Archive for the ‘Vampire’ Category

Vampires, Vampires, Everywhere!

Author: Janine Barclay

If you’ve managed to avoid the vampire craze that’s currently sweeping through the media, you must have been living under a rock. If it’s not True Blood covering magazines and plastered all over the internet, it’s Twilight. And if it’s not Twilight, it’s The Vampire Diaries – the fiendish bloodsuckers are just everywhere just now.

It’s not certain just why vampires have suddenly become so popular at the moment, but there’s a good chance that hit novel Twilight has more than a little something to do with it. Stephanie Meyer’s vampire romance saga had teenage girls the world over sighing in delight over bloodsucking badass Edward Cullen and his tormented relationship with average human Bella Swan – but is that really where the current affinity with vampires started?

Perhaps not. If we cast our minds back to a little over a decade ago, we may remember the first intrepid steps of a certain blonde vampire slayer portrayed by Sarah Michelle Geller. Although it seems like a long time ago, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a huge craze that had millions of fans the world over. Although it ended several years ago, it’s still talked about and remembered fondly by its voluminous database of fans. Of course, before Buffy there were still plenty of other vampire-related televisions shows and movies. Anne Rice’s novels are still enormously popular and films like Dracula and Nosferatu, the latter of which is fondly thought of by those who have seen its earliest form, go back decades. The novel Dracula itself was, of course, written in 1897 – at the end of Victorian Gothic literature, where creatures of the night danced among much of the writing of the time. <> So it’s difficult to say when and why vampires became so popular, but easy to notice that this has certainly been their decade to shine – literally, in the case of Edward Cullen, who glitters when he steps into the sun.

The good thing about today’s vampires is that there’s something for everyone. For the younger generation who like their vampires more concerned with matters of the heart rather than blood and sex, there’s Twilight movies where each sparkle of every vampire can be seen in minute detail on HD TV. For everybody else, who prefer their vampires dangerous and dangerously sexy, there are critically acclaimed shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries – the choice is yours.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/vampires-vampires-everywhere-2789296.html

About the Author

Janine Barclay writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Vampire Awakening and Turning: is it Even Possible to be Turned Into a Vampire?

Author: Vivienne D’Avalon

This topic will be the focus of discussion at the next Sanford Vampire Meetup; you can join the discussion on Friday, February 6, 2009 at 7:15 pm at Talkshoe.com.

 

To figure out whether it’s possible to be “Turned” into a vampire, first we must discuss the possible explanations for vampirism. The website “Drink Deeply and Dream” lists five theories: 1) that vampirism is a genetic trait; 2) that it’s a spiritual matter having to do with the soul; 3) that it’s the result of a parasitic or symbiotic entity inhabiting a human host; 4) that it’s a condition caused by damaged or missing chakras, energy deficiencies, etc.; or 5) that it is the symptom of a virus or other outside pathogen. (Read the post at http://www.drinkdeeplyanddream.com/realvampire/vampire-cause.html for full explanations of each paradigm). I’ll discuss each in turn, and give my theories as to how they may relate to the possibility of Turning someone who is not already a vampire:

 

Genetic

 

The Science of Vampires by Katherine Ramsland briefly discusses the possibility that vampirism may be genetic; either there is a recessive gene for vampirism (meaning both parents must carry the gene for it to be inherited in the child), or, alternatively, vampirism is the result of “junk DNA” becoming activated.

 

The neo-Darwinian evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins goes into detail about what “junk DNA” is in The Selfish Gene and other books. Briefly, the human genetic code has many genes that do not seem to code for any proteins — so-called “junk DNA.” The current theory is that this junk DNA became part of our genetic makeup through our exposure over our entire evolutionary process to viruses capable of injecting their DNA into our own. The ones that didn’t kill us became symbiotic, becoming part of our genetic code. Mitochondrial DNA (found in the cell nucleus and only passed on from the mother) is probably the best known example of this.

 

Genetics is a good explanation for the physical symptoms of vampirism. This would make being a vampire akin to being blond, having blue eyes, or being a hemophiliac. It could be inherited or run in families. The only possible way to Turn in this scenario, (as opposed to being born a vampire), would be through the activation of (possibly “junk”) DNA.

 

The Science of Vampires suggests that this might be induced through high stress and adrenaline levels, such as might be experienced during a vampire “attack,” or from the biochemical mix of endorphins and other pleasure hormones induced by the ecstasy that some donors experience from being fed upon. An additional theory expounded in an article on Sanguinarius.org suggests that the right biochemical mix must be achieved in the gene-carrier’s body to activate the gene for vampirism. See: http://www.sanguinarius.org/articles/DG_biochemical-theory.shtml.

