Creature Comforts: Vampires

Pike · Jun 22, 2008

I had an idear, a little flash in the pan, a spark in a long, empty cave (now you can see the great creative grindings of my hamster wheel).

We've talked a lot about monsters in horror, seeing how they are a main staple in the genre, so I thought it would be fun to start a series of threads where we can discuss what it is about them that we love and hate. Sort of breakdown about each one. To start with I picked the most talked about creature: the vampire.

What about them draws you to a story? What romantic elements make them so captivating? And by the same token, what about them has been done to death? What vamp tropes would you like to see staked through the heart and incinerated?

Don't be shy. Give us your two cents and list out things you've read or wrote that make or break the vampire. And most importantly have fun with it!

Pike

Carole · Jun 22, 2008

Oh, my. Vampires are among my favorite things. But...they are easy to do badly.

Loves:
*Vampires tend to have "dark" features, and I'm a fan.
*Confidence
*Assertiveness
*Sensuality
*Stealth
*Strength
*Mystery
*Clans

Hates (or done to death):
*Ultra-Debonair or sophisticated vampires - gimme some grit!
*The whole castle and wealth thing. Money, sure. But I'm tired of vampires who have massive fortunes.
*Don't wanna offend any Anne Rice fans, but honestly - who would want to be a vampire who is incapable of having sex? Sheesh. I know, I know - the blood thing, that's their comparison, but it doesn't do it for me.
*The sun thing. I never did agree with it anyway.

CACTUSWENDY · Jun 22, 2008

I know I will be odd man....ah...woman, out on this. I never got into the vamps much. Never thought they had much going for them in the scare area. To me, if you've seen one....etc..etc. (Same with the zombs.)

I will keep eyes peeled for the other critters that come up. Maybe the four legged kind. Lots of fear stuff there.

IMHO....

HeronW · Jun 22, 2008

They dress well, live in castles, have a great nightlife :}

Ruv Draba · Jun 22, 2008

I think that vampires are mankind's ultimate sexual predator because every element of their nature is a sadomasochistic contradiction.

They are sensual yet feel nothing; lustful yet dead and cold; predacious yet are themselves victims; strong yet vulnerable; amoral yet tragic. Their nocturnality creates their mystique. They're feared yet desired.

What I like about vampires is exactly what I dislike about them. They're such effective images for capturing darker adult imagination that there's almost nothing to write about them. While vampires may have different personalities I don't think that they're of themselves terribly interesting.

Really, I think that the interesting stuff is what's written around them - environments, situations, the people who interact with them. Anne Rice notwithstanding I think that it's more their context and impact than their personalities that create the story.

Captain Howdy · Jun 22, 2008

I also love vampire....MOVIES. Rarely have I read one outside of Dracula that I liked. I'm all about the gothic iconography.

likes:
Castles, the moldier and dungeonier the better
Wardrobe, capes, ruffles, rings, Barnabas' Edwardian jackets
Magnetism, everyone is fair game

dislikes:
oh, just about anything "urban" or with a "modern twist".

but yeah they ain't scary, more like supernaturally erotic, ya dig?

Calla Lily · Jun 22, 2008

*will be staying out of this thread because my vampire breaks at least one of everyone's "hates" so far* :gone:

Karen Duvall · Jun 22, 2008

Vampires are okay. I don't go out of my way to find stories about them, but if they're in a book I'm reading, I don't mind. Same with werewolves. I think LKH burned me out on both. I really get excited when I discover a new and different kind of monster in the urban fantasy I read.

I'm partial to gargoyles. They're unique and not written about much, so the possibilities for original mythology are wide open. C.E. Murphy has a fabulous gargoyle in her new series. I have a series featuring gargoyles as well, but the directions our stories take couldn't be further apart.

Dragons are pretty awesome, if not a bit cumbersome. I think of a gargoyle as dragonish, so I can get my dragon fix from them. Ha!

