Sex and the Vampire

I have some eroticism in The House on Blackstone Moor, and I have a hell of a lot of sex scenes in Unholy Testament, Books 1 and 2 which will follow. Well, its chief protagonist is a sin-loving, debauched demon.

Here's my question: why do we find, those of us who love vampire lit, vampires so sexy? In Bram Stoker's Dracula, let's face it, we all swooned at certain scenes. There is even an implied eroticism in the novel, Dracula. I mean how do we know what those brides of his get up to?

Let's face it, I think I can categorically state that no one really wants to crawl into bed with Nosferatu (either version), okay?

I've had some great comments from women saying how very much they loved Christopher Lee's portrayal of Dracula but how they'd have preferred if it was sexed up a bit. I agree.

I prefer my vampires to be more dangerous and not sparkle, And hey! Dangerous can be damned sexy! DANGEROUS can be a very potent aphrodisiac.

The demon vampire, Eco who appears in both my books, but is featured in the second, says: 'Evil is its own aphrodisiac.' Well let me say right now in case you don't know, Eco is never without a wide array of sexual partners!

Let's not be misled though. There are many debates over what vampires should or should not be.

My opinion is that vampires as depicted in fiction can be whatever the reader wishes them to be. It's a broad enough sub-genre.

My preference is for Anne Rice sorts of vampires, interesting beings with depth and a range of emotions, with histories and personalities. And because they are so vivid and real they are haunting. I don't think I will ever forget the child vampire, Claudia in Interview with the Vampire.

The vampires I read and enjoy writing about are as different from one another as we are from one another. Why should it be different for them?

What I think makes them sexual beings is the perception that the rules that govern us don't apply to them. They call the shots. They indulge in excess, perhaps acting out our own fantasies. I'd have loved to have asked
Bram Stoker a question or two.

Here's a suggestion: the next time you're doing the laundry or seasoning a chicken promise me that when you finish you'll pick up a book about vampires and allow yourself to be drawn into their dark and dangerous world.



In books anything goes, we can assimilate into any world we like. Our dreams are our own and if we choose to dream of wildly sensual romps with vampires, so be it.


By the way, who dreams of zombies?

Guest Post: Scott S. Phillips, Screenwriter and Novelist!

First off, I owe Carole a big thank you, not just for letting me write this guest post for her blog, but for some very valuable guidance and support. Thanks, Carole -- I sure appreciate it!

A little background: I've worked as a professional screenwriter for about 17 years now — my first produced script was a movie called DRIVE, (the one with Mark Dacascos, not the Ryan Gosling flick). Amazingly, DRIVE was recently named “The Best American Martial Arts Movie Ever Made” by Kung Fu Cinema. Since then I’ve written several other movies and a dozen episodes of the CW Network TV series KAMEN RIDER DRAGON KNIGHT. Along the way I’ve written a couple novels, including SQUIRREL EYES, a darkly funny tale of obsession, lust, pop culture and filmmaking.

I’ve been a big supporter of independent media from the time I was a kid — one of my favorite movies is NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, which George Romero made (in Pittsburgh!) in the late 1960s. I’m also a big fan of director John Cassavetes, who not only independently financed several of his movies, he handled the distribution himself. And then there’s the indie comic books I grew up on, stuff like Dave Sim’s CEREBUS and Richard and Wendy Pini’s ELFQUEST. Because of all that early exposure to indie artists, I’m a huge fan of the ebook revolution, and I’ve released several books independently, including my short story collection, TALES OF MISERY AND IMAGINATION.

What brought me to this guest post is the novel I’m currently writing: PETE, DRINKER OF BLOOD — an urban fantasy story of a reluctant vampire named Pete Tyler, a blue-collar guy who was “turned” in 1973 and has kind of become stuck in time. Pete stays out of trouble by living a solitary existence, dining on a specialized menu, and avoiding the other vampires in Los Angeles. Those vampires hang out at a place called Club Emoglobin, but Pete prefers The Starbucket, a seedy Sunset Strip dive across the street. Pete’s simple life goes haywire when he falls for Angie, the cute bartender — and when Carson Fitzgerald (the sinister vampire who turned them all) returns to Hollywood, all hell breaks loose.

