For now, the sole survivor (a.k.a. DVD) of my collection is, as you may already know, the second season of The Vampire Diaries which, however much I've tried to keep a steady eye upon the TV schedule over the past couple of months, is hardly ever aired on television, therefore giving me a motive to purchase the seasons myself. Oh, and I also couldn't resist holding back one of my many French films, one of which was aptly titled The Class (otherwise known as Entre Les Murs - between the walls - in other countries), though I wonder whether I just felt like indulging myself in self-inflicted pity because my once full-as-the-freezer cabinet hadn't never looked so empty and, uh, filmless, if that word makes any sense at all. Realizing that my DVD-viewing freedom had been ripped away from my clutches provoked a pang of sadness to overwhelm my already-erratic emotions, and despite steering more and more away from making the most of the once-beloved privilege, it didn't lessen the screamful agony of losing a form of entertainment which otherwise kept me sane on those rarer-than-undercooked-meat occasions where nothing raised a joyful smile on my lips.
Yet, as my brother sulkily joined into making a joint effort (these days, doing anything together has become as uncommon as a football-free weekend) to pack away our DVDs together, I quickly noticed one aspect of our half-shared DVD collection which hadn't entered my thoughts for such a long time: how did we, over the years that we have voluntarily purchased films and television series as a shared partnership, end up owning so many vampire-themed DVDs? As each DVD was placed into one of the countless cardboard boxes (by now, I've lost the will to keep track on the amount that my family and I have used), it seemed every so often that a film - many of which were modern classics from the 80s and 90s, or indeed released a mere few years ago - featuring the intriguing, blood-sucking creatures appeared amongst the likes of white magic-loving Charmed or a ditzy romantic comedy for which you cannot help falling head over heels like Benny the Hissy Kitty scrambling to get out of bed in a manic hurry to receive his first meal of the day.
Thanks to my brain recently reaching its full capacity like an overused memory stick which somehow gets lost amongst piles of homework and samples of soon-to-be-used perfume, it is nearly impossible for me to remember why my brother and I developed a penchant for films depicting the sharp-fanged creatures of the night, especially as I was only around ten when my dad introduced me to a programme which still packs as great a punch as a stake in the heart years after it first appeared on our screens, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like my fondness for donning a glamour puss-inspired earrings every day, the list containing my peculiar habits increases on a daily basis, and nurturing a still-passionate fascination with pale-faced vampires (in fact, rather like my English Rose-coloured self) has earned a role as one of the many trivial facts about myself.
Mythological characters and indeed creatures have simply been an object of interest for as long as I can remember because hard-hitting reality doesn't always strike me as something of which I wish to be reminded as it doesn't usually switch my imagination - which, once ignited by a single flame, runs at a speed similar to a Formula 1 car and is impossible to calm down until an inspirational moment is well and truly over - into live mode. One day, I'd like to be able to create enough ideas which would hopefully enable me to write my own fantasy-themed novel as those genres hand out more inspiration than a typical chick-lit book which offers absolutely nothing to my waiting-to-be-awakened muse. And as for vampires making a thrilling appearance, that has yet to be determined...
Unless I fancy the idea of being left behind when my family moves away towards the end of next week, I unfortunately cannot dedicate the whole of today's entry to all the vampire films which my brother and I currently have stored away in a cardboard box in the warehouse-like lounge. Besides, it takes a good few hours until my memory is functioning at its highest level which means that my breakfast of honey on toast has yet to kickstart my metabolism and, of course, a steady dose of writing inspiration. For best results, draw in your curtains and immerse yourself in a blanket of darkness whilst taking a journey to the darker side of life; whatever you may believe, vampires are not strictly reserved for ghoulish Halloween parties!
1. Twilight (2008)
First of all, I may be able to read the minds of those Twihard-haters (who ever came up with these ungrammatical words?) whom, even a year after Breaking Dawn: Part 2 was released, continue to detest The Twilight Saga because it 'apparently' broke all the rules relating to the vampiric species.
