Vampire Chronicles: Trapped by Fury

Vampire Chronicles: Trapped by Fury
By Nomar Knight


     Loneliness could force some people to change their safe routines. I had begun the second month of my vacation annoyed that boredom refused to release its grip on me. To motivate my writing, I took long walks on the beach, enjoying nature’s soothing waves and majestic enchantments. The frustration of the Vampire Lorraina’s story hemorrhaging away into oblivion’s unpublished canyon, spooked me into a dormant state. Somehow, I had lost that magical connection to Lorraina’s motivation. The prospect of not finishing the book haunted me. 
     I hadn’t noticed that my wanderings in nature were becoming routine. It wasn’t until two men approached me that I realized my error. 
     There was something about the men that set off my internal bad guy alarm. One of them was a few inches shorter than me and had one hand in his pocket. The other, a big husky fellow, had a scar on his right cheek. They looked like two low-lives intent on mischief. I prayed for the power of invisibility. They stepped in front of me. 
     The small one produced a knife. The tall one balled his hands into fists and said, “Give us your money and your wallet.”
     When I was in a somewhat relaxed state, I had thought the waves to be soothing. Upon being threatened, the waves sounded angrier. 
     “You caught me at a bad time. I’m a struggling writer. Haven’t sold a book in months.”
     The short one waved the knife in front of my face and growled, “We don’t care about your problems. Give us your watch and ring too or I’ll stab you, then rob you.”
     I hadn’t thought about how I would react in a dire situation. The right thing to do would be to submit to the crooks and give them what they wanted. However, my adrenaline increased to the point I wanted to grab the little guy’s neck and snap it. The big dude must have picked up on my intentions because he punched me in my stomach. 
     “Wait.”
     I tried to plead for my life, but before I knew it, the big man had me lying face down in the sand. He plunked one knee on my back and said, “Get his wallet!”
     I had expected the shorter one to follow the brute’s orders, but instead I heard him yell. 
     “What the?” The big guy uttered, “Where did he go?”
     The brute got off me, allowing me to get to my feet. 
     “Leon!” he said, “Where are you?”
     Overcome with curiosity, I asked, “What happened?”
     The big guy scratched his head. “One second he was reaching for your wallet and the next, he was gone.”
     I noticed he didn’t have a weapon. I figured, one on one I could take him. I balanced my body in a fighter’s stance. 
     The big guy grinned, “You’re too slow for me, old man.”
     Screams! Bloodcurdling screams came from behind a large dune. 
     The big guy’s dark face grew pale. 
     “Was that your friend, crying like a little girl? This could only mean that my bodyguard is nearby.”
     “What bodyguard? You’re always alone.”
     Just as I had suspected. The two crooks had been observing my summer routine.
     “Lorraina, I would call her my guardian angel, but she definitely isn’t an angel.”
     From a distance, I spotted the vampire Lorraina Sandoval strutting towards us. Her long, illustrious, red hair swayed in the wind. When she got within a few feet, she licked the remnants of the remaining blood off her lips. 
     “Mmm, Leon was tasty.”
     The big guy remained motionless. I couldn’t tell if he was awestruck by Lorraina’s beauty or if he was hypnotized by her powers.
     I grinned, “This is when you run, dummy!”
     “Nomar, you haven’t been using your vacation wisely.” Lorraina frowned, “Why aren’t you finishing my story?”
     I shrugged. 
     She pulled my face to hers and kissed me. The taste of Leon’s blood lingered on her warm tongue. 
     Alas, the big guy spoke, “Where’s Leon?”
     Lorraina ignored him and whispered in my ear. “You lack the proper motivation, darling.”
     The big guy made the mistake of grabbing Lorraina’s shoulder. She spun, snapped his wrist, and then tore it clean off.
     His screams competed with the rushing roar of the waves. 
     “Hold this, Nomar.” She handed me his bloody left hand. I tossed it on the ground like a hot piece of coal. 
     Gurgling sounds confirmed that Lorraina drained the big guy’s life old school vampire style, puncturing and draining blood out of his throat. His body writhed as if he had touched an electrical live wire. She released the corpse when she finished. 
     I snapped out of my shock and uttered, “Thanks for saving me yet again, Lorraina. I really need to get home now, you know, finish writing your book.”
     She laughed and it took all my concentration not to soil myself. 
     “You still have three weeks left of your vacation.”
     “Yes, I will spend most of it, on your book, Lost in Darkness.”
     “I wish I could believe you.”
     I didn’t like the way she stared at me. She was still in predator mode. 
     “Don’t worry, Lorraina, this display of gruesomeness will haunt me in a productive way.”
     “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
     “What does that mean?”
     The vampire Lorraina Sandoval kept me prisoner in my own home. She threatened to snack on me if I didn’t get to work on her book. 
     To think I had been bored this summer. The old adage rang true, “Be careful what you wish for.”

