#tale of a vampire 1992

[emiarainewrites]

Rest In Peace, Julian Sands

The world has lost a phenomenal actor and gentle soul.

Julian Sands went missing in early January whilst going on a hike. His body has only just been found now in late June, 2023. He was 65 years old.

Along with many, many others, I am deeply saddened by his passing. The only positive thing is that his body has been recovered. I’ve been hoping for the last few months that this would be the case. At least his family can have some form of closure now.

This is a terrible tragedy that I truly wish had not happened.

But, to honour Mr. Sands, I thought I’d briefly go over a few of his films that I’ve seen and highlight the amazing range that he had.

Boxing Helena (1993)

I first became aware of Julian Sands a few years ago when I saw this film.

Directed by Jennifer Lynch, Boxing Helena tells that story of Nick (Sands) and his obsession with one-night-stand Helena (Sherilyn Fenn). After an accident makes her dependent on him, we explore Nick’s psyche and how far he’s willing to go to keep Helena with him.

This is a film that will not appeal the everyone unfortunately, but I’d still highly recommend you see it. It’s a brilliant picture with many layers and at the centre is Julian Sands and his amazing performance.

Nick’s character is heads over heals obsessed with Helena, despite her outright stating she has no interest in him. She’s quite cold to Nick for most of the film, and you can understand why. However, for Nick, that coldness is incentive to try harder for her affections. He ensures she has to rely on him for everything because he “loves” her and wants to keep her for himself.

This showcases Julian Sands’ range as an actor. He has done many serious performances throughout his career, but for me this one is special. Nick is kind of a sad person and even a tad pathetic at times. But you never lose track of why he’s like that.

He’s emotional and even intimidating when need be. It’s a comparatively softer character than some of his other work, but Nick still stands out as a sympathetic and sometimes abhorrent character - played to absolute excellence by Julian Sands.

Warlock (1989)

Directed by Steve Miner, Warlock follows Julian Sands as the titular villain who travels from the 17th century to the 20th in order to end the world. As you do. Along the way he is pursued by Redferne (Richard E. Grant), who follows him from the past, & Kassandra (Lori Singer), a modern woman caught up in the dangerous medieval magic.

This is a good film, and it’s one of the biggest things Julian Sands is known for (the others undoubtedly being Room With A View (1985), Gothic (1986) and to a lesser extent Argento’s Phantom of the Opera (1998)) Not without reason, either.

Julian Sands is excellent in this, playing a cold hearted and cruel sadist of a character. The definition of evil. He’s very direct and at times his menacing stare does most of the talking. He brings a presence that few could ever hope to match.

From the first moment you see him, you know he’s bad news. A complete one-eighty to Boxing Helena.

I for one was quite surprised to see him in this role, having known him primarily for that film. He disappears into this terrifying, yet not outright scary, role. Rocking the long-hair-ponytail look, Julian Sands will make you fear magic and what it’s (and, by extension, he’s) really capable of.

Warlock II: The Armageddon (1993)

Directed by Anthony Hickox, the sequel follows the eponymous Warlock (Sands) as he is resurrected into the 90s (oh no!) and once again sets off on a quest to obtain mystical macguffins so he can put an end to the world as we know it. While that’s going on we follow a group of good warlocks that aren’t Julian Sands who must ready for the coming evil.

This film does away with the seriousness of the first and just about loses its damn mind with how crazy it can get. But if you’ve seen Hickox’s other works such as Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) & the Waxwork films (1988 & 1992, respectively), you’ll probably be used to the amount of darkly wacky he puts into his pictures.

The lore is almost completely revamped in terms of the Warlock and he’s after. Plus, the expansion of other magic practitioners is interesting in theory, but the result for the latter is underwhelming.

Julian Sands, however, is magnificent. This is a bit of a lesser product compared to the first, but you can’t tell that from his performance alone. I feel like you get way more of him in this one (kinda rocking his Boxing Helena look a little bit, no surprise considering it was probably filmed around the same time). You follow the Warlock as he interacts with the modern world and it’s inhabitants, tracking down mystical stones that will bring about the end of the world once assembled.

The character feels more accessible too for modern times, in terms of his presentation and demeanour. So this means there’s less medieval speak and more one-liners. Also seems like they ramped up the sexiness too at times.

The movie is much sillier than it’s predecessor, but it’s goofy fun. And you have Julian Sands dispatching people in increasingly gruesome and creative ways. Very Wishmaster (1997), with the vibe of Wishmaster II: Evil Never Dies (1999). His performance remains intimidating and cruel, but all around less cold.

Tale of a Vampire (1992)

Directed by Shimako Sato, Tale of a Vampire follows Alex (Sands) as he finds reprieve from his lonely existence in the form of Anna (Suzanna Hamilton), a kind librarian. However, all is not well as parts of his past, and his bloodlust, come back to haunt him.

This seems to have been released direct to video and, call me crazy, may have been capitalising on another vampire film that came out the exact same year. Even this film’s poster shares some similarities. Although, Julian Sands was apparently in talks to play Lestat instead of Tom Cruise, so there’s another connection. At the moment, you can find this film on YouTube (VHS rip).

Setting that aside, this is an interesting film that I don’t believe gets talked about much. It won’t change your life and I don’t think it quite gets across its ideas perfectly, but Julian Sands’ performance, as ever, is brilliant. You believe he’s been around for ages and has never been able to keep a love for himself. We get flashbacks concerning a previous companion throughout the film as Alex tries to get close to Anna in the present. There is a type of warmth that Julian Sands brings to the role, whilst also maintaining the lonesome chill of a corpse. You get a sense of confliction from him as the film goes on - whether to pursue Anna or leave her be; damn her or let her go.

Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Annabel Lee’ also features in the film, so the idea of youth and love lost are meant to be front and centre.

There is still an element of danger to Julian Sands’ character. The film doesn’t shy away from the fact that he’s still undead and thus, must consume fresh blood. ((Special warning to all cat lovers, by the way.)) He even has a brief flash of harming Anna due to his nature and personal feelings towards her.

You feel his pain and it’s a shame that Julian Sands didn’t play more vampires, or had roles like this. Or maybe he did and I just don’t know about them. Either way he was great in this role.

Arachnophobia (1990)

Directed by Frank Marshall, Arachnophobia follows a doctor (Jeff Daniels) and his family who move to a town that is soon besieged by tons of lethal spiders. As the death toll rises, it’s a race against the clock to stop the eight-legged menace from killing everyone there.

Julian Sands has a smaller role here compared to the previous films mentioned, but he is still important and does serve as the catalyst for everything. He plays Dr. James Atherton, who is studying an undiscovered type of spider that, of course, makes it back to a populated area and spawns off a deadly chain of events.

The film itself is fun and Julian Sands is a great, somewhat pompous, doctor who can be very dismissive of those around him. Very British and very passionate about his work.

Though, of course, he does not survive the film. The big hoss spider gets him. Then again, he did declare himself as “supper”. And when you see his body, it’s pretty gnarly. He’s covered in webbing with spiders crawling all over him. Real spiders. No CGI. That alone increased my respect for him one-hundred fold when I saw it.

From unhinged sap to scary villain to lonesome creature to apathetic doctor to even romantic lead, Julian Sands led a varied and fascinating career. He seemed unafraid to attempt any role and did so with impressive commitment and astounding results.

The world has lost a great talent that will never be forgotten.

RIP Julian Sands, we will all miss you dearly.

[brightbrambles]

Anne Rice name dropping ‘The Company of Wolves’ dir. Neil Jordan as Louis’ favourite film in Body Thief in 1992 then two years later Neil Jordan directs ‘Interview with the Vampire’ 1994. I just think it’s neat.

[changbunnies]

Devourance (18+)

♡ Pairing: Dracula / Nosferatu!Hyunjin x Fem!Reader

♡ Genre: vampire au, dracula / nosferatu au, 1800s au, human / vampire relationship, horror themes, reincarnation, soulmates, smut

♡ Word Count: 3.9k

♡ Summary: Hyunjin has crossed oceans of time to find you– the one who's blood calls to him, who beckons for him in the dead of night, who yearns for his touch against all conceptions of what one must and must not desire. The ancient Vampyr has an appetite for you; an appetite that won't ever be sated.

♡ General Warnings: reader has depression (referred to as melancholy), reader is a lucid dreamer, usage of vampire abilities (invading dreams, shapeshifting, heightened senses), hyun's true form is very Creature Vampire so. still sexy if ur a monster fucker like me but some of y'all may not like that lmao

♡ Smut Warnings: does having sex with someone inside their dream count as somnophilia? idk !!, outdoor sex (kind of; it's a dream so they're not really outside lol), wet dreams, pet names (my love, my heart), referenced biting and blood drinking, unprotected piv, creampie

♡ Notes: originally, when i was planning my late kinktober fics, this was strictly a dracula au (as i love the 1992 movie and have a beautiful copy of the book sitting in my horror novel collection <3) but i saw the nosferatu remake in theaters and it rotted my fucking brain lmao so this became a blend of both ! i hope you enjoy it, cause i had a blast writing it <3

♡ Disclaimer: please read responsibly, and remember that this work is fiction and meant strictly for imaginative fun. the idols used in fics are more accurately faceclaims and personality outlines for imaginary characters, and should not be interpreted as factual representations of existing people.

