Monday 7 April 2014

AtoZ Day 6: F is for Fangs, Farkaskoldus, Fright Night/Fright Night II

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Fangs

I've said this before and I'll say it again, blood drinking vampires need to have fangs IMHO. I know that not all myths have vampires with fangs, but I like my fictional ones to have pointy teeth. It's one of my buttons. When I watch vampire films I am always very disappointed if the vampires are fang free.

In legend vampires use everything from long sharp tongues to razor sharp talons to feed, but there are quite a few who have fangs. One reason is the simple animalistic and inhuman nature of fangs. If you have sharp pointy teeth and long canines then there is no mistaking you for a vampire.

There are also medical conditions and signs of decay which cause the gums to receed from the teeth, therefore making them look longer, hence fangs.

Personally I just find fangs sexy as hell and I have been known to judge a film on the quality of its vampire fangs :).

Do you like fangs on vampires and what vampire has the most outrageous fangs? The most outrageous I have ever seen have to be Amy in Fright Night (as mentioned below) - now those were some serious fangs, and not exactly of the sexy variety.

Creature Feature:

Farkaskoldus


Today we have a vampire from Hungary and this is a good one because it combines vampire and werewolf mythology.

According to Vampiric Studies it takes on werewolf characteristics when it dies.

However, a much more interesting take on the myth is reported by Mari Wells on her blog. In this version a Farkaskoldus is created if a werewolf consumes the flesh of an executed person and you end up with a blood drinking undead rising from its grave each night to seek a victim. Check out Mari's whole post for details.

Movie Recommendation:


Title: Fright Night/ Fright Night II
Rating: 15
Summary: Fright Night: Charley Brewster has a new neighbour, Jerry and when Charley realises people are turning up dead he figures out Jerry is a vampire. When Jerry finds out Charley knows his only hope is Peter Vincent, the vampire expert who actually doesn't believe in vampires.
Fright Night II (1988): Charley is in college and has put all the vampire nonsense behind him having been convince it was a case of his mind simply coping with the horror of his neighbour being a serial killer and killing his best friend. That's when Regine turns up looking for revenge. Regine is Jerry's sister and she wants to torture Charlie forever.
Fright Night 2 (2013): Charley is on a school trip to Romania with his friends and their professor is Gerri Dandridge. The problem is Gerri is a vampire and Charley see things he shouldn't see making him and his friends a target, especially Amy, his ex-girlfriend who he's really hoping will forgive him and take him back. If they can stay alive long enough she might.
Why you should watch most of these: Fright Night (1985), Fright Night II (1988) and Fright Night 2 are brilliant, you should watch them all. The 80s films are the epitome of good 80s horror with a sense of humour, good effects and pretty decent plots. The characters are also superb. Jerry and Regine are sexy as all hell and it's easy to believe they are hundreds of years old. Then we have the 2013 FN2 which isn't a sequel to the 2011 travesty at all, it's a different take on the Fright Night story with the same cast of characters, but a different setting and a gender-bent Gerri. I loved it.
Why you shouldn't bother with FN 2011: They made Jerry a construction worker on the strip rather than a sophisticated renovator of period properties - this underlines everything that is wrong with this film. As far as I am concerned they missed the point. David Tennant is brilliant, Anton Yelchin is perfectly okay, but the rest are so not. The most touching scenes in the original revolve around Evil Ed, Charley's best friend and in the remake they wrecked every single one of them. I cannot express how disappointed I was in this film.

Fangs for the Memory - Not! 
(#6 in The Diverse Life of Ianthe Jawara, Vampire)
by Natasha Duncan-Drake

It was supposed to have been just a night of dancing to let off some steam. She had her final exams coming up soon and she'd been studying so hard a break had been required. Ending up in the bed of a very beautiful man had not been on her to do list.

The fact that a man that stunning had wanted to dance with her had clearly knocked her good sense loose. He'd just been so alluring and somehow she had ended up in his arms.

He seemed to know just how to touch her. Every caress fogged her mind a little more and she climbed higher on a wave of hormones and lust.

The fact that she was naked in bed, in a hotel room with a complete stranger whose name she didn't even know, had that nagging little person at the back of her mind worrying. However, they weren't shouting loud enough to be heard over her libido.