I’m releasing PETE as a serial novel — one installment a month, eight total. I chose to do the book in this form while writing a comic book mini-series called SINBAD, ROGUE OF MARS (look for the first issue from Bluewater Comics in August), and it occurred to me that SINBAD was one story, broken into four parts, each released monthly. I’d been wanting to play around with the ebook form, and the serial format seemed like a perfect way to do that. At this point, the first three installments of PETE are available, with part 4 coming in mid-May.

I’m having a terrific time writing PETE, DRINKER OF BLOOD. I’ve had the story kicking around my head since 1999, when I was living a bit of a solitary existence of my own in Hollywood. If you dig vampires, slightly awkward romance, classic rock, and a fair amount of humor in your urban fantasy, I hope you’ll give PETE a look.

 

Scott's published work:

Pete, Drinker of Blood (parts 1-3)  at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=pete%2C+drinker+of+blood

And at Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ScottPhillipsNM


Be sure to visit Pete at his website:


http://www.rattleandblast.com/


Thanks for your time, and thanks again, Carole!

It is my pleasure, Scott. Thank you for this post, I loved it.

Farewell, Jonathan Frid!

I can't believe it really. I can't believe two things, that Mr. Frid was 87 and that he's gone!

What I do remember is rushing home after school to watch Dark Shadows, everyday. What a show it was! It stimulated and inspired my writing and my love of gothic horror.

I am finding this news particularly sad as well because I had a blog post recently, asking if people were Fridys or Deppys. He originated the role and will be remembered for that.

Mr. Frid was a Shakespearn actor as well. I guess that was why his acting was so superb, particularly for the role of Barnabas Collins. He just always seemed so accomplished, so very perfect for the role: his voice, his demeanor. Each segment of the show was expertly performed.


Perhaps his training at the Yale School of Drama and the Royal Academy of Arts in London had something to do with it.

Dark Shadows was, without doubt, the most original soap opera ever. It was gothic horror/romance and it was on Monday to Friday. I mean I was in heaven as were countless other fans!

He wasn't in it from the start. He was brought in when the ratings began to slip a bit. But then he came and it was magic.

He starrred in 600 episodes. He received 6,000 fan letters a week. I think he must have been one of the most popular actors ever.

This from his New York Times Obituary about his acting in Dark Shadows:

“I’d get this long-lost look on my face,” he told The Hamilton Spectator in 2000. “ ‘Where is my love? Where is my love?,’ it seemed to say. Actually, it was me thinking: ‘Where the hell is the teleprompter? And what’s my next line?’ ”

Here's a clip for you so you can all recall and appreciate once again, the amazing Jonathan Frid. You will never be forgotten, Mr. Frid. Never, ever.



A further note: he makes an appearance in the new Dark Shadows.

I shall miss you, Jonathan Frid!

Natalie G. Owens Guest Post: Touching Horror

Touching horror



 

As a person I’m always one to look at the positive things. In fact, I feel saddened when I hear people complain about little things, and when I fall into that trap – for who doesn’t at some point? – I chide myself for not being appreciative and get on a different track. As a result of my optimistic outlook, I always thought that as a writer it’s my duty to make others feel good, to give them a few hours of escapism from a difficult world.



I still believe this. I still want to put a smile on someone’s face and let lightheartedness happily zip through them while they’re reading the words I’ve penned.



Yet, something inside me puts up a bit of a fight because I can’t help injecting the dark into my plots and characters. It is as though an invisible hand is guiding me, and I am helpless in its grip. Horror and romance… darkness and light… are they mutually exclusive?



