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Coffin
Until Dracula most vampires were not very attractive; they are dead things that rise from their graves to drain the life from the living. Many legends require that the vampire return to their grave before sunrise of they will die. Once coffins became the norm instead of shrouds and simple holes in the ground, this of course meant that vampires sleep in coffins.
I think one of my favourite scenes involving coffins in a vampire film is from Once Bitten. The virgin hero finds an interesting solution to becoming the female vampire's next convert; he has sex with his girlfriend in a coffin so he's no longer qualified.(highlight to read since it's a spoiler)
What is your favourite use of a coffin in vampire fiction of any sort?
Creature Feature:
Camazotz 'The Death Bat'
This monster is Mayan in origin and according to Mythical Creatures and Beasts it is a man sized, evil vampire bat that sucks its victims dry.
He is also listed as a god and had a whole cult. Visit the site of the Museum of Anthropology in Veracruz Mexico to see pictures of some artefacts depicting him.
If you want lots more details about him, Badass of the Week has a whole article about him. He lived in a blood soaked cave.
Movie Recommendation:
Rating: 15
Summary: Captain Kronos is a master swordsman and one time soldier who now hunts vampires. He ends up in a village where the young women are being drained of their youth by a vampire. The Durward family are the local lords of the manor and the children are suspiciously good looking.
Why you should watch it: I love this film. I remember seeing it as a teenager late night on TV and it always stuck with me. It's Hammer at its best; a bit campy, some terrible dialogue, but completely entertaining. Bonus: Benedict Cumberbatch's mum plays Lady Durward.
(#3 in The Diverse Life of Ianthe Jawara, Vampire)
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Ianthe slept in a coffin. Well actually it was a coffin shaped bed, much roomier and more comfortable than the real thing, but it delighted her. It utterly offended the vampire who had made her which was the main idea of purchasing it in the first place.
It was big and black with red sheets and pillows and she loved it.
The fact that she was playing up to vampire stereotypes was a complete scandal. Proper vampires did not go in for coffins and capes and evening dress at all times of the day, so Ianthe did her best to live up to the clichés the books and films seemed to love. She even had a bath oil that turned the water blood red so she could bathe in blood when she felt like it.
She lived in a suite in the house of her maker. No vampire could be seen to let their child live in anything except the best of circumstances, well in Europe anyway, and she'd been retraining to be a teacher when her maker turned her and hence all but penniless. Her maker provided her with a generous allowance and financial advice so she could begin to build her own financial stability, but other than that they had no day to day interaction. She did not like him, he did not like her and that was that.
Ianthe knew she was an embarrassing mistake that was not going away and she liked to live up to that reputation.
~~*~~
get the InLinkz code to add to your blog
Sometimes I cringe when I see or read about vampires using coffins. It's kind of become a cliche thing. Or maybe it's a traditional vampire thing. Not sure now. LOL
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, YA Author
I think if it's gothic horror it can be pulled off, but modern setting are less easy to equate with such ideas. Although I have to admit Fright Night pulled it off (the 1985 version).
DeleteOh this one is good. My fav coffin scene is in one of the Charlaine Harris Sooke Stackhouse novels when Sookie puts Eric in a coffin and take a ride on it off of the hotel building or something like that. Great scene.
ReplyDeleteGo Lanthe! I like her.
Sounds like a superb scene :).
DeleteThank you, I'm having a lot of fun writing Ianthe, so I'm glad you're enjoying her.
Captain Kronos! I was a little bit in love with him when I first saw that movie on telly :) Best use of a coffin - just to perturb and frighten at the beginning of Fright Night (the original version) when Charlie sees a box being delivered and we all know what was inside!
ReplyDeleteHe is quite cute :) Ooh, good choice!
DeleteHmm, my favorite coffin scene would probably be of Nosferatu rising from the coffin, all stiff-as-a-board like. It's just so silly.
ReplyDeleteAh, the scene that has been taken off by so many comedy films :) I like it.
DeleteNo ... can't think of anything. But still loving the story! Why so short today though. :(
ReplyDeleteThank you. Some are short, some are longer, promise :)
DeleteCan't think of any coffin scenes either, obviously not watched enough vampire movies. Love Ianthe's reaction to her situation, seems she's making the most of where she's ended up..
ReplyDeleteClearly this must be rectified ;)
DeleteThank you, Ianthe is something of a rebel.
Hi Tasha - I think I'd relate to the detective who discovers the body is still alive - not vampirish enough though .. or the cartoon who takes a ride on a coffin ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine discovering a body was still alive - so spooky. :) Thanks for dropping in again.
DeleteGah the death bat? That totally wigs me out ::shudder::
ReplyDeleteI always love in fiction when the non-vamp is exploring the vamps space for the first time and looking for the coffin and it's no where to be seen since *eye roll on the vamps part* so cliche! lol
Happy A to Z-ing!
~Anna
herding cats & burning soup.
He's not a nice fellow is he.
DeleteThe things we mortals with believe, eh? ;) Coffins, such a silly notion.
Here's a coffin (like) scene from my book, Wasteland Rogue.
