#vampyr meta

[sifya]

The Vampyr universe is rife with mysteries, and for me, the most intriguing is Jacob Blackwood. Despite being absent from the final game, his presence lingers.

We know little about him. He is the progeny of Elisabeth Ashburn, created when she, then known as Blackwood, was infected by the Blood of Hate. He is implied to have connections to the Ascalon Club, but membership seems unlikely. His power is immense; he mesmerized Carina Billow, forcing her to consume rats for an illusion of immortality. She is aware of the deception but powerless to resist. He can even instruct Jonathan Reid to leave through her, likely from afar.

William Marshall, though dismissive of Jacob, is unreliable due to his delusional denial of his vampirism. Marshall deeply loved Elisabeth as his daughter but perhaps idealized her, overlooking her flaws.

The fandom often portrays Jacob as a lovesick stalker obsessed with Elisabeth, but I believe their relationship is far more complex and sinister. I suspect Elisabeth abused Jacob, who, in turn, became an abuser himself. His actions throughout the game suggest a game of cat-and-mouse with his former maker.

Elisabeth herself acknowledges that abandoning progeny is unusual, yet she did so. The game reveals her as a liar by omission, concealing crucial information. She is also a coward, fleeing London after discovering she is Patient Zero, abandoning her adoptive daughter Charlotte and her lover Jonathan.

Furthermore, she preyed on the dying in hospitals and manipulated Jonathan to eliminate a blackmailer who discovered her activities, demonstrating her manipulative nature. Killing the blackmailer disappoints her, but also spares them; the original plan of Elisabeth was to mesmerize them, despite the fact that Jonathan is a newborn vampire who could easily destroy their mind in trying. While the game portrays her attempts to redeem herself as commendable, I find them insufficient.

I believe Elisabeth forced vampirism upon Jacob and was an abusive maker, influenced by the Blood of Hate. She seemed indifferent to his well-being. Jacob adopted her last name, perhaps a sign of his subjugation. There is a painting with Elisabeth and Jacob in-game, where he is portrayed as gaunt and sickly, while Elisabeth looks healthy and fed, potentially highlighting his suffering under her influence.

The most damning evidence of Elisabeth's disregard for Jacob is her use of the Tears of Angel, the cure for the Blood of Hate. She prioritized her own salvation, neglecting the very being she had created. William Marshall, Elisabeth's maker, created the cure for her after infecting her, a true act of love. Elisabeth, despite mirroring this act with Jacob, only considered herself.

Elisabeth consistently attempts to bury her past. When Jonathan hints at Jacob's presence in London, she abruptly changes the subject. This secrecy stems from her desire to maintain the image of a refined English lady. If her abusive past were revealed, her carefully constructed persona would crumble.

Elisabeth also opposed Jonathan's turning of Geoffrey McCullum, a vampire hunter. This act, against Geoffrey's will, deeply troubled her, perhaps because she knew how dangerous it could be to create a progeny who hated their maker, much like she created her enemy in Jacob.

Elisabeth may have concealed her past as Blackwood from Swansea, her doctor who was helping to control her bloodthirst. Swansea, while too engaged in both science and the occult, would likely have hesitated to experiment with her blood if he knew its origins. This secrecy serves Elisabeth's self-preservation, as both the Brotherhood and the Priwen would likely react negatively to her past actions.

Jacob's stalking of Elisabeth and her loved ones is not driven by love, but by a desire for vengeance. Notably, he does not seek retribution for Elisabeth's death in the game, despite Jonathan Reid's vulnerability as a newborn vampire.

Carina Billow's torture serves a different purpose: a warning to those who delve into the secrets of the Ascalon Club. It is also a warning to Elisabeth, as Carina is a friend of Charlotte. This torture may even be a reflection of the abuse Elisabeth inflicted upon Jacob.

Jacob likely despises Carina Billow due to her romantic view of vampirism and her willingness to abandon her humanity. If he was forcibly turned into a vampire, he would undoubtedly share this disdain.

A future game featuring a turned Geoffrey McCullum, who was turned by Jonathan against his will because Jonathan saw it as a fixed punishment for Geoffrey hunting him down, as the protagonist could explore these dark undercurrents. It could depict Geoffrey forging an alliance with Jacob to seek revenge on both Elisabeth and Jonathan, highlighting the enduring consequences of the past.

I know it sounds like I don't like Elisabeth. I do, but I don't think she is just a victim, and her actions are cuddled by the narrative. For example, embracing dying patients on Jonathan's behalf is presented as a corrupt act, while Elisabeth's similar actions are not. I believe Elisabeth feels bad for what she had done to Jacob but redeption is about to face own sins,which we know she doesn't do like she kills herself in bad endings.

[silurisanguine]

Players often joke about how Jonathan has to find pure water to save his dying plant Lisa, when there are taps there in his office. But looking at the plant in that game, it sure looks like a calathea and let me tell you, looking after two of those buggers myself, Jonathan must know a thing or two as my plants will ONLY tolerate filtered water or rain. In London they definitely would never have done well with the tap water back then! (or now for that matter...far too hard water for it's tastes). Poor doctor is going to have to set up a filter system himself if he wants to keep Lisa looking healthy . (i wish my plants could recover that fast). Also noted is it's in a good position as they also dont like direct sunlight, so that plant gets just enough from what comes in through the open balcony door.

ADDITION -

If you want to see my own Lisa, which yes is a calathea. I found the closest variety to the one in game, that i too have saved from a sad fate (she was dying from bad soil/bad water/ too much light).

Then here she is (had to repot her in good soil, cut off all her yellow dying leaves to let her grow new ones, which she is doing already!(half of those leaves are new) And place her where she can get light but not too much direct light. She gets either rain water or filtered water. Hopefully I will eventually get her looking like the one in game with all that....though might take a bit longer than it does there!

[mayhemchicken-varneyposting]

yeah vampires having a preference for like, young humans, makes sense. more robust blood. but unless you are plagued by victorian sensibilities that think defiling purity is peak horror then people of all genders and all sexual experience being equally in danger is more scary! imagine dracula going to turn mina and being like, curses, i was going to inflict my revenge but she's got solicitor action. ant_with_bindle.jpg

i don't blame you drawing him biting everyone

Frankly I think even if you're plagued by Victorian sensibilities the equal-opportunity vampire is still scarier. Look at the Demeter sequence, and the reaction of the first mate - he's not scared Dracula is going to punch him or stab him or whatever, he's afraid for his very soul, and his reaction reflects that fear - he throws himself into the sea rather than die at Dracula's hands. There's still very much a sense of defilement - vampirism corrupts the soul. Humanity itself is the pure thing being defiled.

The thing is, Rymer knows this. The townsfolk spend much of the story fearing vampire attacks from every quarter. In their eyes, no one is safe - men, women, children, even cattle. But he won't or can't commit to the notion entirely, and the many, MANY male characters who wind up in a position that ought to end with fangs in their neck instead simply get stabbed, or strangled, or someone else conveniently shows up and chases Varney off, or whatever.

I do think there must have been some taboo about men getting bitten in vampire stories, given that even in Dracula such events are strongly hinted at, but never shown explicitly on-page. The Vampyre, too, shies away from the subject - in that quote I posted earlier, Aubrey (the protagonist and point-of-view character) is attacked by Ruthven, and the story even goes so far as to describe him as "prey", but Ruthven is chased away before any biting can happen. (To be fair, given Ruthven's habits Aubrey probably wouldn't have survived if he had been bitten.) Carmilla preys on a girl. Clarimonde drinks blood from a man, but doesn't bite him. The only outlier I can think of would be Aurelia, although she leans more ghoul than vampire. Varney, being chock full of lurid penny dreadful descriptions, probably can't afford to let any men get attacked - Rymer is not a subtle enough writer to coyly imply such a thing happening.

I'm not giving him a pass though because the whole concept is rooted in sexism and probably some amount of homophobia, and also his stupid penny dreadful would have been a thousand times better if even 10% of his dumbass characters got drinked when they should have been.

