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Review of The Master of Rampling Gate: A Vook by Anne Rice

Cult Hero — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:38:46 +0000

Every so often something comes along that provides some new and innovative way to enhance the art of storytelling.

The latest in storytelling innovation comes from the trailblazers at Vook. A Vook is the blending of both video and text (video+book=Vook) to create an experience unlike any other. Vooks combine entertaining stories with videos that compliment them by providing the reader with interesting information and special features such as author interviews. Add to the mix informative links to such sites a Wikipedia for those wishing to learn more about the topics within a story and you have yourself the makings of a fascinating read.

I recently had the chance to experience Vook for the first time with the retelling of Anne Rice’s short story The Master of Rampling Gate.

The Master of Rampling Gate, Anne Rice’s first and only short story dealing with vampires tells the tale of a young woman and her brother as they visit their ancestral home after the death of their father. Rampling Gate, passed down from generation to generation for centuries had always been the home of the Rampling family. That was of course until their father had left the mansion vowing never again to return. Both siblings are awestruck by the beauty and magnificence of the place which makes fulfilling their father’s deathbed wish all the harder for their father has commanded that Rampling Gate be torn down.

Neither sibling knows why their father had made such a strange request until one night Julie, a bright young lady with a mind full of fantasy meets the true master of Rampling Gate… A centuries old vampire who has been alive since the age of the Black Death.

As an avid Anne Rice fan I have read The Master of Rampling Gate before but even though the story may not have been new to me the presentation certainly was. I enjoyed being able to read the story as well as watch the short videos peppered throughout. Each chapter includes it’s own video involving such topics as Gothic literature, the Black Death, an explanation of the story by Anne and of course information on Anne herself. Oh and don’t forget the vampires. Links to such pages as Wikipedia and AskOxford.Com are also peppered throughout the tale providing information to the reader about topics related to the story.

Vooks may not be taking the place of books anytime soon but they are enjoyable, informative and even though fairly new there is already a wide variety to choose from. Anne has often spoken of her interest in Vooks on her FaceBook so hopefully we shall be seeing more of them from her sometime in the future.

The Master of Rampling Gate is available for both online reading and as an iPhone App from Vook on their website and is currently on sale for .99 cents for a limited time.

-Chris

The Lost Boys

Cult Hero — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:11:24 +0000

In memory of the late Corey Haim I bring you the quintessential Eighties vampire film The Lost Boys.

Sam and Michael are going through changes, lots of them.

Their parents have just gotten divorced and they’ve had to move from Phoenix, Arizona to Santa Carla, California. They’ve moved in with their estranged grandfather, an old hippie who has no idea the 60’s are over and their mother has started dating again… and oh yeah; Michael (played by Jason Patric) has fallen in with a bad crowd who just happens to be a gang of vampires who want him to become one too.

After his brother is tricked into drinking the blood of the ‘head vampire’ and becomes a half vampire himself it’s up to Sam (played by Corey Haim) to save him. Thankfully he knows just who to call, Edger and Allen Frog, two vampire hunters ‘under cover’ as a pair of kids helping out in their parents comic book store. Edger and Allen (played by Corey Feldman and Jamision Newlander) advise Sam to kill his brother but when Sam insists that’s not an option they turn to plan B, finding the head vampire and staking his ass.

It’s not going to be easy though since no one is really sure who the head vampire could be. Sam suspects his mother’s new boyfriend, video store owner Max (played by Edward Herrmann) while Michael is sure the leader is the viscous and cunning David (played by Kiefer Sutherland). Not knowing who the head vampire is means going through the gang one stake at a time.

Before they can destroy the vampire gang Michael insists they attempt to save Micheal’s new girlfriend Star (played by Jami Gertz) and little Laddie (played by Chance Michael Corbitt) who are also a pair of half vampires. When the rescue results in the death of one of the vampire gang Sam and the Frog Brothers realize vampire hunting is nothing like in the comic books. They also realize that the hunters have now become the prey.

