RSVP Blog

Interesting blog :)
I think some of the interest in Vamps is down to the "What would you do?" some of us reading/watching the story ask ourselves.
Would it be a stretch to suggest that the guys wish they had the power to do 'that' and the girls wished they were seduced in 'that' way? Reverse genders if you like, I'm sure it works both ways when either a male or female vampire is being portrayed ;).
Currently, the biggest threat to humans in the sea is the shark - I'm guessing. We avoid them by not swimming with them or anywhere near them - such as in a swimming pool at least 500m away from the nearest beach ;)
On the land, unless you live in India near any tigers, the biggest threat to humans is .. other humans.
What if vampires existed? We'd all be the prey. It's a thought that stirs a taste of terror when we consider our families and friends being taken and ourselves either defenceless or doing the taking.
I think we like exploring ideas like vampires to stir the imagination and get the adrenaline pumping along with the -blood- :).
I prefer the vampire stories that portray a supernatural infection that simply drives the 'victim' to kill more and more to survive. And no, not for the killing, but what those that aren't yet destroyed do about it.
I still like the other styles of vampire stories for their symbolisms and a lot for their entertainment value.
For those that haven't, go check out the movie "30 Days of Night". It does have romance in it. It's also pretty vicious.
Laters :)
[Just read the date of posting .. wow.. tis pretty inactive here innit !]

Posted by: perthite68 at January 31, 2012 4:48 AM

Vampires are mysterious, sexy, and yes, forbidden. They are the ultimate bad boy but who has lived through so much they have the wisdom and maturity as well as the danger streak - perfect! :P But personally, I don't go for the Edward Cullen/Angel vampire, there's something really exhilarating about Spike..... :D

Posted by: moonlightsiesta at July 30, 2011 12:24 AM

Hi all, Has anyone read Out of the Dark by David Weber, if you are into the Vampire thing you may like this its an alien invasion story with a twist, an awesome read I thought. Cheers

Posted by: skipdivided75 at July 11, 2011 5:32 PM

I thought Vampires died out due to starvation around the mid 1960s due to a lack of virgins blood.

They, the vampires being unable to find any virgins. This was long before "True Blood" was invented.

Well there was no need for "True Blood" as all the Vampires had died.

Andy Warhol made a movie exploring this issue: Blood for Dracula (1974) review here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071233/

Posted by: stephen54 at July 6, 2011 12:26 AM

Vampire romance ... the original vampire was a dangerous and powerful creature who seduced the poor powerless women, took complete control over their bodies and souls and did unspeakably wicked things with them, in the process turning them into seductive and powerful creatures who do what ever they liked with men in the dark of the night when nobody could see them.

The vampire culture was born out of a time when women were sexually repressed and a good old vampire "hickey" gave a woman an excuse to do what she *really* wanted to do down deep, or just simply a good bit of sexual escapism disguised as horror. In fact, many of the old Gothic writers were women writing under a male nom de plume.

But what about today? The new age male vampires are emotionally weak, they are sensitive and in many cases, while they are physically strong, they are often not overtly masculine. The new age male vampire actually is often fantasised about in a role where they are rendered powerless by their love of a woman, who they then have to protect as their most precious prize, while agonising over their physical and emotional hunger for that woman.

On the other hand, the female vampire are usually tall, very powerful, and *they* are the ones seducing men and leaving them powerless with a decent dollop of contempt for the aforesaid male.

So what does that say? That the modern woman is now more emotionally and sexually empowered than the modern man, and the modern man is actually a wimp at heart who just wants a powerful woman to seduce him? Well, as a guy I wouldn't go that far ... *embarrassed cough* ... really I wouldn't, but I suspect that there is some truth lurking in there.

Frankly my favourite vampire movie was Roman Polanski's Brave Vampire Hunters. A tall, handsome, powerful *GAY* vampire chasing our hero around the castle in his underwear ... that was just so funny, it turns gothic romance on its ear. :)

Posted by: jonha273 at June 25, 2011 9:21 PM

im so excited i thought i have just about read every vamp related book out there. you guys are talking about books i have never heard of and not even the local book store had them. bigggggg order coming up. i love escaping to my books when i finish work and kids r in bed.

