Dracula
I don’t remember who the first vampire I ever saw was, but it was more than likely Dracula. The only thing I do know is that the first adult novel and the first horror novel I read was Bram Stoker’s Dracula when I was eight years old. What got me to read it was my desire to see the new Francis Ford Coppola adaptation of Dracula and my parents telling me that now way were they going to take me to see it.
Just to elaborate a bit on that situation, I was obsessed with the Bill and Ted movies as a kid. I think other than Christian Slater (who ended up in another classic vampire adaptation, funny coincidence), Keanu Reeves was the one actor who I wanted to see everything he was in as a kid. I just thought he was the coolest dude ever and this was long before it was fashionable to think of him as cool or a good actor. It’s ironic in a way that his presence in Dracula is what made me want to see the film when he’s easily the worst part of it. And I feel bad for Keanu in a way because he was not the first nor the second actor approached for the role (one was apparently Slater, again funny coincidence there). From what I’ve heard from Winona Ryder (who originally wanted her boyfriend at the time, Johnny Depp to play the role of Harker), Keanu was just someone she felt comfortable working with, even if he struggled trying to manage an English accent. Also, unlike Depp, the studio liked him.
Anyway, got sidetracked there, but back to the topic of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. So, I wanted to see the movie, but my parents wouldn’t let me for good reason. The next best thing available to me was the original novel, which had been reprinted to tie into the film with a new cover featuring the incredible poster art and several movie stills in the middle of the book. Reading it was quite a task at that age, but one I was eager to meet already loving monster movies at that point. The first thing that blew me away about the novel was how the entire thing was written as diary entries. My kid brain was blown by the idea that books could be written in such a way, and yet somehow it was still an enthralling read! Once I was finished, two things were clear me:
I was now a vampire fan.
I needed to see the movie!
Of course, the funny thing is that being unable to see the new film until it had been edited for network television a year or two later meant seeking out the older films and there were so many! I saw quite a few over the years, but back then, I think I probably only tried the original from Universal and was annoyed at how horrible of a job it did actually adapting the book! I know that film has been loved by so many people for so many years, but reading the book first immediately soured me on it.
Vampires Everywhere!
It would be a few years until I saw another vampire film. I can’t remember exactly what my next one was, possibly Interview with the Vampire when that also got edited for TV. But the first one I really remember sticking with me was The Lost Boys when I was maybe ten or eleven. What was so memorable about that experience, aside from the movie just being amazing, was that I discovered the movie entirely by accident. My parents used to tape almost everything they could off the TV—especially if it popped up on the incredible HBO free preview weekends you used to get before the days of streaming. One of those movies was The Lost Boys, but I don’t think they intentionally taped it.
Basically, what happened was one day when I was watching another movie, it ended and The Lost Boys started. I had no idea what it was, it wasn’t even labeled on the tape, but I knew from the opening shot flying over the water near Santa Cruz that I was in for something special. What I didn’t know was that only half the movie had been recorded because my parents didn’t record it intentionally. After I found this out, I was determined to find a way to see the rest of the film. Unfortunately, we were leaving the next day on our yearly vacation to Cannon Beach, Oregon. This was probably not the best idea to visit a coastal city right after watching half a film where vampires had been terrorizing a city on the west coast. Suffice to say, I had nightmares the entire trip of vampires coming after me. I am not one to suffer nightmares that often in my life, but this was one of those cases where it was very clear to me I needed to finish the movie or the nightmares might continue.
Thankfully, as soon as we were back home, I begged my parents to let me rent it and was able to finish the film. To this day, it’s probably my second favorite vampire film, but I’ve never forgotten that first experience of only getting to see half the film.
Over the next few years, my love of vampires only grew deeper through other 80s classics like Fright Night (my all-time favorite horror film), Near Dark, and The Hunger. Even more recent stuff like From Dusk Till Dawn was managing to blow my vampire-obsessed mind. However, nothing could prepare me for what was to come in 1998.
The Daywalker
I’m not sure many people will remember this now, but there were actually two big vampire movies in 1998. Blade and John Carpenter’s Vampires. I make note of this because I doubt many people remember the latter unless they’re Carpenter fans (like I am). It was also probably his last decent film, not great (that would be In the Mouth of Madness), but it was decent. I even declared to my brother before that summer, “No way will it be better than Blade!” He thought I was a fool, no way could this Wesley Snipes vampire flick be better than a new Carpenter joint. Well, as he soon found out, that was not true in the slightest.
Blade was game-changing, not just for Marvel movies, but superhero movies in general, and more importantly for the vampire genre. A lesser known comic book superhero created in the seventies likely to ride off the coattails of the explosion of black cinema at the time and its foray into the vampire genre with Blacula. Much like Luke Cage (created a year earlier), Blade was Marvel’s attempt to capture a growing black audience in comic books, but despite the character living on in comics for the next two decades, he still wasn’t as well known as the previously mentioned Luke Cage or Black Panther. I think part of that may be that the whole vampire subset of the Marvel Universe just never sold as well as the main superhero books. Even speaking as a horror fan myself, my only knowledge of Blade had been from a single issue I’d picked up of Nightstalkers in the early 90s. But none of that really mattered when it came to the film. There was only one selling point that mattered.
