anything like a personality).

Mind you, I have read worse.  Rarely.  And to be fair, a good story and a some intriguing ideas seem struggling to stay afloat amid the waves of mediocre prose.  But I cannot recommend it even for the most ardent fan of vampire literature.

Related posts:

1. Bill and Eric in the New Waiting Sucks Video!
2. True Blood Videos – So What’s Up with Jason, Bill and Eric?
3. ‘True Blood’ Casting Has Begun: Meet Eric’s Sister!

Click here to view the embedded video.

“In Bon Temps nothing stays buried forever.”

Hmm… I am guessing they’re probably talking about Russell Edgington being dug up out of the concrete. I wonder if he’s going to be the big bad this season too. Or maybe, something else is also being dug up from the ground. What do you think?

In other True Blood news, a few cast members recently shared some teasers during the Golden Globes After Party. Janina Gavankar (Luna), Ryan Kwanten (Jason), Carrie Preston (Arlene) and Joe Manganiello (Alcide) all shared a little bit on their characters in Season 5.

“Jason is hanging onto every shred of humanity as it is, and he was lucky to survive last season. He was on the brink of death several times,” Ryan said of Jason Stackhouse’s failed werepanther transformation. “This season he’s finally becoming a man, I think. He’s got responsibility in his life. He’s in a position of authority too because Andy is not doing too well with being a sheriff.”

In Janina’s interview she emphasized the fact that no one in Bon Temps stays happy for long (SO true), promising that things get interesting for Luna and that she will always dream of a happy loving relationship with Sam.

“I will always have hope for Sam. They are meant to be,” Janina said. “Nobody understands you like another shifter.”

Carrie Preston told us that the plotline with the demon baby is over (finally) and that we haven’t seen the last of Scott Foley’s mysterious character Patrick Devins .

“He’s definitely there to muddy the waters a little bit. It wouldn’t be True Blood if you didn’t have conflict, so I think it makes for a very interesting dynamic with Terry and Arlene this season,” she said.

Finally, the sexy Joe Manganiello cleverly dropped the hint that kind, lovable Alcide might be taking a turn toward the dark side.

“We’ve seen that he’s a sweet guy; we’ve seen that he’s the kind of guy that would be great in a relationship,” Joe said. “I think that you’re going to be introduced to a side of him that’s going to slam you up against the wall and go for it.”

…and now I am picturing Alcide slamming me against a wall…mmm… ahem. Yeah, so the cast shared all kinds of goodies! What are your thoughts on their teasers and the promo above?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. New Extended True Blood Season 4 Promo!
2. Another Fabulous True Blood Promo Video
3. New Super Long True Blood Preview Released!

Here’s a clip featuring Stefan and Damon from the upcoming episode:

Click here to view the embedded video.

1. Stefan still looks AMAZING shirtless (very important).
2. Damon is working with Elijah in the hopes of taking down Klaus. They have planned a meeting with him and Stefan (that’s so not going to go well).
3. Bonnie and her mother are working together to “pop the top off the coffin.” I wonder what they will find inside!
4. Damon looks super sexy (also important).
5. Stefan is pissed off about Damon kissing Elena. That’s interesting since he has made it perfectly clear that him and Elena are done. I thought he “didn’t care” anymore.

All kinds of goodies revealed in that short clip! I can’t wait for the next episode. I am curious about the others though, as the episode synopsis said, Sheriff Forbes has bad news for Alaric and Elena about the weapon used in that murder. Since the stake used to kill that guy looks a whole lot like one of Alaric’s, I am wondering if maybe someone is framing him and the bad news is that the Sheriff found evidence that points to Alaric. I sure hope not.

Oh, and I have one more clip for you guys, here is the extended promo video for the next episode:

Click here to view the embedded video.

So much will happening in this next episode, I am so excited! How about you?

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. True Blood Season 4 Sneak Peek and Posters!
2. 3 Sneak Peek Videos of Sunday’s True Blood – “You Smell Like Dinner”
3. ‘Breaking Dawn’ Cast Interviews and Wedding Sneak Peek

For the record he never manages it, so whether his plan would have worked remains in doubt.