 

There are spiritual or metaphysical paths that believe it is possible to affect one’s own genetic code with magic or other metaphysical manipulation. I am skeptical, but others believe it is possible.

 

Spiritual/Soul

 

Turning in this instance would more truly be an Awakening to your True Self, discovering that you are already a vampire in spirit, or have a vampire’s soul in a human body. To discover if you are already spiritually a vampire, you might ask yourself, why do you want to be a vampire? Explore the vampire archetype already within you, through meditation, visualization and role play. Research as much as you can and find out what, if anything about vampirism resonates for you (and there are many different kinds).

 

I would suggest, if this scenario were true, then it should also be possible to do some sort of magick or spiritual ritual to Turn oneself. There are those who claim to be able to do this. (There is one such person referenced in The Science of Vampires. She does not sound credible to me, but that is my personal opinion).

 

Parasitic/Symbiotic Entity

 

If this scenario is true, then there would definitely be a possibility vampirism could be passed on through physical or psychic contact, either like a physical parasitic infection or some kind of spirit possession.

 

In the latter case, it would theoretically be possible to summon a vampiric entity from the astral plane, invite it to join with you, and thus make you a vampire. Once again, this would mean deliberately Turning yourself, rather than being turned by another person (although it would require the assistance or cooperation of a spiritual entity).

 

Damaged/Missing Chakras; Energy Deficiencies; etc

 

If this is the explanation for vampirism, it wouldn’t make sense for someone to deliberately damage or handicap themselves in this fashion, so unless someone already has this condition, there’s no benefit in being Turned.

 

In theory, this kind of damage can be caused by giving too much or for too long as a donor, and I have heard of people believing they have been Turned this way. I have heard of more instances, though, of donors who only became vampiric temporarily, but go back to normal once they have “healed” or spent time away from their vampire. Michelle Belanger calls this “sympathetic vampirism” in her book, The Psychic Vampire Codex.

 

This is a subject of much debate in the vampire community. Many do not believe it is possible to be Turned into a true vampire, but only to be made temporarily vampiric until the effects of feeding wear off.

 

Virus or other outside pathogen

 

In this scenario Turning would be possible as a form of infection, but it would require exposure to another (vampire) who is already infected, or exposure to the environmental factor that has caused others to Turn. (At this point, such a pathogen is unknown; The Science of Vampires suggests chemical pollutants or nuclear radiation as possibilities). This explanation seems unlikely, based on vampire experience. I have not heard of any “infecting” their donors in such a fashion.

 

***

 

Of course, there are many kinds of vampires (see my article, “The Truth About Modern Day Vampires,” for an explanation of the various kinds), and more than one of these scenarios might be the “true” explanation for any given vampire. Therefore, there might be a variety of ways that someone could be “Turned,” depending on the type of vampirism in question and which paradigm(s) are accurate.

 

I invite you to join us at Talkshoe for our Meet Up discussion on this controversial subject. There is a lot of meat here to pick over and pick apart, and I’m sure there will be many different and opposing points of view and opinions.

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/metaphysics-articles/vampire-awakening-and-turning-is-it-even-possible-to-be-turned-into-a-vampire-742559.html

About the Author

Vivienne D’Avalon is the owner of Persephone’s Haven – Lifestyle Support for Daywalkers and Dark Denizens (www.persephoneshaven.com) and a regular contributor to CroneSeraphim – no longer a “silent” majority (croneseraphim.com). She is an Eclectic gothic Wiccan, leannan sidhe, and co-founder of the Sanford/Casselberry Vampire and Shadowlore Meet Up. She is the author of “The Patriot’s Spellbook” and “On the Care and Feeding of Spirits” (available for purchase as an ebook at www.careandfeedingofpsirits.com).

The Sanford/Casselberry Vampire and Shadowlore Meet Up was founded in January of 2008 by Vivienne D’Avalon, Lord Mordred D. Ravensword, and Lady Amethyst Ravenna. It welcomes vampires, sanguine and psy; blood fetishists; incubi, succubi, and leannan sidhe; donors; wanna-be vampires; wanna-be donors; the vamp-curious; Goths who like to hang out with real vampires; energy workers; students and researchers; and members of Shadowlore. They can be found at http://vampires.meetup.com/929.