© Copyright Nomar Knight 2015. All rights reserved.

A Knight Chills Flash Fiction Presentation.

Vampire Chronicles: Thrill of the Chase

Vampire Chronicles: Thrill of the Chase
by Nomar Knight


     I hid behind bushes knowing my body had betrayed me. I had become easy prey for the vampire, Lorraina Sandoval, and there wasn’t anything I could do to escape. 
     Screams! Loud, sickening screams raged nearby adding to my woes. I tried to rise off the ground, aware the shrubbery would no longer hide me from the hungry night hunter. A shooting pain throbbed in my right ankle. 
     The mortified screams ceased, allowing for the sound of angry waves crashing to shore. 
     In my mind I yelled, “Get up! Run! You can’t die, not here, not now.”
     I knew it was a matter of time before she would find me. 
     To think that the day had started out with my looking for a way to relax. The previous euphoria of writing Lorraina’s story, Lost In Darkness, and the subsequent block when I began the chase scene in chapter ten, had led me to seek solace at the beach. I had arrived in the evening, bottles of water tucked in a small cooler. I relished taking a much needed break from the mundane routine of every day life. The sunset did not disappoint. Orange and purple skies slowly dipped in the horizon. 
     “Come on! Lorraina, why does my chase scene suck so bad? What am I missing?”
     Like any writer, I tended to speak to my characters as if they were present in the flesh. Although, I made sure to be alone. People who didn’t write wouldn’t understand. They would declare me a viable candidate for the funny farm. 
     The skyline faded and suddenly I was surrounded by tiny stars. Glare from a majestic moon left me in awe. The lull of the crashing waves, coupled by a cool breeze, made me wish I had brought something stronger than bottles of water.
     “Okay Lorraina, tell me what happens next.”
     The old saying, be careful what you wish for flashed in my thoughts. The overwhelming feeling that someone watched me, made my skin crawl. Goosebumps formed on my arms. 
     “It’s just the cool breeze.” I mumbled, “No need to be afraid.” 
     “Good evening, darling!”
     I sprung off my blue beach chair and turned. “What the?”
     The vampire Lorraina Sandoval grinned like a cat about to swallow a canary. Green eyes contrasted with her black attire. 
     “How’s the writing coming along? Have you sent my story to the editor?”
     My knees shook. Suddenly, my lips went dry. “I’m stuck on chapter ten.” The tremors in my voice betrayed any attempt at hiding my fear. 
     She licked her red lips. “What seems to be the problem, Nomar?”
     There was something about the way she spoke my name. Her voice dropped in a whisper as if she was forbidden to say it out loud. 
     “I’m stuck on the chase scene. The opening is boring.”
     One second she stood in front of me, the next she hovered by my side. Her cold breath pressed against my left ear. 
     “Who’s point of view did you write it in?”
     I knew the predator could hear my heart pounding. It took all the courage I had not to run. 
     “I used Roman’s.”
     Lorraina laughed. Her evil cackling had me scanning for a latrine. Maintaining the contents in my stomach proved challenging. 
     She whispered in my ear, “Have you ever been chased, Nomar?”
     All thoughts seemed to vanish. I couldn’t move. I didn’t dare think about anything but gaining distance on the predator. 
     I managed to step back and uttered, “I don’t recall.”
     “I haven’t fed yet.” She batted her eyes, brushing her red hair away from her face. “I’ve grown tired of you, dear.”