[belovedharlot]

old enough

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aka. mortalcoeur; bitterbleue; doeguk

[vampyr-game]

Do you think Myrddin had an "oh shit" moment when he saw his new freshly turned champion, Jonathan, was about to kill himself when he just became a vampire? I just replayed the game for the 6th time, and I just realised that his not-so-average maker probably was watching Jonathan. And Jonathan probably should had died there, so maybe Myrddin just dragged him back with some godly-vampire-magic. Still I'd love to see the panic in Myrddin's eyes at the beginning.

First of all I would like to commend you on being so thoroughly invested in this game that you've played it 6 times! That's a level of not-normal-about-media I can vibe with. 💞

But what an amusing question! Myrddin is such a smug bastard about the whole affair that I'd certainly enjoy seeing him taken aback by the sheer suicidal audacity of his new Progeny. I think being a newborn vampire comes with plenty of perks (I have many theories about the biological and supernatural process of turning), not least of which include heightened resiliency to mortal wounds--but the change also seems to be something that not everyone survives (Charlotte's friend Emily, Reid's alibi upon killing Aloysius Dawson)... 🤔

So, is Jonathan already out of the woods, just because he's already woken up? Does waking up (and feeding on his sister, when we know how well you KNOW a person effects how much power you can get from drinking their blood...) imbue him with insane temporary strength? Or is it still uncertain whether he'll survive? Would Myrddin have bothered reaching out with psychic poetry if Jonathan weren't a sure thing? Is that poetry a kind of "blessing" or magical invocation to wish his Progeny luck in the coming travails? Is predestination involved in Myrddin's seeming certainty?

I believe we're meant to understand that Myrddin is largely implacable in the face of mortal affairs, and he's made plenty of Progeny. That makes my knee-jerk assumption that he'd watch Jonathan attempt suicide impassively, which is actually so messed up? Sure, if him surviving is guaranteed then I guess there's no need to worry, but jeez. Have a heart, Myrddin. 😰

Having said that, we know Myrddin expresses (arguably contradictory) sympathy for Jonathan in the darker epilogues. Does that care only come after the events of the game, or is it there from the outset? Jonathan is naturally unconscious in the immediate aftermath of his suicide attempt--so if Myrddin, say, called out to him in concern, he wouldn't hear it, and we certainly wouldn't be privy to it. And the idea that Myrddin might PANIC and "drag him back with some godly-vampire-magic" is so compelling?? Surprise, Myrddin, your new son doesn't think you're God, he just thinks he's going insane (or dreaming)! Maybe you should have counted on the skepticism of the modern era, idiot! (Or did his other Progeny also make attempts on their life?) (This does seem like the most narratively expedient way to demonstrate someone has achieved immortality) (munch to consider...)

I know many of us tend to dispense with the supernatural nonsense (namely Blood Daddy and Plague Mommy) for more grounded narratives (I've certainly made no secret of preferring Vampyr's more human-focused original story concept to the JRPG-reminiscent "Let's Kill God" finale we ended up with); but Myrddin is still a crucial linchpin in Jonathan's development as a character, given he provides the inciting incident, is the root cause of most of Jonathan's problems, and the source of all his powers. I'd certainly like to see more of, and try my own hand at, fan explorations of their relationship.

Thank you so much for your wonderful question! 🥰 As preoccupied as I am by the contradiction of Sean being a(n alleged) sole exception to vampires being hurt by the cross, I had almost forgotten that Myrddin's cryptic bullshit and impenetrable poetry was one of the main reasons I became obsessed with this game and wanted to do literary analysis at it. So thank you for the reminder! 🫀💓

[orionali]

Vampyr: this game certainly deserves it, but it won't have a sequel

We, beyond any shadow of a doubt, desire a sequel to Vampyr. I myself feel like the game's endings – yes, all four of them – are open-ended and many questions, to this day, remain unanswered. And even from a classical gameplay standpoint, I feel this game deserves continuation.

However, after doing some research I have come to a conclusion: the chances of us getting a sequel are slim. Like, exceedingly slim, judging from the language Don't Nod's been using in their financial documents.

More under the cut.

Yes, they want to grant us a total of eight games from 2023 to 2025. These are Projects 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, Project M1, and two external co-production publishing projects. We now know that Banishers (Action RPG co-production, slatted for late 2023) is Project 8, and Harmony (visual novel, June 2023) is, presumably, Project 7. Project M1 is a mobile game that's being developed in their Montréal office, and the two external games I do not view as a “genuine Don't Nod product.” Banishers is the only game in their line-up that's a co-production; all leftover projects will be self-published.

Why is this relevant? Vampyr is a co-production. 40% of the IP belongs to Don't Nod and 60% belongs to Focus1. Focus is the one calling the shots. And since 40% of the game belongs to Don't Nod, Focus cannot just waddle over to another developer and get them to pump out a sequel. And Don't Nod hasn't publicly cataloged any more co-productions, so I think it would be safe to assume Vampyr 2 isn't being worked on.

From what I can gather, taking into account every piece of information above, Vampyr 2 could still technically be a thing if Focus outright sells its share to Don't Nod. Then Don't Nod would own 100% of the game and would be able to list it as a self-published title on their next earnings call.

I think the most mystifying part of all this is the 'why?' If the game had bombed then I'd understand the lack of a follow-up. But it didn't. In fact, it sold over 2mil units – at a median price of €352 it's still over 70mil in gross revenue – drew in over 6mil players, and Don't Nod had proudly called it their “biggest financial success since LiS1.” In this day and age, common sense dictates they'd be more than interested in creating more of the thing that sells. Back in 2019-2020 when I got to interview one of the writers on Vampyr, I was essentially told that the game's finale had been reworked due to tight budgetary constraints and that they wanted to bundle the missing "chapters" of the game where you get to play as McCullum as DLC.

So, either Focus is not letting them for some ungodly reason3 or something's cooking behind the scenes. It depends on what you want to believe. If I am disproven one day, then I will be the happiest person on this earth.

1 I can no longer find the source for these numbers, but that doesn't change the fact Focus had slapped a “Vampyr and its logo are registered trademarks of Focus Entertainment” all over the only piece of merchandise we've got: the vinyl record. On top of that, in all their presentations Don't Nod has depicted themselves as the “minority” when talking about Vampyr's ownership.

2 At release the game was €50, but I'm considering all the sales the game had gone on since.

3 Focus had commissioned Asobo to make a sequel to the Plague Tale game, and the first Plague Tale game sold less than Vampyr. At least to my knowledge.

[vickyvicarious]

If you wanted to read a comparative literature meta between Dracula and another novel, which one would you choose?

Ooh... This is a really interesting ask. First of all, it's not if - I definitely would want to read that! The only difficulty is in narrowing down the candidates. It's hard to choose, honestly. Ideally it would be nice to compare a novel that explores some of the same themes but in a different way.

The Beetle is also a horror novel that has the fear of foreigners/the other as typified by a supernatural entity arriving in London. It also has multiple narrators as well, who all have to hunt down their fleeing foe on a train in order to save the main woman in the cast. But it doesn't really delve much into old vs. new for example, and it is just... so bad. Every character is worse, the writing is worse, comparing these two books is all the way through just a case of ragging on Marsh's work for being worse, honestly. Ideally for me, both books in such a meta would be good.

Varney the Vampire, Carmilla, and The Vampyre are all classic vampire stories, and it's interesting to compare them to Dracula when you think about what kinds of influences Stoker may have taken from them. But they don't share the same themes as much outside of that. Varney is a penny dreadful and outside of superficial aspects of some scenes/character roles I don't see tons of resemblance to Stoker's work; it's written as a sprawling dramatic tale designed to keep entertaining casual readers over time, unlike the still large yet self-contained and more intense in tone novel by Stoker. (Admittedly, I'm less than halfway through Varney so that's what my opinion is based on. I do find the treatment of Flora as a victim of a vampire to be an interesting point of comparison to the way Mina and Lucy were treated.) And the other two are both much shorter and more constrained to their horror story. They don't have as big of a cast and they don't have as prolonged fights against their vampires, either.

