Before the marathon of Syfy original movies kicks off and I become welded to the couch for 12 hours, I want to take a few minutes to share a couple of thoughts about that undead creature of the night we all know, love and can’t live with or without. Yes, I’m speaking of the vampire.
Call it what you like—nosferatu, vampyr, upir, wąpierz, strigoi or plain ol’ blood-sucking ghoul—the vampire has always been my favorite of the classic monsters. I mean, what’s not to like? They’re sexy, seductive, polite, powerful, menacing, monstrous, dapper, dangerous and, hey, a lot of fun to watch and fantasize about. Thanks to Hollywood, we’ve been given a vampire for every season, though the current favored incarnations are either young and sparkly (Twilight) or Southern and sexy (True Blood). Vampires have been portrayed by actors such as Bela Lugosi, Kirsten Dunst, Christopher Lee, Tom Cruise, Leslie Nielsen, Catherine Deneuve, Max Schrek, Willem Dafoe, Klaus Kinski, Jack Palance, Louis Jourdan, Brad Pitt, John Carradine, George Hamilton, Kate Beckinsale, Gary Oldman and Lon Chaney Jr. And that’s just a partial list.
So, because I enjoy farting around doing research, and for your viewing pleasure, I present a collection of pictures of vampires. Because why the hell not!
~Theron Neel
During my formative years, there were several individuals working in horror who are responsible for shaping my sensibilities: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, James Whale, Forrest J. Ackerman, Roger Corman—just to name a very few. They all played their part in creating my world and determining my tastes, thereby making me the person I am. But Basil Gogos, that amazing artist best known for his serious approach to painting classic monsters, stands apart from the rest.
In 
While Sgt. Howie is a chaste and pious man, he is only human and his attraction to the innkeeper’s beautiful daughter (Britt Ekland) tests his convictions. She flaunts her sexuality and makes her desire for him quite clear. This leads to a long dark night of the soul for our hero, from which he emerges virtue (barely) intact. Luckily, he has his case to focus on. As he searches for the missing girl, it becomes obvious the whole populace of Summerisle is involved in a plot to cover up her disappearance. The deeper Sgt. Howie delves, the more he’s convinced the girl is to be offered as a human sacrifice at the upcoming May Day festival. As he races against time to locate and save her, the villagers seemingly do all they can to stop him. But has Sgt. Howie become so distracted by his sense of duty that he doesn’t see what’s actually happening? Will Howie’s faith save the day or be the cause of his downfall?
Of course, none of this would work if the actors couldn’t sell it. Edward Woodward makes Sgt. Howie a study in contradictions, communicating viscerally the battle between Howie’s intellect and desire. Britt Ekland’s appearance as the innkeeper’s daughter has received much attention over the years, though it’s hard to appraise her dramatic ability because all her dialogue has been dubbed by another actress. But when she begins her infamous nude dance, she ably fulfills her role as Sgt. Howie’s temptation. Sir Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Lord Summerisle is my favorite performance in the film. Though Lord Summerisle seems to be running the island as his own personal work camp, Lee makes him a charming mod hipster who actually seems to believe the heretical twaddle he spouts, especially when it serves his interests.
That 1973 was a much different time is driven home brutally by viewing Neil LaBute’s 2006 remake of this flick, starring Nicolas Cage. It’s mystifying that two such different films could be made of the same story. (If you don’t believe me, check out the two vids below.) To watch the original version of The Wicker Man today is to travel back to a bygone era, much like Sgt. Howie does when he lands on Summerisle—but be assured, it’s a trip worth taking.
In honor of the recently knighted Christopher Lee, I declare it Hammer time at Slammed & Damned. In my opinion, you can’t touch Sir Christopher’s portrayal of Count Dracula in the films produced by Hammer studios. So today, we’re going to look at what is usually thought of as the last of Lee’s truly great Dracula movies, 
Young Lord Courtley promises the men delights previously unimagined, if only they trust him and pony up 1,000 guineas ($5,250). For this then-kingly sum, they will purchase Dracula’s cape, signet clasp and a vial of his powdered blood. With that, they will supposedly be able to resurrect the Master by performing a satanic rite and, apparently, enjoy pleasures not of this world. Granted, it’s all rather vague but they go along with it, fools that they are. And as any sane person might expect, these fools are soon in fear for their lives as an annoyed Dracula hunts them down to take vengeance for Lord Courtley, who died in the ceremony. Here’s the twist: Dracula uses the men’s teen children to exact his revenge.
Taste the Blood of Dracula, directed by Peter Sasdy, picks up right where Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (directed by Freddie Francis) ends, and it’s an interesting contrast. Sasdy started directing in the late ‘50s and Taste the Blood of Dracula looks like a film directed by a journeyman trying to adapt to a new era. It moves slowly, but has a few of the “freak-out” camera moves popular at the time. Freddie Francis got his start as a camera assistant in the ‘30s and moved up to cinematographer, working on classic films such as 
But even if he becomes king, Sir Christopher Lee will always be Count Dracula to me. His Dracula wasn’t the suave bloodsucker that Bela Lugosi gave us. Lee’s Dracula was a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” fanged feral animal. He might not have been politically correct, but he knew what he wanted and he got it. Actually, his Dracula really did get it. I believe he died at the end of each of his films but, like Jason Vorhees today, he always managed to come back. Now that I think of it, that’s not a bad description of Christopher Lee himself.