This classic 80’s vampire flick is non stop fun from start to finish, it also happens to be the first film to feature the ‘Two Coreys’ together. Fast paced and quick witted The Lost Boys should be seen by every vampire fan at least once in their lives.

RIP Corey.

December 23, 1971- March 10, 2010

-Chris

Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter

veritas — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:56:39 +0000

The first testament says “an eye for an eye.”
The second testament says “love thy neighbour.”
The third testament… KICKS ASS!

When the lesbians of Canada’s capital city of Ottawa begin to disappear and it’s discovered that vampires are the cause there is only one person the Catholic church can turn to to stop the undead menace…

Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter!

This (obviously) low budget B movie from the heart of the Great White North is sure to take it’s place amongst the greats of cult classic cheese. So bad it’s good does not begin to describe just how funny this poorly dubbed, poorly choreographed but oddly entertaining movie really is.

As I began to watch I first thought I was in for a big disappointment, after all the film looks like it was made by a group of film students (which it was) on a shoestring budget (which it also was). However, despite it’s lack of polish this film still somehow manages to shine. Oh sure, some parts are just God awful (pardon the pun) such as Jesus starting a sing along in the middle of downtown Ottawa and an appearance by God in a bowl of ice cream and cherries at the local Hooters but I still couldn’t help but enjoy myself. After all, how often do you get to see the Messiah kick undead ass Kung Fu style?

One thing I did dislike about the movie however was that Jesus got a haircut, shaved the beard and changed his clothes. Personally I thought that took a bit of the magic away from Jesus as after his makeover he really just looked like some regular guy. Ah well, did I mention he kicks undead ass Kung Fu style?

Our story begins with a brutal attack on a member of Ottawa’s lesbian community by a blood sucking fiend from beyond the grave. The local Catholic churches, eager to stop the attacks on their parishioners lose hope when the Vatican refuses to offer aid to stop the unholy terrors but they soon find their prayers answered in the form of the greatest vampire hunter that has ever lived, Jesus Christ Himself!

Jesus, who just happens to be hanging out in Canada while awaiting His second coming is more than happy to help protect the lesbian community which the Vatican has deemed deviant, for as Jesus says, “What is so deviant about love?”

He can’t do it alone though and soon finds Himself teamed with Mary Magnum, professional church assassin and El Santos, world famous Mexican wrestling hero. Together they team up to destroy the evil vampires but it won’t be easy since these vampires have somehow discovered a way to walk around in broad daylight.

Will Ottawa’s lesbian community ever be safe again? Will Jesus learn the vampires secret to walking in daylight? Will there ever be a sequel? Watch Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter to find out!

True Blood Sunday Presents: The Latest Southern Vampire Mystery

annimi — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:00:31 +0000

The second Sunday of True Blood celebration presents a quick bite of info on the latest book in the series that inspired the show. We’ll eventually take time out to review all of the Southern Vampires series by Charlaine Harris, but for the sake of fun, –let’s go backwards! Besides, fans everywhere are waiting for the latest book in the series, –because it’s due to be on bookstore shelves this May! That means there’s only a couple months to go! Yay!

The official website of Charlaine Harris offers all kinds of awesome information on what the author is up to next. Last month and earlier this month, she announced the chance for fans to come together and question Alan Ball about the show, to be used in ‘The Sookie Companion’, –a project due to come out next year. But we’ll bow down and worship that bridge when we come to it.

Currently on the website is a free preview, eek!, of the latest Southern Vampire Mystery: Dead in the Family. Sookie Stackhouse is convalescing from her latest battle, and despite the general turn of events for the better, –things are looking pretty depressing. Her roommate is moving out, and the men in her life are as complicated as ever. The next book, even from Chapter 1, appears to be full of romance, heartache, and melodrama. Yum!

The previous book released by Harris wasn’t really part of the general series, but was still an indispensable addition to the books. A Touch of Dead is a complete collection of Charlaine Harris’s various short stories featuring Sookie Stackhouse. Some of the stories, like Lucky, One Word Answer, Gift Wrap, and Dracula Night, you might have read in other anthologies, such as Between Dark and Daylight, Unusual Suspects, and Many Bloody Returns. There are only five stories in the entire book, as Harris does not include her other short stories set in the “Sookieverse” that do not actually feature Sookie Stackhouse.

