{"id":768,"date":"2015-10-30T08:55:20","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T12:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/?p=768"},"modified":"2015-10-21T18:36:21","modified_gmt":"2015-10-21T22:36:21","slug":"768","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/compellingbeastsblog\/2015\/10\/30\/768\/","title":{"rendered":"Vampire Week: Zenobia Renquist’s Top Vampire Films"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"vampireweektopfive\"<\/a>It\u2019s Vampire Week on the Compelling Beasts blog and I, Zenobia Renquist<\/a>, am here to tell you about my favorite vampire films. I won\u2019t say movies because not all of them are movies. Some are TV series, some are animated features and some are anime series. I don\u2019t discriminate when it comes to my favorite preternatural creature. If it has vampires in it, chances are I\u2019ve seen it. And if I haven\u2019t seen it, I will hunt it down once you make me aware of its existence.<\/p>\n

The titles are linked to the Youtube trailers, so give them a click if you run across a film you don\u2019t know. What follows are my favorites. The ones I\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

Movies<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Blade<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

– Blade 2<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> Wesley Snipes is back and this time he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

– Underworld<\/a> \u2013 <\/strong>The vampire version of Romeo and Juliet\u2014starcrossed lovers who can\u2019t be together because he\u2019s a lycan (werewolf) and she\u2019s 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n

– Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula<\/a> \u2013 <\/strong>Who knew Gary Oldman could be so sexy? The person who cast him for this role, that\u2019s who. That man can suck my neck any day of the week and all weekend long. Bram Stoker\u2019s iconic vampire tale came to cinematic life with this film and the world was a better place for it.<\/p>\n

– Dracula: Untold<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> I don\u2019t know why so many people panned this movie. This has been the best origin story for Dracula I\u2019ve seen. It actually knocked Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula<\/em> off my list because this one was infinitely better. And that\u2019s saying a lot since Rudolf Martin, the star of Dark Prince<\/em>, had donned his Dracula makeup to play the infamous vampire in Season 5, Episode 1 (Buffy vs. Dracula) of Buffy the Vampire Slayer<\/em>. I\u2019m a huge Buffy fan, so that was all sorts of points in his favor. But alas, he couldn\u2019t hold a candle to Luke Evans\u2019s Dracula. I\u2019m looking forward to the sequel\u2026when they get around to it. I want to see this demon that created the first vampire.<\/p>\n

TV Shows<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Buffy: The Vampire Slayer<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> I already mentioned this above but I am a huge Buffy fan. Still. I wasn\u2019t 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<\/em>, the spin-off series, that I won\u2019t give its own bullet because they are the same in my mind, like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place. Yup, I went there. \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n

– Being Human (US version)<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> 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\u2019s 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\u2019s something I can\u2019t say often with TV because half the time stuff doesn\u2019t end, it just gets canceled and fans are left hanging.<\/p>\n

– Blood Ties<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> Now this show epitomizes the left-fans-hanging complaint. Based on the The Blood Books Series<\/em> 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\u2019t 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)<\/em> who was also named Henry. Not the same Henry, obviously, but someone in casting has a sense of humor.<\/p>\n

Animated Features<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Vampire Hunter D<\/a> (1985) & Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust<\/a> (2000) – <\/strong>\u00a0I list these two together even though really they need their own bullets. Since I\u2019ll just say the same about both, I figure I\u2019ll put them together. Vampire Hunter D is the original half-breed\u2014aka 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<\/em> before Bloodlust<\/em> simply because VHD<\/em> is so much older and the animation isn\u2019t as good as Bloodlust<\/em> and I don\u2019t want you to dislike a movie just because the animation isn\u2019t as good as the sequel.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Anime Series<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Vampire Knight<\/a> & Vampire Knight: Guilty \u2013<\/strong> 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\u2019t 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\u2019t making her job easy. This anime is a romantic drama featuring a love triangle most Twilight<\/em> fans would love. Just as an FYI, Guilty<\/em> is the second season. Why they gave it an augmented name, I\u2019ll never know. But you do have to watch them in order or else nothing will make sense.<\/p>\n

– Blood-C<\/a> \u2013<\/strong> The CLAMP version of the Blood: The Last Vampire<\/em> story. If you don\u2019t know CLAMP (Magic Knights Rayearth<\/em>, Xxxholic<\/em>, X\/1999<\/em>, Angelic Layer<\/em>), don\u2019t 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<\/em> story is a credit to them and I adore it.<\/p>\n

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<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n

Content warning: There is a censored version of this anime and an uncensored version for GOOD reason. If you aren\u2019t a fan of gore, I suggest you watch the censored version. This anime depicts very, very, VERY<\/em><\/strong> graphic violence, especially in the last episode. I\u2019m talking humans tossed into a monster-blender, people being ripped apart, torn open, squished and blood spraying everywhere. You\u2019ll be checking yourself to make sure none got on you.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Check out my vampires in the Charmed Lovers (Box Set)<\/em><\/strong>. Humans are caught in the middle of a war between vampires and mages. Three couples are struggling to make love work amidst the fighting.<\/p>\n

\"Multi-ethnic<\/a>
Multi-ethnic couple in passionate embrace and undressing each other during sexual foreplay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Buy Links<\/strong><\/p>\n

– Changeling –<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.changelingpress.com\/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=2265<\/a><\/p>\n

– ARe –<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.allromanceebooks.com\/product-charmedloversboxset-1592824-168.html<\/a><\/p>\n

– Kindle US –<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00MNIL5QK<\/a><\/p>\n

– Kobo –<\/p>\n

http:\/\/store.kobobooks.com\/en-US\/ebook\/charmed-lovers-box-set<\/a><\/p>\n

– Nook –<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/charmed-lovers-zenobia-renquist\/1120112610?ean=2940150761438<\/a><\/p>\n

Blurb<\/strong><\/p>\n

With humans caught in a war between vampires and mages, three couples’ love endures amidst the chaos.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Read an Excerpt<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/drb1stchp.com\/category\/series-caveat-emptor\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Have a great Halloween,<\/p>\n

Zenobia Renquist<\/p>\n

Discover Different & Unique Stories<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/zenobiarenquist.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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