Other classic 'gothic fiction' such as The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have their own merits as well. Phantom has a similar path in adaptations making the main antagonist into a troubled romantic hero. But that's more about adaptations than the novels themselves, which don't have as much in common as others on this list. Dorian Gray could be a good comparison as far as homosexual subtext (or really, just text in DG) and if one wanted to discuss the idea of nonaging beings. But while Dracula doesn't age and doesn't really grow/change and there are some potentially interesting discussions to be had there, that's more a case of those two characters rather than the two novels as a whole. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is presented as more of a detective story, which is both true to, and an aspect of Dracula that doesn't usually get as much attention as it should. So that could be fun. There's also an interesting thread with Jekyll's experimentation as a 'new manmade' horror vs. Dracula's 'old supernatural' horror, and potential contrast between that very homegrown versus foreign danger, and even the idea of an alternate self being released. But the Bloofer Lady and Mr. Hyde, for example, are very different cases in many ways. And there's again a much smaller cast and scale to the story, so there are a lot more pieces of Dracula that don't have as much of an equivalent to compare. (That too could of course be interesting to contrast, but it's a different sort of meta more focused on the novel's role in the genre for example, than the closer comparison your ask makes me envision.) Honestly, with its themes of culpability/respectability, I see it comparing more easily to Dorian Gray than Dracula.

The Woman In White would actually be quite an interesting comparison, even though it's not really in the same genre. It's not a supernatural horror, however much it flirts with dramatic gothic imagery especially at the beginning. But it does have a bunch of other stuff in common. The villainous foreign Count is an obvious one, but specifically Dracula and Fosco's attraction to certain individuals and like of breaking them is another link. Both have intelligent heroes who are quite methodical about their approaches. Jonathan and Laura's experiences have quite interesting similarities (as well as, to an extent, Lucy and Anne, not just to one another but to the aforementioned characters as well), especially in the contrasting ways they are treated later in the novels. The use of female characters in general has some really discussable similarities and differences (Mina vs. Marian as well as in general). Mr. Fairlie and Mrs. Westenra fill a similar role. Both books are epistolary, with a heavy focus on the characters themselves gathering documents with different perspectives of events to help them figure things out (that detective aspect). Trains and timetables are important in both in a way, and though Dracula is more intentional about the contrast of modern/ancient there is a potential thread to be discussed there. In general, they both get weird about foreigners in ways that could also be talked about at length, specifically in regard to the villains vs. the heroes and how nationality and perceived nationality/stereotypes play into their respective roles. The idea of madness vs. sanity is also a theme in both, and both have characters with differing degrees of memory loss and inability to talk about their experiences. If we're looking for an overall comparison of both novels as a whole, as well as multiple different points of connection/comparison, I think this may be the best one so far.

Of course, this is all just thinking of more contemporary works to Dracula. It's also a list influenced by what I've been reading and thinking about more for the past year, so there are probably other books I'll think of later. But for now, that's my long and rambly answer!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, December 29th

Spike: Can—can we rest now? Buffy...can we rest?

~~Beneath You~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Alone (Buffy/Spike, PG/K+) by apachefirecat

Nightmares (Giles/Jenny, G) by HAL1500

Equipoise (Buffy & Faith, not rated) by Nymue

Go Ahead and Fall Apart (Buffy/Spike, Explicit) by bunniesarebad

Circles of Light (Buffy, Faith, Scoobies, Angel Investigations, not rated) by Nymue

Keep My Promises (Buffy/Spike, not rated) by smells_corrupt

close your eyes just settle, settle (Faith/Amy, M) by explosionshark

Take a Shot (Buffy/Faith, T) by explosionshark

Primal Belongings (Buffy/Giles, Explicit) by prairiekretch

Where's a Spooky Mask When You Need One? (Buffy/Spike, not rated) by smells_corrupt

Remote Controlled (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by veronyxk84

Someone to explain (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Magic Box Moon

Better Not Pout (Buffy/Spike, PG) by BewitchedXx

Snowfall and Second Chances (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Acb6293

A Ghost of a Chance (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Geliot99

Remote Controlled (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Making Memories (Buffy/Spike & Dawn, T) by veronyxk84

[Chaptered Fiction]

Three Deep episode 8: "Ain't Going Down the Well No More" (Buffy, Spike, Giles, Wesley, T) by dutchbuffy

Be Not Afraid (Xander/Oz, past Xander/Anya, T) by gothicgrrl1976

The Order of Chaos, Ch. 1-2 (Buffy/Faith, M) by StakeAndEggs

A brand new day, Ch. 1-17 (Xander, Willow, DCU crossover, T) by dogbertcarroll

A Soul Connection Part 1: Dream A Little Dream of Me (Angel x Faith, M) by MissRed111

Stupid Thing, Ch. 9 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Misti

The Degradation of Duality, Ch. 68 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

Be Back Before Dawn, Ch. 21 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Blissymbolics

The Metamorphosis of Moonlit Shadows, Ch. 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by SlayrGrl

Shadows of Time, Ch. 1-2 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Naenae000

Rude Awakenings, Ch. 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Sending My Love from The Other Side of the Apocalypse, Ch. 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by cawthraven

Dungeon Designs and House Keeping, Ch. 43 (Tara, FR18) by MistofRainbows

Aegis, Ch. 38-42 (Xander, DC comics crossover, FR15) by dogbertcarroll

Inner Daemons, Ch. 12 (ensemble, anime crossover, FR15) by batzulger

The Long Way Home, Ch. 2 (Andrew, FR15) by phouka

Dawn Rising, Ch. 81 (Silmarillion crossover, Buffy, FR15) by Luna

Christmas at the Folly, Ch. 6 (COMPLETE!) (Buffy/Spike, 13+) by myrabeth

You Have Died of Dysentery, Ch. 2 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Girlytek

The Science of Being Yours, Ch. 13-15 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden, ClowniestLivEver

I Do! Ch. 42 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dusty

Way Out, Ch. 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by simmony

The Watcher, Ch. 36 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by In Mortal

[Images, Audio & Video]

Enamel pins: William the Bloody, Mohra demon, Clem, Sid, Gnarl, D'Hoffryn, Der Kindestod, The Judge and other wares (worksafe) by SlayerSensations

Manip: Merry Christmas (Buffy/Spike, worksafe) by veronyxk84

Icons: 🎨 Icons of 2024 Masterpost (Buffy, Buffy/Spike, other characters, worksafe) by veronyxk84

Gifset: Spuffy + TV Love Tropes (pt. I) (Buffy/Spike, probably NSFW) by clarkgriffon

Crafts: Spuffy bedroom diorama - Ch. 1-4 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Double Dutchess

T-shirt design: I may be dead, but I'm still pretty (Buffy, worksafe) by 03Rodman

Vid: Die with a smile (Buffy/Angel) by darkswordfish

Vid: Slipping through my fingers (Buffy & Joyce) by Tara's Willowverse

Vid: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (Buffy/Spike) by Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Vid: A Tale of Light and Shadow - Buffy The Slayer Princess & Spike the Bloody Vampyr (Buffy/Spike) by Buffy & Spike Channel

Vid: Jingle Bell Rock (gen) by Tara's Willowverse

Drawings and meta: Book of Kells/Fanged Four tattoo designs (not rated, images are worksafe) by test_kard_girl

Willow Rosenberg vs Ulquiorra Cifer - Splash Page (Bleach crossover, Willow, worksafe) by DarkerEve

[Reviews & Recaps]

Oh, god, the ending of New Moon Rising broke my heart... by agirlinsearchof

First Time Watching: End of S3 Update! by ClaustroPhoebia

[Recs & In Search Of]

Spuffy Fic Recs — November/December by veronyxk84

Spuffy Fic Recs — November/December by veronyxk84

[Community Announcements]

Headline Awards 2025: still looking for a few more judges

[Fandom Discussions]

picturing spike and angel's human souls watching on in dismay as they angrily and passionately pine for each other by xaeyrnofnbe

The similarity between Sonya’s famous monologue at the end of [Uncle Vanya] and the church scene in “Beneath You” by impalementation

The purplish, blueish, lilac colour that lights Buffy the Vampire Slayer by pearlofthewoods

Re: who is the most powerful between buffy or faith? by we-pay-for-everything

Everytime I watch Season 4 Episode 6, I start to sob.... What other moments bring tears to your eyes? by Downtown-Minute9393 and others