It starts as a dream; a waking one, so vivid and lucid that the line between conscious reality and imagination blurs, all perception of time and space bending and warping to what your subconscious mind feels most safe and familiar.

Your hands clasped together, a deep breath before you close your teary eyes, your souls desires laid out in a whispered prayer– "Come to me."

Who are you asking for? Who will heed your call? A friend you wish to have, but have yet to obtain? An imaginary prince charming who will right all the wrongs of your life with his presence alone? God himself? Death?

You do not know– all you know is that you are desperate for an escape from the melancholy that permeates your life, seeping its way into every crack of your porcelain heart, as thick and murky black as tar. It sticks to you, wraps itself around every cell, clinging to you in a loveless embrace.

Even in your dreams you cannot escape it; so often you hear tale of joyous dreams. Dreams in which you stand upon the altar, waiting to be wed to the love of your life, dreams in which you share a dinner with one you admire, or dreams in which you have coveted all that you desire.

You are regaled with recollections of dreams full of simple pleasures; warm and nostalgic, dreams of playing in the front yard as a child, with your mother's freshly baked bread wafting to you from the open window. Dreams of early school days, where one's only worry in the world was what they'd play when they got back home.

For some, dreams are entirely nonsensical; there is often no clear purpose, nor story, nor concrete feeling– but it is pleasant in its own right, and entertaining to recall the absurdities in which you found yourself in the middle of.

You do not experience such simple pleasures.

While for others, dreams are a pleasant escape from everyday life, a blissful end to an arduous day of work, your dreams are an extension of your reality. They offer no comfort, nor joy, nor escape from your bleak, mundane existence. You are ever as aware of yourself whilst asleep as you are while conscious, feeling every emotion just as strongly as you do in the light of day.

You wish you could say you have adapted to life with your melancholy, or learned to be at peace with it, or that you don't mind having no escape. But the truth of the matter is that your dreams being not a safe haven as they should be tolls on you, made worse by the fact that even in the sanctuary that should be your mind, you are utterly alone and miserable.

So there you stand in your waking dream, wishing for a change. A mirror of your reality, your status within your dream reflects the state you were in before falling to sleep. You are in your bedroom, as pitch dark as you left it when blowing out the candles, the only illumination coming from the moon shining through your balcony doors.

You stand in the middle of the room, hands clasped and eyes closed as you whisper your prayers, the same lily-white chemise you wore to bed draping your body. So perfect a recreation of your surroundings, that were it not for the fact that you so vividly remember adhering to your sleep routine and laying your head against the pillows, you might not even be able to say that this was a dream at all.

And though it is just the confines of your mind, and you are certain no one but God can hear you (if he will listen, and hasn't yet turned his back on you), you plead. 

"Come to me. A guardian angel, a spirit of comfort, a spirit of any celestial sphere– anyone, anything. Please, hear my call."

There is naught in the room but silence when you are finished; you are as alone with your thoughts as you ever are. You take a breath, blink away building tears, readying yourself to try again– and then, to your greatest surprise, there is a response.

For the first time in all your many dreams, a voice answers you– soft, an indistinct whisper akin to your own, but you hear it echo in the silence of your bedroom. Your eyes shoot open, a soft gasp leaving your parted lips as you look around the room.

Slowly, you lower your hands, taking an unconscious step forward, closer to where the voice calls to you from your balcony. You cannot yet discern what the voice is saying, nor can you see their figure, but you watch breathlessly as the lock on your balcony doors seems to unlatch itself, a sudden gust of wind pushing it open.

The air is cooler than you'd expect for a late spring's breeze, but you do not shiver or shrink away from the sudden chill; instead, you tentatively take another step, following the unfamiliar, beckoning voice. The voice becomes clearer the closer you step to the balcony, and though you see nothing out of the ordinary before you, you feel them.

No, to say you do not see them is not right– invisible in your mortal gaze, yes, but the moon casts their shadow on your wall, your curtains billowing with the steady breeze capturing their inhuman silhouette. And surely it is merely a trick of shadow that makes the figure appear so inhuman– because how else can you grapple with so foreign a creature standing before you?

You rationalize the impossibly tall silhouette as the moon elongating their shadow, the sharp and pointy length of their nails having simply become exaggerated, the unnatural point of their ears the result of a penumbra trick. Their figure vanishes with each fall of your curtains, reappearing with each rise; but their shadow ever lingers, eerie black against your ivory walls.

Their shadow serves as a reminder, you think– that even when you cannot see them, they will be there. Watching, beckoning, waiting; the voice, once so indistinct and otherworldly, is now crystal clear in your ears. Soft but luminous, it calls you as you take another cautious step closer.

"You," the voice starts, and though soft, it is an aching rasp– reminiscent, you think, of when one has fallen ill, or of times when one's throat has grown stiff from disuse. You have no further time to ponder if this is the man's– creature's?– natural inflection; for in just a few more careful utterances, their tone smooths, the soft voice becoming silken.

"You," the male voice repeats, smooth as satin and utterly mesmerizing, "I have heard you. And I answer in turn– come to me."

The shadow moves along your wall then, creeping closer to you; it feels as if it envelops you, embracing you with a blissful warmth you've never before felt. It clings to you with each step, but it does not feel like the melancholic tar you are accustomed to; it is a gentle ribbon, guiding you further with promises of sweetness you have so long craved.

Holding now to the railing of your balcony, you look to the gardens below. There you see him, standing amongst the tall, twisting trees and blooming lilacs. He gazes up at you, eyes black as a void, and yet they still shine in the light of the moon.

And just as a void promises to, his look swallows you whole. You lose yourself in the dark, hypnotic pool of his eyes, stumbling forward almost blindly, with one simple thought– you must go to him.

You are before him in an instant, though you have no recollection or understanding as to how. Did you walk off the balcony and fall below? Did you turn back and trek through the house to make it to the gardens? Is this the absurdity of dreams that normally eludes you, or is a greater power at work?

The answer seems of little importance; bewitched by the man standing before you, you find that logic and rationality hold no value. He is here, perfection and beauty embodied wholly– the answer to your prayers; that is all you care to know.

Your hand trembles, your utmost desire now to reach out and feel him beneath your fingertips, to confirm that he is not just a figment of your dream– that there really was someone in this world who could hear you from beyond, and cared enough to respond to your call.

Hair as black as his eyes, a few long strands falling over his perfect cheekbones, while the rest is tucked behind his normal, and not at all pointed, ears. He has full, plush lips shaded in an enchanting, muted red, with a little mole under his left eye and utterly flawless, pristine skin.

He is ethereal, and radiant, and he is here for you– and while his eyes hold a darkness you have never before seen, his smile is impossibly tender. He takes your trembling hand in his own, and you can feel his nails poke your skin as he closes it around you.

They are long, yes, but not as long and pointed as his shadow would've led you to believe them to be. There is a part of you that decides you were correct to think his features were simply exaggerated and warped by shadow, though the deep recesses of your heart and mind know this isn't true.

Whatever he is, whoever he may be– he is not of this world, you know that for certain. For who else in the world could hear you? Who would have the power to meet you in your mind? A trickster, an angel, a devil? It matters not, you decide; for perhaps, in some ways, you are not of this world either.

Perhaps you have always felt melancholic, twisted, and odd, because your destiny did not reside with your fellow man– perhaps it lied here, with this creature who wears the mask of the beautiful sort of prince charming you've yearned for.

His shadow was the truth of his being, you innately know, and yet it gives you no fear. He squeezes your hand, a reassurance, while the other rises to cup your cheek in his palm, a tender rub of his thumb along the skin where he holds you. His gentle touch is ice cold, but it spreads warmth through your body regardless– because oh, how you've longed for the companionship of another.

"You are for me," he whispers as he inches closer, your noses on the precipice of touching, "and I, you. Do you believe in destiny?" He stares at you, observing you closely as he awaits your answer. You swallow, heart quickening as you hold his gaze.

"Yes," you utter softly; for in the depths of your soul, you feel it– the immutable pull that tells you this is where you must be. Beside him, in his arms, at his side for all eternity– and he will love you, this you know true; because even down to the very marrow of your bones, your body says it is so.

He has searched for you for an age; not someone like you, no. You. Only you. And his delight to finally have heard his beloved's call, and to answer– it is an unparalleled joy, one that he expects you to share. For even in your mortal life, your blood sings for him just the same as it did those many, long centuries ago.

You were promised to him then, as you are now– and he will have you, just as he did then. First in sleep, as you are now, but someday soon he will find you in the physical world once more. He will hold you in his arms, your reunion as joyous as it is profane. Rejoice, as you join him back to your true home; the castle, your castle, where every moment was spent in unholy exuberance.

"Do you remember?" he asks, voice honey-sweet, "remember how we once were?"

You do not, not really– your mind has no recollection of the man before you. But your soul remembers, has carried the weight of centuries of love and longing with it all this time, waiting for the moment all the feelings harbored within could finally be unearthed.