Altogether, a great couple of books were released most recently in the line, despite the anthology or novella collection being so limited. The other short stories that don’t feature Sookie can be found in other anthologies, such as Must Love Hellhounds, Death’s Excellent Vacation, Strange Brew, and others that Harris has edited.

8 Things to Do While You Wait for The Vampire Diaries

annimi — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:00:16 +0000

1. Start a fan club! Get a Wordpress blog or something, send invites through Facebook or Myspace, and get all your friends interested. You might even make some money in the process, by adding Google ads. Everyone loves the Vampire Diaries, and if you do too, you can lead the march, and demand for more of the show!

2. The next episode “A Few Good Men”, won’t air until March 25th. Grab a calendar and tick off the days until the next show! It might not make the time fly by fater, but it will certainly give you a great routine.

3. Read the books! Heck, why not? It’s not like they have spoilers, –the books are tons different from the show. You probably won’t be able to recognize anyone other than the most primary characters.

4. Draw your favorite character, or characters. Sketch Damon in his sexiest pose, –personally the one where he’s dancing to Enjoy the Silence, showing off his deliriously gorgeous abs… Or draw Elena, at her most vulnerable, –oooh, or Bonnie, with fire shooting out of her fingertips!

5. Re-watch every episode! Catch the show’s re-runs, and watch every episode up until the next one. That way, you’ve already taken a refresher course, and you’re ready for what’s going to happen next.

6. Who else absolutely loves the show’s soundtrack? They always pair up the right songs with certain sequences. Go through all the shows and try to remember what the songs were, then hunt for them with no mercy on iTunes.

7. Correct Wikipedia, –certain entries about the show and characters, are inaccurate. Die-hard Vampire Diaries fans (like me) will be able to find the errors and put the truth where lies were before!

8. Check out all the other Vampire Diaries fan sites; there are millions of them, each offering a discussion spot for the episodes, clips, and more. But don’t forget to come back here for your fix of all things vampire!

Pey and Peymakilir

holiday — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:01:42 +0000

What better place for a bloodthirsty vampire to feed than a battleground? One of the vampires of India and Hindu mythology chooses to haunt the wars and battles, waiting to feed on fallen soldiers. These creatures. called the Pey, or Peymakilir, are vampires of southern India, in Tamil.

India has many different vampires, and this is because it is a country rich with folklore from thousands of different local customs and religions. This country probably has more legends of vampires than any other culture. The religion and mythology of Hinduism actually consists of thousands of different local religions that slowly evolved into what is now known as Hinduism today. The legends and folklore are still drastically different from city to city, and village to village. The gods that are honored differ depending on what part of India you are in, and there are thousands and thousands of gods to choose from. And the mythology of India has as many demons as it has gods.

The Tamil people have their own unique language and folklore. These Pey vampires are part of the Hindu mythology in this part of the country. The Pey are vampires of battlegrounds and wars. The Peymakilir is the name for the female incarnation of this vampire, and she does a ritual dance as she devours bloodied corpses.

The Peymakilir is perhaps more vicious; she prefers to devour the flesh of the dying and dead, while the Pey drinks their blood. The Peymakilir is quite deadly and fearsome; she dances frenziedly as she tears the flesh off of the still living soldiers on battlefields.

On the other hand, these vampires might be perceived to be angels of mercy. They feed on the blood of fallen soldiers. The soldiers are not always dead when the Pey and Peymakilir vampires begin to feed on them, but this may not be so terrible. The soldiers may be mortally wounded and dying a slow, agonizing death. The merciful vampires drain them and expedite their journey into the next life.

Charby the Vampirate

holiday — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:54:48 +0000

Meet Charby the Vampirate; part vampire, part pirate. This is a web comic written by Amy Stoffolino, who writes under the handle “Amelius.” Charby was born on a ship where he was a slave to pirates who verbally abused him and beat him daily. He runs away from the pirates, only to have his throat ripped out by a vampire. He is still a child when he is murdered by the vampire, and is reborn as a vampire, to remain forever trapped in a child’s body.