Willow jacket appreciation by classified12345 and others

Which scene would never be in a show now by sKullsHavezzz and others

Willow's emotional pain from Oz's breakup by redskinsguy

Willow's Dream Detail by orchid-noogie

Thoughts on these frenemies? (Spike and Xander) by authenticriver

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[burningvelvet]

so i have some random questions, maybe you could answer, and am curious if any have had any academic papers written up about them, or if you just.. know where to find the information? Bit of a meta question: How much information do we actually have of the gang on their days in Geneva around the time of digging into their ghost stories? Is it just ex. what you've posted before of their journals of the time, or do we have other later recollections akin to Mary's own in her intro of Frankenstein? Just how much remains, and how much can we pull from various sources etc? (research is fun, go off on this on, i love to read it.) The evening before mary's waking dream, do we have any further recollection by the others on their discussions on the principle of life, other than her account? Or even in general by the squad thru their lives, does anyone dig into the technological advancements and scientific theories of their time, or even those of the Enlightenment thinkers? (Newton, Hooke, Boyle, et al.) I assume since it's the Romantics with their general dislike of the prior period it's a no, and also because I'm asking about bloody poets, not academics, but..? Likewise, anything written by the gang on her waking dream and the effects after? (could've sworn I read something about Mary appearing gastly pale?) (I'd love to hear your thoughts and rants and rambles on the following, :D): Or do we have anything written by others outside the gang in reference to her dream after she gave her Intro? Something like.. (I can't articulate this well, pls bear with me; ) Has there been any sort of mysticism, or poetic acknowledgement of Mary's 'waking dream'/'hallucination' being written as something 'supernatural'? Anything written akin to that one parody/horror film you mentioned where everyone basically hallucinates that night lol. like.. Mary's Intro gives such an inherent je ne sais quoi (lol) of.. this entire fragment of history? It reads like a frozen slice of a gothic novel/poem in itself. Very 'based on a true story' but the true story holds more substance than Frankenstein itself. As if Mary herself was in a gothic novel writers could only dream of. Has nobody noted this? Tried to catch it, wax poetic on it? I feel like there's a.. gravitas here but I don't see anyone speak of it? (other than that horror film.)

This will be long!

Re: Geneva 1816 sources: We have letters, journals, records (like receipts), accounts from the other people on the lake, accounts from aristocrats Byron visited at Geneva without the Shelleys presence, and some accounts from Lord Byron's Geneva servants given to inquiring tourists later on. Lake Geneva was an insulated aristocratic vacation town and gossip abounded.

First-person documents: - Polidori’s 1816 journal, his prefaces to The Vampyre and Ernestus Berchtold. - History of a Six Weeks Tour, Mary’s first book, co-written with Shelley; travelogue containing letters and journals from their travels in 1814 and 1816. - Mary Shelley’s other journals and letters. - Mary Shelley's (voluntarily uncredited) contributions to Thomas Moore's biography series on Byron, where the time in Geneva is talked about and where most of the funny stories come from, and a handful of comments in Thomas Moore's diaries/letters regarding Mary's recollections. - Byron’s letters, found here on Peter Cochran's site (he was an editor/scholar & leading Byronist) https://petercochran.wordpress.com/byron-2/byron/

Best books about the summer of 1816: - Byron in Geneva by David Ellis, - The Poet and the Vampyre by Andrew Stott, - The Making of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" by Daisy Hay.

Books on Frankenstein or the tech & science of the time in relation to Mary & other Romantics: way too many to mention! Frankenstein is one of the most written about works of all time, and tech discourse is inherent to Romanticism — there are tons of books & articles written about all topics. Percy studied science with James Lind and was inspired by Erasmus Darwin who Mary refers to in a Frankenstein preface. 

On if others at Diodati recollected specifically about Frankenstein or Mary being pale: Percy wrote a review of Frankenstein as well as the novel's introduction section (he wrote it from Mary's POV), and he mentioned the novel in his letters; Claire discusses it several times in her letters with praise, Byron mentions it once or twice with brief compliments; Polidori mentions it in the preface to Ernestus Berchtold in compliment but with possible jealousy beneath. Your "pale" reference likely refers to how she and Byron said she looked when learning of the news of Percy's missing boat; I made a post about that (https://www.tumblr.com/burningvelvet/710178692214784000/from-conversations-of-lord-byron-with-the-countess?source=share). 

My Interpretation of Mary's "waking dream": This was largely metaphorical. Mary probably did have an inspirational dream (scientists have found evidence: https://m.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0928/Frankenstein-moon-Astronomers-vindicate-Mary-Shelley-s-account) but at the same time I do think she sensationalized the trip a bit. From the novel The Poet and the Vampyre: "these [visits to Diodati were] not always convivial - Mary describing the 13 August visit in a single word: 'War.'" Mary, like everyone else, mythologized the summer of 1816. The preface to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein (different from the 1818 original) sensationalizes the origins with a gothic flare because that’s what she knew her fans wanted; she was a widowed single mother in her 30s determined to make a living off her writing, and she enjoyed the immense popularity of Frankenstein, helping to proliferate it through the wildly successful stage adaptation which was spookier and showier than the philosophical novel.

Mary “said the three or four months she passed there were the happiest of her life,” (source: Thomas Moore’s journal, vol. 5, p. 178, via Internet Archive). Before, and especially after this summer of 1816, Mary experienced many traumas which left her with severe depression, and so she romanticized that time, ignoring all of the many ongoing problems surrounding it.

1816 was extraordinary fun for all of them, but it was not paradise. The summer was littered with actual storms as well as emotional storms. In the 1831 preface Mary makes no mention of Claire’s existence, though Claire was the only reason they were even there, since Claire wanted to visit Byron who she was having a horribly drawn out affair with. The two dramatically broke up that summer, made worse by Claire then revealing she was pregnant with his child. There was also a lot of drama with Polidori (writer, and Byron’s doctor) who fought with Byron and Percy, threatening Percy to duel him over a sailing race.

Mary was also in denial about Percy’s many problems. Shelley was mentally and physically ill, perpetually on the run from debtors who had imprisoned him, disowned by his family for being kicked out of Oxford due to atheism, publicly notorious, had a wife and children back in England, and more than likely had an ongoing affair with Claire, causing Byron to briefly wonder at their child’s paternity. Still, Mary was madly in love with Percy from the time she met him until her last moments on Earth when she died staring at his preserved heart which she requested to be buried with. She shared his struggles and spent much of her life defending him, and she's the reason he achieved posthumous fame thanks to her relentlessly promoting, annotating, editing, transcribing, publishing, and republishing his works.

She occasionally does hint at the drama of that time, and how hurt she felt at times, but generally Mary ignored these things, as well as their many other flaws, so that she could remain on good terms with all of them (especially Claire and Byron after their break-up). Despite the drama, she had felt the good times at Lake Geneva were the best times of her life thus far. She was in the most beautiful place in the world, she loved traveling, she felt inspired to write, her baby was healthy and had a good nanny, her own health improved, she spent fun times with her lover who was happily preoccupied with sailing, Claire (who she loved but also found annoying) was preoccupied with Byron, and she found Byron fascinating.

Not even a year after the trip, she was already painfully reminiscing about her good memories: 

“that time is past, and this will also pass, when I may weep to read these words, and again moralise on the flight of time. Dear Lake! I shall ever love thee,”

“We may see [Byron] again, and again enjoy his society; but the time will also arrive when that which is now an anticipation will be only in the memory. Death will at length come, and in the last moment all will be a dream.”

“why is not life a continued moment where hours and days are not counted — but as it is a succession of events happen — the moment of enjoyment lives only in memory and when we die, where are we?”

Frankenstein was started in the summer of 1816 and first published in 1818. Then there was an 1831 edition, the most commonly read today, which is slightly different (slightly less radical for Victorian audiences) and which includes the preface which refers to the “waking dream.” Scholars have noted that Mary’s recollection is partly based on her mythologizing and romanticizing her youth. This is even more obvious considering all of the traumas she had experienced afterward. In her journals (via Project Gutenberg) she often refers to her youth as being like a dream before Percy's death. She was seeing her life through rose-tinted glasses to cope, and possibly experiencing depression-related derealization. 