"Please," she begged as he pinned her to the bed.

"Of course," he whispered and nuzzled at her neck.

It was heavenly as their bodies moved together in time.

Then there was pain.

It took her foggy brain a second to realise she had been bitten before her flight response kicked in. She struggled, but it was like trying to move rock. Then the euphoria hit her, equally as shocking as the pain, but taking away all fight in her. She sagged, sighing as her whole body was consumed by pleasure.

In a corner of her brain she realised she was dying. In another she recognised this creature taking her life for what he was: vampire. It made no sense, but then, right at that moment, it didn't have to. On balance, it was a beautiful way to die.

Even through the euphoria she heard the crash, however.

Her lover reared up, long, bloodied fangs right there in her line of sight as he snarled.

Now she could see the monster.

He snarled even louder when an arrow punched right through his chest, appearing just above her face. In her current state it looked so red as it swam in her vision. It fascinated her eyes and she watched as it dripped down, splashing her face.

Then her lover was gone, off the bed and out of her eye line. Her limbs were so heavy and she could not move, so all she could do was listen. She heard shouting and fighting, but it really didn't mean much. Absently she licked her wet lips as something tickled at the corner of her mouth and she tasted something slightly metallic and deep. It made her tongue tingle and it fired something through the lethargy. Flicking her tongue out she caught more of the wetness on her face and she swallowed.

It burned all the way down her throat and in her stomach it flared into even more.

She whimpered, even as she wanted more.

"Time to end this," she heard and clawed fingers wrapped around her throat.

The twisted features of her lover once again entered her vision as his hand stopped all air reaching her lungs. She didn't even have the will to struggle as her gaze scanned the long sharp teeth and now blood covered face. Eyes bluer than the sky stared down at her and flared with lightning like power. Something inside her answered and suddenly the pressure on her throat was gone.

"What the hell?"

Her lover sounded suddenly very different from the calm controlled man she had met in the club. She found herself being lifted by hands on either side of her head and then she was sitting up, staring into those eyes, even if she wasn't supporting her own weight.

"No, this cannot have happened," her lover said, scanning her face closely.

She felt a strange desire to laugh. Even when the arrow had appeared through his chest she had not seen the panic in her lover's eyes that she saw now.

The part of her that was still thinking expected to die at any second, the rest felt like giggling. Her lover was lucky she did not have the energy to do so.

"So be it," the creature said and moved faster than she could follow, clamping his mouth to her neck.

It felt even more amazing the second time.

~*~

Ianthe yawned and blinked at the ceiling of her bedroom. Rubbing her eyes ,she sat up, mentally cursing her maker as she did so. She hated dreaming of the night she had lost her humanity. It was at once the worst and best memory she had. There was no equivalent to the feeling of dying as vampire power worked its way through her body, but still she hated it.

Clearly the argument with Alex the morning before had upset her. She only ever dreamed of when he had turned her when she was upset.

~~*~~
A few of us discovered that we all had supernatural themes for the AtoZ so we got together and did a mini list. If you also have a supernatural theme (ghosts, monsters, witches, spells etc), please feel free to add yourself to the list.

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61 comments:

  1. I like my vampires with fangs too. Sometimes I give them more than just canine fangs. It all depends on the twist on the myth I'm trying to do. I like playing with it.

    ~Patricia Lynne~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, YA Author

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    1. Playing with the fangs is almost as fun as playing with the eyes :)

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  2. Oh Sweet Mary. That is just an entirely too creeptastic photo. Gah. Gonna pretend I didn't see that since it's nearly bed time. lol

    And yeah Vamps definitely need fangs.

    Happy A to Z-ing!
    ~Anna
    herding cats & burning soup.

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    1. Sorry - but you can see why I consider it a classic :)

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  3. Fangs - yeah, you know my penchant, sis. I would have to say, the best fangs award had to go to Regine in Frght Night 2 when she's dancing to Charlie.

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    1. That is a very good use of the fangs, agreed, totally.

