Vampires » dracula

Fury of Dracula

Moonlight — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:00:42 +0000

Doing my regular morning routine of checking out loads of webcomics I read about Fury of Dracula in the Penny Arcade journal entry about board games. So I checked it out and man, it sounds pretty kickass.

“In this game of Gothic adventure, one player takes the role of Dracula while up to four others attempt to stop him by controlling Vampire hunters from the famous Bram Stoker novel.

Dracula has returned, and is determined to control all of Europe by creating an undead empire of Vampires. Dracula uses a deck of location cards to secretly travel through Europe, leaving a trail of encounters and events for the hunters that chase him.

Meanwhile, the hunters attempt to track and destroy Dracula using the limited information available to them – a task easier said than done when their prey has the power to change forms into a wolf or bat, and can even melt away into the mist when confronted.

To save Europe and rid the world of Dracula’s foul plague, the hunters must destroy Dracula before he earns enough victory points to win the game… will they have enough wit and bravery to defeat the dark count?”

The Fury of Dracula is a board game designed by Stephen Hand and published by Games Workshop in 1987. In 2006 Fantasy Flight Games released an updated version. The game is best played with five players, but can be played with just two. The game is a long one, it’ll take between 2-4 hours to complete. So if you plan on playing, make sure to set aside a lot of time.

The game includes:

* 1 Rule Book
* 1 Game Board
* 5 Plastic Miniatures
* 1 Dracula Sheet
* 1 Dracula Reference Map
* 4 Hunter Sheets
* 4 Dice
* 220 Cards
* 81 Tokens

Unfortunately, The Fury of Dracula is expensive as fuck, costing about $60. But you can always try and find yourself a used one for considerably cheaper.

If you have played it, let us know what you thought of it. Is it worth the cost?

- Moonlight

Dracula: The Series

veritas — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:14:13 +0000

The Dracula legend has been redone a hundred times over and in 1990 the Prince of Darkness returned to us in Dracula: The Series.

Dracula: The Series is the tale of Maximilian (please, just Max)Townsend (played by Jacob Tierney) and his family and their quest to destroy the evil Count Dracula who is living… um, unliving as an extremely wealthy modern businessman in the heart of central Europe.

Dracula (played by Geordie Johnson), known to the world as successful billionaire Alexander Lucard (see what they did there? A. Lucard… Dracula backwards… clever huh?) has decided that the best way to take over the world is to take over the corporate world and the only thing standing in his way… is an eleven year old boy. Well, an eleven year old boy and his fourteen year old brother Chris (played by Joe Roncetti), their elderly uncle Gustav (played by Bernard Behrens) and Uncle Gustav’s ward Sophie Metternich (played by Mia Kirshner).

As it turns out Uncle Gustav, who’s last name just happens to be Helsing, is the latest in the line of the Van Helsing family, the great vampire killers who have been hunting Dracula for centuries. When Max and Chris’ mother is transferred from America to Europe by the bank she works for she decides it would be wonderful for the boys to live with their uncle while she’s busy jet setting around the world and it’s not long before Max and Chris are caught up in the vampire hunting world of their uncle.

Don’t be fooled, this show is camp to the max (heh, pun) but it’s a good kind of camp. I used to watch this show when I was a kid way back in 1990 here in Canada on YTV and quite enjoyed it. I had found the DVD release of the series a few years back in the grocery store of all places and even after all those years it still holds up. What can I say, it’s a fun show, it also happens to be the debut of a young Mia Kirshner who some might remember as the grown up Sarah from The Crow: City of Angels.

Dracula: The Series also stars Geraint Wyn Davies before he ever became Nick Knight in Forever Knight as Klaus, Dracula’s right hand man with a secret past.

Dracula: The Series only lasted one season but like other great shows such as Erie Indiana, American Gothic and Twin Peaks perhaps Dracula: The Series was simply too far ahead of it’s time.

Hammer Vampire Films

Moonlight — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:00:41 +0000

Hammer Studios is a beloved name to hardcore horror movie fans. They completely redefined horror movies, especially those with vampires. A lot of what to see in horror flicks now originally came from the old school Hammer films. So let’s take a trip to the past and check out their legendary vampire movies.

Dracula (1958)

This flick is often considered the very first mainstream Dracula movie. It broke many norms in Hollywood horror and was hated by the majority of critics when it was first released. But thanks to its unique style it was absolutely adored by fans and gained a huge cult following which still thrives today.

Christopher Lee was cast in the lead role as Count Dracula and Terrence Fisher landed the gig of director. Thanks to this movie they are still Hollywood idols and will forever be known for their work in Dracula.

