Screen Vampires

OK, who ar your favourite screen vampires? Who makes the best film or tv vamps?

From monster-type vamps like Nosferatu, to the suave, cloaked noblemen like Bela Lugosi's or Christopher Lee's "Dracula", many have been eye-catching and mesmeric in their undead roles. Gary Oldman's Count looked positively bizarre at times, and yet he draws you in and still manages to be tragically sexy by the end.

Of course, things have moved on since the Victorian gentleman idea of a vampire. Now we have undead bikers, teenagers, punks, rockstars. I've confessed before to a soft spot for Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and for the punkish Spike from the same show. And Tom Cruise as the irrepressible Vampire Lestat from Interview with the Vampire. I know there are many fans of The Vampire Diaries and True Blood...

And let's not forget the comedy vamps! Who remembers George Hamilton in Love at First Bite? ("For you, never ze quickie. Always ze longie.":) ). And vampiresses, like Countess Dracula and the Queen of the Damned, to say nothing about Drusilla from Buffy (for whom my husband has an inexplicable penchant!)

Anwyay, that's a few to be thinking about! (Sorry, by the way, for the slightly odd arrangements of photos - I couldn't make Blogger put them where I wanted them!)  Let's hear your favourites - heroic and villainous!

Urban Fantasy TV

Well, after talking about movies yesterday, let's move on to the small screen! Which urban fantasy television programmes or series stand out for you?

For me, it was the earlier episodes of Angel (above and below left). It seemed to show Angel as a grown-up, and his brooding seemed to fit really well into the noir, city setting :). I liked the loneliness of the characters, the lurking supernatural dangers and of course the hero protecting the city dwellers from threats they didn't know were there..

I was (still am!) a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan too, of course, but for me, the smaller town setting doesn't seem to work so well as urban fantasy.

From the British side of the Pond, Torchwood - the Dr. Who spin-off series - set largely in the Welsh city of Cardiff springs to mind as innovative and compelling.

True Blood, Supernatural, Reaper, are all on my "watch from the beginning!" list. 

Let's hear your loves and hates and general thoughts on urban fantasy tv!

Marie