"I know you," you answer, truthfully; because while this is your first meeting in this life, you recognize him all the same. In the deepest recesses of your memory, he is there, gazing upon you with the same reverence he does now. He holds you close, kisses you tender, his touch along your skin slow and gentle, his name a whispered prayer on your lips.

Hyunjin.

His eyes light up when you call his name, a smile growing on his perfect lips. Hyunjin would know you anywhere, and there was never any doubt you were his love– but all the same, it is a great relief to hear his name fall from your lips again after so many years spent longing for it.

He kisses you then, doing his utmost to relay the depths of his passion, while also holding the carnality he feels for you at bay– the last thing he wishes to do is overwhelm you with his appetite too soon. You are his affliction, his every desire, he must have you; and he can only pray that you will not deny him, or yourself, the pleasure– but only when the time is right.

"You will be mine once more," he says; a statement, not a question, between kisses to your lips, "as I am eternally yours." Your nerves tingle, blood alight as you return his affections, meeting his lips with urgency.

"I will have you," he continues, almost breathless as his lips begin to trail down your neck, "Will you swear it? That again, we are for no one but each other?" His breath tickles your skin, the points of two sharp teeth touching the sensitive pulse point. You shiver as his fangs linger there, closing your eyes as your heart thunders in your chest.

Hyunjin can not truly drink from you here, not in the confines of your dream, but his teeth against your neck serve as a reminder– that your blood is his greatest temptation. Should you promise yourself to him once more, he won't be able to resist you– as there is no taste sweeter than the blood of his beloved.

"I swear," you whisper your promise; for you will never fear him, nor can you deny the ecstasy that comes when he drinks from you. “ever-eternally, I am yours.” 

He is a beast of nightmares, a plague set upon the world, a ruinous omen of death, your immortal Vampyr; and you are safe in his hold. For he loves you and needs you too greatly to cause you any harm– an affection that contradicts his nature, but what a welcome contradiction it is. 

When you meet his gaze once more, his eyes burn with desire; it has been an agony, truly, to have such carnal desire for you all these centuries. And he could do naught with his desires but wait– wait for the day you would return to this world, and pray that your body and soul would still sing for him the way it once had. 

Hyunjin could have taken concubines, could’ve shared his castle with any great number of men or women– but they would not have been you. None can sate him the way you can, none can spread such flames of passion through his icy veins, none can make his eternally still heart feel as if it beats. It is not a vain promise when he says you are the only one for him– he means it with every fiber of his immortal being.

Your heart and soul, now free from their sepulchre, burn with need. He can hear the erratic thump of your heart, the blood rushing through your veins, can smell the arousal pooling between your legs. You desire him, just as he desires you– and he decides then that the time is right; there is no need to be cautious and careful with his affections.

You want him, and he wants you– and you will have each other, now and forever.

Hyunjin kisses you once more, hungry and urgent. He pulls your body flush to his own, holds you tightly as the wind rolls quickly past you. You realize, when you pull away to catch a breath, that your surroundings have shifted. Now in the center of the estate’s hedge maze, he lies you down on the stone bench beneath the grand statue of Mnemosyne.

You shiver against the cold stone, but he warms you with another kiss. His tongue meets your lips as his hand dances around the bottom of your chemise, lifting it up just enough to expose your lower half. His hands find your thighs, the points of his nails digging at the soft flesh as he squeezes you in his palms. 

It elicits a needy sound from deep within, one that you almost don’t recognize as your own. You feel the sharp points of his teeth with your tongue, while he spreads your legs apart to make more room for himself between them. He tugs your panties away with haste, and there is no shyness to be had when he separates to look at the way you glisten under the moonlight for him. 

He takes a moment to stare, licks his lips before looking back up to meet your eyes. You hold his gaze as he frees his cock from his trousers, swallowing as you look down for just a moment, and then back up to him. You are both eager, it is clear– and he will have neither of you wait any longer; you have both waited long enough. 

“I will have you,” Hyunjin repeats as he grabs your hips, lifting your bottom up from the stone bench and aligning you with himself. His thighs support you, while his feet stay firmly planted on the grass and stone below. You wrap your legs around his waist, and he removes one of his hands from your hips, using it to find leverage on the stone as he leans over you. 

You can feel his cock pulsing against you, excitement and anticipation building exponentially in your gut. “Mine again,” he whispers as he captures your lips in another kiss, “You are mine, my love.” 

He presses inside you as slowly as he can manage to, and you gasp, hands reaching out to cling to his arms. Thick and full, you let out a shuddering moan when his cock is sheathed fully inside your wet heat. He moans with you, the centuries of building need finally melting into the pure bliss he’d been longing for. 

But he refuses to rush– his thrusts are slow and fluid, precise and calculated, searching for the spot he knows will bring you utmost euphoria. You let out a high-pitched moan, followed by a curse, when he succeeds; and he smiles before he grits his teeth, determined to bring you to the heights of pleasure.

“Hyunjin, oh, please–” you whimper, nails digging into the fabric of his sleeves as he picks up his pace. He wanted to drag it out longer, truly, he did; but the mind is a powerful thing, and even whilst in a dream, the pleasure that you both feel is entirely real. 

And how much longer can one who has held centuries of lust and yearning hold back? Especially when the object of his every desire is moaning and begging for him so sweetly?

He could never resist you– not then, and especially not now. And long has he craved to hear his name spill from your lips like this again; so much so that the sound of it sends him into a frenzy. 

“Again,” he utters, equal parts desperate plea and urgent demand, “call to me, say my name.” You oblige easily, his name falling from your lips in a tantalizing mantra; and you feel his cock throb violently with each salacious whimper, his every thrust laced with desire and urgency.

He releases his grip on your hip, moving his hand to your center and pressing his thumb on your clit. Your breath catches, eyes rolling back as he rubs your clit in steady, practiced circles.

“Cum for me, my love,” Hyunjin urges; he is on the precipice of release himself, and he needs you to fall apart with him– it is the only way he can truly be satisfied. Your thighs tremble, whimpers broken by harsh breaths; and you let go of his arms, reach up to his face and pull him down into a desperate, needy kiss. 

He moans, and if his flesh were mortal, he is sure that goosebumps would’ve risen over every inch of his body. His thrusts lose their fluidity, becoming quick and choppy as he chases the high your body promises him. You clench tighter, toes curling and body quivering as you finally cum, your every moan of pleasure captured by his lips. 

His hips still as his own high takes him, his cock fully pressed inside, his cum spurting in long, sticky spurts. Your kisses are breathless, impassioned, but no longer urgent– they are soft promises of love, of eternity together in bliss.

You smile at him when he pulls away, and he looks at you just as tenderly as he had before, stroking your cheek and indulging in the heat it offers his thumb. You’ve never felt so relaxed, happy and at peace– but just then, you feel a sudden jolt.

It is a sign that your consciousness is returning to reality, and you will soon find yourself back in your bed, with the morning light shining on you from your balcony. Hyunjin, an invader in your mind, feels himself being pushed out– for he can not stay by your side beyond the bounds of your dream just yet. 

There is fear and uncertainty that peaks within you as you fight to stay asleep just a moment longer– but he is quick to calm you, kissing you one last time before you the sun’s rays shine down on you.

“I will find you again in the waking world, my heart,” he says, squeezing your hand in his before he starts to fade once more into shadow, “this, I promise.”

You rise with a start, blinking rapidly and lingering, unshed tears falling from your eyes as you raise your hand to your heart. Just as expected, it is morning now– the late spring sun is bright and warm, and birds chirp in delight as they welcome the dawn of a new day.

You frown, feeling the erratic thumb of your heart beneath your fingertips as the melancholy claws its way back around you, reminding you that it has not left. Your inner thighs are sticky and wet, you realize a short moment later, and for the first time, you blush.

And then you giggle– and the melancholy, though ever present, now has a weaker grasp. You wonder, as you rise from the bed and prepare for your day, how long it will take for Hyunjin to find you. Days, weeks, months? 

You hope it is soon– but if it is not, you know what you will do. Every night, when you blow out the candles and fall asleep, you will call to him. You’ll invite him back into your mind, greet him with a soft kiss, and revel in his tender touch.

You will make love, you will smile, and you will talk of the future with greater enthusiasm than you have ever known– for he is your destiny, your truest love, your one and only immortal Vampyr. Ever-eternally.

[v-e-l-v-e-t-g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e]

Claudia was my dark child, my love, evil of my evil. Claudia broke my heart.

Interview With The Vampire (2022 -) / The Vampire Lestat (1985, Anne Rice) / The Tale of the Body Thief (1992, Anne Rice)

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Understanding “Wuthering Heights” inspiration in “Nosferatu” (2024)

Did anyone ordered the horror version of “Wuthering Heights”? Because Robert Eggers delivered.