The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Two years after the release of Dracula, director Terrence Fisher returned with a new Hammer Vampire tale, ‘The Brides of Dracula.’ The big thing about this Dracula flick was that Dracula wasn’t even in it, which is what fans were expecting. But even though this movie didn’t share the success of the first Dracula film it still gained a huge fan base.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

Want to guess who directed this Hammer film? Once again it was Terrence Fisher. This movie is known for doing something completely different by not following Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. The movie features an entirely new storyline and leaves out the lead characters from the book. But it was the end of the movie that shaped how future horror movies would be shot and viewed.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)

This film once again reshaped Dracula’s image, while the older films were full of gore and violence, they still had Dracula charming and seductive. But in this new movie he was nothing but terrorizing, frightening and completely dark. But it did bring back the famed Christopher Lee.

Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969)

This Hammer movie, directed by Peter Sasdy, was released as a sequel to the 1968 film ‘Dracula Has Risen from His Grave’ and it brought back the legendary Christopher Lee. Sasdy introduced a darker Dracula, and many new spins to the vampire myth. Even though it had decent ratings at the time, it was quickly forgotten by most.

Scars of Dracula (1970)

A new director was brought onto this project. Roy Ward Baker created a movie that received such positive reviews some considers it the second best vampire movie out of all of the Hammer Dracula movies.

Some critics weren’t a big fan of this one since it was an incredibly dark film that strayed from past movies. Critics said that Dracula was made too cruel and that his romantic side was lost. But either way fans still think of this one as one of the best.

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

This movie was completely different than the past Hammer Vampire films since it wasn’t a period piece; it was set in the present. It is a fun movie that follows the hippie granddaughter of the last Helsing and her quest to kill Dracula.

The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

This movie is all about what is now a hugely popular vampire cliché, which is the vampires being resurrected by satanic cults and rituals. This flick was one of the earliest ones to portray this. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was Christopher Lee’s final role as Count Dracula this movie probably wouldn’t be remembered for much more.

The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974)

This Hammer vampire film took a completely different path than other movies by involving kung fu and zombies – definitely not similar to the older vamp movies.

- Moonlight

Dracula: Prince of Darkness

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising

Moonlight — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:31 +0000

The cool thing about vampires being so popular is that there are more and more vampire books coming out (which totally kicks ass). One of the best things about all of these vamp books is that there’s this massive mix of everything – something for adults, kids, teens, tweens, boys, girls… etc. Unfortunately, many of the new young adult books are stories of forbidden love and are directed at teen girls for the most part. But good news boys (and girls), there’s an upcoming book that‘s not just another cliché love story – Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising by Jason Henderson.

“A descendant of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, fourteen-year-old Alex is stuck at boarding school near Lake Geneva, Switzerland, when he finds himself drawn into a web of paranormal intrigue. It turns out that Lake Geneva is also home to a secret school for vampires called the Scholomance—and now to a dangerous vampire clan lord known only as Icemaker, who’s using the Scholomance for his own dangerous endgame. With the help of his friends and of special agent Sangster, it’s up to Alex to fulfill his family destiny and stop Icemaker’s frightening plans once and for all.

Alex Van Helsing is a showstopping hero set to leap off the page—stake, naturally, in hand. Drawing from centuries of actual vampire lore and literature (and with a nod to zombies, too!), Jason Henderson delivers a breathlessly paced thriller that will captivate vampire fans as well as readers who loved Alex Rider.”

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising comes out May 4, 2010. I have to say that I totally plan on reading this. I really need a new young adult book to read that doesn’t involve emo lover vamps. Don’t get me wrong, I love some girly romance novels but I do like to mix up my reading list.

- Moonlight

More Dracula-filled Goodness!

Moonlight — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:00:09 +0000

We’ve just got word of an upcoming Dracula movie that’s going to be completely different from past movies. Yay! Dracula Year Zero is the new flick that is still very much in its beginning stages – which means it will be a while yet before it hits theaters.

Dracula Year Zero, written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, is said to star Sam Worthington (Jake Sully from Avatar) and will be directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot). The flick is an origin tale of Vlad the Impaler the Romanian royal who inspired Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. It’s going to be a fresh take on the legend that will play off the horror and the sympathy for a character that “sells his soul to the Devil to save his kingdom and family.”

When asked about his decision to do a project based on a character that already has countless films, Alex Proyas commented saying, “I’m not a fan of remakes or sequels — I haven’t done any and I’m not really that excited by them usually. In the case of Dracula, the reason I got excited about the project is I read a particular script that puts the whole legend on its head in every conceivable way and comes out with something that is both a kind of an ode to Bram Stoker’s original Dracula, in that it’s kind of a prequel to that, but it also redefines the character to such an extent that I found it quite exciting, so that is very much a kind of reinvention of that character and it’s why I got excited about it.”