Which leads me into…



The brand of horror that I gravitate towards. Until I wrote A Kind of Judgment I’d never written a story of horror before. I also used to think (wrongly, of course) that horror as a genre involved lots of blood, gore and perhaps vampires or zombies. I did always love the old-fashioned gothic tales set in the Victorian era, a fascinating period where the Occult and other mysteries were extensively explored. Based on this, I realized that there need not be blood or mutilated body parts for a story to be frightening… and that the horror genre can be as diverse, colorful and interesting as one could possibly imagine.



In fact, in A Kind of Judgment there is not even a drop shed, a throat slit, or a head axed. The story that came to me was drawn from life, and, as some reviewers noted, derives from a type of horror that is completely plausible. For this is the type of horror that I find truly frightening – a lost life, a past of tragedy and regret, a forgettable present, and a hopeless future. It is the tragic circumstance of the human condition that fascinates me in its detail – the failings of the individual spirit, and the consequences of flawed decisions.



I cannot dwell on such misfortune for too long because it truly distresses me. But I found that even in romantic plots, having a few ounces of heartbreak, a worthy baggage of misfortune – not silly misgivings – makes for deep, compelling characters. Thus, claiming that happy resolution can be so much sweeter after one has touched horror in some way. A happy ending is then deserved, as well as better understood.



In A Kind of Judgment, though, there is no romance. It was one of those types of stories that gave me no easy answer. It surprised me greatly that I was compelled to write something like this because each time I re-read this story my heart breaks a little more. I had to tell it, though, because somewhere in this world (perhaps next door or a block down from you) exists a woman just like Lena, with the same hopes and fears, the same fate, and the same damaged life. Here, I acknowledged Lena’s horror, simply commiserated with her and accepted her, because adding a rose lining to her story would have been both untrue and insulting.



So, what do you consider truly frightening horror? In what way has horror touched you, or have you touched horror? The kind of horror that doesn’t let you sleep at night…



A KIND OF JUDGMENT is available for download now on Amazon



US - http://www.amazon.com/A-Kind-of-Judgment-ebook/dp/B007N33PL8/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1



UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Kind-of-Judgment-ebook/dp/B007N33PL8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333115938&sr=1-1



Blurb:

A Kind of Judgment, a short tale of horror.

 A vignette of noir fiction, if you will.

 Life can be Hell...

A single choice is like a hidden hand of cards that can lead to victory or downfall. Born in the rural South, Lena finds herself half way across the world decades after escaping abuse and neglect. Now, she faces the demons of her past while a terrible darkness awaits.



About Natalie:



Natalie writes stories of romance, suspense, paranormal and horror, sometimes set in exotic locations. She got her first taste of serious writing in her teens by penning poetry, short stories, and articles for college and local publications. At university, she trained as a lawyer. In 2006, she started freelancing as a writer and editor, and later still, she finally turned to thinking up plots and talking to her characters when everyone else was asleep. She sold her first story to an e-publisher in 2007.

Natalie is married and has one son. She spent 11 years in Atlanta, Georgia, but since 2009 she calls the beautiful island of Malta home. When she isn't working or writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, watching a good movie, taking trips, and most of all, reading. Her tastes in books are eclectic, but she possesses an extensive collection of romance and mystery novels, both in print and on e-reader. She loves to meet other authors and readers. Her strong belief is that creativity shouldn't be put in a neat little box. All writers should write what's in their heart - as long as they give it their best.

Website: http://www.nataliegowens.com



Facebook profile page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=563297082



Facebook author page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Natalie-G-Owens-Author/24911987111)



Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/natalie_g_owens (@natalie_g_owens)

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4527498-natalie-g-owens




Thank you so much, Natalie!

The Opposite of Desire is Death

es

My favorite play is A Streetcar Named Desire, not horror at all or is it?

It is a kind of horror. It is horror for the character, Blanche DuBois who is teetering on the edge of madness; who has come to visit her sister hoping to steady herself just at the edge of her own personal abyss.

