Saturday, December 27, 2014

VAMPIRE FICTION HAS ALWAYS HELD A FASCINATION FOR ME.







Bram Stoker’s Dracula, published in 1897, is, without question, the most famous horror novel ever written.   The book is a compilation of letters and journal entries that sets the stage for all vampire fiction to come. 



Francis Ford Coppola’s motion picture version of Dracula follows the plot as closely as any movie can in condensing a book to a two hour movie script.

But, to receive the full breadth and depth of the story you should place Dracula on your reading list, preferably to be read just before bed.   



If you find yourself hooked on the book Dracula you should follow it with Dracula’s Heir by Sam Stall. 



In 1897 Archibald Constable & Co. published Bram Stoker’s Dracula… For some reason still debated by scholars, the first chapter of Dracula was cut from the book just weeks before publication.   Here it becomes the central clue in a spinetingling original interactive mystery.
Excerpt from Amazon.com.  

And then there is Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot: the scariest vampire book ever written and the worst vampire movie ever made.   



Salem's Lot should be read alone on a dark and stormy night. 

  
In 1985 my wife and I moved into a rundown 1832 farmhouse situated alone, in the woods, at the end of a one mile long dirt road in rural Maine.   The house had no electricity, plumbing or running water.   At night, in bed, by lamp light my wife would read aloud a chapter from Salem’s Lot.  

It was scary as hell then, and I have read it since – and it is still scary. 

 the Ol’Buzzard


12 comments:

  1. It is certainly some scary stuff. I used to watch "Dark Shadows" after school back in the 60's. I don't think it was meant to be a farce, but that's how I perceived it.

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  2. Have you read Fred Saberhagen's Dracula series. IIRC, the first book in the series is An Old Friend of the Family and tells the story from the Count's perspective. Not great literature, but definitely fun to read.

    When it comes to recent vampire fiction, I'm a fan of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's St. Germain series, started off liking Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Black Vampire Killer books but gave up on them when they turned into porn, and think Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse/True Bloo) got lucky because she surely cannot write. The S.O. and I have been watching a Canadian series, "Blood Ties," which was based on a series of novels written by Tanya Huff. I like the tv show but haven't been able to find any of the books locally.

    Salem's Lot is a great book. Did you ever read any of King's short stories that reference the town of Salem's Lot? They're even scarier, maybe because they go from the mundane to the super creepy in just a few short paragraphs.

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    1. Being a Mainer I have followed King from the very beginning. I agree with you about Charlaine Harris' books but we did follow the TV series; however, it was time to end it.
      OB

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    2. Haven't read Saberhagen. Will look up.
      thanks
      O'B

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  3. I'm a member of the Vampire Book Club. It's a nice little club. We like books with a bite to them.

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  4. I actually became obsessed with the life and work of Bela Lugosi years ago. There is an incredible series of photos of his portrayal of Christ in a 1909 Hungarian Passion Play. I'm sure you've seen my favorite Vampire flick of all time, Polanski's, The Fearless Vampire Killers....The Jewish Vampire gag is priceless. Here in France, the big new musical spectacle in Paris is Le Bal des Vampires which was co written and produced by Polanski. In the early 90's I did get hooked on the Ann Rice books.

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    1. I have a copy of Polanski's Fearless Vampire Killers - "Boy do you have the wrong vampire."
      O'B

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  5. I read Dracula when I was a teenager..warped my brain..Salem's Lot scared the crap out of me..our apt was being painted before we could move in..so we stayed in a trailer right by Lake Austin..had water bugs the size of golf balls..they scurried all over and there was a tree that grew over the trailer and when wind blew it made spooky noises..I read every night before I went to bed..I don't think I got more than 45 minutes sleep before I finished that damn book..

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  6. If I want the crap scared out of me, I read the news on line.
    Happy New Year

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