Love Lies Bleeding – Aspasía S. Bissas

03/06/202303/06/2023

Quote of the Day

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

Check out some other fanged monsters– download my books:

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
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FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

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22/05/202322/05/2023

Quote of the Day: World Goth Day Edition

Wishing you a dramatic World Goth Day 🦇

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

You know how to set the mood– download my books now…

13/05/202313/05/2023

And the Award for Best Effects Makeup Goes To…

This is Doug Jones:

You might not recognize his face, but you probably know him from such roles as…

He also plays Baron Afanas on What We Do in the Shadows. I’ve raved before about how good his makeup is when we first see him, but it gets even better.

Spoilers Ahead

When we’re first introduced to Baron Afanas, he’s a looming figure– a terrifying, ancient vampire coming to check on the progress of Nandor and crew in conquering the New World for vampire-kind. When his coffin opens and we get a glimpse of the Baron, you’d swear you’re looking at a prop, not a person. When he moves, its a thing of beauty; the makeup and prosthetics move with him naturally. Although WWDitS is a comedic show, there’s nothing cheesy or jokey about how the Baron looks. It’s amazing to watch.

Later the Baron is burned by sunlight and apparently dies. The vampires bury him in the garden and move on. Weeks later they hear a voice coming from his grave, and dig up the very-much-alive Baron, although there’s not much of him left, and what is left is pretty crispy. The makeup is different, but just as good. He looks exactly what you’d expect a charred partial vampire to look like. I think the reason he always looks so good is because the focus is on practical effects and makeup instead of CGI. I wish more effects departments would do the same.

Finally the Baron is healed in time for Nandor’s wedding. Not only healed, but also rejuvenated– he’s back to looking like himself in peak condition (much to Nadja and Lazslo’s delight). The makeup is a lot lighter, but just as skilfully applied. The Baron looks creepy but also compelling. If you saw him on the street, you’d instantly know he was a vampire. I can’t wait to see what they do with him next.

Of course the Baron wouldn’t be half as interesting without Jones’s performance. He’s a talented and nuanced actor, and you know you’re going to get something good when you see his name in the credits.

Speaking of credits, here are the members of the makeup department, a group that too often go unnoticed (I copied it from IMDb; clicking on individual names will take you to their IMDb profiles):

Daniel Curet	…	hair department head
Randy Daudlin	…	special makeup effects artist
Suzanne Diaz	…	makeup department head (as Suzy Diaz)
Emma-Lee Hilton	…	Prosthetic lab technician / prosthetic lab technician/artist
Chris Lyons	…	special effects teeth
Carol Mitchell	…	hair stylist
Lukas Press	…	assistant hair stylist
Luke Stalker-Switzer	…	make-up effects
Karlee Morse	…	prosthetic lab technician (uncredited)
Ken Niederbaumer	…	key makeup artist (uncredited)
Brad Proctor	…	special makeup effects technician (uncredited)

This will probably be my last What We Do in the Shadows post, unless someone has a suggestion for a topic they’d like to see? Otherwise, let me know what you think of Baron Afanas, or any other vampire. Who do you think looks most authentic? Share in the comments…

Can’t get enough vampires? Download my books:

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

06/05/202306/05/2023

Quote of the Day

Stay safe out there!

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

PS: One of the best ways to recharge is with a book. Download mine now…

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Amazon
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

01/04/202301/04/2023

Is This Possession?

I recently came across a video by Five by Five Takes on YouTube that delves into the nature of the vampires on Buffy: what they are, what it means to have a soul (or not), and whether the vampires are possessed by a demon, as is the standard (human) explanation on Buffy for where vampires come from.

It’s an interesting video, on a topic I’ve thought about before (see my post: “The Problem with Angelus.”) I don’t agree with everything discussed in the video; for example, the narrator questions why a demon would even want to possess a human in order to become a vampire. Because the demon loses all their memories in the process, the narrator suggests there’s nothing in it for the demons. I think getting out of hell and being able to walk the earth more or less freely would be a pretty big incentive. Most of the characters on the show who’ve spent time in a hell dimension don’t tend to speak of it fondly (despite repeatedly trying to open the Hellmouth– come on, guys). Besides the vacation from hell, I think being able to act on their violent tendencies and blood lust might also motivate the average demon. That’s just my opinion, though.

Spoilers Ahead

The video brings up an idea that I think is particularly interesting, which is whether the whole demon possession explanation for vampires is just the Watchers’ and Slayers’ way of dulling the trauma of killing people. If it’s a matter of a demon fully destroying the original human by inhabiting their body and absorbing their memories, then it’s a lot easier to kill without remorse, as opposed to killing a human who also happens to be a vampire (like the way the show claims that werewolves are still people and shouldn’t be slayed). It also could be a way for the Watchers Council to justify their own actions: when they let a demon infect a girl to make the Slayer, it’s acceptable because the Slayer is a force for good. When a demon infects a person to become a vampire, well, that just creates a killer. How the demon aspect affects Slayers is a topic for another time, though. For now, there’s plenty to consider when it comes to the vampires of Buffy, and this video does a good job of getting the ball rolling.

Personally, the idea of a demon stepping into a body and wiping out the actual human part of said body never entirely sat right with me. As the video points out, it would be a lot of effort for a demon to perfectly and consistently emulate the former person’s personality, mannerisms, and memories. It makes more sense that, while the soul might be gone, the person is still there. Probably.

Give the video a watch and tell me what you think about it. Is there still some human left in Buffy’s vampires? Share in the comments…