Blacula

Despite some cheesy fx and some makeup work that should have laughable even back in the 70s a fairly strong vamp flick. Ok, yes it does have the whole "get killed by a vampire become a vampire" thing, which if true would have likely ended up with an All Vampire World about a month after the first vamp. But the reincarnated lost love is always a good concept to work with. And a couple of the attacks (one in the morgue by a newly risen vamp, the other against a photographer) are very well shot. Also even by vampire lore standards the version of Dracula at the beginning is a total prick...

Sunday Trade: Vampire Loves

Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar, colors by Audre Jardel, translated by Alexis Siegel

Vampire Loves is centered mostly around the vampire Ferdinand. He's just broken up with Lani, his plant-spirit girlfriend after he caught her cheating on him with one of his friends. He's a bit of a depressive type who normally only feeds with one tooth so as to make people think they've been bitten by a mosquito. And he really doesn't have a clue about dating. Vampire Loves follows Ferdinand, Lani and their collection of spirits, robots, humans, mystics and others in their attempt to find love...

Sfar's work often has a level of sadness to it, even the humor. But its charming and thought-provoking and hopeful. Sfar's world is one where the occult and the normal converge, mostly showing that people are people and thus mostly confused. Even when they're dead. Or a tree...