Ellen and Orlok are toxic as hell; this should go without saying. Their whole deal is about pure obsession, persecution, sex and death. It’s a blend of hatred and passion, all consuming and self-destructive, inspired by Catherine and Heathcliff from Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” as confirmed by Robert Eggers. Orlok both disgusts and attracts Ellen. It’s “unhealthy and parasitic form of love” and there’s a “mutual yearning” between these characters, and a love triangle with Thomas, like Lily-Rose Depp says, as Ellen is in love with them both:

“This demonic, dark fairy tale could be a young woman torn between two men, both representing different parts of what she wants. The desire and disgust serves as a mirror for the shame that we feel, certainly the shame that I’m sure a lot of women felt at the time.”

We are also told Ellen both hates and enjoys her psychosexual connection (dreams, possession, etc.) with Orlok, being riddled with guilt and shame, due to Victorian views of sex (as Lily-Rose Depp explains).

Catherine and Heathcliff from “Wuthering Heights” are one of the darkest pairs in English literature, and even Robert Eggers call them “one of the great demon lover stories of all time”, and how the reader is always wondering about the ambiguity of Heathcliff’s feelings for Catherine, if he loves her or not, if he wants to possess or to destroy her. Robert Eggers also said he returned to “Wuthering Heights” a lot while writing “Nosferatu” script.

“At first it was sweet, I had never known such bliss. Yet it turned to torture, it would kill me. […] He is my shame! He is my melancholy! He took me as his lover then, and now he has come back. He discovered our marriage and has come back!”

“Wuthering Heights” (2011)

How deep does this inspiration runs in the film? Can it help us to understand Ellen and Orlok’s dynamic? And the love triangle with Thomas? And even the ending?

This “ambiguity” also seems to be Eggers’ goal with Ellen and Orlok’s relationship on his adaptation of “Nosferatu”: the dialogue shows the hatred, while the love is represented in the symbolism of the lilacs, and the lust/passion with their body language.

We have some interesting references to Catherine on Ellen’s backstory (when she talks to Von Franz); she liked playing in the woods as a child, and her father called her “his little changeling girl” (as in the European folklore of children kidnapped by fairies or demons and a substitute being left in their place), implying she was mischievous and wild, like Catherine herself. In her teenage years, like Catherine, she develops an intense, passionate and secret relationship with Orlok/Heathcliff. While Catherine and Heathcliff had the moors, Ellen and Orlok had a garden of lilacs (according to the prologue, and since we have no other indication, let’s assume that was their usual “meeting spot”).

In both cases, these relationships are socially inappropriate and sort of forbidden (Heathcliff’s ethnicity and poverty; and Orlok is a undead demon vampire), and they would make Ellen/Catherine into a social pariah, dead to society (in Ellen’s case, literally) should they commit to it. Which is why they don’t, and choose Edgar/Thomas instead.

“Wuthering Heights” (1992)

Ellen’s wild and passionate affair with Orlok came to an end when she met and married Thomas Hutter; like Catherine and Heathcliff when she met Edgar Linton. Both Thomas and Edgar are gentlemen, graceful and well-mannered, embodied with civilized virtues. Catherine loves Edgar because he’s handsome, young, cheerful and rich, and marries him to fulfill societal expectations, but her love for Heathcliff is ever present, haunting and tormenting her.

I’ll add a personal note here: while I loved “Nosferatu”, I think the previous relationship between Ellen and Orlok should have been more fleshed-out on-screen, during the prologue. Because the entire story feels a bit contrived due to that lack of context. We only saw her summoning him and when he revealed himself to her, and the rest of the clues about their shared past are all over the place, and are causing a lot of misunderstanding on the audience. Eggers probably didn’t want to “humanize” his monster too much and keep the horror element, but the message gets a bit “lost on translation”.

Why does Ellen loves Thomas? She says to Von Franz she became “as normal” when she met him, and we have several mentions of how his love saves her. He represents her chance at a normal life (societal expectations), and she sees him as her savior. In a way, Catherine also saw Edgar as her “savior” from a life of poverty, the life she would have had if she married Heathcliff, even though she considers him her soulmate. Ellen’s “epilepsies” stopped when she met Thomas; as Catherine also loses her “wild ways” when she meets Edgar. Nevertheless, Orlok’s memory is always haunting her (like Catherine with Heathcliff), as symbolized by the lilacs on her wedding outfit, her gowns, and even her perfume.

Thomas also shares similar traits with Edgar: kind, polite, loyal and is a good and supportive husband to Ellen/Catherine, even though they don’t fully understand their emotional turmoil/darkness, they stand by them. Both characters have a gentle and nurturing nature, and try to provide Ellen/Catherine with a comfortable and stable life. While Edgar is rich, Thomas is hard-working. They will both be grieving widowers. Like Edgar, Thomas is the antithesis to Orlok/Heathcliff in this story. Edgar is a model of tenderness and constancy, like Thomas himself; while Heathcliff/Orlok are the complete opposite.

“Wuthering Heights” (Minisseries, 2009)

Like Catherine and Edgar, Thomas and Ellen’s love is marked by kindness, and a desire for stability, but is always haunted by Orlok/Heathcliff passionate and destructive love/obsession. In both stories, this leads to tragedy, suffering and emotional pain for the three characters.

In her heart, Catherine wants to be with Heathcliff, but her mind tells her she must marry Edgar. She’s deeply conflicted about the whole ordeal, torn between her love for two men, and her own nature vs. social expectations of her. This is also what we see with Ellen, when she tells Thomas about her dream of marrying Death (Orlok) on their wedding day. And how she has never been so happy in her entire life as in that moment. And the scent of lilacs was strong in the rain, symbolizing her connection with Orlok.

Both Orlok and Heathcliff become obsessed in getting revenge for the way Ellen/Catherine left them, planning their entire existences around the goal of destroying Catherine and Edgar’s families, after he returns to Wuthering Heights. Which is, pretty much, what Orlok does in “Nosferatu”, by targeting Thomas and the Hardings. Heathcliff violent, bitter and vengeful nature is revealed in this plot, and he’s ruthless and merciless.

Which, again, is very similar to Orlok’s actions in Wisburg (even thought they were already a part of the original story, Eggers gave it a new layer of intention). However, and even though he feels deeply betrayed by Ellen, Orlok (like Heathcliff) never targets her, directly, but wants to torment her by destroying her loved ones, as revenge for leaving him and marrying Thomas/Edgar instead. "You are my affliction", says Orlok. Of course, this is taken to an extreme on “Nosferatu” because it’s a horror film.

“You teach me now how cruel you've been - cruel and false. Why did you despise me? Why did you betray your own heart, Cathy? I have not one word of comfort - you deserve this."

Once he returns to Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff visits Catherine and Edgar’s house often, and Catherine herself can’t take her eyes off him; which parallels Ellen’s “hysteric fits” in “Nosferatu”; as Orlok coming between Ellen and Thomas. Like Catherine, Ellen is also distress by these visits (“epilepsies”) but finds it extremely hard to resist engaging with Heathcliff/Orlok: “his pull on me is so terrible, so strong”. Catherine and Heathcliff’s separation did not change their feelings and they yearn for each other even more; in “Nosferatu” this is visible in Ellen and Orlok’s body language.

“You loved me then, what right had you to leave me? What right, answer me, for the poor fancy you felt for Linton? Because misery and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us, you, of your own will, did it. I have not broken your heart, you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”

When Edgar realizes the depth of Heathcliff’s influence on Catherine, he feels threatened, insecure and jealous. We see this on “Nosferatu” when Thomas has sex with Ellen after she tells him “you could never please me as he could”, as he gets insanely jealous of her words. This scene is also a reference to Catherine weaponizing Edgar and Heathcliff jealousy against each other; when she taunts Edgar for being weaker than Heathcliff, and rubs her marital happiness on Heathcliff’s face (we see this when Ellen tells Thomas to let Orlok see their love).

Like Edgar, Thomas also loves Ellen, deeply, but her “divided affections” cause him emotional pain and frustration, especially as Ellen/Catherine is drawn back to Orlok/Heathcliff: “Stop this, Ellen! I love you!” Even when Ellen’s connection with Orlok consumes her, Thomas remains loyal to her, like Edgar with Catherine. In “Nosferatu” we don’t know, but in “Wuthering Heights”, Edgar buries Catherine on the moors, after her death, and then has himself buried next to her, decades later, instead of his family crypt.

“Heathcliff would as soon lift a finger at you as the king would march his army against a colony of mice.”

We also see the rivalry between Thomas and Orlok in “Nosferatu”. Like in the original “Dracula” novel, the Count lures him into a trap by making him travel to his castle, where he steals the silver heart locket Ellen gave him, and bitterly says to Thomas “you are fortunate in your love”. Orlok smelling the strand of Ellen’s hair is also a reference to when Heathcliff does the same to Catherine. And then tries to kill him, but he manages to escape. Like Heathcliff, Orlok also speaks ill of Thomas to Ellen herself, weaponizing his greed, while implying Thomas doesn’t really love her. Heathcliff also says Edgar just performs his duty, while he’s the one who truly loves Catherine.

Heathcliff and Edgar’s fights cause the deterioration of Catherine’s health until she locks herself in her room, spiraling down into delirium and depression, tormented by nightmares and hallucinations. Catherine’s madness appears to be the reference for Ellen’s mental condition in the film. Catherine is also distressed and protests over Edgar’s response to her illness (retreating to society and his library). In “Nosferatu”, we can see this with Ellen’s distress over Thomas leaving her, at the beginning of the film, as he dismisses her prophetic dreams as “fancies”.