Here we have the first literary vampire who sought a way out of his condition.   Others followed, although not in great numbers.  Countess Zaleska in the film Dracula's Daughter made a kind of cinematic history that way, becoming the first such creation in a movie to look for (and fail to find) a cure.  John Carradine's Dracula in another universal film, House of Dracula, also sought out a scientist seeking for a cure--although in his case it seems (somewhat confusingly) to be either a means of getting close to a young woman or perhaps to corrupt the brilliant scientist who went on to successfully cure the Wolfman.  Barnabas Collins in the first film and both television series of Dark Shadows looked for a cure as well, eventually succeeding not once but twice!  Surely a record.  Most likely, this was also the first such success.  Later two other characters in Dracula The Series lost their fangs due to some extraordinary circumstances (it looked at the series' end as if a third had also been cured, maybe).  A female vampire in the syndicated (and terrible) program Night Man managed to become human again.  In the otherwise remarkably gritty Near Dark two vampires again walked in the sun via what must surely be the most deus ex machina means ever--a simple blood transfusion.  Really.  That is all it took.  Of course in The Lost Boys the moviemakers hedged their bets--Michael and a couple of others weren't full vampires yet because they hadn't killed anyone.   In the Poltergeist The Legacy television series, the exact same loophole was employed.  Smallville featured vampires who were in fact mutated by kryptonite, and in that case a cure did become available.

Interestingly, two questions almost immediately spring to mind in the midst of all this.  How are these vampires cured?  And why do certain vampires look for a cure?

As far as the first goes, most 'cures' seem scientific in nature.  As in the film Daywalkers (and to some extent the Blade Trilogy), undeath is looked upon a disease which at least potentially can be cured.  Usually this is a matter of blood.  Treat the blood, cure the disease.  Sophie in Dracula the Series (played by Mira Kirshner who'd go on to play vampires twice more on The Vampire Diaries and then the 30 Days of Night sequel) had the great good fortune of being bitten by a vampire with a rare blood infection.  Somehow that infection allowed a counter-agent to work.   Likewise Dr. Julia Hoffman treated a "strange cell" in Barnabas Collins' blood, via a series of injections.  It took time, but seemed to work in the end.  Again, the idea was that undeath was a disease.  Such was the technical premise anyway.   Such lay at the core of Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend as well (which, unlike all but the first film adaptation, explicitly had the world overrun by vampires).

Another method--that which began with Varney--sees vampirism as a spell to be broken.  The love of a virtuous woman, a sufficiently rare mystical object (that was a premise behind one episode of Young Dracula in which the Count's son seeks to find a way to avoid becoming a vampire), interrupting the spell of transformation, or perhaps some kind of specialized exorcism (seen in the film Scream Blacula Scream!)--all these served in one way or another as a means of  at least attempting to cure immortality at the price of drinking blood.

Therein lies a clue as to answering the second question.

Why would anyone look for a cure?  On the one hand, that seems a tad odd--a cure for immortality?  For superpowers?  For invulnerability to all but a few specific weapons?  Ah, but consider then what kind of Faustian immortality is involved.   Isolation, loneliness, the constant fear of discovery, the raw ugliness of capturing fellow human beings so as to bite them and swallow their blood?  John Ajvide Lindqvist noted that when he began thinking about the story that became Let The Right One In, he soon concluded that being a vampire would be hell.  And so it would--for anyone except an animal and/or a sociopath.  Friends, family, even ordinary strangers but fellow human beings who become in a vampire's eyes food.

Drama equals conflict, often equated with tension.  Such to some extent defines vampire stories as it does all other genres.  When the vampire is nothing but a monster, in effect a combination of a Bond villain and the title character in Jaws, then the conflict becomes a straightforward us vs. them.  The antagonist opposes the protagonist.  As written, this makes up the bulk of Dracula as well as many (perhaps most) tales of the undead.  When one considers the viewpoint of the vampire, however--to treat that character as a Faustian figure, someone locked up in a monstrous state--then we have a more interesting story in many ways.  Just as most fictional serial killers find themselves eclipsed by Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs (tellingly, director Jonathan Demme described Lecter as a good man trapped inside a madman's mind), so we find more conflicted vampires inherently more dramatic.  The Baron's mother in Brides of Dracula, the Sheriff in 30 Days of Night,  Angel and Spike in the world of Buffy The Vampire Slayer,  Barnabas Collins himself as well as his enemy paramour Angelique (turned into a vampire in punishment, she went through the most elaborate efforts to find a cure for herself).  When exploring that kind of vampire, one obvious dramatic direction to explore is escape, a means of regaining one's lost humanity.  A cure, in other words.

Seeking such becomes a fine potential story in and of itself.  Forever Knight centered around a 700-year-old vampire police detective desperate to find some way out of his undead state.  He rarely came anywhere near it.  Most episodes focused more on tiny little efforts to atone.  In the end, he seemed to conclude the only real way out for him was death.  (Interestingly another character in the series did cure her vampirism--and that cure seemed utterly mystical, depending as it did upon a bond of love consummated over time).

