Vampire Lovers: Screen's Seductive Creatures of the Night

by Gavin Baddeley

A new generation was awakened to the romantic lure of the vampire genre with Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Twilight’s soulful vampire, Edward Cullen. This book is for all those whose thirst remains unsated. A heady history of the silver screen’s undead dreamboats, this intoxicating study examines each of the mesmerizing performers who have taken on the role of leading vampire. From Buffy’s brooding flames David Boreanaz and James Marsters to Stephen Moyer, the pulse-quickening star of True Blood, every intriguing incarnation of Stoker’s monster is found here. Beginning with radical characters like Kate Beckinsale’s gun-wielding, PVC-clad action hero in Underworld and ending with delectably dark visions of legends Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi, the book demonstrates precisely why the fascination with this genre — much like Cullen’s timeless love — will never die. Illustrated with more than 100 irresistible film stills, Vampire Lovers is essential reading for any well-informed fan.

Genres: Film

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Bethnoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay, it's not really a reading book, more of a drooling over pretty pictures of actors pretending to be vampires, but it does have a small amount of discussion of how vamps have changed and maybe why. I am such a gothic cliche, I admit to having been very enthusiastic about a number of the characters featured (except the Twlight ones, haven't even seen the film), my only defense is that it was considered weird when I started and I am one of the odd people who has read many Victorian vampires stories. Good for eye-candy, don't expect to learn anything new.

[Nina Misson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Baddeley's Vampire Lovers, so named after the 1970 film The Vampire Lovers starring Ingrid Pitt, reads like a coffee table book with too much text. While the concept of listing the characters in question in reverse chronological order is interesting, since it gives the author the chance to talk about influences and predecedors very fluently, the book does seem to lack a clear goal and the author cleary emphasizes his personal favourites. On several entries he wanders off from talking about the actual vampire character in question. Sometimes he provides us with actual information, pertaing to the vampire myth or history, but in a lot of cases he goes off the trail, ending up in celebrity gossip (like the infamous Tom Cruise moment during an Oprah show, which doesn't have anything to do with his role as Lestat) or he talks about other roles that an actor played, which don't relate to their vampire role. One of the most interesting points I found was the comparison between Christopher Lee's Dracula and Sean Connery's James Bond. Other than that there isn't a lot of juicy meat in this book.

[Jenny / Wondrous Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampire Lovers is a brilliant resource for fans of the undead in TV and film. It's contemporary and well-researched, and is so up to date that Damon from The Vampire Diaries even has his own section. There are more than enough swoonworthy colour photos to keep you going, as well as an introduction and afterword that expand on the history of vampires on the silver screen.

Also joining the lovely Damon are popular modern vampires like Eric from True Blood, Mitchell from Being Human and Edward Cullen from The Twilight Saga. More known undead icons like Angel and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer get worthy coverage too (really, what kind of vampire book *wouldn't* include Joss's creations?!), before you get to the truly iconic classics such as Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi as different incarnations of Dracula. Fear not though, male readers - this book isn't just for girls. Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek also grace the pages, making Vampire Lovers an appealing source to both genders.

Each character's section gives an overview of their role and the history of their movie or TV show, complete with select quotes and high quality image stills. So, if you want to know about the story of Dark Shadows, or why Selene from Underworld kicks so much ass, then you've come to the right place. What you won't find are vampires unworthy of a 'pin-up' status, which means there isn't a mention of the lovely looking Nosferatu!

Character profiles might have been a fun extra to include, along with a few more quotes from each of the chosen vamps. Also, a mention of short-lived TV shows Moonlight and Blood Ties wouldn't have gone amiss - who's more pin-up worthy than Alex O'Loughlin, Jason Dohring and Kyle Schmid?

I really enjoyed reading Vampire Lovers, and I know I'll definitely be dipping into it whenever I need a pop culture fang fix. I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many books about the undead so, publishers - keep them coming!

4.5/5

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was new in my library just before christmas and made brilliant reading over the holidays when I knew i would be too busy to get properly stuck into a novel. i would say this was a must for anyone interested in the vampire genre be it in tv and / or film. I liked the way that it was split up into easily read segments which meant that it was a book that you could easily pick up and put down when needed.(as i did) That said it probably would not appeal to someone who wanted a 'heavy' serious discussion of the Vampire genre / folklore.
It seemed to cover most popular depictions on the big and small screen and was very informative and I found the sections about the earlier screen depictions especially interesting.
Lots of good pictures too