“Because I'm weak, my brain got confused, and I screamed unconsciously. Don't say anything; but stay with me. I dread sleeping: my dreams appal me.”

Catherine’s madness is a combination of things we also see in Ellen’s character. At its core is Catherine obsessive, tumultuous and passionate connection with Heathcliff. We see this with Ellen and Orlok, and she calls him “her melancholy” and “her shame”, as they share a deep, sexual and spiritual bond. Like Catherine and Edgar, Ellen’s marriage to Thomas is rooted in security, stability and social respectability, and it should be everything she’s supposed to desire and aspire, but it’s unfulfilling and suppresses her true nature (in Ellen’s case it’s her supernatural abilities, and she also wishes Thomas was more passionate).

This is also align with Lily-Rose Depp words:

“I think in a lot of ways, he's [Orlok] almost a symbol of the things that you don't want or that you shouldn't want, and yet you are so drawn to. I think a lot of what Ellen is going through is an internal battle between all of this darkness that she's always had within her, and then the light that she's trying to cling to. I think he [Orlok], of course, is the manifestation of that, of that darkness. We definitely wanted it to feel like a love-triangle in a lot of ways and it's a love story in the end. I think she really loves Thomas and I think she does though have this twisted yearning for this darker realm, and I think [Orlok] is the embodiment of that.”

Catherine feels trapped by her life choices which are a consequence of Victorian society, which has strict expectations of women regarding marriage, class and behavior. Her all-consuming love for Heathcliff, her unfulfilling but agreeable marriage to Edgar and her identity crisis, create a profound internal conflict that lead her to her tragic decline and premature death, as a consequence of her depression.

Both men suffer deeply with her death; Edgar with calm sadness (which is what we see with Thomas at the end of “Nosferatu”) while Heathcliff is full desolation and anguish, begging for her ghost to haunt him as he begins a path of self-destruction. Catherine’s ghost indeed haunts Heathcliff for eighteen years, and we see a reference to this on “Nosferatu”, too, when Anna Harding tells her husband: “Clara asked me today if Aunty Ellen has become a ghost.”

“It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am.”

Like Catherine, Ellen doesn’t reveal the depth of her feelings for Orlok/Heathcliff to him until the bitter end, nor any character in the story, besides Nelly and Von Franz (and even then is very cryptic, which makes the audience think she has none, and that’s why the lilacs are there). But both Orlok and Heathcliff are very much aware of them, as Heathcliff says “you know as well as I do, that for every thought she spends on Linton, she spends a thousand on me!”

Orlok: “Your passion is bound to me.” Ellen: “You cannot love.” Orlok: “I- cannot. Yet, I cannot be sated without you. Remember how once we were? A moment. Remember?” Ellen: “I abhor you.” Orlok: “You are false!” Alexa play “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush

Catherine loves Heathcliff because their souls are the same: “He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” In “Nosferatu”, this translates in the covenant between Orlok and Ellen: “As our spirits are one, so too shall be our flesh. You are mine.” They also share the same nature; when Ellen says she has felt Orlok crawling like a serpent on her body, he says it’s her own nature, a nature she denies (“you denied yourself”). And while Catherine loves Edgar, she recognizes their spirits are “as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire”; which is the same with Thomas and Ellen, as he worries about money and social status, and she doesn’t, he’s more restrained in his affections, while Ellen is more passionate.

This is aligned with Robert Eggers explanation, and so, indeed, the “Wuthering Heights” inspiration is very clear in this story:

“Ellen’s husband loves her, but he can’t understand these ‘hysteric’ and ‘melancholic’ feelings she’s experiencing, and he’s dismissive of her. The only person she really finds a connection with is this monster, and that love triangle is so compelling to me, partially because of how tragic it is.”

Edgar/Thomas represents safety and social stability (society), while Heathcliff/Orlok embodies wild passion and freedom (nature) in Catherine and Ellen’s narratives. In Ellen’s case this is even more evident with the corset symbolism (restrictive and cagey); in every scene she has with Orlok, she never wears a corset, as she’s usually on her nightgown. The only exception is when she wears her wedding dress in their final scene, and even then, she ends up fully naked before him, fully liberated from social restraint, fully embracing her nature (which can also be a reference to Carl Jung’s “assimilation/integration of shadow” theory).

Eggers also makes the distinction between “love” and “passion” in his script; Thomas is “love” while Orlok is “passion”. This has occult meaning, but it can also be a way of showing to the audience this polarization/dichotomy in Ellen’s narrative. Because Ellen equals “love” with “sacred” and “salvation” in the script; while “passion” is “unclean” and “abhorrent”. Which is very much in line with Victorian views of sex (passion) and marriage (love); “passionate sex” is sin and unholy (demonic); while “marriage” is love sanctified by religion (sacred).

Ellen spent the second act of the movie talking about how Thomas love has “saved” her from her connection with Orlok, and on the third act is Thomas himself who wants to embody the “savior” role; as he’s determined to destroy Orlok, and then runs to try and save Ellen. But Ellen begins the third act by saying to Von Franz: “I need no salvation”, and how she has always been true to her own nature, as Von Franz asks her to be true by it now, because only her can redeem them. But Ellen accepting her true nature means accepting Orlok, because they are one spirit, like Catherine and Heathcliff.

“I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind-not as a pleasure to myself, but as my own being. So don't talk of our separation again - it is impracticable.”

But Catherine wants to “have her cake and eat it too”, by having both Edgar and Heathcliff in her life, until she’s faced with the impossibility of having both, and is forced to choose.

We also see this happening in “Nosferatu”, but, unlike the novel (where it’s Edgar who gives her an ultimatum), here it’s Orlok who forces Ellen/Catherine to choose between him or Thomas/Edgar. It wouldn’t make any sense to be Thomas, let’s be honest. In both cases, this is not really a choice, because Catherine choosing Heathcliff would mean leaving her husband, damaging her reputation beyond repair, and she would be ruined. It would be want we call “social suicide”, nowadays. Ellen choosing Orlok means choosing “dead to society”, too, literally.

“Will you give up Heathcliff hereafter, or will you give up me? It is impossible for you to be my friend and his at the same time; and I absolutely require to know which you choose.”

The hopelessness of Catherine and Heathcliff love (besides all the angst), it’s that they can’t ever be together in life, and yet desire it strongly, which leads them both to their ends, on a path of self-destruction. They eventually blame each other, despise each other, while being drawn and attracted to one another. As Catherine goes deeper into madness, the more consumed and obsessed with Heathcliff and death she becomes, to the point she equals her love for him with death itself.

In “Nosferatu” we see this with Ellen and Orlok, too: “He stalks me in my dreams, all my sleeping thoughts are of him, every night-” and how she refers to Orlok as “death” (as he literally is in this story). Like Catherine and Heathcliff, it’s impossible for Ellen and Orlok to be together in the living world, as they can only be united in spirit/death: “you are not for the living. You are not for human kind”. And like Catherine and Heathcliff, this sets them both on a path of self-destruction, and torment for everyone around them, which only ends with their deaths.

Catherine is unable to choose, which will culminate with her premature death, as she’s tired and feels trapped in this physical world. This is what we see with Ellen in “Nosferatu”, since she saves Thomas’ life (+ everyone else) and dies alongside Orlok, breaking the curse of Nosferatu.

In “Nosferatu” we also have the reference to Catherine’s window, as we always see a window in connection with Ellen and Orlok. Symbolically, windows are a veil between life and death, and barrier to the supernatural. In “Wuthering Heights”, Catherine is often at the window, her ghost makes apparitions at the window, Heathcliff begs her ghost to come through his window. Doors and windows are usually connected with Catherine and Heathcliff’s separation and his inability to reach her. In “Nosferatu”, we also see this: in the prologue, Ellen’s window is wide open (when she meets and develops a relationship with Orlok), then it’s shut (symbolizing their separation) until the third act, when she asks him to come to her (union).

“He [Heathcliff] got on to the bed, and wrenched open the lattice, bursting, as he pulled at it, into an uncontrollable passion of tears. ‘Come in! come in!’ he sobbed. ‘Cathy, do come. Oh, do—once more! Oh! my heart’s darling! hear me, this time, Catherine, at last!’”

But does Ellen “have her cake and eat it too”? We have to look into “Wuthering Heights”, again:

As Catherine faces her imminent death, she and Heathcliff reach the height of their passion for each other, declaring that their souls will never be separated. Death separates them and it is death itself which unites their souls. We see this with Ellen and Orlok’s covenant in “Nosferatu”: “you shall be one with me ever-eternally”.

“I’ll not lie there by myself; they may bury me twelve feet deep, and throw the church down over me, but I won’t rest till you are with me. I never will!”

In death, Catherine realizes it was folly to choose Edgar over Heathcliff, because she has betrayed and killed herself in her process. “Can’t you see!? It doesn’t matter! We should never have married! We are already dead!” Ellen shouts at Thomas, after she accuses Orlok’s passion of turning to torture, “it would kill me”.