I have to say that I am pretty excited about this flick. While there are some amazing Dracula movies out there, they are almost always an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s book and never anything new or creative. So a story that spins a new tale and a new look into the life of Vlad and vampirism is something to be geeked about. Hopefully we’ll hear more on this upcoming film soon.

- Moonlight

In A Glass Darkly

Moonlight — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:00:14 +0000

Today’s post comes from the wonderful Michelle Hauf over at VampChix. Check it out.
- Moonlight

Vampires and their reflections

As I write about vampires in my fiction, I tend to use some mythologies that’ll suit my character, twist other myths to serve my needs, and discard stuff that doesn’t work for the story. Recently, my vampire heroine paused before a mirror to admire her reflection—and I stopped typing.

Could she really see herself? I hadn’t decided whether or not I wanted to incorporate that myth. I know the myths about vamps and their reflections varies, so I thought to do a little research and see what I could find.

Blame it on Stoker.

Dracula got a little pissy at the sight of mirrors. Guess the dude didn’t want to be reminded of what could never be his. Yet it certainly must have cured him of vanity (re: that awful white croissant bun hairstyle in the movie starring Gary Oldman). Perhaps vampires can’t see their reflections because it would reveal their lacking mortality?

Some mythology states that vampires could once be killed by silver (didn’t the werewolf myth morph from that original vampire myth?) and so, as mirrors were once backed with silver, that is the reason they cannot see their reflections.

Of course at a party where the walls are lined with mirrors, no reflection would prove a dead giveaway to others. Beware of strangers who do not cast reflections.

I like the idea of a vampire who is unable to see his reflection in a silver-backed glass, yet can easily see it in a pool of water or perhaps even window glass.

Another belief is that mirrors reflect the soul, and vampires, being undead (some of them, anyway) have no souls. This belief works nicely with the belief that it’s bad luck to break a mirror (you’ll break the part of your soul captured within in) and why mirrors are covered when someone has died in the house (to prevent their soul from being captured).

Now, for every author, there is a different kind of vampire. Some vamps can see their reflections, some cannot. I loved the use of the mirror in the Nightwatch movie (can’t recall if it was used in the actual book). In the movie the vampire can make himself invisible, and in one scene set in an abandoned house there is a mirror on the wall. The only way the hunter pursuing this invisible vampire can see him is to catch his reflection in the mirror. Sneaky invisible vampire stalks up behind you—turn and glance in the mirror to see the creature just ready to club you—spin around and stake him. Nifty use of the reflection myth.

In the recent Daybreakers movie vampires did not reflect, but of course their clothing did (sometimes stories forget that the clothing has no reason not to reflect) so when the lead vampire pulls up in his car, we see his shirt and suit jacket sitting in the driver’s seat, but no head. Cool.

What about you? What myths about vampires and their reflections have you heard about? What books featured that myth? What books put a twist to it and really surprised you?

Michele

Nadja: A review

veritas — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:11:47 +0000

I love the vampire story and make an attempt to see almost everything worth seeing. One rare film I had missed was Nadja, a 1994 film produced by David Lynch.

Nadja feels like something out of the 1960s with Warhol and Sedgwick. It’s hip. It’s haunting. It’s an arthouse film style in black and white complete with beautiful people. Not quite as bizarre as Andy Warhol’s Dracula. Nadja takes the Dracula story and brings it to modern day New York City. David Lynch makes a cameo as a morgue attendant. Peter Fonda plays Professor Van Helsing.

Nadja’s father is dying after being staked through the heart by Van Helsing, whose nephew bails him out of jail after being arrested for the act. A dysfunctional showdown builds between members of the Dracula family after his death, and members of the Van Helsing family. I’m not sure how well this film would go over with today’s typical horror fan. It’s worth the journey to hunt this one down for the avid vampire film fan. Certainly much better than Dracula 3000 or dare I say it, New Moon.

New Contest! Chazz deMeyer Exclusive Interview for Vampire Love!

annimi — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:55:20 +0000

No, it’s not poetry, –it’s an awesome album inspired by shows like True Blood, and the Twilight films, and novels. The title track of the album is my favorite, ‘Vampire Love’, –but the whole CD is pretty awesome. Chazz deMeyer has kind of a trippy, blues-y electronic thing going that really fits the True Blood music style.

Check out the contest details below the interview for more information on how you can win the Vampire Love album!

Chazz deMeyer Exclusive Interview

Q: Tell us about Vampire Love, from your own perspective; was there any particular message you wanted to send to vampire fans?