Wesley Snipes.
At the time, Wesley was huge. I don’t think anybody out there wasn’t a fan of at least something he’d done. I know my mom was particularly fond of White Men Can’t Jump, Rising Sun, and Jungle Fever. However, I’d become a fan off his comedy work like Major League, Demolition Man and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. And while it would be a few years till I saw classics like New Jack City, Mo’ Better Blues, and King of New York, I knew from what I’d seen that Wesley was an incredible actor and more than that, he was an action star. I didn’t require much to be sold on Blade, but if you haven’t seen the original trailer, it’s pretty eye-catching.
So, I’ve kind of touched upon what made Blade special, but to elaborate a little further, it wasn’t just that this was movie audiences’ first time seeing an African-American vampire hunter, but from the first scene, it was clear this movie wanted to destroy all prior concepts of who vampires are. These were not the same tired cliches we’d seen in previous vampire films, these vampires were hip and of the times, being introduced in a rave that showers blood on them from the sprinkler system. It’s an incredible sequence followed by an even more incredible massacre after Blade enters the club. I still believe Blade had the best opening to any superhero film, or vampire film. It could just be one of the best openings of all time, but it’s hard to compare apples and oranges.
The one thing that was clear after that opening was that the film was breaking new ground all over the place. The one flaw of the film was that the opening was so incredible, nothing that followed could really top it, not even the incredible action scene at the end when Blade catches his sunglasses before slaughtering every suckhead in the room. It’s well known the third act had issues that required reshoots, but I think any time you construct an opening as good as Blade’s, anything after is forgiven for not being as incredible.
The Slayer
Oh, you thought I forgot Buffy? I didn’t. I just wanted to get Blade out of the way. Because while Blade was breaking new ground on the silver screen, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was doing the same for the small screen. And yes, I’d seen the original movie back when it came out. It was probably one of the first vampire films I’d seen and it was definitely a favorite, even if Joss Whedon claims it butchered his script. All that mattered was the film had put the show on my radar the second it was announced, but what really put it on my must-watch list was reading Whedon’s script for Alien: Resurrection.
I’d come across it in a Seattle comic book store about a year before the film released and couldn’t believe they just sold scripts there. Being a massive fan of Aliens, I had to read it, I couldn’t wait for the finished film, it felt a lifetime away. Well, that was the first and last time I made that mistake. The script was incredible. The movie was hot-garbage. Literally everything cool about it had either been removed or just horribly handled. I’ve heard Sigourney Weaver say it was her fault choosing Jean-Pierre Jeunet to direct. On paper at the time, he seemed a great choice coming hot off City of the Lost Children, but the problem was his sensibilities were the exact opposite of Whedon. You want to know how that film should have felt? Go watch his excellent series Firefly or its sequel film Serenity.
Sorry, got sidetracked again, but I just wanted to highlight that I was very excited for Buffy when it released in the spring of 1997. It was everything I’d ever wanted in a horror show and to this day its one of my favorite TV shows of all time, if not my favorite.
So what was so special about Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Well, aside from the incredible protagonist, the show worked incredibly well as a metaphor for how high school is hell (they’re on a Hellmouth) and how the changes our bodies go through often make us feel like monsters (in this case literally). The writing was incredible for most of its run, though it did have some ups and downs, but I still maintain that show was the single greatest influence on my writing and I owe my love of vampires for drawing me toward it.
Bleeding Hart
So, this article wouldn’t make sense without at least allowing me to plug my upcoming novel, Bleeding Hart. I hate spoiling anything, but hell, I’m trying to sell a book here. All I’ll say is if you love any of the things I’ve mentioned in this post, this book will likely be right up your alley. You can pre-order it now where books are sold, but I’ll leave a short description and some handy links below.
At San Diego Comic-Con, Chris Hart wants nothing more than to meet his favorite actress, Marie LeBeau. But someone else wants her dead.
When Chris manages to stop an attack from what can only be described as a ninja, Marie finds herself impressed by his martial arts prowess and offers Chris a job on her personal security team. Little does he know she has ulterior motives for wanting him close and may not be the person he thinks she is.
Everything changes when people associated with Marie start turning up decapitated. While Chris finds himself more vulnerable to Marie's charms than ever before, he realizes that being with her may not only put his life at risk, but his very humanity.
Bleeding Hart is a biting look at Hollywood that combines the quirkiness of Grady Hendrix with the hardboiled pulp of Mickey Spillane.
And finally, for anyone who actually made it this far, do you like vampires? Do you have a favorite vampire film, book, or comic book? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.