Before anybody loses sight of what is clearly lying in front of them, nobody created the rules as to whether vampires can either burn like an overdone cake or sparkle as dazzlingly as a Swarovski crystal, so I truly didn't understand the massive woo-ha over the criticism which the award-winning Twilight author, Stephanie Meyer, received because she dared to break away from the so-called 'original' myths regarding vampires' abilities and skills. A film is a film, and this one was yet another example of what we film-lovers call a storyline. And you know what? Several years after first watching this, I still enjoy Twilight because, despite being set in probably one of the most wettest and lifeless areas in America, it didn't fail to keep me entertained which, considering that I have an undiagnosed issue with boredom, ought to receive a round of applause.
For those who completely avoided the craze and groups of lovestruck girls who donned their 'Team Edward' t-shirts as religiously as a pair of beloved Converse trainers (just how did you do it?), I'll offer a brief explanation of this film without spoiling the great bits for you. If I can even help myself. A seventeen year old girl called Bella Swan, as played by Kristen Stewart who brilliantly keeps up her no-smiling act for the whole duration of the film, moves to a rural town called Forks in the state of Washington, northern-west America (a.k.a. a similar setting to Twin Peaks), and quickly becomes infatuated with a strange, yet dreamy boy who goes by the old-fashioned (my opinion, not the film's description) name of Edward Cullen (British 'heartthrob' Robert Pattinson).
But Bella quickly realizes that, unlike everybody else she knows, Edward isn't quite as normal as he may appear, and a series of events - such as avoiding death and obviously being saved by the pale-skinned hunk himself - provoke her to dedicate some time to researching mythological creatures and Googling 'vampires' into the search engine. Which leads me to ask one question - did Bella ever have any homework or something more useful to do instead of falling in love with a person who wasn't what he seemed?
Anyway, the film truly comes alive as soon as the action begins, right at the moment when Edward tells Bella that he is not a warm-blooded human, but a blood-sucking vampire who was over a hundred years ago. Yikes, even my vampire-intrigued self probably wouldn't take that kind of news very lightly, yet hair-stroking Bella put her 'fear' to one side and continued to explore her relationship with Edward which lasted for five films, so I guess that it wasn't all for nothing.
Yes, there may be a couple of flaws which I've picked up on over the years - one doesn't instantly forget Robert Pattinson's half-problematic attempts to put on an American accent all too easily - but Twilight was nonetheless very thrilling to watch because, unlike the other four, it simply focused on the two main characters upon which the concept was originally based. Ah, life seemed a little easier before 'Team Jacob' entered the mainstream, but maybe that's just me...
2. The Lost Boys (1987)
Having claimed the title of being one of my most enjoyed films of all-time, The Lost Boys brilliantly combined a magical mixture of humour, horror and contemporary cinema into one classic film, which continues to inspire and entertain audiences twenty seven years after it was originally released.
Starring Jason Patric and Corey Haim (who sadly passed away in 2010), The Lost Boys tells the story of two brothers who, along with their mother, move into their grandfather's home in the sunny town of Santa Carla, California. But their new town isn't quite what it seems as missing people posters are plastered everywhere and a gang of teenage motorbikers rule the night - and the brothers are drawn into what has been haunting the town, resulting to getting involved in a battle against those who have been harming the town like a poisonous plague. And those things? Night-loving and sun-fearing vampires, of course!
Personally, I believe that films both set and made in the spectacular decade known as the eighties are usually brilliant, and The Lost Boys are no exception. Sometimes, films which are overdo the horror side of things can put me off from viewing them because there are occasions (if you wish to believe it!) when I have no desire to be pushed into hiding behind the sofa, cowering in fear at the ghastly sight of blood and gore showering the screen, but The Lost Boys steered clear of this issue by injecting a dash of humour - who would truly expect to burst into laughter whilst watching a vampire film? - which gave it a burst of life as great as a sip of the suspicious 'wine' that opened a can of worms.
