Author: Jennifer Williams

The Vampire Tapestry

by Suzy McKee Charnas 1980 I bought The Vampire Tapestry pretty much on the strength of the blurbs. Stephen King has a glowing quote on the cover and some enthusiastic reviewer gushed that it had surpassed Bram Stoker’s Dracula itself. In read it, I wasn’t quite as moved as the reviewers, but I did find … Read More

Top 70 Vampire Films Redux

It’s been awhile since I started working through this list. I’m off track but maybe I can dust it off before my Interim class this winter. The Top 70 Vampire Movies of All Time 70. Bordello of Blood (1996); Bon Jovi Corollary: John Carpenter’s Vampires: Los Muertos 69. Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) 68. Dracula 2000 … Read More

Interm 2011

English W44A This course challenges the claim that the current interest in vampires is a “recent” one. In fact, great interest in vampires has bubbled up at several points in history, and it will be the task of the class to determine how these responses have been similar or unique. We will proceed by examining … Read More

Summer Reading List

Commencement was on Saturday and so thus officially begins summer break. Well, I suppose the official summer doesn’t happen until I finish grading, but close enough. What will I be reading this summer? Oh, this and that. Hideyuki Kikuchi, Vampire Hunter D: Pale Fallen Angel — need to finish this still. Donna Tartt, The Secret … Read More

Ink (2009)

This movie is amazing. Truly amazing. I just finished watching it about 5 minutes ago and I’m still weeping. Ink is about pride, sin, guilt, shame, pain, grief, forgiveness, love and redemption. The story centers around a man named John. He is a big deal stock broker, a wheeler and dealer. He’s also deeply unhappy … Read More

The Strain (2009)

Reading The Strain made me ridiculously depressed that the rumors that Guillermo Del Toro was on the short list to direct the 3rd installment in the Twilight Saga were not true. A) Because the man can spin straw into goal (see my previous post on Blade 2; and B) Because Del Toro can write one … Read More

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Dale and I saw Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland this afternoon. Amazing. I was prepared to be very disappointed with the movie – the pictures of Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter and Helena Boehm Carter’s Red Queen were too gruesome for me and the trailers made it seem as if Burton was simply remaking the original … Read More

District 9 (2009)

Fabulous. This movie is so great that as soon as it finished, I wanted to play it from the beginning again. The story is about what happens when aliens finally do make contact with earth. However, instead of coming with peace, new technology, or even conquest, the one million aliens on the ship are emaciated … Read More

Do your best!

I love the sharks in this scene. The guy with the horns is a demon and he has sharks for henchmen/ servants. But they are sensitive sharks. So when Beaut snaps at one of the sharks, the shark bursts into tears. Click on the image to enlarge and remember to read from Right to Left. … Read More

Them (2006)

No, not a vampire movie but pretty scary. GAH!!!!! I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened of teenagers in hoodies. The film depicts the story of Clem and Lucas, two average people living in a remote house in Romania. One night they are awaken to scary noises and then they suddenly find themselves in … Read More

Yashakiden

As if I wasn’t already reading 3 or 4 books simultaneously, I started Yashakiden: the Demon Princess today. It’s by Hideyuki Kikuchi, author of the Vampire Hunter D series. The story is part of the Demon City Shinjuku universe. There is an anime and manga based on Demon City Shinjuku, but I haven’t seen/read them. … Read More

Vampires Reading Vampires

This has got to be one of my favorite scenes on Vampire Diaries. Damon is confused by New Moon. Damon: “What’s so special about this Bella girl? Edward is really whipped.” Caroline: “You gotta start with the first book. It won’t make sense if you don’t.” Damon: “I miss Anne Rice. She was so on … Read More

A Word About Teenage Vampires

I watched an episode of the CW’s The Vampire Diaries last night. The show, which is a loose adaptation of a novel series of the same name, takes place in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. It centers upon the vampire brothers Damon and Stefan, and Stefan’s love interest Elena. This will undoubtedly become a … Read More

Blade (1999) and Blade: Trinity (2004)

I watched a classic the other night with my friend J.: Blade. We watched Blade: Trinity (2004) first, and as it turned out, it didn’t much matter that we watched them out of order. The episodes in the narratives have a certain interchangeable quality to them. Blade: Trinity with a voice over by a guy … Read More

My Manga Summer: Until Death Do Us Part

One reason I got so out of the habit of watching and posting blogs about vampire movies is because I spent most of my free time this summer devouring manga. So, I’m going to try to write little by little about the manga I read over the summer. First up: Until Death Do Us Part … Read More

Thirst (2009)

I finally saw Thirst, the Korean vampire movie by director Chan-wook Park. I first heard about it the past summer when I read that it won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. I had been waiting for it to be released with English subtitles ever since. Kang-ho Song plays a devote priest, Father Sang-hyeon, … Read More

Daybreakers (2010)

It seems appropriate to return to my neglected blog with a review of Daybreakers, the new Ethan Hawke vampire movie. Daybreakers is set in 2019. Because of some “outbreak” 10 years ago, almost all humans have been turned into vampires and life now runs from sundown to sunrise, as opposed to the other way around. … Read More

Near Dark (1987)

Summer vacation is winding down. Despite my intent to complete the Top 70 Vampire Films of All Times list, I only made it through about 2/3. I’ve also been on some what of a manga kick this summer, but more on that later. Last night I watched Near Dark, a 1987 vampire flick directed by … Read More

Kuroshitsuji

I’ve been reading a manga called Kuroshitsuji this week. It is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. In English, it will be called The Black Butler. It’s a great deal of fun. The story is about Ciel Phantomhive, the 12 year old Earl of the Phantomhive family, and his butler, Sebastian. Ciel is … Read More

Thirst

Hey – check this out. A vampire film one the Jury Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival this year.  

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