Open Forum Friday: Are You Sick of Vampires Yet?
Well it only took about a year, but I think we are finally starting to approach the point of total vampire overload. The resurgence of bloodsuckers in pop culture started a year or so ago with the start of the Twilight movie franchise and Alan Ball’s True Blood series on HBO, and has steadily increased with studios scrambling to cash in on the trend in any way possible. The CW is launching a teen-oriented series this fall called The Vampire Diaries (based on another series of young adult books), while the second season of True Blood premieres just over a week from now. A new Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie may be in development. Guillermo Del Toro just released the first volume of a series of vampire novels he is co-writing called The Strain. The anime Blood: The Last Vampire is being turned into a live action feature film. There is even word that Sam Raimi wants the villain for Spider-Man 4 to be Morbius (the living vampire). Isn’t this all getting to be a bit much?
To be fair, it’s not like vampire stories had completely disappeared in the years prior to this new wave… they’ve always been around, but just never quite concentrated together all at one time. While there is still plenty of room for new takes on the mythology (Let The Right One In is proof of this), I can’t help but start to feel a little worn out and cynical about the whole thing. Considering the disdain that a lot of people have for Twilight, I don’t think I’m alone in this. Are you a fan of vampires? Are you starting to get sick of seeing them everywhere, or can there never be enough? Will the trend be dead by the time the Twilight: New Moon hits theaters?? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (33)
I wouldn’t mind if the what we were seeing was the second coming of Jesse Hooker and his crew (or similar) but the vamps we’re getting are DULL. Sorry to the fans but seriously a vampire clan that glitters? Jesus. Where are the kick ass vampires. I’d even take Max and the Santa Carla clan over some of the new blood.
Posted by Byron on June 5th, 2009I’m not sick of vampire movies. I am sick of this shit that Anne Rice started, which is basically the pussification of vampires; some doomed psychologically damaged asshole whining about his plight as a bloodsucker. I’m tired of the vampire being the foppish homo prancing around the countryside looking to true love, or the Emo looking colossal cocksucker that appeals to teenage girls.
I hope we’re not sick of vampires yet. We are knee deep in pre-production on something that is planned to be a direct reaction against this current trend and an attempt to bring the vampire back as a true monster.
Posted by Phil G on June 5th, 2009Yeah, I hope not too. Also in pre-production of a vamp movie. Very different from what we’ve been getting mainstream lately, however.
Posted by Brett on June 5th, 2009‘Emo looking colossal cocksucker that appeals to teenage girls’ LOL!!!
Overload yes, original no.
Thanks, but i’d rather watch Martin, Salems Lot, Fright Night, Lost Boys, Etc Over the current lot
Posted by Nemesis on June 5th, 2009I’m very sick of vampires films….they are getting as old as zombie films.
Posted by Matt Keith on June 5th, 2009@ Mark Keith. Fair comment but at least directors are taking Zombie movies in slightly different directions. Shaun of the dead, Dawn of the dead (remake) and Rec are quite different from each other (IMO) as opposed to Vamps…Phil G is right about the “Emo looking colossal cocksucker that appeals to teenage girls”
Severen would have drained that Bella bitch at first sight.
Posted by Byron on June 5th, 2009Not only am I sick of vampires, but I’m sick of vampires fighting werewolves. I’m also sick of zombies at this point. Fast zombies, slow zombies, pet zombies, non-zombie rage victims, etc, etc, etc. Lets get some different monster movies out there. When’s the last time we saw a movie monster as original and with as much staying power as say the Alien or Predator? All I can think of in recent memory are Cloverfield, The Host, Slither, and The Mist. More monsters!!!
Posted by Rian on June 5th, 2009I wonder … I mean the remedy to the vampires are cool anti-heroes would have to be some kind of anti-vampire movie. But that is what vampire movies used to be. I guess you could fight fire with fire and remind people that the idea of a vampire is one of a weak pathetic parasite on humanity and not some lofty romantic heroic figure.
Posted by Ian on June 5th, 2009I’ve been sick of vampires for many many years. Occasionally something good like Let The Right One In comes along that plays with the material.
Posted by swarez on June 5th, 2009I have to recommend Bottom Feeder by Bob Fingerman, great vampire novel that takes the piss out of Anne Rice and her ilk.
I was sick of vampires even before this latest vampire fad started. I don’t know, for some reason I don’t think vampires are scary or have ever been. And all of these vampire mythologies seem incredibly boring and cheesey, not to mention unoriginal. What I hate the most is female vampires trying to act both scary and sexy at the same time. You know, the fiendiesh smile and licking of the side of the mouth, while writhing around. There aren’t too many things in movies hokeyier than that. H
Posted by Matt on June 5th, 2009owever zombies or rage-infected humans are ok with me. Especially with the 28 blank Later movies and the umcoming World War Z.
I’m getting sick of my housemates’ giddiness over the upcoming start of the second season of “True Blood”.
How can they watch this shit!? ;__;
Posted by Falsk on June 5th, 2009I’m not sick of Vampires, then again I havn’t had to sit through anything Twilight related. Really the only vampire related material I’ve seen have been Let the Right One In (great) and True Blood (fun), so no, I’m not sick yet. If Hollywood cranks out any more and I actually find myself seeing them I may get sick of them.
Posted by MJS on June 5th, 2009@Falsk
True Blood’s a guilty pleasure. The whole time I was watching it I knew it was just a supernatural soap opera, but damn is it addictive.
Posted by mrbenning on June 5th, 2009The only good vampire is a dead vampire.
Posted by Shut-Up Ed on June 5th, 2009I Love Chris Sarandon in Fright Night. So NO!
chuck
Posted by entertainmenttodayandbeyond on June 5th, 2009Vampires are over done, ghey and watered down….not necessarily in that order.