After Catherine’s death, Heathcliff is consumed by grief, and says he cannot live with his soul in the grave. When he goes to say goodbye to Catherine on her coffin, he places a lock of his hair in the locket around her neck. In “Nosferatu”, we have a reference to this when Ellen cuts a strand of her hair and places it her silver heart locket and gives it to Thomas at the beginning of the movie, but it’s Orlok who keeps it for himself.

“You said I killed you--haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered the earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”

After Catherine’s death, Heathcliff goes deeper into revenge and cruelty, as he terrorizes everyone due to his anger, grief and frustration of being without her, as he becomes a deranged monster (like Orlok himself). For eighteen years, Catherine’s ghost haunts Heathcliff, and this gives him hope of being united with her after his own death, leading to his self-destruction, too. Which, again, we see in “Nosferatu”, as both Ellen and Orlok cause their own self-destruction in the living world. I already made the case about how this was something they both wanted in another post, so I won’t talk about it here, but the “Wuthering Heights” inspiration only strengthens that interpretation.

Now we need to go back to Catherine and Heathcliff’s final encounter. As she’s near death, she admits how much she longs for him, at last, and how them, as lovers, can’t be united in this world, only in death. We see this in “Nosferatu”, when Ellen fulfills her covenant with Orlok, and marries death. Catherine accuses Heathcliff of metaphorically “killing her”, while Orlok literally does in “Nosferatu”, by drinking her blood, and then be killed himself by sunlight.

“I wish I could hold you,’ she continued, bitterly, ‘till we were both dead!”

Heathcliff kisses and embraces Catherine, but can’t bear the agony of looking at her face, knowing she is going to die soon. In “Nosferatu” we also see Orlok looking away from Ellen when the sun is rising, and is reluctant to look at her, as she dies, until she compels him to face her. Is this a reference to “Wuthering Heights”, too? Because she embodies Catherine’s wish next, as they embrace until they are both dead.

“It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands,' he answered. 'Kiss me again; and don't let me see your eyes!”

Decades later, when Edgar dies, Heathcliff has Catherine’s coffin exhumed and asks the sexton to open it, because he wants to see her face. Then, he demanded the side of her coffin to be open, so his own coffin can be joined with hers, and their corpses united in death. Some get necrophilic vibes from this act, which can be also the reference to Ellen and Orlok sex scene (and also Friedrich and Anna’s). As they couldn’t be united in life, Heathcliff wants to be joined with her in death. Which is also what we see in “Nosferatu” with Ellen and Orlok.

This represents the feeling of incompleteness without each other and the desire and thirst to unite, the yearning to transgress the bonds of society and fuse with each other, which will culminate with the union of their corpses. Because Catherine is buried next to her husband, Edgar, after all.

“I was sleeping the last sleep by that sleeper, with my heart stopped and my cheek frozen against hers.”

After his death, Heathcliff is buried as per his wishes, next to Catherine, in the moors of Wuthering Heights. Their spirits are reunited in a realm where there’s no social bonds no class differences, and they can be together, at last. They return to their spiritual Wuthering Heights, where their love was free and possible; and we see Von Franz placing lilac flowers around Ellen and Orlok’s body, symbolizing their return to their lilac garden, as their corpses are united, like Catherine and Heathcliff’s.

“I believe the dead are at peace: but it is not right to speak of them with levity. […] They are afraid of nothing,’ I grumbled, watching their approach through the window. ‘Together, they would brave Satan and all his legions’.”

Afterwards, the people of the region swore they felt and saw Heathcliff and Catherine’s ghosts in the moors, walking together. Their union after death also brought a new era of harmony and peace to Wuthering Heights. “Redemption!” As Von Franz would say.

Interestingly enough, Von Franz also stares out of the window like the narrator in the final chapter of “Wuthering Heights”; “watching their approach through the window”? He’s also the one who brings and places the lilacs around Ellen and Orlok’s bodies, a tribute to their love.

“And so the maiden fair did offer up her love unto the beast, and with him lay in close embrace until first cockcrow, her willing sacrifice thus broke the curse and freed them from the plague of Nosferatu”.

The majority of people are misunderstanding this passage, because not only this is a Solomanari book (belongs to Orlok) but there is no mention of any “town” or the world in general here. This speaks of how the love and the willing sacrifice (death) of a maiden (Ellen) saved her and the beast (Orlok) from the curse of Nosferatu. “Them” is the maiden and the beast, Ellen and Orlok, and how her love for him and her death saved them both from the curse he had upon himself (Nosferatu). English is not even my mother language and even I can understand this.

As a consequence, her death also saved everyone else, including Thomas (because she loves him too). And so, she exchanges one last look of love with him, silently saying goodbye before departing to the spiritual realm alongside Orlok. So, indeed, Ellen “had her cake and eat it too”, at end, like Catherine; she couldn’t decide between the two men she loved, so she died, but was reunited in death with Heathcliff, and their spiritual union brought peace to “Wuthering Heights”, like Ellen and Orlok’s to Wisburg. While Edgar/Thomas had Catherine/Ellen’s love in life, Heathcliff/Orlok has it in death/spiritual world.

[thegothicalice]

I absolutely love your style and was wondering as a cinemaphile what obscure, off the wall horror movies would you suggest for the spooky season?

Uhhhh how about various levels of obscure from the 80s and 90s? (Not a complete lists because I’ve seen literally thousands of films and forget half of what I watch and use Letterboxd to keep track)

1999– Idle Hands, Don’t Look Under the Bed, Bats, Ravenous, In Dreams, Lighthouse, Stir of Echos, Audition, Kolobos

1998—The Last Broadcast, Devil in the Flesh, Whispering Corridors, Urban Legend, Shadowbuilder, The Eternal, The Quiet Family, Strangeland, Deep Rising, The Wisdom of Crocodiles, Tomie

1997– The Relic, The Ugly, Event Horizon, Cure, Wax Mask, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, Quicksilver Highway, Office Killer, The Night Flier

1996– From Dusk til Dawn, Little Witches, Uncle Sam, The Frighteners, The Dentist, Karmina, Thesis, Tromeo & Juliet,

1995– Blood & Donuts, Screamers, Tales from the Hood, The Demolitionist, Mushrooms, The Girl With the Hungry Eyes, The Day of the Beast, Serpent’s Lair, Rumpelstiltskin, Mute Witness, Evil Ed, Project: Metalbeast, Habit, The Addiction, Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight, Lord of Illusions

1994– Tammy & the T Rex, In the Mouth of Madness, Lurking Fear, Cemetery Man, Death Machine, Brainscan, Nadja

1993– Love Bites, Doppelgänger, Necronomicon, Body Bags, Ed & His Dead Mother, Dark Waters, Skinner, Jack Be Nimble, Ticks, Carnosaur, The Temp

1992– Death Becomes Her, The Vagrant, Tale of a Vampire, The Unnameable II, Innocent Blood, Dr Giggles, Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies, Aswang, Sleepwalkers, Netherworld, Split Second

1991– The Resurrected, The Boneyard, Body Parts, Popcorn, Subspecies, There’s Nothing Out There, Highway to Hell, The Runestone, Cast a Deadly Spell, Children of the Night

1990– Frankenhooker, Fear, Nightbreed, Lisa, Mom, Grim Prairie Tales, Shakma, Pale Blood, Baby Blood, Mirror Mirror, Hardware, Meridian, Def by Temptation, The Vampire Family, Reflecting Skin, Demonia

1989– Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Nightlife, I Madman, Dr. Caligari, The Black Cat, Paganini Horror, Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge, The Dead Pit, The Phantom of the Opera, Dead Calm, Intruder, The House of Usher

1988– Paperhouse, Spider Labyrinth, Spell Caster, Sorority Babes in the Slime-Bowl-O-Rama, Cellar Dweller, Pin, 976-EVIL, Brain Damage, Rejuvenatrix, Blood Relations, Party Line, The Unnamable, The Wicked

1987– Psychos in Love, Blood Rage, The Caller, Stagefright, Graveyard Shift, American Gothic, Street Trash, From a Whisper to a Scream, Blood Diner

1986– Spookies, Poison for the Fairies, Vamp, Gothic, Deadtime Stories, TerrorVision, Witchboard, Trick or Treat

1985– The Doctor and the Devils, Phenomena, The Stuff

1984– Decoder, The Company of Wolves, Monster Dog, Sole Survivor, Special Effects

1983– The Lift, Wilczyca (She Wolf), Eyes of Fire, House of Long Shadows, The Hunger, Angst, Curtains, Blood Beat, Mortuary, The Keep

1982– Ferat Vampire, Next of Kin, The Sender, Tenebre, One Dark Night, The Living Dead Girl, Superstition, Alone in the Dark, Parasite

1981– The Black Cat, Fear No Evil, Dead & Buried, Possession, Night School, The Monster Club, Allison’s Birthday, Frightmare, Ghost Story, The Funhouse, The Pit, Evilspeak, Strange Behavior, The Nesting

1980– Macabre, Fade to Black, The Ninth Configuration, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

These are all just what I’ve recorded on my personal Letterboxd since I started it in April of 2017, I’ve seen plenty more but tried to just pick possibly less-known stuff, some bad and some good.