Condensed timeline of Mary’s traumas to show what I mean about the Frankenstein period being a relatively happier time for her: Her mother died giving birth to her. June 1814: her and her step-sister Claire run away with Shelley. Problems with her father for years after (though they eventually rekindle). Feb 1815: 1st child dies, becomes pregnant a few months later. Jan 1816: has 2nd child who is healthy. Summer 1816: Geneva summer, begins writing Frankenstein; Claire in love with and pregnant by Byron before their relationship dissolves. Oct 1816: Mary’s half-sister Fanny kills herself. Dec 1816: Shelley’s wife kills herself; Mary marries Percy to protect their kids & so he can gain custody of his first 2 kids. Mar 1817: they stay in Marlowe; Mary described this as maybe their happiest residence, and this is where she wrote much of Frankenstein. 1817 misc.: court denies them custody of Shelley's first two kids due to his unorthodoxy; Percy self-exiles from England, they move to Italy, move around continuously, & suffer illness. Sept 1817: 3rd baby is born & dies. Jan 1818: Frankenstein published. June 1819: 2nd child dies while Mary is pregnant with 4th child. Nov 1819: has 4th & only surviving baby (Percy Florence, who lives a long life). 1821: Polidori dies from suspected suicide. April 1822: Claire & Byron’s baby Allegra dies. June 1822: news of Allegra’s death. Mary almost dies from a miscarriage, Percy saves her life. July 1822: Percy dies in a boat accident. Their social circle splits up. Claire moves to Russia. After comforting her, Mary’s closest friend Jane (whose husband died with Percy; the two couples lived together) breaks up their friendship & moves abroad. Mary suffers multiple social conflicts which are largely not her fault, & becomes socially isolated. 1823: Byron & their mutual friend Trelawny join the Greek War. 1824: Byron dies. Mary writes her apocalyptic novel The Last Man as a tribute to her broken social circle & it’s members.

From her journal, Oct 2, 1822: “Father, mother, friend, husband, children—all made, as it were, the team which conducted me here, and now all, except you, my poor boy (and you are necessary to the continuance of my life), all are gone, and I am left to fulfill my task.”

Several times, she wrote that the only reason she didn’t kill herself was because of her son Percy. However, note: Her life did improve after The Last Man. It's a bit of an outdated view that she was just a stereotypical depressed widow forever after. She was a strong and determined woman, and she eventually had a full social circle, friends, married son, daughter-in-law, flirtations, a successful writing career, hobbies, and so on. She found meaning through motherhood, writing, and paying tribute to Percy. However, for all these reasons, she saw the period of Frankenstein and prior to be some of the happiest times of her life and a "calm before the storm" (literally, the storm that killed Percy), which explains all the above.

[neversetyoufree]

Miscellaneous Meta

(Back to the Masterpost)

The volume 3 cover

Why I kinda like the horny scenes

How we see events that Noé didn’t

Vnc is relationship-driven like Hannibal

The arbitrary distribution of power

Vanitas paintings and significance

Luna’s “Vanitas” title

Dante’s nickname for Noé

The “salvation” of Catherine

Misha Apologia

Is fear of the Blue Moon innate?

The Dhampirs' Names

Louis’s name

Veronica’s relationship with Domi

What if Noé drinks Jeanne’s blood?

Vnc and the female gaze

Luna’s Self-Destructive Vengeance

VnC’s Metaphysics

Is Jean-Jacques a cannibal?

Who’s the bat guy?

VnC and Physical Desire

The Sexual Horror of Vampires

Jeanne’s Parents’ Execution

The Timeline of VaniJeanne

Why all the Romance Talk?

VnC FMA Parallels

Ship Discourse? (No.)

Death in VnC vs Tai Sui

VaNoé as The Great Gatsby

Vanitas vs Luo Binghe

Olivier and "Vampire Friends"

The Allusions of Doctor Moreau

Ruthven, The Vampyre, and Byron

Does Ruthven Hate Vanitas?

The Benefit of Roland's Poverty

Do Marks Transfer Power?

Could Murr Choose Noé?

Mikhail and Mischa Lecter

VnC and Classic Vampire Lit

Humans, Blood, and Sexual Violence

VnC and Banana Fish

Why Jeanne's Parents Were Killed

Machina's House of Cards

Is Francis Really an Archiviste?

Domi's Big Political Risk

Machina's real name could be Carmilla

Does Chloé Know About Machina?

What's Up with Olivier and Hatred?

Misha's choice of the Amusement Park

Luna, Teacher, and Faustina

The Sound in Moreau's Lab

VnC's Reread Value

My Unsubstantiated Theories

Machina Sees the Dhams' Memories

[fullmooneverynite]

quiet fond of the vampyr bachelor au because of how well it applies itself to his reckless pursuit against death…

yet the direct juxtaposition to his meta-textual want to escape the cycle of theatrical respawn. it’s so great.

[excusethequality]

My 2024 in Film: October, p.1

Every October I do my annual 31 Days of Spooky Movies challenge wherein I attempt to watch a spooky movie every day of October and I can't count anything I've counted in a previous October.

It started many years ago as my attempt to spread the fun of Halloween into the rest of the month. And has become a fun way to force myself into broadening my Horror horizons.

Unfortunately for me I watched a lot of them this month and so listing them all is going to take some time. So I suppose I had better get started.

* = rewatched

207.

You Are Not My Mother

(2021)

— Horror Directed by: Kate Dolan

A strange incident forces an Irish teenager to question whether her mother's increasingly erratic behaviors are the result of mental illness or something far darker.

On one hand it feels great to start the challenge off with a banger.

On the other hand it can be tough when you begin a challenge with the bar set extremely high.

I loved this movie. The performances, the mood, the themes, the way they build the horror; all of it was phenomenal.

Reminds me a lot of one of my favorite films Pyewacket (2017). With that one I've noticed that there's a big difference between how people thought about that one based on what their childhood was like. And I suspect there might be a similar reaction to this one.

As someone who definitely can relate to being a kid and being routinely terrified of what a parent might do and never knowing which version of them you might be seeing, this film hits me on a really primal level.

I really hope Kate Dolan goes on to make more movies because she's got a ton of talent.

208.

She Came From the Woods

(2022)

— Horror Comedy Directed by: Erik Bloomquist

It's 1987 and a group of summer camp counselors accidentally-on-purpose revive the killer nurse from the camp's ghost stories.

I started off the month on the high note then immediately came crashing back down to earth.

I watched this entirely because I saw William Sadler was in it and was curious what he was up to, but I was quickly made to regret that decision.

The writing is just truly, truly painful. Nothing really makes any sense. The villain is terrible. And there's this character named Dylan who just makes you want to throw your TV out the window.

209.

Scooby-Doo

(2002)

— Spooky Comedy Mystery Directed by: Raja Gosnell

The Mystery Inc. crew reunites after a long break up to solve a mystery at a spooky-themed island resort.

I watched the Scooby-Doo cartoons back in the day, so I was never inclined to watch this thing. But I know a ton of people with a lot of nostalgia for it.

It's also funny to me that I've met a lot of people who were introduced to Matthew Lillard from this movie. This has always been funny to me, because when this had come out I was already a fan of his because of his performances in SLC Punk (1998) and Hackers (1995) [and possibly Scream (1996), but I can't remember if I had seen that one yet at this point].

My friend and I decided this year we'd finally get around to seeing what the fuss was about.

The casting for this movie is pretty phenomenal, but I just couldn't get into it. It is both trying to stick to the format of the old cartoon while also doing a modern interpretation while also doing a meta twist on the cartoon? And I just feel like it would have been better to either fully commit to the old formula or fully commit to doing something entirely different.

210.

Nosferatu the Vampyre

(1979)

— Horror Drama Directed by: Werner Herzog

Warner Herzog's 1979 remix of F.W. Murnau's 1922 remix of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.

Admittedly this was an odd follow-up to watch right after Scooby-Doo.

I don't really have a lot of thoughts on this one. And yet weirdly enough it ranked really high on my list of all the things I watched this month.

