Diary of a Vampire Addict

My name is Raye and I am a vampire-holic. I understand that my affliction is hardly special in this day in age. Every woman alive is swooning over one vamp or another these days. It is almost embarassing to admit my weakness since I know it will be catalogued as a bandwagon ride gone way too far. But I stand firm in my particular case of vampiric interest. It is an interest in the mythology that surrounds vampire tales. I have never enjoyed vampires in the horror sense and find blood-soaked terrors unappealing. But those stories and films with a human angle and a stylized look are my vamp-nip.

In the end I am a fan of vampires because they are an intriguing mirror for humanity's moral compass. I enjoy the hyper-stylized aestethics of vampire story-telling (especially movies) because it amplifies the idea of an altered human state that is overt, seductive, and brash. There is ooomph! in everything. Vampires embody the darker sides of sexuality and violence stemming from our source of life. Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of my favourite novels and is as much a tragic love story as it is a horror story. The goods are in the relationships of the humans as they are confronted with the monster.

I am a devout fan of the Buffy and Angel series for truly creating mythology and fighting through the ambiguity of human versus vampire. Where is the line when a vampire becomes a monster? It's common human form makes the distinction more challenging and much more interesting than werewolves or swamp things or zombies. Recently, vampires have become somewhat de-fanged. People will blame Twilight but it really began with Angel. The vampire with a soul who doesn't kill humans has become a template for do-gooder vampires now running rampant in the popular media. And while I don't love the ideas of neutering vampires (even Edward is tougher in the books than the movies) I find this development to be another interesting morality tale. You can be a blood-loving carnivore as long as you respect human life. Once again, the vampire-human connection is central to the topic.

And thankfully, one show is getting it all right! "The Vampire Diaries" returns with new episodes tonight after a month-long hiatus and I could not be more excited!! Many people will have over-looked "The Vampire Diaries" as a Twilight rip-off when it premiered on TV in the fall. But those who have taken the time to welcome the town of Mystic Falls and the Salvatore brothers into our lives have been well rewarded. Based on a series of teen pulp novels from the 90s, "The Vampire Diaries" has become the next Buffy. While it does not (yet) subscribe to a background mythology, it has established the vampires within a historical community. This context gives the show depth beyond the usual teen show. There are mysteries to unravel, relationships to be revealed and romance to be had.

It helps that the two male leads Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) Salvatore are two of the hottest vampires to grace the screen. Total squee-age! Stefan is the good vampire who has sworn off humans and romaning our leading lady - with an ever-developing past of her own. Damon is the bad brother who revels in his goodies of being vampire and has never questioned the morality of it all. Blinded by love he has cut a swath of death for 140 years.

Add to the mix the production team behind "Dawson's Creek" (don't laugh!) and you have an addictive soap with some pretty decent storytelling. Seriously, more happens in one episode of "The Vampire Diaries" than has happened in any other show all season. This show moves! And, most importantly, it realizes that vampires don't have to be good guys. In fact, it is important to the vampire brand that some of them are out-right bad. Like, ripping out beating hearts bad. "The Vampire Diaries" has handled this mix of sex and violence in a perfect way. It is a decadent treat that everyone should be sinking their teeth into!