It’s Vampire Week on the Compelling Beasts blog and I, Zenobia Renquist, am here to tell you about my favorite vampire films. I won’t say movies because not all of them are movies. Some are TV series, some are animated features and some are anime series. I don’t discriminate when it comes to my favorite preternatural creature. If it has vampires in it, chances are I’ve seen it. And if I haven’t seen it, I will hunt it down once you make me aware of its existence.
The titles are linked to the Youtube trailers, so give them a click if you run across a film you don’t know. What follows are my favorites. The ones I’ll rewatch at the drop of a hat. I love a lot of vampire films, but this list would get impossibly long if I tried to write about all of them.
Movies
– Blade – Of course I have to start with Blade. He is badass! This movie came out in 1998 and blew me away with the action, the story and the soundtrack. Wesley Snipes brought this half-human, half-vampire character to life with his usual dramatic flare and woke the world up to the hidden world of the vampires that prey on us unsuspecting humans.
– Blade 2 – Wesley Snipes is back and this time he’s helping the vampires. Huh? Yup. The vampires need his help to bring down a new type of vampire that feeds on vampires. The carrier of this vampire-deadly strain is Nomak, played by the very yummy Luke Goss. I went for Wesley and left with a hunger to see more of Luke.
– Underworld – The vampire version of Romeo and Juliet—starcrossed lovers who can’t be together because he’s a lycan (werewolf) and she’s a vampire who hunts lycans. Not exactly the recipe for a great first date but they figured it out and started a franchise that will get its fifth installment very soon with Underworld: Next Generation.
– Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Who knew Gary Oldman could be so sexy? The person who cast him for this role, that’s who. That man can suck my neck any day of the week and all weekend long. Bram Stoker’s iconic vampire tale came to cinematic life with this film and the world was a better place for it.
– Dracula: Untold – I don’t know why so many people panned this movie. This has been the best origin story for Dracula I’ve seen. It actually knocked Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula off my list because this one was infinitely better. And that’s saying a lot since Rudolf Martin, the star of Dark Prince, had donned his Dracula makeup to play the infamous vampire in Season 5, Episode 1 (Buffy vs. Dracula) of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m a huge Buffy fan, so that was all sorts of points in his favor. But alas, he couldn’t hold a candle to Luke Evans’s Dracula. I’m looking forward to the sequel…when they get around to it. I want to see this demon that created the first vampire.
TV Shows
– Buffy: The Vampire Slayer – I already mentioned this above but I am a huge Buffy fan. Still. I wasn’t that impressed with the movie starring Kristy Swanson and that kept me from watching the TV series for two seasons before I finally gave in to my need to see vampires on TV once a week. I was hooked from that moment forward. My fandom took me to Angel, the spin-off series, that I won’t give its own bullet because they are the same in my mind, like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place. Yup, I went there. 😛
– Being Human (US version) – Yes, yes. I know the UK version came first. I watched the UK version up until all the main characters were killed off (spoilers). It was fun. I like the US version better. It’s not everyday I can say that since the US has a way of screwing up things they remake rather than just importing the original. But the US version took what the UK started with a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost rooming together while trying to act human and tweaked some things so the story made much more sense. Plus I love the way it ended. Now that’s something I can’t say often with TV because half the time stuff doesn’t end, it just gets canceled and fans are left hanging.
– Blood Ties – Now this show epitomizes the left-fans-hanging complaint. Based on the The Blood Books Series by Tanya Huff, this series had me from the first episode. A former cop with failing vision meets a Henry, the vampire son of Henry VIII. Together they solve preternatural crimes that the cops just aren’t equipped to handle. During a time when cop dramas were flooding the market, you would think having one with a vampire twist would have kept this series going, but alas no. Not even the hot love triangle with Satan thrown in just for fun was enough to keep this series on the air but I loved what was put out. And fun fact, Kyle Schmid (Henry) played a vampire in Being Human (US) who was also named Henry. Not the same Henry, obviously, but someone in casting has a sense of humor.
Animated Features
– Vampire Hunter D (1985) & Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) – I list these two together even though really they need their own bullets. Since I’ll just say the same about both, I figure I’ll put them together. Vampire Hunter D is the original half-breed—aka dunpeal. Half-human, half-vampire and the creation of Hideyuki Kikuchi, who brought this reluctant hero to life in a series of books that have since become a manga series put out by Digital Manga Publishing (DMP). You can watch each movie as a stand alone, though I suggest watching VHD before Bloodlust simply because VHD is so much older and the animation isn’t as good as Bloodlust and I don’t want you to dislike a movie just because the animation isn’t as good as the sequel.
In the very, VERY distant future, vampires have overrun the earth and taken over. Nearing the end of their reign, D has come along to hasten their demise while fighting against the part of himself that is like them. Never aging, always alone, D has resigned himself to a being hated by the humans he has sworn to protect.
Anime Series
– Vampire Knight & Vampire Knight: Guilty – In a world where vampires hide their existence, one school has decided to see if vampires and humans can coexist. Cross Academy has a day class (humans) and a night class (vampires). Though they attend the same school, the two aren’t allowed to mingle, lest the secret of the vampires gets out. Yuki is one of the guardians charged with making sure the vampires stay on their side of the campus, but Kaname, the leader of the vampires and her crush, isn’t making her job easy. This anime is a romantic drama featuring a love triangle most Twilight fans would love. Just as an FYI, Guilty is the second season. Why they gave it an augmented name, I’ll never know. But you do have to watch them in order or else nothing will make sense.
– Blood-C – The CLAMP version of the Blood: The Last Vampire story. If you don’t know CLAMP (Magic Knights Rayearth, Xxxholic, X/1999, Angelic Layer), don’t worry about it. They are a group of Japanese women who create some of the most off-the-wall manga ever to be put to paper and I love them. This version of the Blood story is a credit to them and I adore it.
In all versions, Saya is a vampire who hunts vampires. She works with the humans to stop vampires and other creatures that prey on humans, turning her back on her own kind. In Blood-C, Saya lives in a small town, attends high school, and hunts monsters at night. But this small town has a secret. The more Saya hunts, the closer she gets to it and the closer she gets to destroying the happy town that she calls home.
Content warning: There is a censored version of this anime and an uncensored version for GOOD reason. If you aren’t a fan of gore, I suggest you watch the censored version. This anime depicts very, very, VERY graphic violence, especially in the last episode. I’m talking humans tossed into a monster-blender, people being ripped apart, torn open, squished and blood spraying everywhere. You’ll be checking yourself to make sure none got on you.
****
And those are my vampire top picks. Those are just the TOP picks. I love a lot of vampire films, but those are the ones I toss out first when someone says to pick a favorite.
Check out my vampires in the Charmed Lovers (Box Set). Humans are caught in the middle of a war between vampires and mages. Three couples are struggling to make love work amidst the fighting.
Buy Links
– Changeling –
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=2265
– ARe –
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-charmedloversboxset-1592824-168.html
– Kindle US –
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MNIL5QK
– Kobo –
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/charmed-lovers-box-set
– Nook –
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/charmed-lovers-zenobia-renquist/1120112610?ean=2940150761438
Blurb
With humans caught in a war between vampires and mages, three couples’ love endures amidst the chaos.
Humans are caught in an on-going conflict between the vampires and the mages. There are those who want to live together in peace and those who think fighting is much more profitable. Three couples are struggling to make love work amidst the chaos.
Read an Excerpt
http://drb1stchp.com/category/series-caveat-emptor/
Have a great Halloween,
Zenobia Renquist
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