I'm also a demon fan. Never met one I didn't like. And I'd pick a story about a demon over a vampire or werewolf story most of the time, but not always.

Pike · Jun 22, 2008

Love the responses! So many different opinions and ideas. I'm glad to see both sides of the fence on the subject, especially when those opinions step outside of the box. And Lily, don't shy away from the post - you have your favorite bit and bites and they're welcome here!

I hope to see this thread grow for a good week and then I want to hit another critter. This is fun!

Pike

Pike · Jun 22, 2008

Karen Duvall said:
Vampires are okay. I don't go out of my way to find stories about them, but if they're in a book I'm reading, I don't mind. Same with werewolves. I think LKH burned me out on both. I really get excited when I discover a new and different kind of monster in the urban fantasy I read.

I'm partial to gargoyles. They're unique and not written about much, so the possibilities for original mythology are wide open. C.E. Murphy has a fabulous gargoyle in her new series. I have a series featuring gargoyles as well, but the directions our stories take couldn't be further apart.

Dragons are pretty awesome, if not a bit cumbersome. I think of a gargoyle as dragonish, so I can get my dragon fix from them. Ha!

I'm also a demon fan. Never met one I didn't like. And I'd pick a story about a demon over a vampire or werewolf story most of the time, but not always.

I just finished Heart of Stone! I'm going to get House of Cards very, very soon.

Pike

Carole · Jun 22, 2008

Ruv Draba said:
I think that vampires are mankind's ultimate sexual predator because every element of their nature is a sadomasochistic contradiction.

I love that description! Excellent!

Captain Howdy said:
but yeah they ain't scary, more like supernaturally erotic, ya dig?

I agree - not scary, but maybe that's part of why I think vampire fiction is kind of stale recently. Maybe we need a good, scary vampire! It can be done. They don't have to all be seductive.

callalily61 said:
*will be staying out of this thread because my vampire breaks at least one of everyone's "hates" so far*

No way. Please don't. Opinions are like bellybuttons - everyone has one.

Karen Duvall said:
I'm also a demon fan. Never met one I didn't like.

Now you're talking. My hubby and I are co-writing what seems to be (so far) a very unusual story around a demon. Well, he's actually just named as an entity right now, but I know my hubby - he'll be a full-on demon and soon!

Hey, Pike, guess what. This is the first thread I have ever subscribed to!

Sassee · Jun 22, 2008

Love it:

-- The 'tude. "You want me and you know it. I am irresistible. Look at this sexiness. Resistance is futile."
-- The hickeys. (neck action = hawt)
-- The demon within.
-- Centuries worth of sexual experience minus the STD's. Oh mah gawd.
-- Pure evilness.

Hate it:

-- Self-pity. "Woe is me, I've lived so long, I don't care anymore," blah blah blah. Get over yourself.
-- Clans, Councils, any central gathering of vampires.
-- French-ness. (curly hair, lace, etc)

Kerr · Jun 23, 2008

I'd have to agree with Sassee on the clan gatherings. I was a great fan of Anne Rice right up until she took little Claudia to where they gather and killed her off. Too much evil in one place. They get a bit overwhelming like cockroaches. I loved her character Louis' angst, though, till then, her ability to blend the past that lived in the vampire's mind with the present. I loved Lestat because he was heartless, except for wanting at least one friend for eternity. I loved Claudia for her childlike innocence, acceptance and eventual rebellion. I thought they were a perfect blend of evil until Anne took them in directions I wouldn't have gone. Thank goodness it's hard to keep a good vampire down, though the lot of them have never reached that perfect place for me again.

You can comfortably bring a vampire into the future. Steven King proved that in Salem's Lot, as long as it's a small town where only a chosen few become privy to what's really going on. Or, as in Fright Night, where the evil one has moved in right next door. Holy Moly! What a terrifying concept.

Wherever he/she is, as long as they are up close and personal, that's all it takes.

