I posted before in November of last year that I was very excited for the release of Daybreakers, the supremely creepy-looking vampire flick starring Ethan Hawke. This is another example of how incredibly fast time flies because the wait is now over – Daybreakers will be arriving in theaters this Friday, January 8th. Unluckily for me, I have a rather busy weekend planned so my enjoyment of this film might have to wait a week. But for this film, I’m willing to try and make the effort to see it during mid-week or something as opposed to waiting until the next weekend.
In the meantime, I’ve been watching all the preview clips I can get my hands on – on repeat. Check out the two clips below to see if you’re interested in catching Daybreakers this weekend. Especially all you Anti-Twilight fans. I know the haters are so over the whole vampire genre, but I think everyone can still appreciate dark + crazy which this film most definitely is. Heck, I LOVE dark + crazy… vampires or no vampires.
There will be no broody, abnormally attractive (save for a few) vampires who talk incessantly about their emotions in this film. Instead, audiences will receive the full experience of what a vampire film should be – a supernatural sci-fi horror that’s rated R for a reason. Hawke said the following during a group interview Monday in Beverly Hills, CA and I completely agree:
“I think what’s good about this movie is it’s the first post-adolescent vampire movie in a long time. It’s an R-rated vampire movie. I remember being a kid and sleeping over at my friend’s house and staying up late and watching the Isabelle Adjani Nosferatu. Vampire movies are supposed to be secret and bad. They should be rated R.”
Hawke plays the character of vampire Edward Dalton who is a researcher in year 2019. Vampires have taken over the world and pushed the human population to near extinction. While the government is trying to capture every last remaining human and farm them for their blood, Dalton the scientist is trying to come up with a suitable blood substitute in time before the last drop of human blood runs out. And of course, there is the requisite band of rogue humans and covert vampires that have come up with a miracle cure that will save humanity (hopefully).
For me, the most fun thing about this film is the fact that vampires end up turning into some sort of terrifying vampire-mutant hybrid if they drink their own blood. And since some vampires who can’t afford the real thing are resorting to this measure that means there’s a handful of nasty monsters running around that both humans and vampires need to be afraid of. You’ll see what I mean in the attack clip below. You can’t help but chuckle when you hear Hawke’s vampire character let out a manly yelp when he sees the vampire-mutant.
The first clip shows a scene where the covert gang of humans accidentally get into a car accident with the scientist Dalton and he helps them out of a sticky situation. The second clip kicks your adrenaline up a notch since it shows what happens when you start splashing human blood all over your apartment.
We’ll see what the mainstream thinks, but Daybreakers definitely has the makings of a cult hit.
I’ve noticed a major factor in the post-Twilight craze over vampires is the idea presented that all vampires are beautiful… handsome… super sexy and just so darn alluring. Which makes them perfect addictions for mainstream culture. I find this Twilight-era of pushing “pretty” vamps is a bit overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I agree one hundred percent that vampires intrinsically possess a haunting and hypnotic quality. It’s an aura humans find irresistible… a sort of carnal call to our blood and bodies. But what I LOVE about this concept… what is so intriguing about it is that vampires are so addicting even though they aren’t stunningly good-looking. They’re supposed to look average. Or even lesser than if they’re letting their demon side show.
Think back in the day to European folklore and Nosferatu. Both pretty well summed up as 1) pale and 2) hideous. Vampires were something that villagers didn’t understand so it was necessary to describe their appearances as such ugly ducklings to warn people not to walk alone very late at night. Or else you might end up torn apart. Or pale and hideous.
Luckily with Bram Stoker’s Dracula there came a shift in vampiric appeal – vampires that were pretty decent looking, but primarily they just knew how to work it. It was the air about them that was oh-so-enticing: the confidence (you would have it too if you were immortal), the silkiness, the power, the seductive attitude. And maybe most important – the hypnotic eyes. Irresistible.
But I’m not naive. I know that such depictions of only decent-looking vampires would never survive in Hollywood. (It would be difficult to fool the mind without fooling the eyes on screen.) BUT then I think about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Blade films and I think, well kudos to them for keeping the “pretty vamp” thing under control. In Blade, the vampires pretty much looked like everyone else except they had fangs. But you couldn’t help but be dazzled by their power – coolness – and ease with which they could rip your arm off.
