By GALTime's Mari Mancusi
Author of The Blood Coven Vampire series
With Stephanie Meyer's Eclipse hitting theaters this summer, the vampire craze shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. But the big screen isn't the only place to find a bloodsucking bad boy. In fact, True Blood fans are planning parties and setting aside next Sunday night (June 13) for the long awaited Season 3 premier on HBO! From classic horror soap stars to horror show hotties, over the years, vampires have been biting into primetime in a big way.
Here are my top five vampire favorites from the small screen.
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Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer We used to have Buffy Night every Tuesday where we'd gather around the TV with pizza and beer, breathlessly awaiting Joss Whedon's instant classic vampire romp. It was scary, funny, sexy, and sometimes even musical and all the characters were endearingly flawed in their own rights. But it was the blond, British Spike, played by the super hot James Marsters, who won all of our hearts. Starting out as a classic bad boy vamp and villain, Spike's forced to become one of the good guys after getting "neutered" by the Initiative. |
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Buffy's first love eventually got his own show, moving up to demon-ridden Los Angeles to open up a vampire detective agency. Angel, played by David Boreanaz, got his soul back from a group of gypsies--as punishment for killing one of their own. No longer able to live a life of mayhem and murder, he's now devoted to helping the helpless and making up for his sins. Teaming up with his own Scooby gang of reluctant employees and friends, he battles everything from murdering demons to evil lawyers to his own sordid past. He's so conflicted and tortured, sometimes you just want to reach through the screen and give him a big hug! |
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Eric Northman from True Blood Sorry Bill fans, but there's just something about True Blood's vampire Eric that gets my blood boiling. And, let's face it, even good girl Sookie Stackhouse can't resist dreaming of the sexy, arrogant bad boy owner of Fangtasia- a goth vampire nightclub. photo: HBO |
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Stefan and Damon Salvatore from Vampire Diaries Two hot vampire brothers, one good, one evil, each fighting over the same girl. (How lucky is she?) Stefan is admittedly kind of emo--but passionate and caring and trying to do the right thing--overcoming his natural bloodlust. Damon is much more fun--arrogant and cynical, yet oh-so-charming! The two brothers have kind of a love-hate relationship and though they're usually at odds with one another and fighting over a girl, they're also there for each other when it matters. How ever will Elena choose? photo: Tomdog |
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Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows One of the original TV vampires, Barnabas Collins appeared on the melodramatic gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows back in the 1960s, with a brief-lived revival in the early 1990s. As with most vampires, Barnabas is in search of his long lost love, Josette du Pres, and finds, instead, Maggie Evans, a local Collinwood waitress who looks just like his former love. Believing Maggie to be the reincarnated Josette, he makes plans to kidnap and hypnotize her and make her his vampire bride. In 2007, Warner Brothers acquired the rights to the campy, cult series and Tim Burton signed on to direct, with Johnny Depp taking on the role of Barnabas. Shooting will begin this fall and soon a new generation will be introduced to this sexy soap opera vamp. |
OK, that's technically SIX, but I couldn't split up the Salvatore brothers. Can you blame me? There were so many to choose from. Did I leave anyone out of your fav five? Leave us a comment below and keep the list going. AND, after you watch TRUE BLOOD, let us know what you thought of the premier!
Related:
Most Anticipated Blockbusters of the Summer: Month By Month Breakdown