Having been engrossed in the reading of Stoker’s novel, Dracula, when I looked at my watch, it was way past my bedtime (midnight); so I meandered to farthest bathroom at the end of our long hallway, since I didn’t want to awaken Mary Patricia (my wife). Halfway there I was seized with a primal fear that froze me to the spot: I could swear the evil vampire Dracula –lurking in the shadows– was welcoming me to his kingdom, fangs bared, blood dripping, arms outspread.

Fear I’ve felt before, but this was different.
Dracula is a book one has to revisit once in a while. Finally it dawned on me that Dracula scared the living daylight out of me not because of his appearance or ill-fame, but because the vampire owns something I don’t: non-human knowledge.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of the scariest books ever written, and the reasons for its perennial appeal are basically two:
(1) The vampire theme in which the supernatural is thrown into the natural world
(2) Writing techniques: use of Absolutes.

When Count Dracula says, “There are far worse things awaiting than death.” Ah, what could that be? Orpheus, Tiresias, and Dante, belong to the set of personages who returned from the other shore; and what they had to say was horrifying, but they said things within human understanding. So, what are the “worse things” that Dracula mentions in passing? Is it something unmentionable? Is it something so tremendous and non-rational and unholy that he must leave unsaid?

Human fear I can live with. Take  Stephen King –the unsurpassed master of horror– who terrifies us with human knowledge: sins, transgressions, and human cruelty. With adroit prose and distinctive voice Stephen King exploits our fears and dark emotions, often appealing to grossness and revulsion. Bram Stoker also uses this sense of repugnancy in his novel: “As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me… a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal.”

Yet, what always puts a chill in my heart and mind is the lingering question of the beyond: what worse things did Dracula refer to?

Because the novel Dracula raises questions rather answering them, it will go on delighting readers for many generations. And what a treat it is! Not sparing a single rhetorical figure, Bram Stoker stabs and twists the reader’s central nervous system where horror resides. In some scenes, the narrating voice employs the ‘Nominative Absolute’ to add the sensation of simultaneity.

Watch closely this excerpt:

“As my eyes opened involuntarily I saw his strong hand grasp the slender neck of the fair woman and with giant’s power draw it back, the blue eyes transformed with fury, the white teeth champing with rage, and the fair cheeks blazing with passion.”

“Eyes transformed” is a past participle Absolute: “Teeth champing” and “Cheeks blazing” are both present participle Absolutes.

While we think that Ernest Hemingway was the inventor of the Absolute, Stoker was way ahead of him. Hemingway abused the technique, Bram Stoker was measured and sober in his use of it.

Subjunction is a rhetorical device that repeats contiguous words. Notice how Stoker makes use of it:

“I closed me eyes in a languorous ecstasy and waited-waited with beating heart.”

Rhetoric isn’t dead. It is always present in the great works of literature.

Humans instinctively seek beauty in what they read. In Dracula we find it not in the theme or the plot, but in the composition itself, since it is masterfully written. Readers, students and blossoming writers who are serious about literature will find elegant and yet thrilling writing that will seize both their minds and viscera. And if one reads this novel at night, don’t go to the bathroom!

What makes Dracula such a beautiful piece of work? There’s only one answer: it is well balanced by the power of well-balanced sentences; it is harmoniously woven, and its prose sparkles with a radiance that is short of wondrous.

Now you can get the Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Collector’s Set (40 discs) from Amazon. This really is the perfect gift for any Buffy Fan ……

Unlike her predecessors, Buffy surrounds herself with a circle of loyal friends who become known as the “Scooby Gang”.The series usually reached between four and six million viewers on original airings. Although such ratings are lower than successful shows on the “big four” networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox), they were a success for the relatively new and smaller WB Television Network.

Reviews for the show were positive, and it was ranked #41 on the list of TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time as well as #2 on Empire’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Buffy was also voted #3 in TV Guide’s Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time and included in TIME Magazine’s 100 Best TV Shows of All Time. It was nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards, winning a total of 3 Emmys. The WB network ceased operation on September 17, 2006 after airing an “homage” to its “most memorable series”, including the pilot episodes of Buffy and its spin-off Angel. Buffy’s success has led to hundreds of tie-in products, including novels, comics, and video games. The series has received attention in fandom (including fan films), parody, and academia, and has influenced the direction of other television series.

If your a Buffy Fan, Let us know what you liked most about the show!

“Martin“
This early film by “Night of the Living Dead“ director George A. Romero takes the movie and novel vampire click’s and spins them on their head, following the murderous and psychological problems of a young man who thinks he is a vampire. The movie never really comes forward with whether or not Martin is or isn’t an 85 year old vampire or if he is just a confused and shy 20 year old boy, which adds to the power and emotion of this unique take on vampire lore. Martin isn’t a “sexy” vampire with powers or hot cars with spoilers, he’s just a regular guy.

