MTV's Teen Wolf

[dupersuper]

No van surfing, no watching.

Here here!

[Surtur]

I'm just wondering when this vampire/werewolf craze is going to end. It's been going strong for at least 3-4 years now. Perhaps it will slow down once the final Twilight film has been released.

Or is this a formula that will never go away?

[Treqqor]

^^^
Are you wondering this because you enjoy these types of stories and don't want them to go away?

Or are you wondering because you don't enjoy them and want them to go away despite how easy it is to avoid watching them and allowing others who enjoy them to continue doing so?

Because generally (and this may not be you) people seem to wonder when a fad will go away when they're not into it. But have little concern for those that do.

[Legato]

I think the proper question is when will we see a vampire/werewolf series that actually make both vampire and werewolves scary again?

[Assassin Spider]

I think the proper question is when will we see a vampire/werewolf series that actually make both vampire and werewolves scary again?

Supernatural gave us a good textbook case in "Live Free or Twi-Hard," which is to basically subvert the vampire craze by revealing it as a deliberately engineered fad by real vampires and their human collaborators to indirectly seduce a larger army. Also, even though that series did have a few "nice" vampires and werewolves, they were still dangerous to humanity at large because of their predatory instincts and many ultimately had to be killed regardless of how "nice" they were because of the threat they'd pose in the long term.

Basically, you know how some junkies will get violent if they don't get their fix long enough? Well, give those junkies superhuman strength, senses, stamina, and speed and make their drug of choice human blood, and that's how vampires ought to be portrayed, especially the more sociopathic ones who've lost all sense of empathy and care only about their "fix." In that same vein, not all drug addicts in real life completely lose their senses; some can put up a mask of functionality and affability that lasts just long enough to con their way to another fix. The older and/or more self-disciplined vampires can be treated like that insofar as they're not ravening berserkers most of the time, but make no mistake; they're still all about their fix and you'll be dead or worse as soon as you drop your guard.

Finally, you know how vampires tend to be portrayed as "living" sex gods in most modern fiction? Given the junkie metaphor I'm using here, how sexy are you seriously going to find someone who's only sleeping with you so they can get their fix, especially if they're willing to rip you apart once you catch on to what they really want? Of course, this can also be played for tragedy, like real-life cases of women forced into prostitution by drug addictions that may or may not have been instilled by their pimps to keep them controllable.

P.S. The "vampire as junkie" metaphor, if played right, can make vampires scary again by virtue of the common fear in certain urban areas of being attacked, robbed, burglarized, or even killed by a junkie looking for money or something that can be pawned for money to buy more drugs. Combine that with vampires' historic portrayal as remorseless predators driven solely by literal bloodlust, and you start to get into some seriously scary territory. Try sexualizing that.

[AdamYJ]

I think the proper question is when will we see a vampire/werewolf series that actually make both vampire and werewolves scary again?

That "Priest" movie is about vampires, I think. Also, there was that Wolf Man remake not that long ago. Maybe not the best examples. What I'm wondering is if there's a way to make vampires and werewolves scary again in a way that will gain as much widespread notice as the Twilight series has. The thing is that horror has become kind of an "adults only" arena populated largely by R-rated movies and has been for roughly the last 30 years. However, Twilight was a PG-13 franchise. And everyone will tell you that PG-13 movies take in a much wider demographic that R-rated ones do.

[Surtur]

^^^
Are you wondering this because you enjoy these types of stories and don't want them to go away?

Or are you wondering because you don't enjoy them and want them to go away despite how easy it is to avoid watching them and allowing others who enjoy them to continue doing so?

Because generally (and this may not be you) people seem to wonder when a fad will go away when they're not into it. But have little concern for those that do.

I'm wondering as someone who enjoys them to a certain extent, but doesn't want to see the shows that get it right lost in a flood of shows that get it wrong.

[Jack]

I think the proper question is when will we see a vampire/werewolf series that actually make both vampire and werewolves scary again?

Try Being Human. Well, the original, at any rate.

[Joe Franklin]

I think the proper question is when will we see a vampire/werewolf series that actually make both vampire and werewolves scary again?

The only time I remember being scared by a werewolf in a movie was in 1981. I was 9 years old, and I was watching the Howling. Scary stuff for a 9 year old kid who lived out in the country in a heavily wooded area.

[Legato]

The only time I remember being scared by a werewolf in a movie was in 1981. I was 9 years old, and I was watching the Howling. Scary stuff for a 9 year old kid who lived out in the country in a heavily wooded area.

Agreed. Loved how Dog Soldiers did their werewolves also. 30 Days of Night had a interesting take on vampires. For one thing the vampires in that movie weren't sexualized

[dupersuper]

The only time I remember being scared by a werewolf in a movie was in 1981. I was 9 years old, and I was watching the Howling. Scary stuff for a 9 year old kid who lived out in the country in a heavily wooded area.

I remember being startled by the wolfmans sudden appearance in Monster Squad at around the same age range...when he jumps out just before the kid kicks him in the nards (Wolfman has nards!).

[Acecool]

I remember being startled by the wolfmans sudden appearance in Monster Squad at around the same age range...when he jumps out just before the kid kicks him in the nards (Wolfman has nards!).

Actually the bit I remember most about that movie was the wolfman being blow up by a stick of dynamite and then coming back together. That movie made the point fairly well that no matter what powers vampires have they have infinitely more inherent weaknesses than a werewolf.

[Monty_Cristo]

and the bit i'll always remember from my childhood was Uncle Rico wolfing out in that phone booth. ...heeeeeeeeee*growl*'s going to kill...your sonnnnn!

[Monty_Cristo]

Agreed. Loved how Dog Soldiers did their werewolves also. 30 Days of Night had a interesting take on vampires. For one thing the vampires in that movie weren't sexualized

right there with you. i love the gangly wolves on two legs look that Howling and Dog Soldiers adopted.

[Legato]

right there with you. i love the gangly wolves on two legs look that Howling and Dog Soldiers adopted.

I prefer them over what we got from True Blood. Four legged dog like werewolves aren't intimidating. Although American Werewolf In London actually made that work