Posted by: angelaa1986 at June 3, 2011 11:30 PM

I have to say that Christine Feehan -The dark series are by far the best ooks so far

Posted by: angelaa1986 at June 3, 2011 11:27 PM

Hi Unknown...Having a visual here.. Chuckling to self of course!!! Are you sure you only wore the 'cape' for fancy dress?? .. "G"

Posted by: besondere at March 27, 2011 7:04 PM

Has anyone read the black daggar brotherhood series? they are a great read. Very romantic with good love scenes. I am reading Lynsay Sands vampire romances at the moment. I cant seem to read any thing else at the moment.

Posted by: rosescented at March 24, 2011 9:01 PM

Patricia Briggs writes some great stuff, mostly about Mercy Thompson, who can change into a coyote.
Her world contains werewolves, vampires and the stories are much more easy to read than the twilight books. I think Twilight must be set in the 1950's by the way the sexes relate to each other, or maybe the Mormon faith of the writer ensures all tease and no action.

Posted by: virgil at February 24, 2011 12:33 AM

Have been a vamp fan since I was ten after having the story told to me by a Romainian and translated by that mans wife. The way he told it it was a romance. I was hooked.

Posted by: iwia at February 19, 2011 6:11 PM

Personally I love the vampire/shapeshifter genre. I have tonnes of different ones from JR Wards Blackdagger Brotherhood (sex, drugs, violence and blood), Christine Feehan, Lynsay Sands and Kerrilyn Sparks. Some of these are appealing because the are great escapisms form everyday reality. When I am sick of working and just want to completely escape these books are great. In most cases the hero is a bad boy with problems so the heronine is able to reform him in some way. Plus he is a one woman man. In most cases there is absolutely no way these bad boys will cheat, and they are protective. Honestly I believe they are now popular again because they are attractive to women who want an Alpha Male that is devoted to them no matter what and these books represent that need.

Posted by: blackkitty25 at January 22, 2011 2:48 PM

Well said Perth..

Posted by: rae9adz at October 12, 2010 2:31 PM

Geez Perthy (post of 13/9)

You really hooked/fanged into this one...

OGM

Posted by: onegoodman1 at October 8, 2010 9:46 PM

Gee iaminperth until now I didn't think you knew me that well!

Posted by: stephen54 at September 13, 2010 8:20 PM

I think there are quite a few short fat blood suckers out there at the moment. During the day they don the disguise of normal balanced human beings portraying a gentility and empathy rarely seen in today's world. But when the sun goes down and night approaches they fuel up in pursuit of their next victim sleazing through laneways and their favourite haunts in pursuit of their next victim. These fat shot blood suckers sweating their way through more sustanance as their pursuit of their victims enters critical stages until with exhaustion they collapse in a heap of sweat and dribble content to sleep it off until the urge takes over again.

Posted by: iaminperth at September 13, 2010 10:02 AM

Britishraceinggreen - "What appeals to me is that vampire men are always tall and slim. You never see any short, fat blood-suckers do you?"

I'm not sure that Dracula was tall and slim - More short and overweight and with the ability to command wolfs. Plus the ability to slither face down the walls of his castle

He scared Jonathan Harker and he scared me - Goto love that!

As to Anne Rice "thekmess" I seem to recall a child of hers died - And who lives fore ever in her mind.

I preferred her "Sleeping Beauty " series but that's just me.

Posted by: stephen54 at September 13, 2010 1:36 AM

What appeals to me is that vampire men are always tall and slim. You never see any short, fat blood-suckers do you?

Posted by: britishracinggreen at August 1, 2010 12:58 PM

Why are Vampire so popular is an easy one to answer. it's because they are dark, taboo, a thing that we know we shouldn't like but because we are told no makes us want them more. And authors these day make the big bad vampire into the rebal bad boy next door. Authors like Laurell k. Hamilton, Anne Rice, Richelle Mead and Charlaine Harris have main-streamed the dark men and women of the night. And have cast their heros and heroines into the world of today.

Posted by: thekmess at July 5, 2010 3:08 PM

I must admit, I do like the True Blood books..raced through them! Twilight seems for a younger audience..might just be me. As much as I'd like to watch some of the movies made from books, the more gory ones don't excite...the books are better, especially when it's not gore for gore's sake.. I guess it's like most things-the unknown/dangerous appeals in some way. But if you've seen Van Helsing, and Richard Roxburgh as Dracula, it might be clearer why some of us like this genre!! :) sigh. His fangs don't bother me at all!