Sadly, she doesn't. Her worst enemy in the guise of her sister's husband is there to help push her over. Stanley Kowalski is her devil, this, her last visit before the madhouse, is pure horror.

This is a play to be savored for many reasons. One of which is my very favorite line in which Blanche states:

"The opposite of desire is death...!"

Ah yes, death—but what if a being was undead; undead and condemned to exist through no fault of their own?

My character, Louis Darton is one such tortured being; loving and desiring yet not wishing to drag forth a girl, he loves, into his undead world.

My novel, The House on Blackstone Moor has this love and desire as its central point.

There is love amongst the damnation, a yearning for something beautiful. That yearning is desire, the opposite of death for vampiric creatures, existing and loving and desiring in their undead world.

What could be more tragic? Yet it is fascinating. And because it is, it becomes an addiction for so many of us, and what is an addiction really but a kind of desire?

Desire and death, perhaps not opposite at all in the world of the undead!

Special thank you, to Kathryn Blake for some terrific in-put.

Interview with A Zombie AUTHOR (Armand Rosamilia)

Armand's Blog Tour!

Q 1 It finally happened. You wake up one morning and all of Florida is full of the walking dead. No, not retirees the real, decomposing zombies you always wrote about. What do you do first?!

  I'd like to give you this big speech about fortifying the house, grabbing my cache of weapons from under the floorboards, and figuring I had sixteen years of canned goods stockpiled in my panic room. In actuality, I'd pull out a bag of M&M's and sit on the couch and watch TV until they came for me. Seems like too much work. And for what? There's no more pizza delivery in the zombie apocalypse.




Q 2 Do you kill off people you hate in your fiction? And if so, details!
Would you like to kill people off you hate in your fiction (if you don’t

already)?


Oh, I kill off people all the time. I have two ex-wives, and they've both met horrible deaths (in fiction, of course). I've probably killed off most people that rubbed me the wrong way over the years, but the fun thing about people: they keep pissing you off, so you can keep killing them.



 Q 3 What would be your own particular hell?

 The power goes out and the battery on the laptop fails, right in the middle of a great cene I'm writing. And it doesn't back it up. And it never comes back on.



Q 4 In Britain there are a lot of parties that put candidates up for office. All you have to do is have a deposit.
There was for example, The Monster Raving Loony Party which used to get votes sometimes!

Now here’s the question: Would you like to see a Zombie Party? Perhaps you could suggest one for the UK?

 
You people are bollocks over there! (is that a real word, or just something on a Sex Pistols album I owned?). I would like a Zombie Tea Party (which, of course, is the name of my zombie short story collection book - what a great subtle promotional spot!).



Q 5 What is your biggest secret and are you telling the truth?

Six months of not working a 'normal' job has made me fatter and lazier, but I wouldn't give up a writing life for anything. I suppose I'll eventually have to but I'll go kicking and screaming. Believe it or not.


 Q 6 What was the most shocking thing a fan ever told or wrote to you?

I once got a severed head in a box. Wait, that had nothing to do with my writing. I had a fan write because she was on a fixed income but someone gave her a $5 Amazon gift card in a contest and she bought "Dying Days" with it and loved it. She went on and on and it made me feel great. I even wrote her and her family into a story, and sent her copies of "Darlene Bobich: Zombie Killer" and "Dying Days 2" when they came out.




 Q 7 If there was a game show (as in the Running Man (but for authors) what would you agree to do to reach number one on the NYT best seller list? What sort of ordeal would you be willing to endure?

 

I would do absolutely nothing that involved me physically moving from my desk chair, and I refuse to sweat, talk unless I have to, or waste time blinking. Other than that, I would slowly barbeque Blaze McRob over an open spit but don't know if I would eat him. Unless it was a top twenty NYT best seller placement. Top fifty, who am I kidding?





Q 8 What was the scariest thing that ever happened to you?

