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Stephen King Dark
Vampire Lust, Lore And Allure
Exploring the fascination humans have with the fantasy characters in literature and film will plunge you into a world of inconsistencies and contradictions. What lies in wait are the ingredients for varieties of concocted tales that rely upon the imaginative tastes of the author’s pen. And from that pool of boundless fiction, many an author has produced a delicious treat that appears in the form of a mysterious, yet easily recognized figure. Though they vary from pen to pen, we are delighted to experience any new creative version of – the vampire.
It is the allure of vampires itself that has puzzled many. Of all the fantasy characters available to us – werewolves, witches, elves, fairies, dragons, etc – what keeps the vampire on top? Why is the vampire king of the world? Or, I should say – worlds. Vampires seem to dominate the world of horror, the world of fantasy and sci-fi and now vampires even rule the world of romance. Amazing flexibility for a character that was originally so stereotypically stiff.
Famed wordsmith, Stephen King has proven that you can take any object and make it interesting or scary. From a car to a dog to a puppet. Just let your twisted imagination run wild. So, why do so many choose to reinvent the vampire?
Perhaps, familiarity among the viewing public. Widespread popularity and the ability to “set up” the reader for a unique twist by playing on their belief that they think they know where you’re going.
Since the beginning of horror, we were able to feed from the four basic food groups – Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Werewolf and Dracula. Over the decades and with the advancements in film, these “monsters” have been reanimated many times over, often receiving a new coat of paint. Yet, none have seen the light of day more often – or in a more formats – than the vampire. We don’t even refer to him as Dracula anymore.
Calling on a plethora of spotty folklore and nearly a century of urban legends, the vampire now seems to be able to appear in any form or situation and the general public will welcome him/her with lustful glee. For some reason, vampires are just cool.
Breaking down the lust for vampire lore, we find it based in two realms of non-reality. Some authors choose to build their vampire characters from the magical aspects we’ve become accustomed to. Avoiding the sun, silver and garlic. Interacting with Weres and Fairies. Probably one of the more prolific versions of this example is the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris.
Now an HBO series called True Blood, this modern tale puts the girl-next-door Sookie into a world where vampires have “come out” and live openly among humans. Harris sticks to many of the traditional vampire cliches, keeping them out of the sun and afraid of silver. Sookie interacts with vampires like you might do so with the mailman. It’s a fun and compelling series that draws you into many scary situations involving werewolves and fairies in addition to your favorite vampires. Borderline believability built on a solid platform of magical nonsense. Entertainment at its best for most vampire lovers.
By comparison, some writers lean more heavily upon the supernatural world to provide you with a darker dish of vampire stew. From the realm of angels and demons, many vampires are portrayed as tortured souls cursed to live in endless damnation. Reviled and oppressed, often hunted into extinction, these more traditional vampires represent the age-old good vs. evil story lines. Demonic creatures of the night, preying on helpless humans.
Falling somewhere between these two categories, The Vampire Diaries attempts to prey on recent surges in vampire popularity by appealing to the younger audience. It does an acceptable job of offering traditional vampire clichés while relying on magical rings to let its heroes move around during the daylight.
L.J. Smith has penned a series that is both timely and fun. While at times, it’s hard to take it seriously; it does capture the romantic side of the vampire genre with the boy-loses-girl-boy-finds-new-girl-who-looks-like-old-girl plot.
Which brings us back to the allure of vampires. Why do we never tire of a good long-toothed tale? Whether you prefer the magical side or the darker supernatural side of these tales, you can still accept them for what they are. Just good entertainment.
Since vampires don’t really exist and we have countless legends to draw upon, we can reinvent vampires in endless variations. But, it’s the well-written versions that really suck us in. It’s the romanticism of the genre. The dark creatures who live just outside reality, preying on our natural fears and skepticisms. And, who among us hasn’t admitted, at least once, that it might be fun to become a vampire? To live forever. To control your prey with eye-contact. To flash those deadly fangs and spread bone-chilling fear with just a look.
And then, of course, there’s the sex. The sexual attraction of creatures with exceptional strength, stamina and animalistic desires. To be smitten and bitten at the same time. For some, it’s a breath-taking fantasy.
With vampire tales firmly planted in either magic or supernatural ground, an unexpected anomaly has risen to the top of pop culture in the form of The Twilight Saga. Vampire purists have decried Stephenie Meyer’s artistic creation as fluffy gibberish. This is unfair, at best. After all, she’s an author. Using her imagination and creative flair, she has produced the unthinkable.