     For a brief moment, it sounded like she had spoken from inside a tunnel. The meaning of her words filtered into my mind as if caught in a vortex of confusion. When I realized what she was implying I wanted to have the power to time leap to another dimension. Preferably, to somewhere Lorraina Sandoval could never find me. 
     She flashed fangs, “Run, Nomar!”
     Although my mind knew what to do, it took awhile for the flight signal to get from my brain to my legs. Once in motion, the sick laughter of the terror queen filled me with dread. Thoughts of stopping and giving up entered my mind.
     “No, keep going.” I said out loud.
     I had to get away from the soft sand as soon as possible. I had to make it to the maze of high bushes by the road. 
     My analytical side took over, interfering with the frantic attempt at escape. 
     “What are you doing? You can’t outrun her. She’s a killing machine.”
     “Shut up!” Talking and answering myself was madness.
     The fact that insanity clawed its way through me added to my apprehension. I imagined running in slow motion as if stuck in a time warp.
     Just when I spotted the road and my gray Corolla, the sudden change in terrain brought me down hard. My right ankle had twisted on a crack between the dirt and cement road. Sand stuck to my sweaty arms. My ankle began to swell. 
     She shouted, “Keep running, Nomar!”
     I had been held in Lorraina’s arms before. Heck, I had even known the pleasure of making love to her. The idea of giving up faded when I spotted bushes a few yards away. 
     “Hello, darling.” Her voice sang a few feet behind me. 
     Somehow, I got up and made it to a set of vast shrubbery. I didn’t understand why she toyed with me until I recalled Lorraina enjoyed playing with her food.
     I dropped to the ground again, wounded and without hope of escaping. I knew the surrounding bushes did not keep me hidden, plus, my struggle to take in gobs of air betrayed my location. Lorraina was the best hunter I had ever met. My sad fate served to remind me that there were too many things I had not yet accomplished. 
     Sudden screams jolted me upright. I had to fight on. I needed to survive, yet curiosity made me step in the wrong direction. Instead of continuing to my vehicle, I limped to where the screams had originated. I headed to the vampire Lorraina. 
     The intimacy in which she embraced a woman who had been jogging, made my jaw drop. Raw power blended with a sweet tenderness. To the average person, it appeared as if Lorraina and the woman were copulating. However, I knew the truth. I witnessed the taking of a fragile life. When she was done, she guided the woman’s corpse to the ground. The poor lady had jogged in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
     “Nomar,” Lorraina shot to me so fast that she held both my hands in hers. “Remember what you felt during the chase. Maybe you can use it for another chapter.”
     For a moment I got lost in her green eyes. She continued, “Chapter ten should be written from my point of view. Never forget what Roman is and let discovery play with the readers’ minds.” 
     The fog that had trapped my writing into obscurity began to lift. The allure of new, horrible discoveries made me grin. 
     Lorraina pressed my lips to hers. The blood of an unfortunate victim invaded my palate. She let me go and smiled, flashing her fangs for effect. 
     “Why did she have to die?”
     She shrugged, “Even vampires need nourishment.”
     I spat, “We are in modern times. You don’t need to kill anymore.”
     She shook her head. “Where’s the fun in that? You are still so naive.”
     In a flash, Lorraina Sandoval vanished, allowing me to live to continue her story, Lost in Darkness.   

© Copyright Nomar Knight 2015. All rights reserved.

A Knight Chills Flash Fiction Presentation.