But of course, most often the only cure for being a vampire does turn out to be the True Death.  Elizabeth in the third film of the Dracula trilogy even became the focal point of the climax, as she begged the man who loved her to let her die.

Other dramatic possibilities abound of course.  Look at the television series Angel, in which the title character was accidentally cured of his hated vampire state.  In a twist worthy of Joss Whedon, Angel decided to seek a cure for the cure--not because he liked being undead but because he felt he could not redeem himself, i.e. defend innocents, without the powers granted by being a demon.  When the "Shonshu" prophecy promised mortality as a gift, his reward for eventually earning forgiveness, the man looked forward to that with intense hope and wonder.  Yet, tellingly, when the only way he could save huge numbers of people was to sign away any hope of that prophecy coming true, he barely hesitated.

Frankly, that would seem to give a hint about just how full of potential such a plotline remains.  Let us hope some writers and directors pay a tad more attention to that.

Related posts:

1. Vampires – An Avatar of Sin
2. Dark Shadows – Ahead of its Time?

A few days ago Audi’s marketing team shot us an email telling us about their new fancy LED headlights and the big vampire-filled Super Bowl ad promoting them. Awesome right? Well, it would be if it wasn’t for one line in the email – “[the ad] highlights Audi’s LED lights and aims at finally, FINALLY putting an end to the vampire party and to the greater vampire trend in pop culture.  It’s about time, don’t you think?”

Um no, no Audi marketing team. Seeing how we are Vampires.com and we LOVE vampires and love this vampire trend, no we do not want it to end. If it were up to me, vampires would be on our minds ALL the time.

Here’s an early look at the Audi Super Bowl ad:

Click here to view the embedded video.

OK, it’s clever. I’ll give them that. Their marketing team gets props for the idea. I’ll admit it, I like the commercial, it was well done (way better than Ford's). However, I don’t like that the company is aiming at not just selling cars, but putting an end to the vampire craze completely.

As history has proven, vampires come and go in pop culture. One moment they’re HUGE and everyone is talking about some new vampire book or film, then, the fad passes and we hear nothing about vampires for a couple of years. Eventually it comes back and once again vampires are dominating. It’s the same story every few years. This current vampire craze will end eventually, but as of right now it’s still going strong and people still love vampires. Why try and kill it Audi? Your ad is pretty badass, but why try to kill an entire trend that so many still love? Tsk tsk.

The commercial is sure to be a hit with all the guys watching the game, the guys who have girlfriends that make them watch Twilight. But will this one little ad destroy vampires? Doubtful.

What do you think of Audi’s ad and their hatred for vampires? Do you want the vampire trend to end? To no longer see vampires in pop culture? Let me know in comment below.

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. Vampire Film ‘Priest’ is Finally Being Released!
2. Vampire Media Lies, Hot New TB Poster, Damon and Elena not Happening Soon, in this Week’s Vampire Bites
3. Vampire Academy Film is On Its Way! Woot!

As you can see in the trailer below this horror flick is based on a very shaky agreement between a vampire and human family. Yeah, it’s not going to work out well for them seeing how the vamp isn’t some guilt-ridden sweetheart, but rather a bloodthirsty beast.

Here's the trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Looks like a well made scare-the-hell-out-of-you movie.

The film is directed by Tom Conyers and stars Tom Conyers, Anna Burgess, Colin MacPherson, Lee Mason and Clint Dowdell.

For more info on this film check out the official The Caretaker website or The Caretaker Facebook page. The producers are currently submitting The Caretaker to film festivals and seeking distribution. So there’s no word yet on when the film will be available to all.

Synopsis:

“A plague of vampirism has swept across the world. A small but discordant group of survivors hole up in a country mansion. They soon discover that a vampire also shares the house with them. He proposes a deal: They protect him during the day from other humans, and he’ll protect them at night from other vampires. So begins an uneasy alliance, which soon threatens to fall apart.”

Here's a look at The Caretaker poster:

What are your thoughts on The Caretaker? Does it look like a vampire movie you’d like to check out? What are your thoughts on scary vampires vs. sweet love-struck vampires? Do you prefer them scary or sweet? Let me know in a comment below.

- Moonlight

Related posts:

1. Will ‘Blood Wars’ Be the Next Big Vampire Film?
2. Ex-Boy Band Member Plays Sleazy Vampire in Upcoming Film
3. Upcoming Animated Film for the Lil’ Vampire Fans