Since the release of the film Northferatu in 1922, the "vampire" theme has endured for nearly 100 years, providing a steady stream of materials and inspiration for film and television works.
The Irish writer Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, written over seven years, and the vampire Count Dracula in the book, are the archetypes of all vampire images and settings today.
The two films "Nosferatu" and "Dracula" in 1931 (later remade by "Godfather" director Coppola as "Four Hundred Years of Thrilling Love") are also the ancestor-like existence of later vampire-themed film and television works.
Stills from Northferatu
However, the early vampire theme works, basically based on a serious and serious tone, until the emergence of the "Twilight" series after the new millennium, the image of the vampire has a greater change, more elegant and refined, but also talk about love.
But to be more subversive, it's the 14-year-old New Zealand comedy film Vampire Life.
Stills from the film version of Vampire Life
In the form of a pseudo-documentary, the film tells how three vampire roommates integrate into modern (nocturnal) life and face and deal with various red tape and anecdotes in human society. The positioning of the sand sculpture and nonsense route takes the vampire setting and common sense that we are familiar with as the source of laughter, and the joy is infinite.
The film's praise and pursuit also allowed the director and screenwriter and one of the main actors, Taiga Viditti, to win the favor of big studios like Disney, first taking three "Thor Squad" short films, then serving as an assistant director in "Doctor Strange", and finally picking up the beam alone to direct "Thor 3: Twilight of the Gods", and also starring in the film's Stone Man Korg.
Angry Taiga Viditti
Last year, the American fx television station launched the first season of the drama version of "Vampire Life" in the framework of the film version, which continued to be directed by Taiga Viditti, and he also made a surprise appearance in the drama with the other two protagonists of the film version.
And this year, the second season of "Vampire Life" has also arrived, and it has just finished airing not long ago.
Vampire Life Season 2
In terms of characters, the protagonists of this season are still 4 vampire roommates and human cronies living on Stanton Island, Guillermo.
The "titular" head of the family, Nandor, nicknamed "Heartless Nando", was once a warrior of the Ottoman Empire, fierce and ruthless.
From a personal background, the character is basically like a transpositional version of the vampire Count Dracula, who is also known for his cruelty, based on the ancient Romanian general, Grand Duke Vlad III. However, after hundreds of years of being a vampire, Nando is no longer cruel, but his IQ and emotional intelligence have become very touching.
In the double business, Laszlo, who claims to be the most handsome man in his village, and Nando can be called half a pound and eight two, and quarreling and talking is the daily life of the two. Najia, who transforms Laszlo into a vampire, is the only female vampire in the family and Laszlo's wife, and the richness of their love history contracts all the romance parts of the series.
As for the last vampire roommate, Colin Robinson, because of the special nature of his skills, he was disliked and disliked by the other three, and even the bedroom was arranged in the basement.
As a "Yuanqi vampire", he does not rely on fresh blood for food, only needs to exert his own words and skills, by sucking the essence of the other party when chatting with people, he can replenish his energy, and even the same kind of people also suck it correctly, so he will be rejected by Nando.
And he is also the most human-like one, because he can't change bats, is not afraid of the sun, dresses very modernly, has a full-time job during the day, and his daily life is basically the same as that of humans.
Last season, he and his female colleague Evie, who fought for the sympathy of the other party for the "emotional vampire" duel, the laughter point was very high.
And the setting of this role also has a certain hidden meaning, in reality, people like Colin who have annoying characteristics, everyone should be able to find a code name to sit in.
The drama version of "Vampire Life", like "The Big Bang Theory" and "Bankrupt Sisters", is a sitcom mode of about 20 minutes per episode, and there is continuity in the story, but each episode is an independent plot, which is very suitable for the next meal.
Coming to season 2, the laughter in the show is still natural and unpretentious, and the sand sculpture attribute has also increased unabated. After the movie version and the werewolf of the first season, this season also comes with elements such as zombies, ghosts, and witches, creating laughs according to their own settings.
Although the cameo list is not as surprising and dazzling as the 1st season Tilda Swinton, Evan Rachel Wood, the film version of the tower director 3 protagonists, etc., there are also "Sixth Sense" hero Heli Joe Osmont (nominated for the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 12), Mark Hamill who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series, and Benedict Wang in "Doctor Strange" played Wang.
Like episode 1, Hayley Joe Osmont plays topher, the nth human confidant of The Couple of Laszlo and Naga, who is summoned to the wizard Wallace, played by Benedict Wang, after being electrocuted in a nonsensical way, but resurrected as a zombie.
This zombie also follows the traditional setting, as long as it does not headshot, it can not die, the memories and words and deeds of the living are still continued, and the trouble of finding Gilmour wants to eat him, and the family that can not be disturbed, and finally returned to wallace for 7 days without reason.
As for Mark Hamill, he appears in episode 6 as Laszlo's creditor, only because Laszlo rented him a beach house in Santiago that year, and then quit, did not pay the last month's rent and security deposit, and has been tracking him for so many years.
In addition, Colin Robinson, who has been disliked and has always been a foil, has finally gained a momentum this season.
He didn't even know what the company was doing, but he was unexpectedly promoted, and when he told his roommate the news, he was ignored. The long-standing backlog of dissatisfaction and the power to promote management, let him begin to take revenge on the essence, when the more inhaled, the more powerful the ability, before the endless talk to suck each other dry, now just say one word is enough, and finally the company also went bankrupt, because no one can work.
The increasing strength also allowed his bald head to grow thick hair, gain the skills of flying and doppelganger, and even the 3 roommates and Gilmour were not spared from being paralyzed by him.
In addition to the 4 vampire roommates, Nando's human cronies Gilmour are also a pivotal presence in the play.
The end of both seasons is placed on Gilmour, and the genetic analysis of Season 1 leaves a big suspense for his identity mystery, and in Season 2, he finally hammers the identity of his Mexican Van Helsing descendant.
If Season 1 is the accidental killing of the vampire ancestor "Baron", this season Gilmour is definitely a big battle, while secretly killing a lot of vampires for his master behind his back to hunt them down, the final episode of the season in order to save Nando them, but also in the vampire new art theater.
A descendant of Van Helsing, a "vampire hunter" who has the blood of "vampire hunter", has become a human crony of the vampire, and is bent on being transformed into a vampire, which is enough to think of it as a prank and subversion.
As for season 3, Gilmour, a descendant of Van Helsing, may have to reposition his relationship with his master.
Dramas of genres and genres like "Vampire Life", even if they are made into such a sand sculpture comedy style, its audience is only for specific groups, people who like it will enjoy it, and the laugh points will be easier to understand.
The adult-level yellow storm and bloody elements in the play are actually unambiguous, meeting everyone's bad taste needs, but the outstanding sand sculpture attribute will dilute the perception of this aspect to a certain extent.
After the episode came to season 2, the ratings of Douban and imdb have different increases compared to season 1, Douban is as high as 9.1 points, rotten tomatoes 100% freshness, all of which show that this drama is still very fresh and recognized in the hearts of fans.
The cooperation between fx and streaming platform Hulu also increased the number of views of the series by 25% compared with the previous season.
As long as Taiga Viditti and Gemenay Clement remain in place, the show's renewal for a few more seasons won't be a big problem.
Wait for Season 3 and expect surprises from new elements, story lines, and cameos.
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Author: Xiaohui Uncle Film Society (hui-movie)