Vampire Chronicles: Wolf's Blood

Vampire Chronicles: Wolf’s Blood

By Nomar Knight

     My vampire stalker, Lorraina Sandoval, bit me. The traumatizing event lived on in my recurring nightmares. On most nights I would wake feeling that my dreams were real. I’d gasped for breath and pant as if I had been running for my life. The sound of a chorus of nocturnal creatures hooting and singing, transferred to my conscious state. The noise echoed around me like a crowd cheering for a gladiator. I hugged myself, shivering from the cold.

     “Why is it so chilly tonight?” I mumbled.

     I couldn’t help but notice what a wuss I had become since moving from New York. I cringed at the thought of how my friends would tease me if they could see me shivering. The thermostat read a comfortable sixty-five degrees. The cool Caribbean breeze made my bones ache. My knees snapped, crackled and popped when I got out of bed.

     “I don’t know what you did to me, Lorraina, but I’m still human.”

     When my alleged fictional character had saved me from getting killed by a mugger, she revealed that Marie Sandoval, her twin sister, watched over me. 

     “I don’t believe you, you egotistical lunatic!”

     I waited to see if my insults would draw her out of the darkness. I hoped Lorraina would appear from nowhere and show me once again how vampires made love. Unfortunately, all I got was the continuing sounds of night, followed by dogs barking nearby.

     I slipped on a t-shirt, fetched a bottle of water, and sat on my sofa, wishing for my luck to improve. Sadness remained an unwanted companion. It appeared my most exciting characters had abandoned me.

     Halfway through the bottle, I noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere. I didn’t have the usual tightening in my stomach like when Lorraina would stop by. In fact, I couldn’t identify what was different, just that something had changed.

     I felt compelled to open the main door. I did and immediately wished I hadn’t. A black wolf growled, bared sharp fangs and drooled. Its red eyes froze me in place.

     “There are no wolves in Puerto Rico.”

My statement served to enrage the creature even more. It inched its way forward, ready to make a meal out of me. I thought about ordering it to be still, hoping that by displaying authority, it would stand down.

     “Sit!”

     The sucker leaped and knocked me flat on my back. It’s teeth lingered dangerously close to my throat.

     I remembered thinking that I was a goner for sure. A wild beast that was completely out of place would see to it that my latest vampire book, LOST IN DARKNESS, would never see publication.

     “Heel!”

     The wolf got off me and stood next to a dark shadow. When I managed to take my eyes off the creature, I spotted a pair of amazing legs encased in tight, black leather pants.

     “Lorraina?

     “Guess again.”

     Marie Sandoval sported a soft smile. Her eyes made me feel welcomed. It felt as if I had known the vampire my whole life, but alas, aside from dreams, we had never met.

     “Sorry about Thunder. He tends to be quite impatient.”

     Marie helped me off the floor. Her luscious red hair cascaded over athletic shoulders. Emerald eyes weakened my knees.

     “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.”

     “I bet you said that to Lorraina too.” She grinned.

     I stepped away from her as she reached for me. The realization that Marie was a vampire put me in survival mode. The wolf growled.

     “Shush!” Marie scowled at the beast.

     The animal rested its head on the floor. Red eyes fixated on me.

     Marie’s eyes revealed compassion. She whispered, “I would never hurt you.”

     I couldn’t believe how different she was from her twin sister. Lorraina loved playing power games. Marie seemed human.

     One second she was standing, the next, she sat on the sofa.

     “I’m not human.”

     She flashed her fangs and patted the seat so I could sit next to her. A sudden urge to run to the bathroom eventually passed as she smiled, hiding her lethal incisors.

     “Why are you here?”

     She bit her wrist, blood trickled down her hand. “Drink my essence and you shall see.”

     I smiled and sat near her. “Will I become extraordinarily strong?”

     Marie giggled. “True Blood is fiction, baby. Drink and take the journey.”

     I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She put her bloody arm to my lips and I sipped from the ancient vampire. My surroundings vanished. I no longer sat with Marie in my living room. Instead, I sprinted through trees and bushes in a dark forest with only a full moon providing illumination. My tank top ripped from thorny bushes.

