Amanda Norman
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Amanda Norman’s Most Memorable Vampires Part 2
Vampire Lestat
Tom Cruise brought the character of Lestat to the thousands and to me he stands out as one of my all time favourites. Stewart Townsend’s portrayal of Lestat was absolutely nothing compared to Cruise. I remember thinking that Interview With The Vampire (1994) would be naff with Cruise in the role of Lestat, but he proved me wrong.
Recently it was announced that Anne Rice has her eyes set on Robert Downey Jr to play Lestat in the remake of Interview With The Vampire.
For crying out loud, please don’t remake this film!
I don’t care if Rice has a number of books in her chronicle series and that to do them all justice they have to start again from the beginning. LEAVE THIS TREASURE ALONE!
Actually, I think that Cruise and Pitt could pull off playing these characters again. I have nothing against Downey, but STOP MAKING REMAKES!
Perfect Vampiress?
The female vampire is played by Yevgenia Kryukova in a Russian film called Evil.
The way she moves, the way she floats, her sultry gaze, everything about her is perfect!
Lilith of Lesbian Vampires – It’s Carmilla!
My favourite vampire of all time is Carmilla Karnstein of Styria, created by Sheridan Le Fanu in 1872.
Carmilla is the tale of a young beautiful vampire who after a carriage accident stays with a family and befriends Laura who has always longed for a companion. Soon, Carmilla is making romantic advances towards Laura and at the same time, Laura begins to have nightmares of a beast upon her bed. Laura’s health declines and well I’m not going to spoil the story for you.
If it wasn’t for Hammer Horror, I would have never known about Carmilla.
Click here to read my article on Hammer Horror and The Karnstein Trilogy and discover more about Carmilla.
Amanda Norman’s Most Memorable Vampires Part 1
Not all vampires from TV and the movies have to be scary to be memorable. By now, regular followers should know that my most scariest vampire of all time is the one and only Mr Barlow from Stephen King’s, Salem’s Lot (1979). Read my other post about ‘Scariest Vampire of All Time’ if you can’t get enough of Mr Barlow.
Below you will find my most memorable vampires and my reasons on why they shouldn’t be forgotten.
One last thing, there will be no high school twinkling vampires in my list. Vampires are deadly creatures and some ooze sex appeal while others are plain scary as Hell. Also you won’t find any Dracula’s here as they deserve to be in a post of their own.
You’ll Enjoy Mr Barlow and He Will Enjoy You
How bloody terrifying is this vampire from Salem’s Lot (1979)?
I remember this being on the TV when I was young in two parts. After watching the first part with my mum and younger sisters, I cried my eyes out as none of them would let me get in their bed with them. Yes I know what you’re thinking, how old was I at the time? I must have been about 11 or 12yrs old. The funny thing is, I begged and promised that the following night that I would be OK watching it, but I did it again. I couldn’t help it!
Everything about Mr Barlow was purely terrifying and that’s what vampires should be.
‘One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach…all the damn vampires’
If you haven’t seen Lost Boys (1987), you should do as it is a cult classic and a favourite vampire flick of many.
Keifer Sutherland plays David, a leader of a local gang of vampires who hide out in a sunken hotel during the day and rise to terrorise the people of Santa Carla at night.
Although not a vampire oozing sex appeal, he is very good looking and his character is very strong. He’s not a vampire you would like to come face to face with.
Did you know that in the 2004 mini series of Salem’s Lot starring Rob Lowe that Keifer’s dad, Donald Sutherland played James Mason’s role of Mr Straker? Although it was a good performance, it was no where near as good as the original Salem’s Lot and they shouldn’t have bothered doing a remake. I mean, Rutger Hauer played Mr Barlow and he wasn’t even scary looking.
Scary in Real Life Let Alone As A Vamp!
Grace Jones played Katrina in the 1986 movie Vamp.
This movie is a comedy, but at the age of 15 when it was released, I wasn’t laughing at the introduction of Katrina. There’s just something about this woman that not necessarily terrifies me, but scares me. In fact, Grace Jones strip tease is totally mesmerising and can’t be forgotten.
More vampires to come including those that make you drool, but who are your most memorable vampires?
Scariest Vampire of All Time
I’m not alone in my opinion that Mr Barlow from Salem’s Lot (1979) is the most scariest and hideous vampire of all time. This was proven the other night when I put Salem’s Lot on for my 19yr old daughter as she has never seen it.
I was waiting for the usual comments like ‘This isn’t scary’ or ‘this is rubbish’, but we got through the scene where Ralphie Glick floats to his brother, Danny Glick’s window and scratches his nails on the glass making an awful screeching noise.
I thought at this point my daughter would refuse to watch anymore, but we carried on and watched how Ben Mears (David Soul) relationship with the doctor’s daughter, Susan Norton developed, and how the town was slowly turning into a ghost town as vampires were born.
Part 1 ended with Danny Glick springing up out of his coffin and biting the cemetery keeper.
It was time for part 2 of the DVD set and we got as far as the first appearance of Mr Barlow when he magically unlocked the cell door which held Floyd Tibbits. The camera stuck on Mr Barlow’s nosferatu head with those terrifying yellow eyes and the awful hissing and screeching sounds he made.
Kerry (daughter) refused to watch anymore of Salem’s Lot.
It’s a shame because she missed the most terrifying scene where Mr Straker along with Mr Barlow, entered the kitchen of the Petrie family in spectacular style.
The room started to tremble and shake violently like it would in an earthquake and a black mass appeared on the kitchen floor, growing slowly to reveal the hissing and growling Mr Barlow. Mr Straker demanded that the priest surrender himself to Mr Barlow.
James Mason played Mr Straker, who was Mr Barlow’s keeper. He lived in the old Marsten house and owned an antiques shop within Salem’s Lot. Mr Straker had a screw loose to keep a vampire like him. I never figured out if he was scared of Mr Barlow, or if he really wanted to be his keeper.
Reggie Naldor played the role of Mr Barlow magnificently and he is one of the most evil, terrifying vampires ever to be seen.
I remember watching Salem’s Lot when I was a young teenager and part 1 scared me so much that I cried when I had to go to bed as none of my family would let me share a bed with them. I was that scared!
Part 2 came on the television the following night and I had to beg my mother to let me watch it even though I knew I would be terrified to go to bed afterwards. Part 2 scared me more and to this day, I won’t sit in a room at night with the curtains open and I don’t like dark patches in rooms.
If you haven’t watched Salem’s Lot, then you must watch the 1979 version with David Soul as it is the best in my opinion.
Fewdio and The Cellar
Recently, I came across the awesome talent of Fewdio who create nightmares within minutes.
They have a short film titled The Cellar and to my surprise and enjoyment, it is a wonderful tribute to the original Salem’s Lot.
For all fans of Salem’s Lot, I heartily recommend that you watch The Cellar and let me know if you think it is a fitting tribute. Enjoy!