When my roommates and I watched the 1983 vampire movie The Hunger recently (see below), I had no idea the vampire fixation it would kickstart for me. I would never want to actually become a vampire, but that being said, there is something romantic and alluring about the vampire figure. Luckily for me, vampires are quite prevalent in the film, music, and literature I consume, so I have plenty of media to fuel my current obsession and curate a vampiric vibe for spring.
Movies
The Hunger
I blame The Hunger for sucking me into the vampire mindset. I originally just wanted to watch it because it stars Susan Sarandon, and I didn’t know it was a vampire story until I started watching; but, that was a fun surprise! Honestly, it wasn’t the best movie ever, but it was striking and stylish, and I immediately found it cool because the characters are hot bisexual vampires, and sometimes that’s all a movie needs.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
I’ve seen a limited number of vampire movies, but A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) is my favorite. I first watched it last spring in ENL 185C which focused on Feminism and The Gothic (sidenote: awesome class) and it stuck with me. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a slightly unconventional vampire narrative, but unconventionality pairs perfectly with vampires and the Gothic. It’s a contemporary Spaghetti-Western by Iranian director Ana Lily Amirpour. The story follows the meeting between a young man, Arash, and an enigmatic vampire woman stalking the streets of their tumbledown town “Bad City.” It’s not a dialogue-heavy movie, but it has a number of absolutely entrancing shots and a wonderfully utilized soundtrack.
Music
“Vampire Empire” By big Thief
“Vampire Empire” is an unreleased song by the band Big Thief. Since I first heard it in December, I’ve been highly anticipating its release so I can listen to it on Spotify instead of YouTube. The song title alone explains its place in this list, but this is also one of my favorite Big Thief songs lyrically and thematically. Lead vocalist Adrianne Lenker sings about a relationship where she’s dependent on her partner as a sort of life source, and consequently at the mercy of her partner, who seems to kill or drain Adrianne as a vampire takes her victim’s blood (“I’m empty ‘til she fills / Alive until she kills / In her vampire empire, I’m the fish and she’s my gills”).
“Mermaids” by Florence + the machine
I am a major Florence + The Machine fan, and I love Florence Welch’s artistic visions. With the release of her latest album, Dance Fever, last May came beautiful visuals and aesthetics: Florence’s Dance Fever era foregrounds the monstrous, the feminine, and the sacred (or maybe profane?). As a bonus addition to the album, Florence + The Machine just (literally the day I’m writing this) released the song “Mermaids,” and I’m immediately obsessed because 1) it’s Florence + The Machine, and 2) it’s totally vampiric (or vampire-adjacent). The song does seem to be, in part, about Florence’s struggles with alcoholism, but the titular mermaids of the song are bloodthirsty, and Florence wonders if she too, was craving blood instead of love.
Literature
Carmilla
Over spring break I picked up a copy of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella Carmilla, which has been on my reading list for quite a while. Carmilla, which predates the much more well-known Dracula, is one of the earliest works of vampire fiction. The story details the account of a young woman, Laura, and her meeting of and relationship with the vampiress Carmilla. I’m extra excited about the edition I read because it’s edited by one of my favorite authors, Carmen Maria Machado, and includes an introduction and footnotes from her as well. Also, coming from someone with strong opinions on book covers, this one wins my approval (it has super cool bat illustrations on it). Carmilla is awesome, and I think it may be one of my new favorite books.