“Ultraviolet“
This strange mix of science fiction and vampirism flopped in the box office but is worth a viewing just for the great visual effects, fight scenes and beautiful Milla Jovovich. In the year 2078 after a global pandemic that gives the infected vampire-like powers but also kills them in 12 years, Violet is hired to steal a weapon that will be used to kill all infected on the planet. The plot is a bit silly but the fun twist on old-world vampirism in a future-setting is amusing.

“The Last Man on Earth“
This classic 1964 science fiction film is still powerful today thanks to a wonderful performance by Vincent Price and the dark, desolate, against-all-odds mood of the film. Dr. Robert Morgan is the last man on earth, struggling to survive against a world decimated and flooded by infected humans turned vampires. It is a slow movie but the viewer is rewarded some great scenes and a powerful, often-quoted climax.

“The Hunger“
Any vampire horror film that has David Bowie playing a stylish vampire is worth seeing in my book. This 1983 film has gained a cult following in recent years thanks to its moody, dark and glamorous atmosphere, as well as its soundtrack. Of course, now that the vampire genre is at an all-time peak thanks to “Twilight”, Warner Bros plans to remake the film for 2010. See the original first.

Buy the Twilight Saga Box Set NOW!
from Amazon at the very best Discounted Prices

Beginning stories and novels is always a challenge. Most beginnings are discarded eventually. Often, these ignoble starts bear no resemblance to the final product. This difficulty is, I believe, a direct result of the writer having an unclear idea of the story and of the characters who will populate their imaginary world. Stephanie Meyer, the highly successful author of the ‘Twilight’ series, offers a tip in the way that she began her first novel.

Stephenie’s experience of beginning Twilight can be used to a writer’s advantage when starting a new story or novel project. Stephenie, who had written very little and had no great ambition as a writer prior to the amazing success of Twilight, did not sit down initially to write a bestselling coming-of-age vampire novel series.

She was a reader, a sporadic writer, and fan of the “vampire-genre” and of the “romance-genre”. Her compelling story that becomes ‘Twilight’ begins with a dream she had one night. This dream will eventually become the ‘meadow scene’ in her first book where Bella Swan, in the forest with Edward Cullen, discovers Edward is a vampire. This is a powerful, key scene in the novel, and Stephenie has described how jolted she was by the images in the dream. Stephenie awoke and wrote the dream down, and this became the key scene the entire book was written around.

We all have dreams and flashes of scenes and characters from time to time, but what Stephenie did with this dream is something that writers can use to begin to craft a story. Stephenie wrote outward from the key scene she devised from her dream to answer the questions posed by the scene:

These two questions make up the key components of the story, and in answering them, Stephenie is drawing her readers into a detailed world where vampires and humans exist throughout a long history.

How to use what Stephenie did with Twilight

1. Begin with a compelling image or character.

2. Free-write the scene you imagine, or as much detail as you can about the character that you see/imagine.

3. Step back and answer some questions about what you have written:

The key takeaway from what Stephenie did with Twilight is to find a compelling scene and then to seek to answer the questions about who is there and what is going on. You write both forward and backwards from the event, trying to give it a realistic (regardless of genre) past that got you to that point, and future, that the story and characters will inexorably move towards.

You may not know exactly where the story will end, but if you begin with a vivid character or scene you can write around it to tell a compelling story.

Try this technique on a short-story and see how it works.

There is no doubt that Freidrich Willhelm Murnau’s Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Symphony of Horror) is a piece of landmark cinema, both for its Expressionist filmmaking and its unique treatment of the vampire as plague. Yet few people saw this monumental film prior to 1960.

Though slated for destruction by Bram Stoker’s widow, the film managed to survive, popping up in the most peculiar places.

Nosferatu debuted at the Marble Hall of the Berlin Zoological Gardens in 1922. The movie was the first and last product of a small art collective called Prana Films — the brainchild of artist Albin Grau (later Nosferatu’s production designer). A month later Florence Stoker caught wind, and she started the legal machines rolling. Her only income at this point was her deceased husband’s book Dracula, and she would not let some German production company steal her meal ticket. During the 1920s, intellectual rights were a bit dodgy, so Florence paid one British pound to join the British Incorporated Society of Authors to help defend her property. Never mind that the society would also pick up the tab for the potentially huge legal bills.

