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what is it about vampires?

Posted on June 30, 2003 
Filed Under Entertainment

For some reason which I can’t begin to fathom, I seem to enjoy entertainment fiction centered around vampires. It’s not a conscious thing. Maybe I was one in a former life? Actually, I think I enjoy that mix of romanticism and danger. I don’t know.

When I was a kid, about 13 I think, I remember loving a TV show called “Cliff Hangers.” It was a show broken down into three 20 minute serialized segments, each with its own unique action/adventure story. Each episode ended with a nail-biter to draw you in for the next time. I got sucked in and it’s my earliest memory of “appointment television.” I made sure not to miss a show. Unfortunately, that season (1979?) shows were cancelled at a record pace and NBC never gave “Cliff Hangers” much of a chance and it was cancelled in a few months after only about 15 episodes. The first segment, starring Susan Anton, was about a reporter being chased by something and was rather forgettable. I remember it was shot in black & white. The second, about guys who fall into a future-world underground and they try to get out, was a little better but also forgettable. The third segment was the most popular and well-done. It starred Michael Nouri as, you guessed it, a vampire. Count Dracula, to be exact. I think it was called “Curse of Dracula” or something like that. His Dracula was very much like Frank Langella’s. Dark, romantic, not at all violent. He targeted one woman. Unlike other vampire tales where a person can be turned on the first bite, this Dracula had to bite the same person three times in order to turn them.

I’ve written here on my “Buffy” obsession. Very different vibe and ironically their episode featuring Dracula was one of the worst, IMO.

I’ve been watching soap operas for as long as I can remember. My mom watched “Days of our Lives” and got me hooked. Yes they’re stupid but it’s escapist and light. Like a trashy summer novel with pictures. I watched them all at one time or another, and I have friends both IRL and online who are “in the know” who make the watching all the more interesting. My favorite soap right now is “Port Charles.” It’s short, moves very quickly and features, you guessed it, vampires. It feels very much like “Cliff Hangers” did in that it’s so unreal and fast and each ending is attempt to hold you over for the next day. Very different, and now very cancelled. I’m bummed. The worst of it is that they’re not going back into production, so the last episode will end with a cliffhanger and the core stories unresolved. I hate when that happens.

Oh, and Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors although I haven’t read any of the recent books.

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