Over the long weekend, my sister stayed over at my apartment. All weekend, we basically hung out in front of the TV watching the only TV show we are both somewhat equally obsessed with, The Vampire Diaries.
If you’ve never seen the show, it basically is like the TV version of Twilight, without the cringe-worthiness. It centers around the antebellum town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, and focuses on Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a human teenage girl whose parents just recently passed away. She meets Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley), the mysterious new boy, on the first day of school, and it’s love at first sight. Then she meets his equally intriguing brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder). Soon, the Salvatore brothers insert themselves in the lives of Elena and her friends and family, Caroline (Candice King), Bonnie (Kat Graham), Matt (Zach Roerig), Tyler (Michael Trevino), Vicki (Kayla Ewell), Jeremy (Steve McQueen) and Jenna (Sarah Canning). The only thing, Stefan and Damon are vampires from the town’s founding year.
The pilot episode takes place on the first day of school, and by episode seven it’s already Halloween. That means that the majority of the first season takes place in the spooky season and the fall time. And the show is so perfect at capturing that vibe of the spooky fall time, even after Halloween.
Not only is there the added bonus of the thrill of a creepy vampire, which includes nothing short of blood, death and cemeteries, most of the scenes of mid-Season 1 take place in the woods filled with colored leaves.
The score music also adds an autumnal creepiness to the show, with enough cheer and suspense to keep the season of pumpkin spice and apple cider alive within the universe of the show.
This also makes sense as Elena Gilbert Core is a popular clothing aesthetic on TikTok right now. The Vampire Diaries show exactly what every early 2010s girl-next-door wore to high school.
Also, the sets, specifically the Salvatore House, are filled with autumnal tones and an old-school luxury that simultaneously borders on creepy, which makes it perfect for a cozy night in or an epic vampire bloodbath, both occurring over the show’s run.
In conclusion, The Vampire Diaries, or at least the first season, is one of the best shows to watch or rewatch during the spooky season. It’s streaming on Netflix right now if you are interested. It also has two spin-offs: The Originals and Legacies.