It's one of those movies that doesn't exactly vibe with me. There's no real characters that I was particularly interested in. The plot is basically just a stripped down version of Dracula.

And yet Herzog is bringing such a depth of artistry to it that I can't help but respect it.

Not the sort of thing you'll want to watch if you want a thrilling bit of Horror, but certainly a very well made film.

211.

Last Night at Terrace Lanes

(2024)

— Horror Thriller Directed by: Jamie Nash

On a bowling alley's final night before closing for good the people at the alley find themselves under attack by a strange cult out for blood.

This was also on the same day as Scooby-Doo and Nosteratu the Vampyre so clearly my friend and I are all about that that shuffle life.

After watching this I was pretty disappointed. It is not very good. Really a very messy story. They are trying to do somewhere in the ballpark of 4 different things in this:

Comedy

Family Drama

Romance

Horror

I'm of the mindset that anytime you add a genre to your story you are upping the challenge rating considerably, which is typically why good movies have either picked a lane or are just that talented.

Take Edgar Wright's movie Shaun of the Dead for instance. At certain times it hits all the same genre beats that this one was after. But it picked a lane. It is a comedy first and foremost. Whenever it hits one of the other beats it is for some flavor and either move the story forward and provide character development.

Here they are trying to do everything all at once. And they just don't have the talent to back that up.

However, it still was FAR from the bottom of my ranked list for the month (which probably says a lot about the quality of films I watched) and that's because its sin—in my mind—was one of being over-ambitious more so than one of being wholly untalented.

While the plot is a total mess, and the pacing is a mess, and they set themselves up as an ensemble and then killed almost everyone immediately, and they didn't have a decent budget; it is still leagues beyond some of the shit shows I've seen.

Which just goes to show that I am the wrong person to ask about bad movies, because the depths of film that I have encountered are far beyond where the casual movie watcher dares to tread.

The parts about the cult are terrible though. I've gotta admit that. They are so dumb and boring. But I kind of liked the main actress. And the queer romance bits and even the father-daughter stuff? Could've been better, but not too shabby for the minor leagues this film is running in.

...actually I kind of thoroughly hated every character other than the dad and the two main girls...

And yet I still put this movie at #22 out of the 56 movies I watched this month soo...

It was a bit of a rough month, y'all.

212.

Black Friday

(2021)

— Horror Comedy Directed by: Casey Tebo

Things are about to go from bad to worse for the over-worked retail workers trying to make it through a Black Friday at a toy store when a strange sickness starts to turn their customers into even more blood-thirsty monsters than they already were.

I watched this entirely because Bruce Campbell was in it.

It was a mistake.

Just a really dumb movie. It clearly cared more about its practical effects then it did its script. Because the effects were pretty decent, but the story and the characters are just awful.

Bruce Campbell is truly the only thing decent in the entire movie. And he's not in it enough to pull it back from the brink.

213.

Dance of the Dead

(2008)

— Comedy Horror Directed by: Gregg Bishop

On a dark and dangerous prom night it's up to a group of teenage outcasts to save their town from a zombie outbreak.

Filing this under films that didn't do any research and have a very limited knowledge of how anything works.

Nuclear reactors, public schools, pizza places, and more. They understand none of it. So when you do know more than nothing on those subjects a lot of the movie gets really distracting because nothing about this world is normal.

The plot is just this contrived incel wetdream about nerds winning the girls and never having to recognize that maybe the reason they were outcasts was because they weren't good people.

214.*

Night of the Comet

(1984)

— Horror Comedy Directed by: Thom Eberhardt

Two sisters are forced to confront the end of the world when a strange event seemingly kills or mutates everybody in the world but them.

I had already watched this in a previous October so it didn't count as part of the challenge, but I love it nevertheless. My friend and former coworker at the movie theater had talked about showing this after close one night for the longest time and we finally got around to doing it.

I tried to sum up my thoughts on this movie, but anytime I start I just wind up nearly starting an essay, so suffice it to say that I love it. It's just such a unique and wonderful film.

Much like how Reg and Sam are dismissed and underestimated by the people they come across, I think it's easy for people to do the same to this film. I can see how people can walk away from it thinking it was nothing more than a silly little movie. But part of why I keep coming back to it is that there's actually so much going on in here when you stop and look.

You've got really great characters with a lot of depth, you've got a story of 3 survivors in a post-apocalyptic world and not a one of them is a white man, you've got accurate sibling dynamics, you've got the romantic bittersweetness of these sisters who have the world laid out in front of them but what they want most of all is just to be loved, and more!

It's just such a gem of a film and I never get sick of it.

215.

In Fabric

(2018)

— Moody Horror Directed by: Peter Strickland

A strange cursed dress brings nothing but misery to the lives it touches.

Oh, A24. I've long said of the studio that I tend to either love their films or hate them, and there's very rarely any grey area. So, I certainly appreciate that they're a studio that isn't afraid to take big swings, but it does mean I'm making a sort of all-or-nothing gamble when I try something of theirs.

It certainly does have more artistry than most of the other movies I really didn't like this month. But I also just thoroughly don't care about any part of it. It all just seemed to be arty and weird for no other reason than to be arty and weird.

I could see someone grasping onto some themes I was missing and being able to decipher it and really like it. But by the end of it for me I was just bored out of my mind and just waiting for it to be over.

216.

Tremors: Shrieker Island

(2020)

— Monster Attack Horror Sequel Directed by: Don Michael Paul

Does it really matter? You know you aren't about to watch the 7th Tremors movie if you haven't watched any of the others. And if you've seen the other 6 you know you don't really need a reason to want to be a completionist.

I thought I had seen watched all the Tremor movies earlier in the year and I was wrong! I had missed the most recent one.

And to my complete and utter shock, it is actually one of the better Tremors sequels? How did that happen?

I should point out that the original is a perfect film and not a single one of the sequels is anywhere even close to being in its league. So I'm not by any means saying this movie is great.

But damn. The sequels range from some that are enjoyable in the way that it's fun to watch silly bad movies with your friends. And others are almost completely unwatchable direct-to-dvd cash grabs.

217.

Suck

(2009)

— Rock n Roll Horror Comedy Directed by: Rob Stefaniuk

A rock band must confront some tough questions when one of their members is turned into a vampire, but greatly increases the band's popularity by doing so.

I went into this one fully ready for it to be an absolute trainwreck.

But you know what? I actually kind of enjoyed it.

It's not one I'd necessarily recommend anyone run out and go see. But if you come across it streaming somewhere and you're bored? You could do a whole lot worse.

218.

Cat People

(1982)

— a fucking disgrace Directed by: Paul Schrader

I am a HUGE fan of the 1942 film Cat People. That movie is a brilliant piece of queer horror and a personal favorite of mine.

As such I've avoided watching this one, because I had heard that it is a pretty wild departure from the original.

But since I had already watched a ton of shlock this month, I figured now was the time to watch it, because it's not like I had far to fall.

I went in with a really low-bar of expectations for this and somehow it still managed to be even worse than I expected.

One of my biggest annoyances with the original is how many people see it, not as a queer story, but as a story of sexual repression. And this director is definitely one of those people.

This movie is so straight it hurts. It is so allosexual it hurts.

The people making this were just a truly uncomfortable level of horned up when they made this movie.

I truly despise it. I hate it for existing. And I hate it for attaching itself like a dirty parasite to something I love.

What a truly terrible piece of cinema.

219.

Dave Made a Maze

(2017)

— Comedy Horror Adventure Directed by: Bill Watterson

A man's friends go on a mission to rescue him after he gets lost inside a cardboard labyrinth he made in his apartment.

[I should mention that the director of this movie is a different Bill Watterson than the one that created Calvin & Hobbes. I just need to clarify that for anyone that is like me and saw that name and got really excited.]

It's certainly a low-budget independent kind of movie, but I can't help but love the sheer creativity that went into it. It's like a really bizarre take on House of Leaves.

The production design of all the cardboard sets are my favorite part.

I don't even know what to say. In terms of acting and plot it isn't going to blow your mind. But I think the worst thing a movie can be is forgettable and this is certainly one that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

220.