Vampires without fangs. Venom laced teeth. Skin that sparkles in sunlight but doesn’t burst into flames. Twilight falls into the magical pool. There’s nothing demonic or supernatural about it. And, Meyer includes shape-shifters as the vampire’s nemesis. Definitely the magical genre.
A tip of the hat to Stephenie Meyer for producing a compelling love story with new twists on overworked vampire myths. To do so is her right as an artist. And, the fact that she did it so well has been validated by the raging social phenomenon we know as The Twilight Saga. Who could have imagined it? Likeable vampires. Vampires that young females around the world want to fall in love with. Vampires that young males want to emulate. Yes, even vampires without fangs are cool.
Having established that vampire lore springs from magic or darker supernatural origins, one wonders when an author might attempt to offer a third option. Could these mysterious creatures exist in a reality-based world?
A new novel, JUICE: Revolution has cast aside the roots of the vampire genre and created a new one. Injected with humor, sexual tension and real-world situations, JUICE follows its protagonist through encounters with “foreigners” who display unusual, yet slightly recognizable traits.
Readers will find themselves enjoying a more believable journey into a world where the unexpected becomes plausible – without the help of magic. JUICE: Revolution spirals toward reality-based revelations that are both shocking and horrifying. Hang on while Revolution exposes an alternate reality that will literally rewrite the history of the world, as we know it.
About the Author
Michael Clutton lives with his wife and grown daughter in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. They have 3 small dogs. When he’s not working on his next book, he follows NASCAR racing and poker. Find out more about him at http://www.michaelclutton.com or follow JUICE progress at http://tastyterror.blogspot.com and share your comments.
For those of you familiar with Stephen King’s Dark Tower series who would you have play the ka-tet?
Which actors and actress? List any other charactors who you already have an actor or actress in mind.
Well…..
Roland, I think would be best played by Hugh Laurie (House MD). He’s rugged looking and has those blue eyes.
Susannah, maybe Angela Basset. She can play the Detta and the Odetta parts. She can be nasty and refined.
Eddie, someone rather young…maybe Elijah Wood. He’s kind of good looking, and after seeing him obsessed with the ring, I think he could pull off an addict pretty well.
For Jake, I’d have to think on that, mainly because I really don’t know any child stars.
Dark Half (1993) Stephen King (Part 2)
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Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born (Hardcover) $16.33 “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King’s Roland – an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous l |
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Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home (Hardcover) $17.09 It’s the return of the best-selling comic book series, inspired by Stephen King’s epic The Dark Tower! |
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Stephen King`s the Dark Tower $16.34 Description not available. |
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Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: A Concordance, Vol. 2 $12.12 Description not available. |
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Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, Volume 7 by Stephen King (Paperback) $9.49 Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: Vol. 7, is the long-awaited conclusion to his epic horror/dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic Science Fiction series. |
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Dark Dreams $28.66 Presents the life and accomplishments of the horror writer known for such tales as “Carrie,” “Cujo,” and “Misery.” |
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Inside the Dark Tower Series (Paperback) $32.5 Stephen King is no stranger to the realm of literary criticism, but his most fantastic, far-reaching work has aroused little academic scrutiny. This study of King`s epic Dark Tower series encompasses the career of one of the world`s best-selling author… |
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The Dark Tower vii $13.45 This seventh DARK TOWER book is the long-awaited conclusion to Stephen King`s epic horror/dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic SF series, wrapping up the adventures of gunslinger Roland of Gilead and his companions as they fulfill their quest to locate the … |
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Song Of Susannah (Paperback) $9.49 Description not available. |
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The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (CD-unabridged) $46.78 This seventh DARK TOWER book is the long-awaited conclusion to Stephen King`s epic horror/dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic SF series, wrapping up the adventures of gunslinger Roland of Gilead and his companions as they fulfill their quest to locate the … |
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Everything`s Eventual $10.1 Description not available. |
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Everything’s Eventual $18.3 Description not available. |
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The Gunslinger (Paperback) $7.59 In an alternate world that darkly mirrors our own, the Gunslinger pursues The Man in Black in a harrowing struggle between good and evil. |
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Everything’s Eventual $7.59 Description not available. |