[bunnelbaby]

Here is a list of frightfully fun shows and movies for you to get into the spirit of Halloween!

🍂 Fright Krewe

🕸️ Dead End: Paranormal Park

💀Curses!

🦇Gravity Falls

🎃 Kaidan Restaurant

🍂 CreepSchool

🕸️ Supernatural Academy

💀 Isadora Moon

🦇 Frankelda’s Book of Spooks

🎃 Scream Street

🍂 Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids

🕸️ Beetlejuice (1989)

💀 Phantom Investigators

🦇 Mona the Vampire

🎃 Tales From the Cryptkeeper

🍂 Bunnicula

🕸️ A Tale Dark and Grim

💀 Scooby Doo

🦇 Over the Garden Wall

🎃The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

🍂 Courage the Cowardly Dog

🕸️ Scary Larry

💀 Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

🦇 The Owl House

🎃 Casper’s Scare School

🍂 Sabrina the Teenage Witch

🕸️ The Real Ghostbusters

💀 Super Monsters

🦇 Dude, That’s My Ghost!

🎃 Monster Loving Maniacs

🍂 Ghostforce

🕸️ Moville Mysteries

💀 The Strange Chores

🦇 Funnybones (1992)

🎃 The Haunted Hathaways

🍂 My Babysitter’s a Vampire

🕸️ Strange Hill High

💀 Martin Mystery

🦇 Wizards of Waverly Place

🎃 Eerie Indiana

🍂 The Ketchup Vampires

🕸️ So Weird

💀 The Ghost and Molly McGee

🦇 Zombie Hotel

🎃 Creeped Out

🍂 A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting

🕸️ Phantom Pups

💀 Scaredy Cats

🦇 Gargoyles

🎃 Making Fiends

🍂 Goosebumps

🕸️ Bump in the Night

💀 R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour

🦇 Growing Up Creepie

🎃 Ruby Gloom

🍂 Zombies: The Re-Animated Series

🕸️ Tutenstein

💀 The Nightmare Room

🦇 Monster High

🎃 Are You Afraid of the Dark?

🍂 Deadtime Stories

🕸️ Vampirina

💀 Scary Godmother

🦇 Count Duckula

🎃 School for Vampires

🍂 The Curse of Bridge Hollow

🕸️ Nightbooks

💀 Wendell & Wild

🦇 Frankenweenie

🎃 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween!

🍂 Spookley the Square Pumpkin

🕸️ Coraline

💀 Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie

🦇 Oscar’s Handmade Halloween

🎃 Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest

🍂 The Little Ghost

🕸️ Daddy, I’m a Zombie

💀 Monster House

🦇 Halloweentown

🎃 Howard Lovecraft

🍂 Mostly Ghostly

🕸️ The Little Vampire

💀 Don’t Look Under the Bed

🦇 Spooky Buddies

🎃 The Nightmare Before Christmas

🍂 Corpse Bride

🕸️ Haunted Mansion

💀 Monster House

🦇 Under Wraps

🎃 Little Monsters

🍂 The Dog Who Saved Halloween

🕸️ Paranorman

💀 Hotel Transylvania

🦇 Hocus Pocus

🎃The Halloween Tree

(Gif Credit) (Divider Credit)

[hekateinhell]

i'm sorry if this is a bad question, but do you know anywhere online that i can read the vampire chronicles books for free? i don't want to ask my parents for money, i don't think they'd approve of me reading these types of books. i'm 19 but financially dependent on them for the foreseeable future so i don't wanna make them mad

hi! oh no, definitely not a bad question!

here's a link to a shared google folder that's been going around for a while with The Vampire Chronicles books 1-11, plus some other stuff like 'Interlude with the Undead' aka Armand's Playboy Story and 'Vittorio' (a standalone vampire novel that doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of TVC)

and here's a folder I just made that contains the PL-trilogy (so the last three books in the series)

they don't display by publication date in the drive, but the chronological reading order is as follows:

Interview with the Vampire (1976)

The Vampire Lestat (1985)

The Queen of the Damned (1988)

The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)

Memnoch the Devil (1995)

Pandora (1998)

The Vampire Armand (1998)

Merrick (2000)

Blood and Gold (2001)

Blackwood Farm (2002)

Blood Canticle (2003)

Prince Lestat (2014)

Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016)

Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat (2018)

a little bonus for the DM fans: I extracted the Devil's Minion's chapter from QotD a while ago to make your life and mine that much easier

enjoy, and welcome to our fandom if you decide to stick around! ♥️

[cherienymphe]

Halloween MUST WATCHES? Shows and films, I love your taste

Goosebumps (the show)

Hocus Pocus

Twitches 1&2

All the Halloweentown movies

Don't look under the bed

Practical Magic

Salem (2014)

TCAOS

Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1996)

Buffy

Charmed

Halloween

Nightmare on Elm Street

Friday the 13th

When A Stranger Calls

Crimson Peak

Sleepy Hollow

Corpse Bride

Nosferatu (1979)

Nightmare before Christmas

Coraline

Red Riding Hood (2011)

The Moth Diaries (2011)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Cursed (2005)

Van Helsing (2004)

The Craft

The Witch

Ginger Snaps

Scream Queens

All the Chucky movies

Texas Chaninsaw Massacre

Prom Night (both the original and remake)

Fright Night (both the original and remake)

The Lost Boys

Tales from the crypt

PLL 2x13

Trick r Treat

Beetlejuice

Casper

Monster House

Paranorman

Scooby Doo 1 & 2

Scooby-Doo Zombie Island

Scooby-Doo and the witch's ghost

Scooby-Doo cyber chase

The Haunted Mansion

AHS seasons 1-3, 5, 6, 9

Summer of 84

Buffy the vampire slayer (1992)

Sweeney Todd

The Babysitter (2017)

Fear Street trilogy

IKWYDLS

Scream (both the movies and the tv show)

The Addams Family (really the movies and the show)

Elvira

The first 3 HP movies for sure

The Little Vampire

The Haunting Hour (don't think about it)

Valentine (2001)

Wendell and Wild

The Strangers

Vampire Knight

[milfjagger]

halloween recs 2024 🎃

more halloween/horror recs for you all!!! these are all movies that meet at least two (if not all) of my "halloween movie" criteria, which are as follows:

set in autumn or october specifically

features halloween decorations, or typical halloween activities such as pumpkin carving, trick or treating etc

features elements of the supernatural, especially typical "halloween" characters like ghosts, witches and vampires

gothic, scary, spooky or creepy

comedic or campy

not all of these are horror; not all of the "horror" movies are scary in any quantifiable way. movies that (i think) are suitable for people who have a fairly low horror tolerance will be marked with an asterisk (*). movies that are (generally regarded as) not scary at all will be marked with a double asterisk (**). ENJOY!!!

🎃 ghosts & haunted(?) houses 🎃 oddity (2024) cobweb (2023) the black phone (2021) terrified (2017) crimson peak (2015) lake mungo (2008) the orphanage (2007) the devil's backbone (2001)* the others (2001) ghostwatch (1992) candyman (1992) lost hearts (1973) the haunting (1963) the innocents (1961)

🎃 curses, witches & demons 🎃 longlegs (2024) the first omen (2024) late night with the devil (2023) talk to me (2022) smile (2021) & smile 2 (2024) the dark and the wicked (2020) halloween party (2019)* pyewacket (2017) the devil's candy (2015) the witch (2015) the blackcoat's daughter (2015) the babadook (2014) sinister (2012) the house of the devil (2009) wake wood (2009) the ring (2002) the blair witch project (1999) ringu (1998) the craft (1996)* the serpent and the rainbow (1988) hellraiser (1987) suspiria (1977) the omen (1976) the exorcist (1973) & the exorcist iii (1990) the blood on satan's claw (1971) the devil rides out (1968)* black sunday (1960) night of the demon (1957)*

🎃 vampires, werewolves, zombies & monsters 🎃 lisa frankenstein (2024)* evil dead rise (2023) the ritual (2017) evil dead (2013) dog soldiers (2001) ginger snaps (2000) & ginger snaps 2: unleashed (2004) bram stoker's dracula (1992) it (1990) pet sematary (1989) pumpkinhead (1988) the lost boys (1987)* fright night (1985) re-animator (1985) & bride of re-animator (1990) gremlins (1984)* the howling (1981) an american werewolf in london (1981) evil dead movies (1981-1992) dracula (1958)* nosferatu (1922)*

🎃 dark fantasy 🎃 gretel & hansel (2020) the hallow (2015) red riding hood (2011)* coraline (2009)* pan's labyrinth (2006)* the spiderwick chronicles (2008)** sleepy hollow (1999)* edward scissorhands (1990)** the juniper tree (1990)* the witches (1990)* labyrinth (1986)** the company of wolves (1984) something wicked this way comes (1983)*