Lisa Frankenstein

(2024)

— Rom-Com Horror Directed by: Zelda Williams

A teenage outsider has a crush on her idea of a boy who died in the 19th century. But when he winds up being raised from the dead the two will have to decide just what lengths they are willing to go to for love.

I really wanted to love this one. Diablo Cody wrote the script and Kathryn Newton is always fun. And at times I do love it! Ugh. It comes so close to being something great. It's just perpetually on the line. It's just missing...I don't know...a real cohesive hook?

Sometimes it feels like things are just happening to happen. If the story and character arcs were a little more developed and drove the plot more it would have made a huge difference.

I still had a lot of fun with it and will definitely be watching it again at some point. But there's just something so annoying about a film that comes so close to greatness!

221.

The Mummy

(2017)

— Fantasy Action Monster Adventure Directed by: Alex Kurtzman

I honestly can't even remember the exact nature of this bizarre plot and I refuse to bother looking it up. It's something like, an ancient evil enchantress from Egypt is inadvertently released from her prison and wants to use Tom Cruise's body as a vessel to bring a god of death to life.

There is an action scene that they shot in a zero G plane for real. And that was admittedly pretty cool. Everything else in this movie is just absolute madness.

Yet another movie of the modern age wherein any attention to plot and characters has been sacrificed on the alter of big names, special effects, and stunts.

222.

And Now the Screaming Starts!

(1973)

— Horror Directed by: Roy Ward Baker

It's 1795 and a newly married woman is horrified to learn that her new husband's family suffers from a dark curse and now a ghost fueled by ancient resentments is determined to get its revenge at her expense.

While not one to write home about it's not terrible. Very firmly in the middle of the road. After that last movie it was refreshing to watch something from that older style where the story came first and it actually makes sense. Good or not you don't have to spend the movie going, "What the fuck is even happening!?" And that's something I appreciate about it.

223.

Haunted Mansion

(2023)

— Spooky Family Comedy Directed by: Justin Simien

A group of people have been cursed after stepping foot in a haunted mansion. Now in order to be freed from the ghosts that live there they will have to figure out a way to defeat the evil specter at the center of it all.

TRASH. FILM.

So fucking dull. And there's a truly weird amount of product placement.

Just like The Mummy (2017) this is yet another modern movie that only cares about famous actors and special effects. The plot or any sort of character development felt like a complete after thought.

Truly a terrible watch. I was so utterly and completely bored. It's not even fun bad, it's just dulldulldull bad.

224.

Island of Lost Souls

(1932)

— Sci-Fi Horror Directed by: Erle C. Kenton

A shipwrecked man winds up stuck on the island of a mad scientist who is determined to learn where the line between man and beast truly resides.

I've seen a lot of versions of H.G. Wells' novel, but strangely never this one.

You know what? Solid. I think it holds up.

Is it my favorite bit of 30s horror? Not even close. But it's solid. It's got interesting characters, some great tension, a memorable premise, makes the viewer ponder some intriguing moral questions, has decent production, and comes in at a tight 70 minutes.

Watching it after the shitshow that was Haunted Mansion (2023) was like a breath of fresh air.

225.

The Swarm

(1978)

— Animal Attack Horror Directed by: Irwin Allen

A swarm of killer bees threatens to destroy the United States of America and only bee expert Michael Caine can stop them.

Definitely a movie to watch with a friend. I am convinced a great drinking game could be made out of this movie, because it's definitely not good.

Take a drink every time there's a snapple fact disguised as dialogue.

Take a drink every time someone sees a bee hallucination.

Take a drink every time you'd wish they'd get back to the bees.

Finish your drink every time Michael Caine eats sunflower seeds as if he was feeding a cat a pill and he's the cat.

I definitely rated it quite low though. It's like 2 hours long and has some truly bizarre pacing. There's just so much filler and so many scenes that feel like a public service announcement to teach people about the dangers of killer bees.

226.

The Hunt

(2020)

— Action Horror Directed by: Craig Zobel

A group of people wake up in the middle of nowhere and learn that they are being hunted for sport by a group of unhinged one percenters.

What a truly odd movie.

I'm really not sure who this movie was aimed it. It has that South Park energy of "Caring about things is stupid so we'll just sit back and make fun of everyone for caring."

HOWEVER, I'm a sucker for a survivor turning the tables on those who would do them ill through sheer brains and willpower. And Betty Gilpin is amazing in this movie.

She single-handedly straps this movie to her back and drags it up the mountain. So I had a good time watching it, but only because of her. Any scene that she's not in was wasted time.

227.

The Night Has Eyes

(1942)

— Mystery Thriller Directed by: Leslie Arliss

A woman searching for her lost friend on the moors takes shelter with a strange man who lives out there. She starts to fall in love with him but fears that he is hiding a dark secret.

I had a real problem this October with movies I had to reject from counting towards the challenge because I found them to not meet my qualifications for being a Spooky movie.

Personally I consider this to be a Mystery Thriller and not a proper Spooky movie, but that's just me.

I dunno. I've definitely seen movies of this type before and it probably suffers in my mind from the comparison.

I'll still put any solid older movie up against your average modern blockbuster any day though.

228.

The New Mutants

(2020)

— Superhero Coming-of-Age Horror Directed by: Josh Boone

A group of mutant teens are held at a psych ward to help them control their abilities. But something dark has begun to haunt the halls here and threatens to kill them all one by one.

This movie has suffered so much. It went through a true production hell and it shows.

The whole situation sucks so much because I've read the New Mutants' comic arc that this is based on so I was really excited when I heard this was being made. I've been waiting forever for someone to make a true Horror movie out of a superhero story!

The movie is really awkward. You can see the Frankenstein patchworking of its production all over it. Everything is awkwardly stitched together into an unnatural creation.

And if that wasn't bad enough almost all the actors are doing bad accents for absolutely NO reason

And yet I can't completely write it off because I can see beyond the surface to see how this could have worked. There are moments where you can see what this movie originally wanted to be and in those moments it's actually really interesting!

I would definitely file this under movies that I like more than they deserve and so I wouldn't recommend anyone else watch it, but I'm definitely going to be rewatching it at some point because it intrigues me.

229.

Thirst

(1979)

— Horror Thriller Directed by: Rod Hardy

A woman is kidnapped by a vampiric secret society who are determined to force her to join their ranks by one way or another.

Yo, the 70s were a weird ass time.

I can't say I particularly liked this movie, but I also can't say I don't respect it.

This thing is out here absolutely swinging for the fences. It is extremely artistic, weird, and memorable.

I can't say I'm dying to see it again anytime soon, but definitely glad I watched it.

230.

Renfield

(2023)

— Action Horror Comedy Directed by: Chris McKay

Dracula's manservant Renfield begins to question if there isn't more to life than luring unsuspecting victims to be eaten by his master.

You know what? Respect where respect is due: I liked this far more than I thought I would. It's a pretty solid character-centric action comedy.

I definitely wished they hadn't gone to the Mortal Kombat school of blood effects though, because it is weirdly distracting how much blood they think the human body can hold.

I don't really have any solid opinions about this. It's fine. I would definitely watch it again, but I wouldn't ever pay to watch it again. So take from that what you will.

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Previous months’ posts:

JAN | FEB | MAR p.1 | MAR p.2 | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP

[vampyr-game]

YES!! the nurse crane choice is infamous for breaking the player's trust!! so many people were disgusted or frustrated by what (rightfully) felt like a betrayal of player trust in the UI!

in this first major "Y" choice, the UNLOCKABLE choice is the one with the WORST outcome!! but in any other game, unlockable content is a REWARD for engaging with the world! by incorporating it into the UI, it becomes kind of a "stage whisper" from the game devs to tip the player off that they're getting a more favorable outcome as a reward for their diligent engagement. as an example, Detroit Become Human (2019) uses a similar UI design, seen here in the first mission's hostage negotiation:

you can only receive this option if you've learned enough about the characters in question to respond in this way! and while it merits acknowledgment that this game came out after Vampyr, no one with a shred of video game literacy is unfamiliar with the sense of relief and accomplishment that is meant to accompany the sight of an "unlock" symbol. other investigation games incorporate unlockable dialogue without using such an obvious symbol, by simply making it clear that the choice is references information you've gathered.

in fact!! we see this!! in DONTNOD'S other game!! Life is Strange (2015)!! (RELEASED WHILE VAMPYR WAS ENTERING DEVELOPMENT!!)

when talking down Kate Marsh, you only know which of these choices is correct if you snooped in her room in an earlier scene (and I'm not even sure if the correct option is shown, or results in a favorable outcome, if Max doesn't have the intimate personal knowledge she gains from snooping to back it up).

