1. Vampires
2. Werewolves
3. Zombies
To now being
1. Zombies
2. Werewolves
3. Vampires
First of all, while never a top favorite, it is important to note that werewolves are awesome. The internal conflict of being good and civilized versus succumbing to animal instinct and just ripping through all the people that piss us off externalized with awesome special effects or outrageous costuming? Love it! Some of my personal favorites are:
I just didn't want to move on to the reason why vampires and zombies have switched places without giving werewolves the love they deserve. And honestly, if you told me I had to become one of those beings or everyone I loved would suffer? I'd totally go werewolf. And I'm vegetarian. But still. Werewolf.
Anyway, back to reversal of numbers 1 and 3.
I believe that the change in what I like is due to my growth as a person as I've matured. When you are an adolescent or younger person, vampires are sexy and everything sexy is good. But when you have to worry about bills, or keeping your home, or going to work every day and being a responsible adult and you have to take care of a family and pets, in other words you have "real world worries," the zombie genre simply relates more!
Don't get me wrong, "The Lost Boys" will always be a perennial favorite. Always. I mean I even met Corey Haim once upon a time. And that thumb of his did go in my shirt briefly.
 |
| Monster Mania, Cherry Hill NJ 2008 |
What may make "The Lost Boys" one of my favorites in the vampire genre is that while it is sexy, it isn't only about sex. There aren't latex suits or writhing vampire brides. There is a single mom and her teenage boys just trying to survive in spite of all the damn vampires. And Diane Wiest is awesome. I just love her. And trust me, there are plenty of vampire stories and movies that are high on my list of favorites in general. They simply don't hold the top spot in my heart and mind anymore. I'm married, I work as a cam model. I don't need to chase sex. I'm not a trembling teenager overwhelmed with angst about whether or not someone will ask me to lunch and I know I'm not freaking immortal and with this body I don't really want to be. Immortality and unchanging beauty doesn't have the same attraction that it did at 14 or 18 or 24. Frankly, it seems awfully boring and gloomy.
Also there is a pretty limited number of story options to work with in the vampire genre. The vampires themselves have generally two life arc options. They either live forever or piss someone off who has a stake or pointy part of a chair and they die. In the mean time when they come across humans during their lives they have three options for interactions. They can a. eat them, b. turn them or c. outlive them. Not much to do there but add some details and roll credits.
But just because I do still love vampires in their cold cold way.
But in the end, at least for now, the zombie genre has my heart. With the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead" the tide began to shift. "28 Days Later" pushed the line even further. "Wasting Away" (also known as "Aaah! Zombies!") made me laugh out loud. "The Walking Dead" sealed the deal and the zombies came out on top.
Zombie stories are all about survival and they are not hemmed in with limited story lines. The zombification itself can be started any number of ways. Virus, bacteria, mold, aliens, failed scientific experimentation on monkeys... But once the zombie apocalypse starts, the story is all about the survivors (or in the cases of "Wasting Away" and "Warm Bodies" the zombies themselves). In these stories, it is the people, the characters that matter. They are personal and interpersonal and relatable. I can imagine something horrible happening in which I have to take my daughter and run. I doubt very much that a vampire is going to descend on my messy little ranch and change my existence. But the idea that civilization could collapse around me? Yes, that is accessible.
Ultimately I believe vampires are for the young, and zombies are for the moms. Because you should always be ready for the zombie apocalypse.
No comments:
Post a Comment