🎃 spooky anthologies 🎃 v/h/s 99 (2022) v/h/s 94 (2021) the mortuary collection (2019) tales of halloween (2015) trick 'r' treat (2007) creepshow (1982) & creepshow 2 (1987) the monster club (1981)* black sabbath (1963)

🎃 non-horror & barely-horror 🎃 the munsters (2022)** frankenweenie (2012)** corpse bride (2005)** scooby-doo (2002)** & scooby-doo 2: monsters unleashed (2004)** practical magic (1998)** halloweentown (1998)** casper (1995)** hocus pocus (1993)** the nightmare before christmas (1993)** the halloween tree (1993)** death becomes her (1992)** ernest scared stupid (1991)* the addams family (1991)** & addams family values (1993)** beetlejuice (1988)* the witches of eastwick (1987)* the halloween that almost wasn't (1979)** kenny & company (1976)** the paul lynde halloween special (1976)** the rocky horror picture show (1975)** the adventures of ichabod and mr toad (1949)** bud abbott and lou costello meet frankenstein (1948)** betty boop's hallowe'en party (1933)**

🎃 wacky, weird & so-bad-it's-good 🎃 NB: i cannot vouch for the quality of these movies. actually some of them are borderline unwatchable but i did personally enjoy them. real halloweeners will understand malignant (2021) the barn (2016)* 31 (2016) deathgasm (2015) the dog who saved halloween (2011)** dead silence (2007) the covenant (2006)* house of 1000 corpses (2003) casper meets wendy (1998)** the people under the stairs (1991) troll 2 (1990)** warlock (1989)* hack-o-lantern (1988)* killer klowns from outer space (1988)* ghost fever (1987)** trick or treat (1986)* the worst witch (1986)** ghoulies (1984)* halloween iii: season of the witch (1982) witch's night out (1978)**

[lets-steal-an-archive]

TJ MIKELOGAN'S HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT

DAY 7: Vampires - Read the Screenplays

Nosferatu (1922)

Dracula (1931)

Vampyr (1932)

Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Isle of the Dead (1945)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)

Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

Martin (1977)

Dracula (1979)

Salem's Lot (1979)

The Hunger (1983)

Fright Night (1985)

The Lost Boys (1987)

The Monsters Squad (1987)

Near Dark (1987)

Vampire's Kiss (1988)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood (1996)

Blade (1998)

Vampires (1998)

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

30 Days of Night (2007)

Daybreakers (2009)

Let Me In (2010)

What We Do In the Shadows (2014)

[nalyra-dreaming]

I'd been seeing people saying stuff about Daniel and Armand and I was like wtf??? But apparently something did happen. I really wanna know but I also kinda wanna find out through the show and eventually read the books when I have the time.

I don't understand why Armand is listening to Louis (he's definitely very complicated). I'm very excited to know more about SF and also Lestat being alive.

Do you think Lestat is still alive in present day?

:) ... let's put it this way^^:

The VC contain the following 13 books:

Interview with the Vampire (1976) The Vampire Lestat (1985) The Queen of the Damned (1988) The Tale of the Body Thief (1992) Memnoch the Devil (1995) The Vampire Armand (1998) Merrick (2000) Blood And Gold (2001) Blackwood Farm (2002) Blood Canticle (2003) Prince Lestat (2014) Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016) Blood Communion (2018)

The ones in bold are the ones narrated mostly by Lestat.

The ones in italic are the ones where Lestat is part of the story in some kind of way, however small.

So yes. Lestat is alive in present day :) - s3 will be his story, as has already been stated by Rolin Jones.

How we will get to that s3... will be something we'll experience in the next 4 weeks^^- and I guess it is also why we do not know the title for the last episode yet, because I think it will contain a massive spoiler.

The backstory of Daniel and Armand is mostly described in one chapter in "Queen of the Damned", called "THE STORY OF DANIEL THE DEVIL'S MINION, OR THE BOY FROM INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE".

Which is why their relationship is often called "Devil's Minion".

And Armand listening to Louis... well. That is a complicated relationship indeed, I think that will unfold not only in this season. Same goes for Daniel and Armand.

(And everyone else^^)

[recklessfiction]

Writing Inspiration - Horror Movies -

The Thing (1982)

The Thing kills it with creature design and captures the vibe of horrors beyond our own rational understanding. I love Kurt Russell also, he's very capable and attractive and has fabulous hair.

The Wicker Man (1973)

The original Wicker Man is very much a christianity vs the "old ways" story. A fish out of water story, a warning to the christian about getting in too deep. It's really good, the kind of religious clashing I personally love to see.

The Lighthouse (2019)

What can I even say about this movie? It's weird, it folkloric, its otherwordly. It does what I love which is show a dull staple in mythology, in this case the mermaid/sea god, and made it weird again, made it strange and unsettling. It's made the sea and what is in the sea something to fear. Its my vibe but certainly not everyone's.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

GDT doesn't miss. I love when people make fairy tales frightening, and the creatures in them are weird and strange. I love fairy tales that are horror because that's what they've always been, warnings and something to scare children, and Pan's Labyrinth kills it!

Curse of the Demon (1957)

This is really just a comfort movie for me but it's very good and you should watch it.

Mad God (2021)

Mad God is something else. Not everyone's cup of tea, gross, horribly violent, uncomfortable, and odd. But I think it's wonderful in its wild creativity and strangeness. I like that it's more of a dream, shooting in wild directions with no real story line. It's a journey that you're just a part of and can't escape from, a nightmare.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)

Beautiful movie. Gorgeous. Love that the vampires are strange looking but still beautiful and dignified, it speaks to the level of artistry and creativity that Yoshitaka Amano has.

Suspiria (1977)

This movie something you need to watch to understand. It's not just images, its the soundtrack, the colours, the shots and cuts. Its an entire sensory experience with music by Goblin.

Hellraiser (1987)

A classic. Again, the designs rock and the atmosphere is wonderful. Sex and death and blood and meat, man. Lust and unfinished bodies but its still sexy even though your goddamn muscle juices are dripping onto the floor. It's great.

Evil Dead 2 (1987) & Army of Darkness (1992)

The king of horror comedy, I wish I had as much charisma and jokes as Ash Williams. A great time in general.

The Horror of Dracula (1958)

I enjoy the Hammer horror films over Universal simply because of the life that's in them. They're funny and have a lot of action and are seductive while the Universal versions, while wonderful in their own right, are more dramatic, and lowkey. I love the Horror of Dracula with all my heart, Peter Cushing is so dignified even as he's jumping onto tables and running around constantly, and it's just a lot more fun!

Annihilation (2018)

When I first saw this movie, my first thought was that the characters were entering a fairy ring. The otherworldlyness of The Shimmer, it's beauty even in the horrific parts of itself, in the alligator and the other body horror elements, is something I love. Making decay and and death and horror beautiful, so much so that you start to question whether or not you should be afraid (the answer is of course yes you should be.)

[v-e-l-v-e-t-g-o-l-d-m-i-n-e]

The Tale of the Body Thief (1992) / Interview With The Vampire (2022)

[soitamulle]

i tought we might take a moment to appreciate the striking cover art of finnish translations of the first 3 vampire chronicles!

the artist is hannele vanha-aho.

this is how the books looked like when i dragged them home from a local library some 23 (?) years ago. i still love these covers!!

interview with the vampire was first published in finnish in 1992 as "veren vangit" ( = prisoners of blood), translated by hanna tarkka, who also translated the following ones ->

the vampire lestat, "vampyyri lestat", published in 1993, and ->

the queen of the damned, "kadotettujen kuningatar", in 1994.

two decades later these three remain the only books in whole vampire chronicles that have been translated in finnish. (other works by anne rice haven't been published in finnish either, except for: the beauty books. makes me wonder about finland's publishing houses' priorities 😒)

so of course, after finishing these three, i had no other option but to pick up my first ever book in english, the tale of the body thief, when i was 14. which basically means it was lestat who taught me english (thank you monsieur de lioncourt!). and it warms my heart to have recently learnt that a few other of my friends have actually had this exact same experience! truly some life-altering literature.

[buffyacacia]

Finally completed my collection of Vampire Chronicles A. Knopf hardbacks! I’m not even halfway through reading them but I knew after buying TVL that I wanted the whole set. Even if they’re not all true first editions, I think they’re by far the most beautiful versions of these books and they’re a joy to read. I’ve also included a photo of the gorgeous crochet Lestat book jacket my partner made me which will protect these books as I continue to read them!

The breakdown:

- Interview with the Vampire 1976, 40th Anniversary Edition, 36th printing.

- The Vampire Lestat 1985, 39th printing.

- Queen of the Damned 1988, First Edition.

- Tale of the Body Thief 1992, First Edition.

- Memnoch the Devil 1995, 9th printing.

- Pandora 1998, third printing.

- The Vampire Armand 1998, First Trade Edition, signed by Anne Rice.

- Vittorio the Vampire 1999, First Trade Edition.

- Merrick 2000, First Trade Edition

- Blood and Gold 2001, First Edition

- Blackwood Farm 2002, First Edition

- Blood Canticle 2003, 2nd printing.

- Prince Lestat 2014, First Edition

- Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis 2016, First Edition

- Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat 2018, 2nd printing.