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  4. I must admit I haven't seen any of these films. Shame on me! :(
    As to fangs, of course they're a must. How the hell are they supposed to bite through skin without them! Okay, normal teeth could do that too, but not so dramatically.
    Loved episode 6 today. Good to get an idea of why she dislikes her maker so much. :)

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    1. They are good ones, all except the 2011 remake (but you should still see that for David Tennant in leather pants and nothing else :)). Some stories have them using something other than teeth, but it doesn't seem the same to me :).
      Thanks.

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  5. Fangs reminds me of Bram Stoker's Dracula!

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    1. The movie or the book? Was a very good movie :).

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  6. Farkaskoldus absolutely adore this word. Interesting read. I am yet to see a vampyre I liked more than Christopher Lee. No matter how many pretty men they put in the tv series. :)

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    1. It is a great word isn't it - that's part of what caught my eye when I was searching. Christopher Lee is indeed a classic in his own right and I never realised that in some of the films he didn't actually say anything.

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  7. I will be honest I enjoyed all the Fright Night movies! I saw the original many times in the theater back in high school. Loved the J. Giles soundtrack that went with it.

    Great post as always!

    --
    Timothy S. Brannan
    The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches

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    1. I think I was so offended by the first remake because I love the original so much - I love the second remake :).
      Thank you :)

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  8. I am scared to look at that witch's pic. Nice post :)

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  9. You are right. A vampire needs some fangs. I"m not sure which movie has the most outrageous ones, but it sure will be neat for me to think on it for awhile. Great post.

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    1. Thank you. I have never seen any more outrageous ones than Fright Night, but I am sure there must be some of equal insanity out there. :)

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  10. Enjoy the first 2 fright nights, the remake was crap and never watched the sequel to the crap remake

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    1. The sequel to the remake isn't actually a sequel at all, it's another remake and much more in keeping with the original. I loved it. Thanks for dropping by.

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  11. Of course vampires need fangs. I can't imagine how they would satisfy their thirst without them! Ambitious posts!

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    1. Thank you :) I know - evolution would suggest fangs would be the easiest solution.

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  12. Vampires have to have fangs, even if they are retractable, which can be cool too. Only exception would be psychological vampires that drain your energy as they interact with them - met a few of those. And Fright Night was a great movie, although have to admit I missed the sequels = add to must see list.

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    1. Oh yes, retractable fangs are totally cool - makes a lot of sense actually given that long ones would probably get in the way and human jaws don't to sabretooth very well. Fright Night II is brilliant and the modern #2 is great as well.

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  13. Fangs are definitely not my passion, I prefer sweet nips!

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  14. You can't have a vampire without fangs. I'm sorry. Yeah, people you're entitled to be creative, but I'm also entitled to boycott. =)

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    1. It always feels to me as if the writer is trying to remove something of the supernatural if they remove the fangs and I prefer a heavy dose of the supernatural :).

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  15. Vampires should have fangs. I mean, you can still chomp into a person's neck without fangs. (Zombies do it.) But yeah, vampires should have fangs.

    Precious Monsters

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    1. Vampires are supposed to be a little more elegant than zombie in their feeding habits, hence I think fangs would be most useful :) Thanks for dropping by,

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  16. Wow, those are some serious fangs on Amy. :D I'd have to say my favorite fangs were how they were done on True Blood (never read the books, so only going by the TV show here). It was just kind of silly the way they popped down all switch-blade like. I felt like they were kind of poking fun at themselves, and that made me love them.

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    1. Yep, very serious :) Anything that can poke fun at itself is always worth a second look :).

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  17. That picture really freaked me out. I'm glad it was small!!

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    1. Sorry - I'm so used to it I am over the shock value :)

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  18. This is one of the best blog posts I've read. I love these stories and do agree that vampires should have fangs. If they dont, then they should see a dentist for a pair of dentures. I am learning much about the types of vampires hanging out among us by the blogs in the #AtoZ challenge. http://www.writer-way.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you :). Vampires with dentures - now there's an idea for a horror comedy ::g:: So glad you could visit.

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  19. Vampires have to have fangs! They can retract, but they need to have them for a feeding. My favorites are the ones on Vampire Diaries.

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    1. I don't know the ones from the Vampire Diaries - I shall have to go look them up now :).