A: When ever I start to write a song I usually complete the music before I start writing the lyrics. Most people find this odd, but the completed music seems to force me into a direction that easily falls into place. I was driving a long distance to a family reunion, listing to the music track, and the words Vampire Love suddenly fell into place. I pulled over to let my wife drive and the lyrics flowed out effortlessly. I couldn’t wait to return to my studio to apply them to the tracks.

To me Vampires, although infinitely more powerful than us humans, also are frail and succumb to many of the pitfalls of life that most of us share. Vampire Love is a song about the love between a Vampire and a human with all the subtleties and nuances of any true love romance. The message is classic, we always fear what we don’t understand, and all too often never take the time to see beyond the initial response. I believe this new series of Vampire stories takes us to that next level for us humans as well as Vampires.

Q: We have to know, –what’s your favorite vampire movie?

A: Well, the one that scared me the most was “Bram Stokers Dracula”. For me it embodied all the horror and fear of vampires I envisioned through my childhood fascination with the super natural. Although the time period coincides what many of us that are older may embrace as ‘the age of vampires”, the stage directing and lighting brought the stark un-reality to life.

Secondary, I love the “Underworld” series. I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for special effects with a strong story line!

Q: This album is both macabre and romantic; can you say what the inspiration was behind a few of the songs?

A: Sure, I’ve pretty much talked about VL, but “Love Type” also carries that vampire element. It’s a play on the words “blood type”. The same attraction that Edward of “Twilight” and Bill of “True Blood” could not suppress for their lovers, the same hold true for us non-vampires. The analogy that love is in our blood and DNA might account for our overwhelming, and somewhat uncontrollable emotions when we find our true soul mate. Incidentally, I’ve found mine!

The Song “Forever” also romantic, but searches the possibility of two people that have always been together throughout time, and will always find each other for eternity. The line “love this strong takes more that one lifetime” gives us that possibility.

Q: Were there any particular scenes in Twilight, True Blood, or other vampire shows/books/films that inspired lyrics or whole songs?

A: Vampire love was inspired after falling in love with the HBO series “True Blood” and reading the “Twilight” series of books. It was the perfect combination of true love and the super natural. For me it viewed Vampires human side, after all they were once human. Putting aside all the old stereo type images of Vampires and giving us a deeper perspective into there forever “every day life”, fears, dreams and conflicts. Although quite cheesy and camp at times, what I gleamed from the series that Vampires can actually fall in love, and to me, love is the most powerful emotion on earth. Perhaps more powerful than a Vampire’s thirst for blood!

Q: It wasn’t too long ago that you experienced some real life horror of your own, and conquered it; can you tell us a little about the accident, and the book that followed your convalescence?

A: OK, when I was a young boy in the 60’s I was talented enough to play and tour with some bands with national exposure and moderate success. Unfortunately, I was in an automobile accident that left me paralyzed from the neck down. I was twenty four at that time. It was a dark time in my life, but good fortune came my way and I recovered most of the use of my right side, and very limited use of my left side. Pretty much like a stroke victim. But as bad as that might sound, I found my soul mate. She was a student therapist at the rehab I was at. It was love at first site, and we’ve been together for thirty three years now. So you can see where the romantic in me comes from.

We have a great life together, but I sometimes wonder if I could have made my mark in music if things turned out differently. The decision to write, record and produce seemed obtainable at this later time in my life. I wrote “Recovery” as a catharsis. I never expected it to turn out well, or that it would open up the possibility of a career once again in music. The entire album is about my life before and after my accident. Elly, my wife, convinced me to write the book “The Fire Within” and tell the whole story in detail. I’m glad I did, it was the best therapy I’ve ever experienced even though it’s thirty three years later. The book has moved many people, which surprised me mostly because I never thought myself, or my accomplishments to be extraordinary. Here’s a little plug, both the book and CD’s are available on my website: www.chazzdemeyer.com

Q: This is the second album since your recovery, do you feel that Vampire Love symbolizes any important landmark in your life so far, or was this just a creative effort that happened to come out really well?

A: Interesting question. I’ve always felt any accomplishment is an important landmark. In fact, I’ve always set forth my life around obtaining my goals, and of course accepting any of the results that may have fell short of them. But, on the other hand I’ve put a great deal of time and effort into Vampire Love and it was important to me that technically as well as creatively it would be the best I’ve done to date, and for me it is! This is a difficult time to market music, there is so much of it. If I had to judge my success by sales than I guess I’ve had very little, but if I only judge my success to my personal satisfaction, then the Vampire Love CD is a hit.