DL Hegel · Jun 23, 2008

1. I like vamps when they are petty and childish.
2. I like vamps who are total losers.
3. I like vamps that are cowardly.
I like vamps that are cool too but the weak element is what draws me in.

BarbaraKE · Jun 23, 2008

Oh gosh, I have very strong likes and dislikes about vampires.

Let's see, dislikes first...
1) Guilt - I hate it when vampires feel guilty over killing people. Do I feel guilty about having a hamburger for dinner or wearing leather shoes? Yet I don't need to do either. A vampire has to kill to survive. He (or she) would consider us lesser life forms. So why would he feel guilty?

2) Zombie-like vampires (or maybe it's really vampiric zombies - I'm not sure). In any case, I don't like mindless 'monster-type' vampires. The allure of vampires has always been the combination of horror and attractiveness.

3) Any story where everyone into a vampire. That obviously wouldn't work in the long run - if everyone turns into a vampire when bitten, the world would run out of humans fairly quickly and then the vampires would all die too. (That's the biggest problem I had with King's 'Salem's Lot'.)

4) Stupid vampires - If a particular vampire has survived for however many years, you have to assume that they're halfway intelligent. Don't have them do something completely stupid so that your 'hero' can win.

5) Androgynous (sp?) and/or wimpy vampires. Ugh.

What I do like...

1) They have to be both scary and seductive. (MOST IMPORTANT)

2) I like the gothic background but there has to be a reason for it.

Gynn · Jun 23, 2008

I like vampires as monsters, kind of like a carnivore that preys on humans. Less personality, more primal, less intelligence, more instinct.

I think Anne Rice has given me more than my share of the other kinds of vampire. Is there anything else to say about those somewhat "emo" blood-drinkers?

Maybe I'll write a short about a nest of vampire children led by the oldest child (in years, not apparent age). That might be an interesting community to explore.

Captain Howdy · Jun 24, 2008

Gynn said:
Maybe I'll write a short about a nest of vampire children led by the oldest child (in years, not apparent age). That might be an interesting community to explore.

don't you think the scene in Salem's Lot (in the Rob Lowe movie at least) where the vampire kids are crawling after the bus driver inside the schoolbus is just priceless? yeah, I'd read a whole novel of that before I'd ever scan another Anne Rice book cover!

Alice.S · Jun 24, 2008

I LOVE VAMPIRES!!!...any story...and feature of them, different types...anything!!! if you call it a vampire....i'm loving it...

KTC · Jun 24, 2008

I dig the voluptuousness of their desire. For the first maybe 4 books of the Anne Rice series, they had me wrapped around their fingers. About 10 years ago (and this stays here!) I wrote a vampire/love story novel. It was about the main character tracking and falling in love with a female writer. He adored her. It was the first passion that made him stand up and take notice that he was no longer human... that he wanted to be human/mortal. It's probably absolutely horrendously terrible. It's now buried beneath a pile of manuscripts that will one day make a lovely bonfire of my vanities.

I just love the sensuality they are so often wrapped within.

Alice.S · Jun 24, 2008

BarbaraKE said:
Oh gosh, I have very strong likes and dislikes about vampires.

Let's see, dislikes first...
1) Guilt - I hate it when vampires feel guilty over killing people. Do I feel guilty about having a hamburger for dinner or wearing leather shoes? Yet I don't need to do either. A vampire has to kill to survive. He (or she) would consider us lesser life forms. So why would he feel guilty?

2) Zombie-like vampires (or maybe it's really vampiric zombies - I'm not sure). In any case, I don't like mindless 'monster-type' vampires. The allure of vampires has always been the combination of horror and attractiveness.

3) Any story where everyone into a vampire. That obviously wouldn't work in the long run - if everyone turns into a vampire when bitten, the world would run out of humans fairly quickly and then the vampires would all die too. (That's the biggest problem I had with King's 'Salem's Lot'.)