After the attack, he wakes up to discover that he is a vampire, and quickly discovers his power and strength. He decides to go back to the pirate ship to seek revenge. He tears apart all of the pirates on the ship he ran away from, viciously murdering all of them.

The comic series goes on to chronicle Charby’s adventures. He is a vicious vampire without mercy for any man, woman, or child. He feeds without discrimination and is quick to tear his victims to shreds so that they do not reawaken vampire.

The web comic is very diverse, it has all sots of mystical creatures. Fairies, demons, mermaids, elves, werewolves, and zombies are among the many who appear in the comics. The writer also makes up creatures of her own which are perhaps even more fun than the folkloric creatures. My favorite are the bunny demons! These are strictly vegetarians and are a matriarchal, peaceful society.

It tries to include a lot of magical elements; dragons, witchcraft, and lots of magic hats. Charby soon befriends a werewolf who is perpetually trapped in wolf shape, and who lets Charby move in. Their cabin becomes a sort of home for homeless demons.

The comic even has an alp! The alp’s name is Tonius Zopfius VonHarnier. The alp, as written about before, is a nightmare vampire of German lore. It also introduces a female alp named Yiska later on in the series.
It’s a fun comic that has lots of magical elements and characters who have plenty of adventures, it’s definitely worth checking out.

True Blood Sunday Presents: Jessica Hamby

annimi — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:24:21 +0000

We really miss True Blood, so much in fact, that we decided that every Sunday, up until True Blood is re-instated as the best show ever!, that damn it, we’re going to talk about it. And what better day to start with, than Valentine’s Day? And what better character to start with, than Jessica Hamby? Her subplot is the latest little romance to blossom, unfold and well… I guess it isn’t quite collapsed just yet. I mean, what’s one murdered truck driver between lovers?

Jessica Hamby is Bill’s first, and only progeny. He created her as a punishment for his actions in saving Sookie from Longshadow, –Longshadow would have most likely been killed anyway for stealing from a fellow vampire, and Sookie proved a valuable resource in his discovery. But Bill isn’t keen on revealing Sookie’s special talents to the hierarchy of vampire society, so he kept that bit to himself.

As a consequence, he was required to kill a human, and create a vampire, presumably to replace the one that he snuffed out. Jessica was the result. It is also among the character’s unique qualities, that she isn’t in any of the original Sookie Stackhouse novels. She’s a creation entirely of the writers, –and most fans of the books and the show, agree that she’s awesome. Which, is not what usually happens when a producer deviates from the novel storyline in a film or TV show.

Jessica started out as volatile, and cranky, –you know, like any teenager. She gradually became a little more ladylike with the help of Bill, with Sookie as backup. Eventually, she met Hoyt Fortenberry, about midway through the second season. But with a maenad taking over the town and turning everyone into debauchery driven zombies, they had kind of a rocky dating ritual. Eventually, Hoyt’s mother, Maxine Fortenberry, drove Jessica to the breaking point, and she snapped, and bit the batty old woman.

Hoyt left, leaving Jessica to have a complete emotional meltdown. Later however, Hoyt discovered that Jessica’s instincts about Maxine were probably more appropriate than he thought at first. Maxine admitted that she’d lied to him about his father’s death for insurance reasons, and for her own selfish reasons, had kept Hoyt from accomplishing anything in his life. Hoyt left, and went back to Jessica, but too late, –she was already off feeding on a trucker.

Another unfortunate side effect of Jessica’s vampire character, is that she died a virgin. Vampires heal; so each time she has sex, she experiences it “for the first time”, at least physically, which means it will always be a painful experience. Hoyt, in his perpetual charm, explained that there were other ways to enjoy being intimate, without having sex. But before they could have any adventures in foreplay, Hoyt’s mama screwed everything up. As it stands, Hoyt is willing to apologize, and Jessica is off killing people. What do you think will happen with those two in the third season?