And just look at Buffy where many of the vampires are supposed to look like your average human before they were turned. Not only that, the most important idea is that their human face is always masking their true vampire face… an appearance that is completely demonic since it represents their true evil nature. (Because let’s not forget that what makes a vampire such is the lack of a human soul. The idea is that they have no moral inhibitions and are therefore more free than any of us will ever know how to be is what results in their evil deeds.)
Below are pictures of my eternal undead love, Spike (aka William the Bloody from Buffy):
In his angel face…
And his real one when he’s not so happy…
Not very pretty in the above. But even in his demon face, everything that Spike did still had such a strong magnetic quality. I was always hypnotized by him.
Vampires are supposed to be raw, and sometimes it’s refreshing to see the ugly. It’s fun.
My favorite holiday… ALL HALLOW’S EVE… is upon us once again. I do enjoy October 31st so. It’s when I get to release my inner Vampire Girl out to play. Every Halloween I typically start my day mid-afternoon with a choice flick from my vampire film archives. It really gets me in the right mindset for the rest of the evening. Then two of my best girlfriends (both Wiccans) usually come over for a seance or two. I don’t believe in these rituals so much as they do, but I must admit it’s very calming and brings me a lot of peace. After the ceremonies and a light meal, we wait for it to get dark and then it’s time to frolic into the evening.
Now of course this night is all about dressing to impress and stepping out of your usual comfort zone. I love admiring what characters individuals adopt for the night. Sometimes it’s very telling of the person’s hidden desires. At the same time, I’m not quite sure when Halloween became an excuse for women to dress as scandalously as possible to the point where it becomes painful to look at. It’s possible for ladies to look sexy and classy – and most importantly… seductive for the evening. I’m a firm believer in that. I think Halloween is not to be an evening of naughty mayhem. It’s more an opportunity for people to explore their darker sensibilities in a coy, playful manner. And be comfortable. (Since that sort of thing usually makes people very uncomfortable.)
Usually I think the best dress ensembles for the evening come from variations of things you would be able to wear normally. I really despise costume material. They look so contrived and cartoon-ish. In the rare case where the picture on the bag is correct and the costume does flatter your figure, somehow it always looks somewhat cheap to me. My recommended solution is to go to your local used clothing or vintage store to sift through the racks and see what you can pull together. Lucky for me, Halloween gives me the perfect opportunity to rummage in the back of my closet and bring out all the pieces I used to wear back in my darker days.
Do not look like Elvira this year. For the life of me I don’t understand who would ever find these outfits alluring. PARTICULARLY if you’re looking to adopt a vampire persona. I have yet to see a good vampire look come from a costume bag:
… I cry a little inside when I see outfits like these running about on Halloween.
Word of advice, to achieve the vampire look and persona… it’s all about the face, eyes and attitude. A vampire girl in a burlap sack is still going to look seductive if she believes it and plays it coy. Maybe that’s what’s been missing from the Halloween aura recently. People are more interested in partying hard than immersing themselves in a different doppelganger persona for the evening. Pity.
Anyways, vampire girls everywhere should look to the following dark beauties for inspiration this Halloween… they’re truly breath-taking:
Cheers to a haunting and lovely evening for All Hallow’s Eve!
For female vampires wondering how to pull off a strong look, the following video tutorial is highly recommended:
The story: Monami (aka. Vampire Girl) gives a boy, Mizushima, a Valentine’s Day chocolate filled with her own blood so that when he eats it he transforms into an immortal like her. (Lucky him.) There’s a love triangle twist to this story as this transformation makes Mizushima’s current overbearing girlfriend Keiko very upset since she wants him to herself. Keiko attacks Monami and in the process falls off a roof and dies… but not for long as she is brought back to life by her mad scientist father as Frankenstein girl. The rest of the film is the gory epic battle between Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl as they each try to claim Mizushima for their own.
Needless to say this Japanese gore fest of a film is off-the-wall. I’m sure the plot could play out without vampires or Frankenstein monsters involved since carnage and violence seem to be the main themes. But the vampire storyline adds a nice touch and since the title character shares the same moniker as me, I feel compelled to discuss it.