 Besides getting married twice? Not much. I've lived a pretty normal life, although in my younger days I was a bit of a bad ass and got into many fights. I had this cricket bat (hard, solid wood) and I'd use that to hurt people… I've said too much.




Q 9 There are those who claim to be real vampires. In your opinion do you think there are people who think they really are zombies?  

I think the idiots (er, people) who think they are real vampires are, well, idiots. I've been to New York City and seen the crack heads in the alleys, so I've seen real zombies.




Q 10 A question you don’t have to answer:
Are there political parties that are more zombie-like than others?

I am so apolitical it's scary. At 42 years old I have successfully been naïve about politics as long as I could, and won't discuss it. Stop talking about it. Enough.



Oops, sorry!




Q 11 If your books were made into films who should direct?

Ridley Scott has already decided to do all of the "Dying Days" movies, with Wynona Ryder starring as Darlene Bobich and Johnny Depp as John Murphy. Or none of that is real, I can't remember.





Q 12 If someone wrote a zombie love story (think sparkly zombies) that became hugely popular would you commit murder?!

 Very much so. That would signify the zombie genre as being officially dead (not undead) and then we'd move onto mummies (and then sparkly mummies).



Q 13 And last but not least, if you could star in a zombie film which one would it be and why?

A true life account of a man who sits on a couch, watching TV and eating M&M's while zombies kill everyone else in the world… it will be called "Zombie M&M Apocalypse"… directed by Ridley Scott.




Thank you for this interview! Now about that severed head...?!

 

Monster Face Off By Julianne Snow!

I am so honored to be stopping on Carole Gill’s site as a part of my book tour for Days with the Undead: Book One. As a huge fan of hers, I was delighted to hear the news! Like myself, Carole writes about all of the things that go bump in the night and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if a Zombie-Vampire-Werewolf war were to commence, who would claim victory?



Monster Face Off: Zombies vs. Werewolves vs. Vampires

In a war fought only by zombies, werewolves and vampires, who would win? Is there one supernatural creature that would reign supreme? In order to answer that question, we must first consider each of the creatures in turn.



The Zombie: The modern archetype of the Zombie is rooted deep in the genre. Zombies are undead; that’s fairly simple to ascertain. They are plagued with a voracious hunger, they never stop to rest, and they move whether it’s night or day. They have no preference in whom they will kill and they can add to their ranks with a single, infected bite. The Zombie exists with no subtlety, no brains, and absolutely no subterfuge. That makes them pretty formidable, but how will they stack up against the Vampire or the Werewolf?



The Werewolf: Again, let’s consider the modern archetypes from literature and books. Werewolves are shape shifters; they do not remain in their wolven forms for the duration of their lifespan. Generally thought to be slaves to the lunar cycles, some werewolves change form at the most inopportune times while others can control when they shift. They are portrayed as supernaturally strong with a keen intelligence and highly developed senses. They have the ability to evade other predators or creatures but they do have their weaknesses; silver is thought to harm them, even kill them. In some cases the werewolf is invincible, proving to be a remarkable adversary, but the reality is that they can be killed. It is accepted in some circles that a bite form a werewolf can be enough to infect you with the “werewolf virus” while in others, it’s hereditary. The Werewolf is a worthy rival but how would they fare against the undead creatures known as Vampires and Zombies?



The Vampire: The modern archetype of the Vampire casts them as an undead creature of the night. They are intelligent and strong but have their fair share of weakness, the biggest of which is their aversion to sunlight. As a result, they can only hunt and kill their prey during nocturnal hours and making them vulnerable to sneak attacks during the day. Vampires are not easily killed but it is possible; exposure to sunlight, decapitation and the handy wooden stake through the heart are all recognized ways to slay them. The only way to add to the Vampiric ranks is via the transfer of infected blood from a Vampire into a non-infected human. But can the suave Vampire hold its own against the Zombie and the Werewolf?