Contest Details

If you want to snag a FREE copy of this album, go to Chazz deMeyer’s Myspace and listen to the song Vampire Love. Count the number of times the words “vampire love” are sung, then email the number to contest@darkness.com. It’s that easy! The first TEN correct answers will win!

The Giant’s Grave

Moonlight — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:00:05 +0000

Once upon a time in Derry, Ireland lived a dwarf named Abhartach. Now this was no ordinary dwarf, this dwarf was a magician and a vile tyrant. After committing many horrible cruelties he was at last vanquished by a neighboring chieftain, said to be Fionn Mac Cumhail.

The wicked dwarf’s body was then buried in a standing posture, but then, the very next day he reappeared in his old haunts and was even more cruel and powerful than before. The chief killed him again and buried him once again, but just like the last time the evil dwarf returned from the grave and spread fear throughout the land.

The bewildered chief then consulted a druid, and according to the man’s directions he slew the dwarf a third time, but this time he buried him with his head downwards which subdued his magical power. The dwarf was never seen again.

The laght (grave) placed over the dwarf is still there even now and if you were to visit it, the locals may tell you the tale in even more detail. The grave itself is now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as “The Giant’s Grave.” You have found the sight when you see a large rock and two smaller rocks under a hawthorn.

The reason I brought up this Irish story is that some believe that it had part in inspiring the Irish author we all know well, Bram Stoker. Most believe that the novel, Dracula, was inspired mostly by Vlad the Impaler. But Bob Curran, a lecturer in Celtic History and Folklore at the University of Ulster suggested that Bram Stoker may have derived inspiration from the legend of Abhartach.

Whether or not the old folktale was inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula it’s still a fantastic story.

- Moonlight

The First Vampires?

kate — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:47:14 +0000

Well it turns out that the first vampires might not be Dracula or Elizabeth Bathory. And the first vampires might not have acted anything at all like the images we’ve dreamed up vampires to be today. One of the most adamant arguments on this site is that real vampires need to drink blood. And up until today, I would have agreed with you. But then I came across this piece of information about vampires in Eastern Europe in the mid 1600s. These creatures, which are thought in some parts to be the true first vampires, seem to come to be what they are more out of the way they died and such, and that the focus of the stories is that they come back from the dead.

It was during this time that communities throughout Eastern Europe and Greece started seeing some sort of paranormal phenomenon. It wasn’t vampire-like activity per se, but rather things that you would expect from a poltergeist, such as dishes flying, drawings slamming shut, etc. After these happenings, panic broke out among the people.

It’s also important to note that these communities were made up of mostly people from the Eastern Orthodox faith. This is of particular importance because it was this faith that believed strongly in the rituals of death and associated the way a person died and how they were buried, had a lot to do with what happened to their soul once they were gone. The Eastern Orthodox people who were experiencing the terrifying incidences explained their experience as being attacked or seeing something that seemed human yet unnatural and hadn’t decayed. There was also a strong believe attached to the Eastern Orthodox faith that if the soul wasn’t set free properly, the physical body would be unable to decompose. This was to reflect the state their soul was feeling, rather than what was really physically happening. And because of their faith, believed these to be souls that had come back due to a wrongdoing in the death ritual, or a spot on the person’s soul. Those in the same areas however that weren’t of the Eastern Orthodox faith said that the creatures did seem to be decayed to them.

It wasn’t thought that these first vampires came back to drink anyone’s blood. It was common knowledge that they came back to eat and drink but they would feast on either animal or human, whichever they came upon or fancied. These first vampires of the Eastern Orthodox faith were also thought to have a very healthy sexual appetite. If they were married when they had died it was thought that they came back to be with their spouse, or that they would bother strange men and women to sleep with them. And just like our storytelling still goes today, these vampires were also very beautiful and hard to resist.

These vampires weren’t thought to live on generation after generation however. It was widely assumed that once a vampire appeared on the scene in these areas, they would have only a certain amount of time before they were eventually eliminated or just died out.

This particular piece of history surrounding what could have been the first vampires applies only to the Eastern Orthodox people of the is area during this particular time. Like all vampire mythology and vampire history, this is one piece of the puzzle and applies to a specific group of people.

– Kate

Vampires » dracula

Fury of Dracula

Related Reading:

Dracula: The Series

Related Reading:

Hammer Vampire Films

Related Reading:

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising

Related Reading:

More Dracula-filled Goodness!

Related Reading:

In A Glass Darkly

Related Reading:

Nadja: A review

Related Reading:

New Contest! Chazz deMeyer Exclusive Interview for Vampire Love!

Related Reading:

The Giant’s Grave

Related Reading:

The First Vampires?

Related Reading: