Last chance to enter MR. DARCY, VAMPYRE contest

Just a reminder that tomorrow morning, September 1, at 8:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time, is the deadline for entering to win a copy of Amanda Grange's Jane Austen-inspired vampire novel, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. More details here.

Music Monday: Flesh and Bone

The other day I shared the trailer for the upcoming rock n' roll vampire horror comedy, Suck. Music and videos for the film are already becoming available, including the following song, "Flesh and Bone," by Philadelphia/Los Angeles band Burning Brides.

Suck trailer

Thanks to Vampire Cafe, I learned the trailer for Suck is now available (see below). The horror/music/comedy stars Dave Foley, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins, Malcolm McDowell, and Moby. Here's the synopsis from the Suck trailer page: "A rock’n’roll vampire comedy about a down-and-out band that will do anything for a record deal. Their humdrum image radically changes when the bass player disappears one night with a hip vampire and emerges with a sexually charged charisma that drives the audiences wild." I'm sold.



Official website: suckthemovie.com

Music Monday: Vampire reggae

Maybe it's because I've been to the tropics lately, or perhaps it's because summer is winding down, but I feel like sharing a style of vampire music that's pretty atypical: vampire reggae. A music genre typically associated with islands and sunshine doesn't usually conjure images of creatures of the night, but here are two examples of reggae songs titled "Vampire," one by Black Uhuru and the other by Tribal Seeds.

Contest: Mr. Darcy, Vampyre giveaway!

The publicity folks at Sourcebooks have graciously offered two copies of bestselling author Amanda Grange's new novel, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. Grange's tale is the latest release in the surprising trend of novels that blend Jane Austen's world with the undead. According to the author, this particular tale was inspired years ago by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Elizabeth Bennett/Mr. Darcy dynamics. Be sure to view the book trailer below to get a taste of the novel's flavor.

Here are the contest's rules:
1. Winners must be from the U.S. and Canada only due to shipping costs.
2. To enter, in the comments section, offer your own suggestion for a fictional character/historical figure who should appear in his or her own vampire novel (actual upcoming novel titles include Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and Shakespeare Undead).

The deadline: Tuesday, September 1, 8:00 AM Pacific Time.

I'll pull two names, raffle-style, and forward the winners' addresses to Sourcebooks. Good luck!



Sourcebooks Spotlight
mrdarcyvampyre.blogspot.com
twitter.com/MrDarcyVampyre

Count Orlok voted the most horrific movie vampire

I'm back from my vacation and finally ready to catch up with blogging. Congratulations to Count Orlok, played by Max Schreck, from the 1922 film Nosferatu for being voted the most horrific movie vampire in my recent poll. A total of 228 people voted, and he took the top spot with 33% of the votes. Schreck's performance was so creepy that the 2001 film Shadow of the Vampire portrayed the actor as being a genuine vampire.

The most horrific movie vampire race was a close one, however, and Marlow from 30 Days of Night took second place with 30% of the votes. Third place went to Kurt Barlow (Salem's Lot) with 19%, and the all-encompassing "Other" option received 18%.

To highlight the winner--and to make up for my recent lack of Music Mondays--I'm playing a creatively constructed video for The Blue Oyster Cult song "Nosferatu," entwined with clips from the movie Nosferatu. There's an intro by the late David Carradine, and then the song and clips begin about three minutes in. Here's to the menacing, unsexy vampires who don't seem to get much love these days!

On vacation

I'm heading to Hawaii for a week and won't be back online until August 20. In the meantime, check out all the blogs in my sidebar for the latest vampire news, or entertain yourselves with my Music Monday archives.

Decide which films go into Vampire Film Festival

You can help decide which films will go into the Vampire Film Festival by watching the trailers over at YouTube, rating them, marking your favorites, and leaving a comment saying why you think a film should be in the festival. The event will be held October 23-26 in New Orleans.

youtube.com/vampirefilmfestival

Be sure to also check out the festival's revamped site and take a peek at some of the authors I've lined up for the literary panel on October 25. More details will be announced at VampireFilmFestival.com in the coming weeks.

August vampire-related events

Here are a couple vampire-related events you may want to check out this month if you happen to be in the right locations:

Vampire-Con, featuring Vampirella's Ball: August 14-16 - Hollywood, CA

Bat Fest, featuring SCARE for a CURE: August 22 - Austin, TX

More 2009 Vampire Events

Suburban Vampire on Twitter

I'm setting up my Twitter account to receive feeds from Suburban Vampire. This post is pretty much just a test to see if it will work, but if you'd like to receive the blog's feeds via Twitter, you can now follow me at http://twitter.com/catherinekarp.

Vampire Film Series and Festival 2009

Vampire Fest 2009 is coming to New Orleans October 23 - 26, 2009. I've become involved in the festival's preparations, especially the organization of the literary panel, so I've got the latest info...

Vampire Fest will include a four-day film festival consisting of vampire and gothic features and shorts, two nights of the ballet A Vampire Tale, a fashion show, costume parties, performance artists, and a paranormal literary panel featuring authors Gabrielle Faust (Eternal Vigilance), Bridget Morrow (Alex), Erin McCarthy (Vegas Vampires Series), Nicole Peeler (Tempest Rising), and Van Jensen (Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer).

Filmmakers: Submissions are still OPEN. Vampire Fest is seeking narrative or experimental films of all lengths that emphasize the grotesque, mysterious, or desolate. Since the legends of the werewolf and other supernatural creatures are interconnected with that of the vampire, Vampire Fest also accepts films of the Gothic, zombie, werewolf, witch, or ghost genre. Filmmakers can submit online at www.vampirefilmfestival.com or at www.withoutabox.com until September 16, 2009.

Further details will be announced on the festival's site in the coming weeks, and ticket sales will begin by month’s end.

For more info, please visit www.vampirefilmfestival.com or contact festival headquarters at (504) 298-VAMP. You can also become a Facebook fan.

Grab a banner for your site here:
http://www.vampirefilmfestival.com/vampire_banners

More on Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant trailer

And here's the actual trailer...

The Vampire's Assistant trailer

The Vampire Assistant's trailer is now up at Moviefone.com. Once the preview becomes available for embedding, I'll share it here. Watch the trailer.

While viewing the sneak peek, I was reminded of one of my favorite scary movies as a kid, Something Wicked This Way Comes, which involved a young boy becoming involved with a sinister circus run by Mr. Dark, played creepily by Jonathan Pryce. The Vampire's Assistant's eerie freak show leader is Mr. Crepsley, played by John C. Reilly, who looks to have more of a comic side to him than Mr. Dark--although, in both stories, young boys are required to do a little soul selling.

The Vampire's Assistant poster

This was originally going to be a post about upcoming vampire events, but I'm running out of time and steam tonight, so I'll simply share the poster for The Vampire's Assistant (the movie formerly known as Cirque du Freak). I've heard a rumor that the film's trailer will debut on Moviefone tomorrow. I'll be heading over there myself.

I'll try to get my vampire events post written tomorrow.

Music Monday: Cry Little Sister, True Blood style

G Tom Mac, the original creator of "Cry Little Sister"--the theme song from The Lost Boys--has come out with a True Blood-style version of the song. The video isn't yet available, but he's released an audio clip that definitely transports the music from a Northern California boardwalk to the heart of Louisiana.