4) Stupid vampires - If a particular vampire has survived for however many years, you have to assume that they're halfway intelligent. Don't have them do something completely stupid so that your 'hero' can win.

5) Androgynous (sp?) and/or wimpy vampires. Ugh.

What I do like...

1) They have to be both scary and seductive. (MOST IMPORTANT)

2) I like the gothic background but there has to be a reason for it.

A.
1) I disagree...vampires are usually meant to be once human and I think it would natural if they felt guilty...especially if they didn't want to become vampires in the first place, being forced to surrender the power blood has over them.

2)Agree

3)Agrees

4)Agrees....strongly...

B.
1) Agrees

2)Agrees..I love knowing the back stories...

Kerr · Jun 24, 2008

BarbaraKE said:
Guilt - I hate it when vampires feel guilty over killing people. Do I feel guilty about having a hamburger for dinner or wearing leather shoes? Yet I don't need to do either. A vampire has to kill to survive. He (or she) would consider us lesser life forms. So why would he feel guilty?

Any story where everyone into a vampire. That obviously wouldn't work in the long run - if everyone turns into a vampire when bitten, the world would run out of humans fairly quickly and then the vampires would all die too. (That's the biggest problem I had with King's 'Salem's Lot'.)

True, but a little guilt can go a long way in making a story. If I were a dairy farmer, I might swear off hamburger in the same way that I refrain from eating cat or dog. On the other hand, there's nothing like a good pair of leather shoes. I see man and monster alike as capable of bending the rules to suit themselves. Then again, if I were starving, I've no doubt that any one among you would feel or be completely safe.

All considered, to me that's the real draw of the vampire, a monster who is
never completely consumed by his animal nature and able to be bent and swayed according to the will of each writer.

OTOH, though Salem's Lot scared the bejezus out of me years ago, I do have to agree with Lily on the story's fatal flaw. Like a marriage, a cohort for eternity should be well thought out. Any time the monsters reproduce at that kind of alarming rate, mankind is doomed. Though, for the most part, they are reborn as inexperienced as infants, when there are that many I'm sure some would be destined to escape and they would learn quickly through despiration how to survive.

Blade might well be the most well thought out vampire to emerge in modern times. He has it all as far as creative mindset geared toward expansion and I doubt I'll ever grow tired of looking Wesley Snipes' body.

Pike · Jun 24, 2008

All tongue wagging aside, I enjoyed Blade because the vamps were cold, methodical creatures with no love for their prey. We were food at best and worst. By the same token, I enjoyed the orginal Lestat books for the romantic aspects they presented.

So far, this has been an enlightening thread!

Pike

Ruv Draba · Jun 24, 2008

Guilt in young vamps? Sure.

Guilt in vamps that feed nightly for decades? Forget it.

Y'know what I haven't seen yet?

A suburban vamp family - just trying to get on with their suburban unlives; wanting the same things that the neighbours want; it's just that they come out at night and drink blood.

'Come on kids - Mom's sick from all the garlic in the neighbour's cooking. Let's get in the SUV and go eat some Chinese.'

Pike · Jun 26, 2008

It would be a bitch to look at people and not think, "Buffet!"

Pike

Alice.S · Jun 27, 2008

Ruv Draba said:
Guilt in young vamps? Sure.

Guilt in vamps that feed nightly for decades? Forget it.

Y'know what I haven't seen yet?

A suburban vamp family - just trying to get on with their suburban unlives; wanting the same things that the neighbours want; it's just that they come out at night and drink blood.

'Come on kids - Mom's sick from all the garlic in the neighbour's cooking. Let's get in the SUV and go eat some Chinese.'

It's been done....well...not exactly as you discribed....The Cullen Family from Twilight

Creature Comforts: Vampires

Chivalry ain't dead

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Chivalry ain't dead

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I vant to bite you

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just ate all your candy

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