Posted by: curltalk at June 6, 2010 6:03 PM

I guess I'm a little strange when it comes to writing genres. I generally pick one author and run with them. So for me, the vampire books are Stephanie Meyer and I don't ready any other vampire books. I was like that with Anne Rice's Witch series and Stephen Donaldson's fantasy writing. Maybe its the Taurean in me - one thing at a time. *chuckle*

Posted by: clothilde64 at June 5, 2010 11:42 AM

Vampires = this decade's favourite form of escapism. Just read Bram Stoker's Dracula, really enjoyed it. Well worth a look.

Posted by: tonypandy at June 1, 2010 7:35 PM

I do recall back when i was younger about 37yrs ago the same trend was around. I even had a dentist friend of mine make a plate with a pair of fangs on it and I bought a full length black cape with a red silk lining and collar,( very cliche ) it was fun going to fancy dress parties, especially after doing the whole make up thing as well.

Posted by: unknownauthor at May 26, 2010 2:19 PM

I am not really taken in with the vampire craze that is happening. I do recall a new's story sometime back in Queensland where three young females enticed a male for sexual reasons but later on killed him and drank his blood. That was a few years back now.

I guess my main concern about people getting carried away with the vampire craze would be when it goes too far and a person dies as a result. I think in New Zealand recently there were convictions of people committing acts of vampire blood drinking.

Anyway I guess people will do what they want in life whether it is fun or against the law.

Posted by: journopete at May 25, 2010 8:00 PM

I think one of the first novelists to make vampires 'sexy' was Anne Rice. I am far more of a fan of her work. It seems to me that Twilight appeals to teenage girls the most, which makes me wonder if Twilight is not just more teen schlock with a vampire instead of the mysterious otsider usually portrayed (see Pump up the Volume, Rebel Without A Cause, etc). Twilight also does not seem to utilise vampire lore/myth/tradition - I mean, they sparkle in the sunlight for the love of God!!

Posted by: shygirl1996 at April 11, 2010 6:35 PM

Is the reason women find Twilight so attractive (I've only read the first book) - the LACK of sex? - it's 300 pages of build up and foreplay. Thank God for Buffy and True Lies, where the characters actually get it on. Frankly, there's enough abstinance in my real life not to require any more in a fantasy novel.

Posted by: zostar1 at April 6, 2010 6:41 PM

Another classical element that the modern vampire stories capture is the theme of the outsider, the person who is irredeemably not part of mainstream society; and who undegoes an internal struggle between who they are by nature (a blood-sucking vampire) and who they choose to be (not a killer). Edward Cullen wouldn't be nearly as appealing if he was captain of the football team and didn't think twice about sinking his fangs into a cheerleader's neck.

Many people can identify with that struggle because it's very much part of being human. The same theme also appears in the Harry Potter books as 'the choices we make say more about who we are than the hand that we're dealt'.

Posted by: arialspirit at March 30, 2010 11:48 PM

For the Buffy Killing Edward shirts...
http://www.jinx.com/men/shirts/geek/buffy_staked_edward.html

Posted by: new2act73 at March 28, 2010 5:52 PM

I've just finished watching the True Blood first series. It was good, light entertainment and a bit of a different take on Vampires.

Posted by: outofthefryingpan at March 16, 2010 4:48 PM

I think that the male vampire character portrays the ultimate "bad boy" that some of us are attracted to..so very dangerous and often loners and that to is attractive..and to new2act73 is there really a tshirt with that on it and if so where??

Posted by: hatshepsut at March 16, 2010 9:54 AM

... and there's t-shirts with "Buffy, please come back there's a vampire to kill. His name is Edward Cullen."

Posted by: new2act73 at March 13, 2010 3:16 PM

Very funny Stephen. I don't think they NEED virgin's blood, the male genre just PREFER it :)

Posted by: amberlightrose at March 13, 2010 8:20 AM

As with any written literature people can immerse themselves in a totally different world where many things are possible. They can forget about their own lives and live in another world for a while. Twilight is actually an age old story of good vs evil, forbidden love with a classic love story thrown in for good measure and Stephanie Meyer has captured a new audience, most of whom have read all the Harry Potter books. It is no coincidence that Bella reads Wuthering Heights, also another story of the same genre, also full of dark gothic themes. I loved all the books as did both my daughters..

Posted by: thewatergirl at March 12, 2010 8:33 PM

Well I thought that Vampires needed the blood of virgins to live.

So that means they should have all died out about hmmm just guessing - 40 years ago and before "True Blood" became available

I'm trying to remember the (not very good) film that explored this issue.

As for the book I loved the first part. Very evocative of dark foreboding. The second half lost me.

Posted by: stephen54 at March 12, 2010 1:51 AM