Vampyr may celebrate its dark tone and setting, its cynicism, its doomed Byronic protagonist and its bleak narrative—but taking such an adversarial approach to communicating with the player feels like a bridge too far. I'll take an unreliable narrator! Even an unreliable tutorial guide who betrays the player (see: Overlord, Styx: Master of Shadows—Myrddin could have taken this role, but his writing is too inconsistent and Jonathan too skeptical of his guidance for a credible betrayal to be possible)! But an unreliable UI makes the player doubt the integrity of the developers, not the characters! And that erodes player trust!!

The restriction to a single save file feels like just one more player-unfriendly way to force this kind of "commitment to choice", one which EXACERBATES the problem of incredibly punishing consequences that don't match the player's actions. Am I supposed to feel guilty for trying to mesmerize Nurse Crane, when the alternatives seem to be 1. forcing her to resign when the hospital can't afford to lose another nurse, or 2. killing her? (when mesmerizing her just comes out to muedering her with extra steps... calling it a "fiasco" is an apt description, lmao) Like, I'm not going to feel like it's my fault that Jonathan apparently sucks at mesmerism, when he mesmerized Clay Cox without issue one hour ago. And I'm not going to feel bad for having faith in Sean Hampton's ability to resist temptation when the alternatives are 1. forcing him to drink your blood (while needlessly bringing up his past trauma, but I guess the secrets mechanic needed to justify its presence somehow) and 2. killing him!!

Sure, real life has random, unpredictable consequences all the time. But this is a video game! A story! And if the consequences don't seem like something we could have reasonably anticipated, or they feel too unfair, the player is going to disconnect from that feeling of culpability and blame the devs, not themselves! And this WEAKENS the game's clear desire to make us give a shit about the consequences of our actions!

thinking about how I'm sure I remember reading an article or interview (I can't find it in my 3,000 word notes document on Vampyr's press releases just now, but I'll look it up later) that said during playtesting, the playtesters were so "emotionally impacted" by character deaths, and this led the devs to believe the characters were deeply engaging and beloved.

and. yes. i love the characters and the deaths are tragic. however. I'm also just sitting here thinking, "you used the user interface to deceive the player and lead them by the nose into the most emotionally hurtful unintended outcome possible. and this works well in playtesting because the playtesters HAVE to play the game because it's their job, and they HAVE to play the game blind because there aren't any guides and they're constrained by NDAs, and the devs certainly won't give them any hints. but when this game released that first moral choice broke so many people's trust in the game that i haven't spoken with ANYONE who didn't play this game alongside a walkthrough that told them the ACTUAL outcome of their choices."

like a cynical narrative is all well and good but if you just bear down on that relentlessly you're going to estrange your audience and they'll just disengage! damn!! i have never played a game that punishes you so much for having faith in humanity or tries to screw you over so much by lying WITH THE UI.

[holybridget]

Vampyr

1932

[silurisanguine]

Vampyr : Choices and consequences: part 1 - Edgar Swansea.

(obvious spoilers to later parts of the game)

The more i play this wonderful game the more i see some of the good choices as not so great.

The main one for me being turning Dr Edgar Swansea into an Ekon. Yes it keeps Pembroke in good health as killing or letting him die results in a lost pillar of the community and a severe (the largest in game in fact) drop in health of an area. But if you speak to him and various patients and staff of the hospital after turning, it becomes very clear that he going to become a problem. When speaking to Swansea afterwards you get these conversations -

Edgar: "Jonathan my dear, i can never thank you enough!" Jonathan: "Thank me? For what?" Edgar: "Come now, you know what i mean. I'm, well, I'm just like you!" Jonathan: "Have you no shame?? Must i remind you of your ludicrous actions. Of the men and women who died at your hands?" Edgar: Shame is for mortals, Jonathan. I know it now and you should too. We're something else. Something more." That is worrying, especially the line i've bolded. He doesn't feel any shame for what he caused. if you speak to him again, he refers to experimenting, but on himself... Jonathan: "What will you do now that you are immortal?" Edgar: "Experiment, my dear colleague. I have an eternity to make scientific progress. I could be the only scientist able to undertake extreme experiments on himself!" Jonathan: "My god Edgar, Did you learn nothing from your forays into folly?" Edgar: I have, i swear. No more experiments on mortals....."

But If you speak to Harvey Fiddick, the patient awaiting his arm to be fixed, he says this after asking how things are now Swansea has returned-

"He visited me soon after his return. He asked me if I'd agree to some experimental procedure. I said I'd think about it. This shows Swansea lies to you again. He tells you that he will only experiment on himself, yet here he is offering it to a patient.

If you speak to the patient Thomas Elwood he gives a very concerning account about if the situation is better now Swansea has returned-

"I dont know, he seemed different. Last night, someone approached me while i was sleeping. I didn't move, not a muscle. But he was sniffing my neck. Just like Thelma does." Jonathan asks if he's sure it was Swansea - "I recognised his cologne. Left without a word, gave me the right fucking willies it did." Thelma is the mental patient that believes herself to be a vampire, who Thomas is fond of. The fact Swansea is acting like a blood craving vampire is concerning. We know for a fact he is feeding. His eyes look just like those of the Ascalon club, red rimmed and bloodshot. He mentions that -

"It's like I'm never sated. Fortunately blood is no rare commodity at Pembroke."

At first you think, ah donations, but those weren't that common then and they would actually be a rare commodity...so the only other source is fresh.

Lastly the creepiest comment comes from Nurse Branagan when asked how the situation is now Swansea has returned - "The situation is hard, but Dr Swansea promised me things will get better. he even said he'll take care of us all. And i believe him!" How exactly will he take care of everyone at Pembroke?....

I never spoke to these people in my first play through, only to Swansea and even then he gave me the creeps. He was so happy to being offered to be turned, even said it's what he always wanted, even though Jonathan does it as punishment for his unethical conduct. Why i wrote a fix it in my one story as i believe the idea of experimenting with vampire blood will not turn out well for mortals and immortals alike, especially with Swansea's lack of ethics and as he says shame now. To summarise, i think the best good option if running a pacifist playthrough is to simply let Edgar die. Yes Pembroke goes to serious condition, but if you kill no one there and keep on top of the illnesses, it will not go hostile. Even if you kill Clay, it can go to critical then but not hostile and can be brought back to serious. Embrace more than two people at Pembroke and yes that can send it over, so warning there.

[clouds-of-wings]

#i mean the book ends badly anyway  #i think he's making a larger point about love fantasies - his heroine only reads old books & imagines her crush like an ancient hero  #but his points are all so detailed and long-winded and i'll have to keep reading first 

Oh man I only just realized that he's doing some really meta foreshadowing here! He's basically telling on himself going "Tatjana acts like she's in an ancient book, but beware, she's in a 19th century book! Onegin isn't as perfect as she thinks because nowadays authors (e.g. me) are such cynical bastards." He's telling us the story won't end well.

He also constantly conflates his roles as narrator and author. Like the narrator in the story (who is friends with Onegin, though they seem to never have spoken) is apparently also Pushkin himself. Which means that 1) he knows Onegin (which he does, having invented him) and 2) Pushkin clearly had a foot fetish.

Also, @eisatem looked it up and Pushkin is probably referring to Polidori's The Vampyre, which had come out just 14 years earlier and was a huge success at the time.

Pushkin complains about how "nowadays" morality doesn't triumph in novels anymore and everything is just full of depraved creatures - he does so kinda sarcastically, making clear that he writes in that way too and that he will soon have to start writing kitsch just in order to distinguish himself - and he remarks (if the translation is correct) that "English novels disturb our sleep" and "adolescent girls see the vampire as their ideal".

Hahaha. The book came out in 1831! Describing half my school friends 160 years before their birth.