Given what we know about these supernatural creatures, it’s only safe to assume that the first to go would likely be the Werewolf. While they can evade and hunt during the day, they can be infected by the single bite of a Zombie or a well-placed blow from a Vampire. That is not to say that each and every time the Werewolf would lose the fight, it’s just more likely that they will join the ranks of the Zombie undead before eradicating either of the two foes. It should be noted that a Werewolf Zombie is a pretty interesting idea as well as a scary thought. Mortality will always lose its foothold first.



The second supernatural creature likely to succumb would be the Vampire. Their inability to fight during the day makes them an easy target. There is always the chance that the Undead would stumble across the locales they have chosen to hide their coffins or other sleeping compartments. It is also beneficial to note that wars rarely happen on schedule – none of the other supernatural creatures are going to cease fighting just because the Vampire needs to go to bed. That’s not the way it works. It should be noted that one bite from a Zombie could result in the Vampire Zombie. New hybrids have the potential to make the war irrelevant.



Does that mean that the Zombie will inherit the earth? Let’s consider this. They pursue doggedly without getting tired. Their bites can infect anything and as they tend to accumulate in larger groups, an attack on one will only result in the perpetrator getting ambushed and bogged down with many more. Vampires and Werewolves may stand a chance against them but in the end, I think the Zombie wants it more.



                                                                  

It was watching George Romero's Night of the Living Dead at the tender age of six that solidified Julianne’s respect of the Undead. Since that day, she has prepared herself for the (inevitable) Zombie Apocalypse. While classically trained in all of the ways to defend herself, she took up writing in order to process the desire she now covets; to bestow a second and final death upon the Undead. As the only girl growing up in a family with four children in the Canadian countryside, Julianne needed some form of escape. Her choice was the imaginations of others which only fostered the vibrancy of her own.




Days with the Undead: Book One is her first full-length book, the basis of which can be found in her popular web serial of the same name.

You can find Julianne’s The Living Dead of Penderghast Manor in the anthology Women of the Living Dead and stories in upcoming anthologies called Childhood Nightmares: Under The Bed and Twisted Realities: Of Myth and Monstrosity from Sirens Call Publications.

Thank you, Julianne.

What a great post!

Meet Julianne Snow Author of Days of the Undead, Book One!

Welcoming Julianne Snow on her blog tour! So pleased you stopped by!

This from her Press Release - 

Days with the Undead: Book One by Julianne Snow

 
Days with the Undead: Book One Synopsis:


It’s a journal of survival.
Five people set out to escape the Undead who have risen too close to home. Join the emotional and physical struggle as they began on the third day after the awakening of Brooks VanReit, as they are recorded from the point of view of Julie, a former pathologist and part-time survivalist.

Each entry is geared toward helping those who want to help themselves and maybe give a few that don’t a swift kick in the ass. Join our group of survivors on their journey through these Days with the Undead.

 
Date Released - February 29th, 2012

ISBN: 1468007998

ISBN-13: 978-1468007992

Excerpt:
 
"You see more and more of the Undead on the road. They’re just wandering, stumbling aimlessly forward until they hear the rumbling engine of our truck. At that point, all heads turn toward us and the grotesque tableau of the chase is on.

We’re in a moving vehicle, so we have the advantage for the most part. We just drive away. There has been the odd scary moment; wait, who I am kidding? There have been a tremendous amount of scary moments where the Undead have outnumbered us five to one and have seemed to have been able to mob the truck just at the exact moment we were passing.

It’s at its worst in the middle of the night. You have no idea they are out there, being drawn in by the headlights of the truck, until a hand or two slams against the window beside your head as you’re trying to sleep."


Available in print and digital formats.