Posted by Tomas on June 5th, 2009I’ll be watching True Blood regardless of the fact that vampires are played out. Good tv is good tv.
Also, why did no one complain about zombies being way more played out? Perhaps because there is no zombie equivalent to Twilight?
Posted by Ryan M. on June 5th, 2009“Perhaps because there is no zombie equivalent to Twilight?”
I dunno, there are plenty of shitty zombie films, but I get what your saying. I don’t think zombies can be romanticized they same way vampires are. The only zombie a 15 year old is going to love is the emo, xanax-popping douche in her art class.
Posted by Dave on June 6th, 2009“Perhaps because there is no zombie equivalent to Twilight?”
have you seen The Happening?
Posted by rus in chicago on June 6th, 2009Zombies weren’t the villain in The Happening; the goddamn wind was.
Bleh.
“Don’t piss off the trees! They’ll make you watch The Happening!”
Posted by Dave on June 6th, 2009The Happening is above every zombie movie ever made in terms of style and setpieces.
Posted by Henrik on June 6th, 2009The only vampire movie I remember watching was From Dusk ’till Dawn, which I liked, but with the success of the Twilight franchise the influx of vampire movies is kind of sickening. Though this is probably more for my distaste of the stereotypical Twilight fan (my sister).
On the topic of zombie movies, I used to really enjoy them (mainly the classic Romero flicks) but they lately seem to have lost something on me. I guess its just the over abundance of zombie media like what is happening now with vampires.
Posted by Nick D on June 6th, 2009I’m with Phil G on this one..
I want to see a return to the nosferatu type pure evil undead ghouls.
The Emo shit has got to go.
Really liked the way they handled Victor in the first Underworld.
Posted by damndirtyape on June 6th, 2009“The Happening is above every zombie movie ever made in terms of style and setpieces.”
Not enough facepalms in the world for that one, but I guess you’re used to it by now.
Posted by Dave on June 6th, 2009As to vampire movies….i had read the Darren Shan books, dont know if anyone is familiar with them but they were a lot of fun. I know that there was a movie in the works…even read a story on it in Empire and also some pictures from the movie. However, it seems to have stopped production or just gone down the drain – havent heard anything about it in a while, which is surprising. It would be a perfet time to release it since everyone is vampire crazy now. Anyone know whats happening with this movie?
Posted by Teo on June 7th, 2009Re: Nick D “The only vampire movie I ever saw was Dusk Till Dawn…”
You should check out “Vamp”, an eighties flick that has a similar vibe – ie, action and humor and seriously mean vampires. Plus it stars Grace Jones and it’s set in a strip joint!
I haven’t seen Twilight so can’t comment on that. As for the glut of Vamp movies, it’s nothing new. One good film in a particular genre usually greases the wheels of the band wagon that inevitably follows. This can be a good thing and a bad thing, I guess it just depends on the quality of the output.
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Posted by Marc P on June 7th, 2009I love vampires, but I am gettin tired of romanticized vampires and not enough blood sucking fiends.Modern vampires are shown as undead yuppies that need to be on some type of mood medication.
I prefer my vampires psychotic animals that can’t form sentences like 30 days of Night or vicious and rabid like Dusk till Dawn. I screenwrite and currently I’m writing an alternative to Twilight, so I think that the people in Hollywood run plots into the ground to death. I hear people talk about how vampires are sexy and live forever, well yeah but there still murders who need blood to survive.
I think vampires won’t end because of their intrigue but PLEASE stop with the SPARKLE GLITTER YUPPIE EMO ZOLOFT DEPRESSED HOMOEROTIC vampires for awhile. Vampires need to be more like Santanica from dusk and less Cullen from Twilight.
There losing there rep…..
Posted by D on June 7th, 2009We deffinately owe the success of the sudden inflation of the allure of vampires to twilight. But it’s like you said, they have always been around, we just diddn’t notice it till now. Love it or hate it, there is a major cash crop to be had out there for em, so untill the popularity disdaines it will keep on keepin on.
I agree with D. I hate the twilight vampires. By all means be alluring, be smart, be cunning, and full of whit. just because your a vampire doesn’t mean your a bummbling idiot. but don’t be this emo worthless self loathing, piece of shit that goes sparkle sparkle in the sun.
Posted by Rick on June 8th, 2009I seem to remember some zombie romanticism in Return of the Living Dead III (1993).
Posted by Mason on June 8th, 2009Êà÷àåì áåñïëàòíî ìîé íîâûé ðåìèêñ!
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Posted by dj_super_promo_remix on July 18th, 2009To be fair though, Twilight did suck, but The Vampire Diaries what-cha-ma-call-it looks like how they should have done twilight. I wish that it had come out before twilight. I get the feeling though that werewolves are being left out. lol. All that I ask is that every good looking teen on tv not be a vampire. Is that too much?
Posted by Jessica on July 19th, 2009I think that those of us who are sick of vampires need a support group. or a section in the library and bookstore, ya know, like the section will be called “These are NOT about vampires!” Lol. But hey, read my blog.
Posted by sh00dotz on September 7th, 2009Im glad the whole vampire theme has been oversaturated, that means its going to die off sooner. Everyone knows as soon as something reaches its peak popularity, it will suddenly take a huge dive because people who were so obsessed with the trend will get bored with it. If they had spaced out the movies and shows, i think it will have lasted a lot longer. My niece was sickeningly obsessed with that emo blockbuster cry for help “twilight” and she ate up anything and everything ‘vampire’, now she is showing signs of getting sick of vampires and i couldnt be happier, if i had to sit thru one more movie about whiny ass emo love thirsty night freaks i think i would end up burning any post-”30 days of night’ vampire flick i could get my hands on.
Posted by Brandon on October 18th, 2009Leave a Reply