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The Dark Side $6.6 Featuring contributions from Philip K. Dick, Stephen King, and Edgar Allan Poe, this frightening collection showcases the best examples of classic horror, including myths, folk tales, and modern stories of man-made terrors. Original. |
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Wizard and Glass (Paperback) $8.54 Roland the Gunslinger continues the quest he began in the first three books of the Dark Tower series: THE GUNSLINGER, THE DRAWIN |
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Christine (DVD) $10.52 Special Edition Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel, CHRISTINE is a dark and violent film about the dange |
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Wizard and Glass (Paperback) $15.68 Roland the Gunslinger continues the quest he began in the first three books of the Dark Tower series: THE GUNSLINGER, THE DRAWIN |
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Song Of Susannah (Compact Disc) $39.87 This is the sixth volume of the seven-book DARK TOWER series, a mix of horror, SF, and dark fantasy that ties together several of Stephen King’s novels, including THE STAND and SALEM’S LOT. Father Callahan, Jake, and Oy are searching for Susannah … |
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The Road to the Dark Tower $13 Description not available. |
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Blaze (Paperback) $9.49 Stephen King wrote BLAZE in 1973 as a “Richard Bachman” novel, but eventually decided it was unpublishable. However, after revisiting and reediting the work, King changed his mind, and now a new dark tale is available for his many fans. Clayton “Blaze”… |
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Blaze $23.7 Stephen King wrote BLAZE in 1973 as a “Richard Bachman” novel, but eventually decided it was unpublishable. However, after revisiting and reediting the work, King changed his mind, and now a new dark tale is available for his many fans. Clayton “Bla |
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The Drawing of the Three $6.83 Through a magical door, Roland of Gilead enters 20th-century America. As he continues his quest for the elusive Dark Tower, he is assisted by a young Eddie Dean, and a beautiful woman, Odetta Holmes. |
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The Dark Descent $19.57 This highly acclaimed anthology traces the evolution of horror, from Nathaniel Hawthorn and Edgar Allan Poe to Stephen King. Adopted by colleges across the country to be used in literature courses, The Dark Descent showcases some of the finest hor… |
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The Drawing of the Three (Paperback) $14.01 Through a magical door, Roland of Gilead enters 20th-century America. As he continues his quest for the elusive Dark Tower, he i |
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Everything’s Eventual (CD-unabridged) $27.7 This audio collection features five of the 14 chilling short stories that comprise the first story collection by Stephen King in nine years. |
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DARK TOWER DOOR POSTER $13.95 … |
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Stephen King The Dark Tower Crimson King Eye Lapel Pin $9.99 This is a great collectible for any fanatic of the Dark Tower Series, The Gunslinger Born, The Long Road Home and Treachery series by Stephen King and Marvel Comics. This collectible will be the envy of anyone and the product is of superior quality. Get yours today…. |
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Stephen King The Dark Tower Key Hole Lapel Pin $9.99 This is a great collectible for any fanatic of the Dark Tower Series, The Gunslinger Born, The Long Road Home, Treachery, The Fall of Gilead and The Sorcerer series by Stephen King and Marvel Comics. This collectible will be the envy of anyone and the product is of superior quality. This symbol was found on the doorknob to the Dark Tower. Get yours today…. |
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Jussi Bjorling Edition (Studio Recordings, 1930-1959) $43.98 This set tells you why Jussi Bjorling is a perennial entrant in the “Tenor of the Century” sweepstakes. Even as the voice darkens from the light lyric to the full, darker instrument of the later recordings, we hear a singer whose elegant style, lovely timbre and innate musicality touch the heart. Many of the selections are sung in Swedish, less of a liability than you might suppose. In whateve… |
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Yvonne Kenny – Great Operatic Arias / Philharmonia Orchestra · David Parry [in English] $8.35 … |
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Band of the Coldstream Guards $6.98 … |
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After Dark Collection (Gift) [VHS] $44.98 … |
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Dark Half [VHS] $3.89 Although it lacks the creepy subtleties of Stephen King’s celebrated novel, George Romero’s underrated adaptation of The Dark Half ranks among the best films based on King’s fiction, with Romero taking care to honor King’s central theme while serving up some gruesome gore in the film’s much-criticized finale. Inspired by King’s own admission that he wrote several novels under the pseudonym Ri… |
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2 Pack Set! Carrie (Sissy Spacek and John Travolta) & The Rage Carrie 2 (Emily Bergl, Jason London & Dylan Bruno) … |
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Stephen King DVD Collector Set (Misery / The Dark Half / Needful Things / Carrie) $13.49 Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 09/18/2007 Run time: 447 minutes Rating: R… |