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  20. So much information about Vampires..My knowledge was restricted to Twilight SAGA :P lol

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  21. I'm learning rather a lot about vampires through your AZ posts!
    Damyanti, cohost AZ2014

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    1. Thank you for visiting, I learnt so much researching them too so it is a lot of fun to share what I found out :).

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  22. While I am embarrassed to admit this, "Dracula 2000" is my favorite movie: it has a young hunky Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jonny Miller, Omar Epps, etc. Lust is a hard thing to admit.

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    1. I love that movie too :) There is nothing wrong with lusting after vampires and their opposition ::g:: Thank you for dropping by.

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  23. most definitely fangs! i agree there is just something sexy about them. =D

    the ones on supernatural are pretty funky.

    i'm more into the slim and razor sharp and elegant versions.

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    1. Me too - as if they are sophisticated weapons rather than brutal renders of flesh.

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  24. The original Fright Night is one of my favorite movies! I never would have had the nerve to try to remake it. David Tennant was a bright spot in the remake, but all in all, it could never have stood a chance against the original.

    Great post!

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    1. I know - they just didn't seem to get it, either. The original had such a wonderful vibe and they tried to modernise it and wrecked it instead.

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  25. Fangs are so important to vampires. I hate it when the films make bad fangs...True blood is an example of this.

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    1. Some people seem to like the True Blood fangs - I have to admit when I watched it I didn't take much notice of them :).

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  26. Okay, those fangs scare me. And I even saw the movie!

    But yes, vampires should have fangs. It just makes sense.

    Carrie~Anne at That Dizzy Chick

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    1. I remember seeing the movie for the first time and those fangs were a big shock. It seems to be the overriding opinion that, yes, vampires should have fangs. I feel justified now :).

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  27. Okay, those fangs scare me. And I even saw the movie!

    But yes, vampires should have fangs. It just makes sense.

    Carrie~Anne at That Dizzy Chick

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  28. Here I am talking about Blade. That was one thing that bothered me about the Reaper strain and Drake was the lack of fangs. I questioned how that was an improvement. Gotta have the fangs.

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    1. I think they just had bigger and better ways of killing people :) Those vamps weren't exactly the nibble on the neck kind ::g::

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  29. I'm totally with you on the fangs...vampires that don't have them just don't do it for me. lol And I've got to say that one thing that always puts me off is when the fangs are in the "wrong" spot. You know what I mean? In my mind a vampire's fangs should be right where a normal human's canine teeth are, but very often I've seen them be much closer to the front of the mouth, to the point that they almost look like buck teeth. Drives me nuts! :P

    I can't really think of any outrageously crazy fangs at the moment, but I've always thought that the vampires on Supernatural are a little odd...instead of a set of fangs they have a whole mouth of sharp teeth, like a shark. o.O

    Oh, and as a final note, I LOVE the Fight Night movies. XD

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    1. I think that was one of the reasons I never like Nosferatu - his fangs were in the wrong place :)

      Yay for Fright Night :) I really have an urge to go watch them again, especially since I just had my FNII DVD returned by a friend I lent it to :).

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  30. I am familiar with the farkaskoldus (literally translates into "beggar wolf"), some of the tales are quite cool. It can be a man or a girl, and it usually has the ability to transform whenever it wants to. I always filed them under werewolf, though, not really a vampire. Honestly, Hungarian folklore lacks vampires (fun huh). We borrow tales from our Slavic neighbors, but we are more wolf-oriented. I do a full hour show about the truth about Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess :)
    Cheers!

    @TarkabarkaHolgy from
    Multicolored Diary - Tales of colors
    MopDog - The crazy thing about Hungarians...

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    1. Ah someone who actually knows. I found several entries about them on the internet, but none of them seemed to agree :). Thank you so much for dropping by and filling me in.

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    2. There is not a lot out there about Hungarian... anything in English, I'm trying to change that ;)

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  31. Okay the craziest fangs I've seen has been in Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer. Uber long and super creepy.

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    1. Now since I posted about this film on day 1 you'd think I'd remember the fangs wouldn't you, but nope, clearly my brain is having trouble today. I shall have to go watch it again to remember :). Such a shame ;).

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