Vampire's Day Soiree

For all of those romantics celebrating February 14^th with hearts and candy . . . this post may not be for you. For everyone who’s said “Valentine’s Day sucks!” today, you've come to the right place.

Thanks to Holly at Holly’s Horrorland, the “V” in V-Day no longer stands for Valentine; instead it stands for Vampire! So when I say that today bites . . . I mean that literally. 

I’ve done a few posts about vampires in the past (see here), and anyone who’s ever read my blog knows that Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my all-time favorite t.v. shows. But I thought today I’d talk about a few modern vampire movies that I feel have been . . . overlooked.

Starting with Dracula 2000. I think it’s a real shame that more people haven’t seen this movie. While, yes, it does have some ridiculous parts, and some of the acting could use a little work, I think overall it deserves a little more respect than it’s probably been given. For one thing, I think Gerard Butler as Dracula was a terrific choice. He manages to be creepy and seductive at the same time, and I maintain that the scene where he walks into the record store is one of the best representations of age-old Dracula enthralling modern society. Furthermore, I think the plot of Dracula 2000 was incredibly inventive. Their twist on the original legends was unexpected and really exciting. I can’t say more without spoilers, but I definitely recommend this movie to fans of the genre.

The next movie I want to mention is Daybreakers. When it came out in 2009, I had no idea what it was about. I’d seen very few trailers or advertising. However, when I went to the theater one rainy afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised. While most vampire movies are set in our modern world with vampires living in secret, this one isn’t; rather, it depicts a world where vampires are on top and humans that have gone into hiding. It definitely made for an entertaining change. I’ve always wondered what it would be like if vampires took their place at the top of the social food chain – and this movie showed us. Again, this one is definitely worth looking in to. 

Last but not least, Ultraviolet.  So, I must admit, this is not the best film I’ve ever seen. In fact, when my friends and I went to see it, I was the only one who actually liked it . . . and even I thought it was just fair. But there were some appealing aspects. For one, I really like stories about dystopian worlds. Corrupt governments ruling with an iron fist, small groups of resistance fighters, etc. All made for an interesting, if not noteworthy, story. And while some of the fight scenes were often over the top and hard to follow, I thought the focus on Six as a potential weapon against the hemophages, and the unusual ways in which the hemophage virus spread redeemed the overall film.

So thanks to Holly for hosting, and check out the links on her blog if you want to read more about vampires. Happy Valentine’s Vampire Day!