     I heard voices closing in.

     “Don’t let him get away!”

     “No witnesses!” Shouted another.

     The sound of a firecracker exploded behind me. Something whizzed past my left ear and struck a nearby tree .

     Just minutes earlier, I had been hiking in the forest, clearing my head for the night,  when I had stumbled on to four men. I hid behind some greenery and saw one man exchange a bag of cash for what looked like packets. I had no idea if it was cocaine or heroin, but I figured it was illegal on account the guy counting the money got shot in the chest. The other man with him met the same fate.      He took two rounds to the chest and one to the head.

     Normally, my cellphone didn’t have a signal that deep in the woods, but as luck would have it, the damn thing made whistling sounds. I ran as fast as I could because my life depended on my past skills as a runner. Unfortunately, I was a sprinter, not a marathon man. Sharp pains nailed my ribs and stomach. Nausea threatened to make me stop running.

     I never saw the rock so I stumbled and fell. I crashed over more rocks and landed hard on the ground.

     The two gunmen caught up to me.

     “Shoot him!”

     A dark skinned man approached. Cold dark eyes revealed his intent. He pointed a nine millimeter pistol at my face. His finger was on the trigger, ready to end my existence. In a flash, I saw a black blur and the man was on the ground. A hairy beast silenced his cries. Gun shots rang. One of the rounds came within inches of my head as it took a piece of wood off the tree trunk. The second shooter screamed for a brief moment, but was silenced. The nocturnal creatures remained quiet. All I could hear was the sound of the beast gnawing at the dead man’s neck.

     My head throbbed in pain. Blood trickled down my face. The black beast with scary red eyes sauntered to me. The smell of death inched closer until all I saw was the soothing darkness.

     The gooey tongue of a canine shook me out of my stupor. When I glanced around my living room, I noticed that I was alone. Marie and her pet, Thunder, were gone.

I assumed she could still hear me so I said, “Lorraina wasn’t lying. Thank you for protecting me, Marie. I owe you one, Thunder.”

     Perhaps some day I would write about the wolf that had saved my life. I was  thankful to be alive and welcomed the cool Caribbean breeze with open arms.  

© Copyright Nomar Knight 2015. All rights reserved.

A Knight Chills Flash Fiction Presentation.

The Amazing Shawn Conn

Meet Shawn Conn, the extraordinary artist who created the cover for my first supernatural suspense thriller novel, Darkness Roams.  I first discovered the fellow New Yorker on FaceBook.  His amazing drawings and tattoos caught my attention and I was pleased to see how the book cover for my novel went from the imaginary stage to reality. 

Here’s what has to be one of the best interviews I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing.  Please enjoy your time with the gifted, Shawn Conn.

1. Shawn, what inspired you to cultivate your extraordinary talent for art?  

I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember and I've been drawn to the more fantastic side of art for about as long. I used to spend hours creating entire worlds and civilizations on pages and pages of paper. As I got older, I used to love watching old horror movies with my dad, late Saturday nights and my mother fostered a love of reading fantasy and horror. Magazines such as Heavy Metal, Famous Monsters of Filmland and eventually Fangoria became huge sources of inspiration. All of these influences, coupled with my own innate sense of the macabre lead me to the path of dark art.  

 

2. Please give us a brief glimpse into the making of the cover of Darkness Roams.

As soon as I had read the excerpt from Darkness Roams, that I was provided for reference I almost immediately had the image as it appears on the cover, come to mind. The description of the scene was so vivid in detail, that the concept was pretty much an easy jump. The most fun, was in creating the dark angel character as he was in mid ecstasy, drawing out the soul of his hapless victim. I was given general guidelines as to what the character looked like, but allowed to pretty much create him as I saw fit. That allowed me to really explore the depths of my own Catholic background and push the boundaries of what an angel is presumed to look like and how they interact with their environment. The overall composition of the cover was another big consideration for me. In all of my work, I really try to use the layout and perspective of a piece to help convey the overall feeling of the scene. In this case I took a slightly skewed angle from above, giving the viewer the feeling of floating above the scene. I also made sure that the wings of the dark angel went off the canvas, helping to reinforce the idea that he's much bigger than the mere mortal in front of him.