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl is pure mayhem and bloodbath by director Yoshihiro Nishimura. There’s no social commentary aspect in this one. And if there’s supposed to be then I missed it somewhere in between watching a High School girl’s skin being torn from her skull and the 10+ minutes of blood spurting out of the neck slow-mo action. This film is a messy, uber-violent, entrails-filled chaos picture that will make you drop your jaw at the absurdity of it all and perhaps slightly avert your eyes at the excess blood and carnage.
This is an ultra-tame scene from the film.
I like bloody pics. I really do. Excessive Japanese-style bloodshed (think Tarantino’s “Kill Bill”) amuses me and gives me the giggles. Yet perhaps because I’m not quite into the Japanese sub-culture movement or maybe because this film is so deranged that I felt slightly queasy during some especially graphic moments. Nothing to do with vampire allusions I assure you, it’s really the brazen and maniacal violence that’s hard to stomach. And this film is definitely not for the casual observer. The offensiveness will be a turn-off and the low-budget “look” of the film (which looks like it was all shot on a standard camcorder) is sure to make people mistake it for cheap trash. The fight choreography is truly terrible.
In addition to the relationship triangle story, there are random character development narratives from the two separate groups in the school. One group of girls compete in wrist-cutting competitions and another group of girls practice a strange version of African-American culture where they paint themselves in black faces, wear discount Chaka Khan costumes and worship Obama. These narratives were so bizarre – I think this is where social commentary may have come into play. Like it was supposed to parody sub-cultures in Japan. Perhaps.
There’s an overwhelming amount of films about Dracula out there. As I’m reflecting on all the films I’ve seen thus far, most of them are pretty mediocre. I know when most people consider a Dracula film, the first title that usually pops in their head is Francis Ford Coppola’s interpretation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Remember it? Dracula is played by Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder features as his eternal love, Mina Harker.
They're a handsome couple, but this is not the best Dracula re-telling.
Maybe I set my expectations too high when I first saw this film, but I didn’t feel anything while watching it or after it was over. Many people loved it. I suspect their opinions were swayed after seeing Francis Ford Coppola highlight as the director. (He was responsible for the Godfather’s after all.)
To be fair, the overall cinematography of this film was beautifully done – it LOOKED great. It also faithfully follows Bram Stoker’s original Dracula story. What didn’t I like about it? I felt more than a few scenes were extremely slow-moving and over-dramatized. Also, it was just such a faithful rendition of the Dracula story… nothing new or intriguing to spark my imagination. This kills me since I’m a very story-driven person.
Hence, I was so thoroughly amazed the first time I watched Dracula 2000. I immediately fell in love with the Dracula myth presented in this film and it still reigns in my heart as THE explanation of how Dracula came into being and why vampires exist. Plus, Gerard Butler lends his dark good looks for the role of Dracula. (He’s the same actor who played the Phantom in the musical film version of Phantom of the Opera, representing yet another dark tortured soul who steals my heart.)
Gerard Butler as Dracula
Though this is not Dracula's leading lady, it's still a nice shot.
**PROCEED WITH CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD**
If you saw the trailer for this film you’re probably casting distrustful eyes in my direction. I whole-heartedly agree that the trailer for this film was horrendous – to be nice. It was so bad that even though I found a clip of it on YouTube, I cannot bear to include it here. And yes overall, the film itself was nothing spectacular. It was predictable, contained some pretty cheesy dialogue at times and didn’t do justice to Butler’s acting skills. The characters (vampires and non-vampires) were pretty flat and I basically went along with the film’s superficial ride to get my vampire+blood media fix for the week. That is – until the final 20 mins or so of the film when Dracula discloses his mysterious origins… then I was hooked.
I'm addicted to vampires and blood. This is where I'll share my musings on vampiric film and TV, as well as other thoughts on vampire culture. Read my ramblings - I could think endlessly about vampires and other divine creatures of the night.
The story: Monami (aka. Vampire Girl) gives a boy, Mizushima, a Valentine’s Day chocolate filled with her own blood so that when he eats it he transforms into an immortal like her. (Lucky him.) There’s a love triangle twist to this story as this transformation makes Mizushima’s current overbearing girlfriend Keiko very upset since she wants him to herself. Keiko attacks Monami and in the process falls off a roof and dies… but not for long as she is brought back to life by her mad scientist father as Frankenstein girl. The rest of the film is the gory epic battle between Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl as they each try to claim Mizushima for their own.