Cirque du Freak: Reminiscing & Reviewing

annimi — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:17:40 +0000

The Saga of Darren Shan, made into a film… wow. That was all I could think about when the previews first started popping up all over the place. I first started reading the novels way back in 2000, when the first came out. I never actually finished the series, because I’m one of those unfortunate people who have to either forget about the pain of waiting for a new novel in a series, or just go insane for a year. Currently, I’ve been experiencing some severe dementia on account of having to wait a whole two more weeks for the new Kim Harrison novel, and then another couple of months before the new Sookie Stackhouse novel.

One of the great things about the Darren Shan Saga is not having to wait; it’s my personal goal to collect all 12 of the novels once more, and re-read. A little bit more information on the books; they’re not exactly girly vampire novels. Actually, these books were kind of written for a male audience. There’s fighting, grossness, –it’s like a more adventurous, horror-filled Harry Potter series. Except that despite all the sub-par press, Darren Shan came before all the Twilight hype, and before the big vampire media craze to begin with.

I expect that when someone actually offered to purchase the rights to the books for filming purposes, the author, real name Darren O’Shaughnessy aka Darren Shan, or D.B. Shan, probably didn’t see it coming. After all, he’d been writing for over a decade about vampires, and other horror fantasy and teen thrillers. Why now? Well, so that the studios could cash in on some more vampire trend stuff, most likely. The thing is, there’s just so much more going on in these novels. The romance isn’t as stifling and melodramatic, and the adventure is keyed up.

So, the books, –fabulous, always something new, and they’re short. You can probably read a book from the series in one sitting. And once again, I have to stress a unisex appeal, –the girls go for vampires, and the guys go for the lack of romantic drama, and the action overdose. Darren Shan, a normal teen, starts out in an easily identifiable situation, –a suburban robot cycle that seems to go on forever. He has an asshole for friend, –and plenty of us have asshole friends. So it’s easy to relate to this aspect too.

The rest of the story unfolds when Cirque du Freak rolls into town. The characters in the book are just as colorful as those on the big screen. Less sparkly attractive, more grotesque and strange. The werewolves in this film don’t show off their pecs. They scratch their balls, and bite off body parts… that subsequently, grow back. The freaks are freakish, and absolutely hilarious. The vampires were led by John C. Reilly, and Willem Dafoe, –who seemed to be pretty busy in the vampire genre last year, what with his roles in both Cirque du Freak, and the Spierig Brother’s Daybreakers.

In all reality, the cast was fairly star-spangled, as it also included the bearded, but beautiful psychic, Madame Truska, played Salma Hayek, the hilarious and incredibly rude Alexander Ribs, played by Orlando Jones, Ken Watanabe as Mr. Hibernius Tall, and Patrick Fugit as the shedding, but sweet, Evra Von. The film, one could fairly say, is for a fact, good fun for all ages. Adults will get the subtle jokes, and kids will get the not-so-subtle, and the tween girls will get their vampire fix while we wait for the next Twilight film.

My Valentine’s wish is, that you guys will grab the movie at some point over the upcoming few weeks, –it’s available for Netflix on the 23rd, –and see the movie if you haven’t already. Try to experience it with a no expectations mindframe, –don’t expect the vampires to be lame, or the characters to be depressing. Reilly and Dafoe perform beautifully, –Dafoe is always absurdly enchanting, known for his tendency to pad his part and overact to the best of his ability, –you won’t be disappointed by anything other than his short time on the screen. Reilly on the other hand, performs his best since 2002’s ‘Chicago’. So please, just.. get in the coffin, see the movie, and you know… all that jazz.

The Vampire Diaries, Season 1, Episode 14

annimi — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:33:12 +0000

Well, the little subplot between Matt and Caroline is moving along at a snail’s pace, but besides that, things are definitely picking up. As predicted, Elena was snatched, along with Bonnie, in order to make a trade: the grimoire for Elena. The difference is, that despite all manner of begging from Stefan, Damon isn’t going for it. While Elena and Bonnie hang out in a hotel room with Anna and her douchebag boyfriend, Damon tries to get Bonnie’s grandmother to open the door to Katherine’s tomb. No cigar. Jeremy Gilbert, meanwhile, is getting more and more pitiful as time goes on.

