Young Dracula S5E2 “Who’s The Daddy?”

The following review contains spoilers! “Who’s The Daddy?” marks the second episode of the new season of Young Dracula. It continues on what seems like a low boil in terms of plot–and as per usual it manages to surprise. Consider–last week we learned an important secret. Vlad, our title character, the son and heir of…

Young Dracula “Fight or Flight”

Season Five, Episode One (and spoilers do follow) It is back. The British not-such-a-children’s show Young Dracula began its fifth season this week with “Fight or Flight” taking place months after the end of season four. As per usual, things have to some extent been reset. The situation of the series has undergone some definite…

New Dracula Music Video

In a few weeks pop violinist Lindsey Stirling brings out a new album, which includes a piece inspired by and having to do with the new television series Dracula (debuting on NBC October 25). The sound matches the overall “look” of the program, with its vaguely steampunk sensibilities and soaring, gothic romanticism. Matching it of…

Biting Critique: Vampire Lore as Vehicle For Social Commentary

With the 6th season of True Blood having just concluded, and with fans eager for new episodes, it’s fascinating to reflect on the bevy of issues the show has addressed over the course of its run, including: xenophobia; subjugated groups gaining tolerance in an increasingly permissive society; humanity’s constant struggle to reconcile animalistic urges with…

Non-Fiction Spotlight: The Romance of Dracula

The Romance of Dracula by Charles E. Butler is, in his own words, “a personal journey of the Count on celluloid.” I think that is a perfect way to describe this book, which is part film critique, part essay, and part personal reminiscence. Like Mr. Butler, I love the vampire film genre as well as…

Vampires Should Be Evil

I encountered the Vampire tale first through the movies, staying up late Friday and Saturday nights watching Bela Lugosi, John Carradine and then Christopher Lee portray Dracula. The Count was the epitome of evil, his whole existence on this Earth one purpose, to feed and create more of his kind. Vampirism was like a plague,…

Lets Remake Dracula’s Daughter

As before, I formally give anyone at all the right to use any of the ideas that follow. Go for it! With the economy being what it is, and the huge competition from the internet and direct-to-dvd, small wonder Hollywood studios look to established stories for investing purposes. Here’s a suggestion for a remake: Dracula’s…

Rochester City Ballet Presents ‘The Blood Countess’

This is going to be fantastic, –finally, vampires have come to the stage. I personally, wish it could have been in a less speculative and naive story, but sadly, the writer didn’t ask me what I thought before he (or she), decided to pen a ballet that would amalgamate Bathory and Dracula pop-culture. And for that,…

Vampires: The Nightmare Strangers

Someone asked why I thought vampires remained so popular and intriguing. My answer: Because the undead make such a fluid metaphor. Consider; when they first entered into the Western literature and art–with John Polidori’s “The Vampyre.” For much of the next century, vampires popped up in art and theatre as well as different stories. “Varney…

Young Dracula

The year 2006 saw the best vampire television series so far debut for a run far, far too short. No, not “Blood Ties” wonderful as that show was. Nor was it “Ultraviolet,” another lamented program that left the airwaves too soon. “Young Dracula.” Sounds like a children’s show, doesn’t it? Well, yes and no. The…