ReplyDeleteRye woke lying in total darkness. Lethargically, she reached out and touched a rough wood surface above her. Feeling around to her sides, she discovered a confining enclosure surrounded her. Lamians burned their deceased—a practice once used to put to rest any doubt a thought-to-be dead lamian wasn’t in a coma. Humans buried their kind in coffins.
Panic escalated immediately, heightening her energy. Not knowing where she was, why she was there and who put her in the box, she flung her arms up seeking escape. Her hands landed hard, splintering some of the wood. However, the sharp impact also flipped the lid completely off her coffin-like container. She took in a deep breath of relief.
Brenda
www.AnEclecticAuthor.blogspot.com
Not a very happy way to wake up. I'd be really worried if I woke up in a box, don't blame her for panicking. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings
Love the story!! At least she was happy with who she is :)
ReplyDeleteThank you and yes she seems to be :)
DeleteMy favorite coffin scene has to be from Dracula, Dead and Loving It. It is where Mel Brooks and Steven Weber go to Lucy's coffin. I love the opening line:
ReplyDeleteJonathan Harker: She's alive?
Van Helsing: She's Nosferatu.
Jonathan Harker: She's Italian?
So Steven Weber has to stake her heart, and is covered with blood. The funnest part of this, is that Mel Brooks didn't tell him he would be covered in 200 gallons of blood, just so his reaction would appear natural.
I don't know if that qualifies since it's a comedy, but it is the first coffin scene I think of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fFnJNC0K0w
Oh I love that scene - it's just so ridiculous :) Good god, can you imagine being hit with that much fake blood without knowing it was coming?
DeleteThanks for reminding me of such a good laugh.
Says something about Steven Weber, to be hit with that much blood and not break character.
DeleteI have dying (err...) to use Camazotz in something myself! Such a great creature. Thanks for the links on him.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved Captain Kronos. Did you know it was going to be part of a new series of movies. The idea was to present all sorts of different vampires types. Pretty cutting edge for the time I think.
--
Timothy S. Brannan
The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches
Oh I really wish they had made more, I loved Kronos. Do you know why they didn't do it?
DeleteI think coffins will always be creepy to me because of the whole vampire thing. It's the first thing I think of when I see one.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd be fine if the only thing I ever thought about when seeing a coffin was vampires :) ... it's the human connotations that get me.
DeleteThat scene is cool. Coffins beds also made me think of one of the early shows of NCIS.
ReplyDeleteLoved the scene you mentioned. Coffin bed also made me think of Abby from NCIS
ReplyDeleteI don't remember that about Abby, but then I think I only saw about half of s1 NCIS - it's one of those shows I occasionally watch :). Abby is my fav though.
DeleteI seem to remember a cool coffin scene in "The Hunger."
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've watched that one all the way through for reasons I cannot actually explain. I really must get round to it :).
DeleteBest use of a coffin I can think of actually isn't vampire related. What always sticks in my mind is the coffins erupting from the hallway and the front yard at the end of Poltergeist, cutting Steven off from his family, and then pinning him to the ground when one of the skeletons topples out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking out my A to Z Challenge
Oh yes, that is a very memorable scene - scared the willies out of me for years :)
DeleteI never really was fan of the "coffin" angle with vampires--probably because of the history of "open graves." (That's what I get for being a history fiend.) There is no logical reason why a person, dead or alive would prefer sleeping in a pine box as opposed to a bed...unless the bed had bugs. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteAh, but in some legends is a necessity rather than a want. I can't imagine anyone doing it by choice, although I believe some people actually do, for effect :). Thanks for commenting again.
DeleteI'm not a fan of the coffin, either. My vampires don't use them, but I did read a book last year that used one well. In Available Darkness by Platt and Wright, a man wakes up buried in a coffin with nothing other than a note warning him to stay out of the sun. It was a great story with a unique twist on vampires.
ReplyDeleteOoh, that sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for the rec.
DeleteOMG a death bat the size of a man? How did I not know about this before? Thank you for bringing it to my attention!! Off to learn more!!
ReplyDeleteHave fun with the research :) I didn't know anything about him before looking him up either.
DeleteReading your posts and the comments, I feel like I'm missing out on the whole vampire scene! ;)
ReplyDeleteVampires can be so much fun :) There is so much more than Dracula and Twilight, promise!
DeleteNever been much into vampires and coffins, but I laughed at some of the coffin humor!
ReplyDeleteDamyanti Co-host, A to Z Challenge 2014, Latest Post
Twitter: @damyantig
#atozchallenge
Thanks for dropping by, it's always good to hear people laugh :).
DeleteIn this post, Ianthe reminds me of Doreen Winkings (from Discworld) who's trying to be more of a vampire than the vampires! :)
ReplyDeleteanna @ Deeply Shallow
Ah, but Ianthe is just trying to piss off one particular vampire :) Thanks so much for all the comments.
DeleteCaptain Kronos is a vampire movie that can be rewatched a few times - one of best Hammer Horror. Great bonus info re Sherlock Smaug.
ReplyDeleteIt is, it is :) I am always surprised that so few people seem to know it.
Delete