Florence seemed unaware that a second vampire film, this one called Drakula, was produced by a Hungarian company in 1921. Although the title harkens back to Bram Stoker’s novel, the resemblance ends there. This film, now lost save for some stills, was more concerned with eye gouging than straight out vampirism. Nosferatu on the other hand took much of its plot from Stoker’s Dracula, changing only the names.

The film continued to be exhibited in Germany and Budapest up through 1925, though Prana was beleaguered by creditors and harassed by Florence Stoker. They tried to settle with the society, offering a cut of the film’s take in order for them to use the Dracula title in England and America. Florence would not relent.

She not only wanted Prana to halt exhibition of the film, she wanted it torched — all prints and negatives of the film destroyed. And she got her way. In 1925 Florence won her case and the destruction order went through. Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grauens vanished into thin air just as Count Orlock, the vampire in the film, does when exposed to the rays of the morning sun. Nosferatu did not stay dead. Like any good horror movie, the villain revived himself and carried on the fight. A print of the film resurfaced in 1929, playing to audiences in New York and Detroit. However preeminent Dracula scholar, David J. Skal, writes that the film “was not taken seriously” and that most audiences considered it “a boring picture”. The print was then purchased by Universal to see what had already been done in terms of a vampire movie. The film was studied by all the key creative personnel leading to the Universal production of Dracula in 1931.

The undead film continued to rise from the grave throughout the years. An abridged version was aired on television in the 1960s as part of Silents Please, and subsequently released by Entertainment films under the title Terror of Dracula, and then again by Blackhawk Films under the name Dracula. Blackhawk also released the original version to the collector’s market under the title Nosferatu the Vampire. An unabridged copy of the movie survived Florence Stoker’s death warrant and was restored and screened at Berlin’s Film Festival in 1984.

Despite its influence on the making of the 1931 Dracula, Nosferatu has few film decedents. It’s theme of vampire as a scourging plague has only been seriously taken up by two films: the 1979 remake by Werner Herzog, Nosferatu: The Vampyre, and the 1979 television miniseries of Salem’s Lot, directed by Tobe Hooper. Perhaps if the original Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grauens had been allowed regular release, this would not be the case. It remains to be seen if Nosferatu will vanish again with the daylight or if this rare film will rise again in a new form.

For more information on the making of the original Dracula, check out David Skal’s book Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen.

If you want to see how vampire films have changed from Dracula to Underworld, pick up a copy of my book The Changing Vampire of Film and Television. Also you may visit  www.timkanebooks.com for more vampire articles and fiction.

Having trouble finding a good book? If you want something with a half-breed vampire out for vengeance by killing her own kind this might be your series. This was a refreshing new look at the way vampire meets vampire hunter. Creative with an interesting love story you really don’t see coming. With ghouls, ghost, and demons this series developed a whole new world that keeps you interested and in suspense throughout each book.

Each book takes you a little deeper into the world Jeaniene Frost has created. Now I’m not going to give a lot away in each of these briefs. In fact I’m giving you nothing at all except what I thought. This is one series you have to take on your own. Even the smallest hint can give something major away. I know my sister did it to me, and she really didn’t tell me much! I love books that you really don’t know what’s going on until the end. This one even throws you at the end…especially Destined for an Early Grave.

All four of these novels can still be found in your local bookstore or online. Jeaniene Frost also has her own website, just type her name in any search engine and you’ll find her. Happy reading!

Halfway to the Grave~
The nail-biting suspense was a very new way of redirecting us vampire lovers. It was cleverly written, and had a nice base of humor. It was unquestionably one of my more better reads. The best part of this in particular novel was right when you think you got it the end figured out she throws something else at you.

Buy Halfway to the Grave NOW!

One Foot in the Grave~
Book two in the series was a mixed read for me. I really didn’t know how to take this one at first. I don’t want to give to much away here, but how the whole thing came together seemed to throw me a little. If you ended up like me, you’ll read the next one just to see where she’s going with it. Not that it was bad or anything. In fact I really enjoyed it.

At Grave’s End~
Book three picked up the game again from the moment you open this book. Some parts were a little predictable but the story line kept you going on just to make sure you were right. Although the ending kind of made me a little apprehensive about the next book. I like little guessing games, although this book made me rethink the whole love story between Cat and Bones.

Destined for an Early Grave~
Honestly, It just felt a little drawn out as if she was making this whole story up just to set up another serious altogether. Now I’m not saying it was a complete waist of time. It was a very good read. I liked the steady stream of humor, the nice feel for the characters, and the way it gets you hyped for the next. Only you find out the
next isn’t Night Huntress. Fine by me…bring it Jeaniene!