The Greatest Compliment

[tinhuviel]

There was a consensus, especially when I was growing up, that a Vampire was essentially this ugly creature of the night. Sure he was charming and could appear lovely but, when he was in full Vampire mode, he was this hideous creature. I personally never saw the Vampire in this way; rather, I thought of the Vampire as this beautiful being with the

Comments

Gossip Gurl

[acook]

Ooooooh guurl tell me about these beautiful vampires in your life. I want to know who they are!! XD

Re: Gossip Gurl

[tinhuviel]

Well, Michael Nouri was the first, being my Dracula in 1979. Peter Murphy of Bauhaus fame, then later as a solo artist. He's both a Vampire and an Elf. I don't think he is of this Earth. Rachel Weisz is an incredible Vampiric presence. Geoffrey Rush strongly exhibits the Vampiric energy. Of course, there's Barry, possibly the strongest Vampire in my circle of beings. As a result, his inspired character is the strongest Vampire in the books. James McAvoy has the presence. Lessee...Kate Bush, Siouxsee Sioux, Adam Ant, Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus from LOST), Tom Hardy (obviously, since I want him to play Cadmus and he's anchored to Gethsymonae), Elijah Wood, Craig Parker (Haldir of LOTR), aaaaand that's all I can think about for now. Enough for yez? :D

[teague]

I was talking to Deb last night about the new Fright Night movie, and she haaates Colin Farrell. I personally am not his biggest fan, but from the previews I have seen, I think he's going to do Dandridge properly. What I liked about the original story, and what I hope is preserved in the new one regarding Dandridge is that he's very modern. For a vampire he's incrediblty unpretentious. That doesn'r mean he lacks Glamour. It means he made a conscious choice to dial it back. To be a wolf in sheep's clothing. He woke up one evening laying on a pile of dead, beautiful people and said.. "I just can't do this any more.. I think I need to move to the suburbs..." If you watched the second one, featuring his "sister," you can probably see how that's true. She's definitely not a suburbs kinda vampire. She has a whole little coven of exotic beauties. He chose to bring one ghoul who looks like any attractive guy you might see in the neighborhood. Kinda wholesome looking in fact.

[tinhuviel]

See I think Dandridge has much more natural Glamour than his sister or any of her subjects. The scene where he is seducing Amy and he just stops and is looking at her with this sublime sadness on his face? GLAMOUR. :D Whereas the sister is "glamourous," Jerry possesses the sorcery. Does that make sense?

[teague]

Oh, I do agree. I didn't mean to say he didn't possess Glamour. It's more he *chose* to adopt a facade of being ordinary. It's that conscious choice that is subversive, and amongst the movie vampires, he alone seems to really commit, or get it right. Not even the Twilight Twinkies made a home in a modest two story in Colonial Tractville. I get the sense that he was very old, and yes, very powerful, and he just wanted to retire as it were, even if only for a couple of decades. Being a ruthless preditory sex god was finally boring to him. He caught himself looking at Ikea catalogs, and feeling a weird need to be something he wasn't. The challenge he sought was to blend in, not be invisible. To wave at neighbors while he stood on his porch after sundown, observing the flowerbeds that his servant had carefully placed. To feel amusement at the antics of the neighbor's pets. Those were the things he couldn't naturally reach with his power. And yes, sister did seem only more powerful because she was still embracing her preditory state.

[tinhuviel]

Agreed. Alex (the sister) came across to me as a Vampire poser. Her harem did, too, for that matter. Zipping around on a skateboard in the middle of the night does not a Vampire make. ha ha! Most of the Goth rock musicians from the late 80s to present do not Vampires make; however, Barry, who has no truck with the Goth world, is wholly Vampiric. Gary Oldman's Dracula possesses that sorcery, but Bela Lugosi's does not, despite what most people's opinions are regarding that. I know he's an icon in this genre, but it's not how I see the Vampire or his world. I've been told I have a screwed up view of what is and isn't Vampiric, but I'm a Lord Ruthven kind of gal, subject to anything remotely aligned with the idea of Michael Nouri's very Dandridge-esque interpretation of the Dracul.

[furnacechant]

Interesting---never been big on vampires and seldom understand your taste in men, but I too have words that I think of as a compliment and others do not, and possibly for somewhat similar reasons. My preferred archetypes would be more along the line of android and mad scientist ( being a bit switchy it may vary which one, yet two sides of the same coin still). I was startled recently to discover how many of my earliest imaginings of what sex would be like were actually direct homages to House Of Wax starring Vincent Price( I hadn't seen it since I was about 7), but with gender reversed---not exactly "android" but with some parallels( off the subject but kind of funny to me that the screaming-bimbo-who-dies in that movie grew up to be Morticia Addams a few years later).

Anyway, most of the adjectives that apply to androids and mad scientists do not appear to be considered flattering or sexy by others than me, so I understand that part of what you said. Excuse the ramble I have an awful headcold I am treating with brandy toddies.

[tinhuviel]

Oh, I grok what you're saying. That's one reason why I try to respect how others describe what is important or deeply relevant to them. When you're considered a bit of an weirdo by the majority of people, you really have to room to think anyone else is a weirdo for their own particular preferences and needs.

[falkenna]

I call mine "daimons", with a nod to the fact that they are related to the "demonic" as well. But vampires and mad scientists both figure in the history.
Tin, how long since you saw Lugosi's Dracula? I didn't appreciate his magnetism in my teens and twenties, but grew to later. I think it's actually very similar to Oldman's (who is remarkably ugly as Dracula, even though he's normally anything but). But then, maybe Lugosi's just not someone that you 'get'.

[tinhuviel]

I actually just recently caught Lugosi's Dracula again and just wasn't impressed. It's just a personal preference for me. The song on the the other hand.... WOWW