Whenever I'm in the mood for something slightly gorey yet somewhat light-hearted (compared to living without a wardrobe for several days until I move house, everything else seems as heavenly as a slice of angel cake), I never think twice about sitting down to watch this film because, after viewing it several times, it doesn't bore me in the slightest. Then, if I'm remaining true to my fascination towards vampires, would any bite-tastic film send me to sleep?
2. The Lost Boys (1987)
Having claimed the title of being one of my most enjoyed films of all-time, The Lost Boys brilliantly combined a magical mixture of humour, horror and contemporary cinema into one classic film, which continues to inspire and entertain audiences twenty seven years after it was originally released.
Starring Jason Patric and Corey Haim (who sadly passed away in 2010), The Lost Boys tells the story of two brothers who, along with their mother, move into their grandfather's home in the sunny town of Santa Carla, California. But their new town isn't quite what it seems as missing people posters are plastered everywhere and a gang of teenage motorbikers rule the night - and the brothers are drawn into what has been haunting the town, resulting to getting involved in a battle against those who have been harming the town like a poisonous plague. And those things? Night-loving and sun-fearing vampires, of course!
Personally, I believe that films both set and made in the spectacular decade known as the eighties are usually brilliant, and The Lost Boys are no exception. Sometimes, films which are overdo the horror side of things can put me off from viewing them because there are occasions (if you wish to believe it!) when I have no desire to be pushed into hiding behind the sofa, cowering in fear at the ghastly sight of blood and gore showering the screen, but The Lost Boys steered clear of this issue by injecting a dash of humour - who would truly expect to burst into laughter whilst watching a vampire film? - which gave it a burst of life as great as a sip of the suspicious 'wine' that opened a can of worms.
Whenever I'm in the mood for something slightly gorey yet somewhat light-hearted (compared to living without a wardrobe for several days until I move house, everything else seems as heavenly as a slice of angel cake), I never think twice about sitting down to watch this film because, after viewing it several times, it doesn't bore me in the slightest. Then, if I'm remaining true to my fascination towards vampires, would any bite-tastic film send me to sleep?
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Before the television series hit our screens in 1997, we first met our kickass vampire slayer, sixteen year old cheerleader Buffy, in this 90s movie which, despite being somewhat a box office disappointment, has still become a modern classic.
Maybe the world wasn't ready to get their heads around a Hellmouth (an underground area which holds the door between Earth and a land piled with ugly-looking demons and hellish creatures) existing under the fictional Californian town of Sunnydale, but this film hasn't lost any of its memorability over the years, especially as the television series of the same name still has a strong legion of die-hard fans (including myself, without a doubt) over ten years after the final episode was aired.
In certain ways, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is awfully similar to the pilot episode of the TV series, which shows Buffy finding out that she is indeed the slayer of both vampiric and demonic creatures, a sort of 'job' which gives her super powerful strength in order to win the battle against the evil forces who threaten to destroy Earth on a constant basis.
However, unlike the TV series, this film plays a tribute towards high school culture in the 90s and gives a startling impression of how Cher Horowitz from Clueless would have reacted had she ever found herself in such a strange and frankly scary situation. And who wouldn't be amused at the sight of a popular, typical teenager attempt to stake a vampire for the first time? In my opinion, the classic high school films in the 90s are a source of inspiration, yet Buffy the Vampire Slayer offered a lot more bite (and thrilling action) than your usual teen-themed film.
If you are in the mood for something half as fluffy as your moulting kitten's fur yet doesn't sacrifice on fighting scenes (which really puts my non-existent exercise routine to shame) and popcorn-munching action, Buffy the Vampire Slayer offers all you could possibly need from one brilliant film.
And do watch the television series, if you can. That's an order, by the way.
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