Despite eventually getting convinced to going out to ‘Duke’s party’, he chooses to bring Anna as his date. Guess where the big party is? Right in the old cemetery, next to the church ruins, where underneath, about two dozen hungry vampires are about to pour forth, should the vampires involved have their way. Stefan went to Gram’s house and figured out where Elena and Bonnie were via a “simple locator spell”, then busts them out of the hotel room where Anna and her undead jock were holding them hostage. After cutting through all the drama, Bonnie and her grandmother agree to open the tomb so that Damon can get Katherine and leave.

The only thing is, Damon isn’t in the mood to work together with everybody, so Elena collects herself, and goes to convince Damon that they won’t betray him again. Elena doesn’t apologize exactly, but she does persuade Damon that she will help him get Katherine out of the tomb. Damon puts his trust in her once again, and they head out to the tomb to meet Bonnie, her grandmother, Stefan, and his big flamethrower. Over at the big cemetery bash, Jeremy and Anna head off into the woods, where within thirty seconds, they kiss, she says she’s leaving, and her other boyfriend smashes him on the head with a crowbar.

Anna packs up Jeremy to take him off to the tomb, but she ends up having to deal with Stefan. The door to the tomb is open, and Damon hauls Elena in with him, for leverage against Bonnie and her grandmother just closing the door again. Everybody’s in the tomb; Anna, Damon, Elena, –Anna forces Elena to give blood to her mother, which of course, brings some screams from Elena, which brings Stefan a’runnin’ in. Problem with that is, there’s a seal still on the tomb, even if the door is open. The seal keeps the vampires from leaving, so Damon, Stefan, Anna, and her mother, are trapped.

But Elena can leave. Bonnie convinces her grandmother to break the seal long enough for everyone to get out, but Damon is freaking out, because Katherine isn’t in the tomb. Anna and her mother disappear into the night, promising to leave Jeremy alone, and giving directions to where he is. Outside, the witches are having some serious issues, –the spell is taking a lot out of both Bonnie, and her grandmother. They manage to keep the spell going strong, while Elena goes in and convinces Damon to leave the tomb, even though Katherine isn’t in there.

Damon, Elena, and Stefan make it outside, and there’s a really sweet moment where a heartbroken Damon gets a hug from Elena. Elena takes care of Jeremy, who says he thought he passed out, before she takes off to Bonnie’s. Apparently though, his recent encounter with Anna has only fueled his fascination with vampires. Damon is waiting for Anna and her mother, angry enough to rip them both to pieces; he accuses Anna of knowing that Katherine wasn’t there. Her mother says that Katherine escaped because she promised the guard she’d turn him, and Anna continues that Katherine was last seen in Chicago, in the 80’s.

She apologizes, telling him that Katherine knew all along where Damon was, that she just didn’t care enough to find him. Damon leaves, and is joined by Stefan at their home, in front of the fire. Presumably, there’s a modicum of male bonding. Elena, Bonnie and her grandmother spend the night together, but the spell weakened her grandmother, and killed her. Altogether, a very sad episode; not only does Jeremy lose yet another girl, but he also seems to be getting a little too obsessed with the whole vampires thing. This episode had nothing at all to do with Alaric Saltzman, so the next episode, we ought to be seeing more of him.

The whole Katherine thing, whoa, I didn’t see that coming at all. Now I’m almost positive, there’s going to be a big Katherine/Damon/Stefan/Elena bash at some point in the future. I also think that after Bonnie’s grandmother dying because of the strain of performing a spell to save Damon and Stefan, that Bonnie is going to be a little less sympathetic with the vampire plight in the future. And what’s the deal with the vampire popping out of the tomb at the end? Damon was all upset, he didn’t know that bursting his little blood bag would wake up an angry, Civil War-era vampire. But he’s up, and looks like he’s feeling frisky.

Vampires » vampire

Review of The Master of Rampling Gate: A Vook by Anne Rice

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