Hi everyone! In case you weren’t paying attention, last week I announced a contest to win a copy of Taste the Blood of Monster Serial. I got a half dozen responses with some excellent choices. Check ’em out:
From Tom:
My favorite vampire movie is “Nosferatu”, because Max Schreck’s character is so darned ugly. He’s an undead monster, and looks like it. He’s not a suave, sophisticated, romantic figure, as Dracula is so often depicted. You can really believe this horrible-looking creature sleeps in a coffin!
From Mike:
If I can’t go with the original NOSFERATU since it’s already been picked (and let’s face it, Max Schreck’s Orlock is STILL the most supernatural creature ever committed to celluloid), my back up choice would be Terence Fisher’s BRIDES OF DRACULA which features Peter Cushing at his Van Helsing-est (love the high drama of dealing with the bite) and the interesting choice of making the vampire a Wildean aesthetic dandy (he may be called Baron Meinster, but in my mind he’s Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas).
From James:
‘Shadow of the Vampire’ (2000) is a vampire film about making a (pre-code) vampire film, which plays with the possibility that the crew might just actually be filming a real vampire. Quite apart from that brilliant concept, the details of silent film production and the atmospheric eastern European settings are superbly presented. A film both playful and haunting.
From my pal Ryan:
@PreCodeDotCom Near Dark, loved how it merged genres together in western, romance and horror. It also had Bill Paxton which is a plus.
— Ryan Rinchiuso (@Ibentmywookie81) April 23, 2015
From David:
My favorite vampire film is “Let The Right One In” from Sweden. It didn’t take the familiar approach to the genre, but in fact put it’s own chillingly lyrical spin on it. It was a cross between a horror film, a cautionary tale about bullying, and a tale of adolescent hell. ‘Ellie’ wasn’t your typical vampire, she looked like a normal. young twelve-year old, who has been so for a very long time. She killed people because she had to, in order to stay alive. It is also a very existential film about guilt, longing, and friendship. I would call it a benchmark of the modern horror film. To cap it off, it has one of the creepiest underwater sequences in movie history. This is how you make a horror film, one that lingers, and hypnotizes you long after it is over. It is one of my top ten favorite films of all-time.
From Haidee:
“Nosferatu” is definitely my favorite vampire film because nothing scared me like THIS vampire. Not before or since. The first time I saw this film I was in a horror film class at UC Irvine back in the seventies. The class would start at 9pm, lights out and away we’d go! I couldn’t believe that a film “that old” (yes, I had a lot to learn back then) could scare me like it did! No special effects, CGI or any of that other –excuse the expression – CRAP, was necessary to create that eery sense of dread whenever Max Schreck’s spindly body and long fingers appeared on the screen, just ready to reach out and grab you! Max Schreck IS “Nosferatu.” In addition this film didn’t even need SOUND to make it a nightmare-inducing masterpiece. I will say I love Bela Lugosi, too. But for sheer terror, I put all my money on “Nosferatu.”
And the winner is… Haidee! Mostly because she mentioned that she’s a librarian in her email, and that’s awesome. A very big thank you to all the respondents, and it was hard to disagree with any of your picks– those are all solid movies listed above, with some great explanations to boot.
Also, a special ‘thank you’ to Wallace for providing the winner a copy of the book. Remember you can pick up Taste the Blood of Monster Serial at Amazon. Cheers!