Purchase Links - Print:


CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/3736479



Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Days-Undead-Book-Julianne-Snow/dp/1468007998/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330611569&sr=8-1



Purchase Link - Digital:


Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/137213



Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Days-Undead-Book-One-ebook/dp/B007F14OTA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330471120&sr=8-2



Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007F14OTA



Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B007F14OTA



Amazon FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B007F14OTA



Amazon ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B007F14OTA



Amazon IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B007F14OTA



About the Author - Julianne Snow


It was watching Romero's Night of the Living Dead at the tender age of six that solidified Julianne’s respect of the Undead. Since that day, she has been preparing herself for the (inevitable) Zombie Apocalypse. While classically trained in all of the ways to defend herself, she took up writing in order to process the desire she now covets; to bestow a second and final death upon the Undead. As the only girl growing up in a family with four children in the Canadian countryside, Julianne needed some form of escape. Her choice was the imaginations of others which only fostered the vibrancy of her own.

 
Days with the Undead: Book One is her first full-length book, the basis of which can be found in her popular web serial of the same name. You can find Julianne’s The Living Dead of Penderghast Manor in the anthology Women of the Living Dead and stories in upcoming anthologies called Childhood Nightmares: Under The Bed and Twisted Realities: Of Myth and Monstrosity from Sirens Call Publications.

 
Social Media Links:


Twitter: @CdnZmbiRytr



Facebook: Julianne Snow



FB Fan Page: Days with the Undead



Goodreads: Julianne Snow



Blogs: Days with the Undead & The FlipSide of Julianne

TOMORROW:

MONSTER FACE OFF BY JULIANNE!

Are You A Deppy or Fridy or Which Dark Shadows Is For You?!

PRESS FOR DARK SHADOWS THEME!

Dark Shadows Theme Song

Is this remake a travesty to you?

I think the answer might have to do with you're having been a fan of the original. I was.

Oh yes! I used to watch it while my mother diapered me (NOT)!

I liked the atmosphere and music and storylines. I liked the actors and the menace that seemed to pervade the place. And I loved Angelique and Barnabas.

They were great. Jonathan Frid was superb in the role.

When I heard about the remake and that Johnny Depp was cast in the Barnabas role, I was thrilled.

I mean Johnny Depp and Tim Burton , wow! But then I saw the trailer and didn't like the Beetlejuice feel to it. They made it comic, they changed it.

Still, I am two minds about it. As I said, I was kind of shocked to learn that it's been done as a comedy. Being a great gothic horror fan and writer of gothic horror I am disapointed I have to say.

I do think the new film will do well especially with those unfamiliar with the original t.v. series.

Also, the scenes are funny that I saw. It's genuinely entertaining.

So that makes it okay, right? Sure it does, but I'm still disappointed that they're not doing a homage to the original! I mean I grew up on it!

Let's remind ourselves what the original was about:

It was gothic personified from the music to the settings and storyline.

It gained viewers from the first but it became hugely popular when vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) appeared a year into its run. Dark Shadows also featured werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel and a parallel universe.

It made gothic horror popular and, I think, encouraged the classic gothic romances of the seventies.

I know, as young as I was, it sure stimulated me into reading and influenced my writing.

So that was it really, but times change and people's attitudes change as well so if these differences are being recognized than the new Depp version is just the ticket!

Before you leave, I'd like to know which YOU prefer. Hence, this week's poll.

Please see sidebar and tell! Tell!

Oh! And I'd love you to leave a comment as well!

My In-Depth Interview on Hot Books Daily Blogspot!

I really hope you check it out!

The questions, horror author and artist, Penelope Crowe asked were really thought-provoking!

I hope you swing by and see what I had to say. I spoke about the re-release of The House on Blackstone Moor as well what the sequel, Unholy Testament has to offer.

And if you don't know, Unholy Testament concerns a demon's accounting of all of the sins he has committed during the course of his existence.

If you're a fan of the first book, let me say that Eco has plenty to tell and evil, Eve Darton is featured prominently!

The recipient of this Unholy Testament is the woman he has fallen in love with!

Don't miss this!

http://hotbooksdaily.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/welcome-welcome-carole-gill.html?showComment=1333283584346