 

3. What advice would you give youngsters out there who would love to do what you do?

Practice. You should always be drawing, no matter what your discipline is. Get a sketchbook and always have it with you. Fill the pages with sketches and ideas, as they come to you and draw from life, as well. Figure drawing and being able to draw environments are crucial to becoming a successful illustrator. Especially if someone plans on entering the realm of fantasy art. Whether you plan on attending art school, or not, get a good foundation of basic art skills. The time I spent at art school laid the groundwork for the type of artist I would become and the style I would eventually adopt. There are also, literally thousands of tutorials and video tutorials on the internet covering every aspect of art and technique one could imagine. Never stop learning and always practice your art. 

And learn something of art history, both of the genre you wish to create for and of general art, as well. The knowledge of the masters that have come before us is as an invaluable necessity as your paintbrush, or pencil. Without a clear understanding of where we, as artists have come from, it's impossible to have an understanding of where you're going. 

Make sure you surround yourself with inspiration for your art. I have dozens of macabre toys lining the walls and shelves of my studio, as well as inspiring art and scores of art books. I read every second I get and I watch movies whenever I have the opportunity to sit down for one. Visit art galleries, check out artist's websites and immerse yourself in the genre of art you wish to pursue. 

My last piece of advice would be to never give up. Grow a thick skin, because you're going to get rejected. It happens to all artists, writers, musicians, actors, etc. Especially in the beginning of your career. When you get a rejection, look at it as a challenge to become better. Even now when I don't get a particular job, or sometimes don't even hear back from a prospective client, I let it become an impetus for creating better art. A kind of "I'll show you what I can do" attitude. 

 

4. What are you currently working on?

At this moment, I have several book covers in various stages of completion, I'm working on a really cool t-shirt design for a killer haunted house in Kansas. I have an ongoing relationship with Harcos Labs, a company who produces novelty foods and energy drinks and am helping to design labeling for their new zombie products. I'm, also a senior graphic designer for a fledgling horror film company, Horror Machine. And somewhere in there I'm trying to squeeze in some work on a couple of personal projects of my own. A pin-up book and my graphic novel.

Thank you Shawn for the amazing interview! Here's where you can find more of Shawn Conn's amazing work. 

Website: http://atomicdeadguy.com

Merchandise: http://www.redbubble.com/people/shantyshawn

Deviant Art Page: http://shantyshawn.deviantart.com/

© Copyright Shawn Conn 2012. All rights reserved.

Shawn Conn has granted Knight Chills non-exclusive rights to display this work.

© Copyright Nomar Knight 2012. All rights reserved.

A Knight Chills Interview.

She's Crying

She's Crying

By Nomar Knight

She's crying

Can't hide tears

Precious liquid

Streaming down

Past supple lips

She's crying

Clouded eyes

Only witness

The latest boy

Sprawled on grass

She's crying

Lost another

To an early grave

Died so young

What a shame

She's crying

No time to grieve

Must show

Resilience

Find another

She's crying

Starting over

Enticing the one

Sweetened love

Hook and bait

She's crying

Can't wait

He will hear

The widow's call

Black veil of lust

She's crying

Another will pay

For devil's deed

Satisfaction

Quench death's thirst

She's crying

For more blood

To drink

To gorge

To live

©2011 Nomar Knight. All rights reserved.

A Knight Chills Poem.

Bloodsucking Freaks!

I consider myself a purist when it comes to vampires.  Don't get me wrong.  I appreciate a good bending of the rules when it serves a logical purpose.  Take Blade.  He's a vampire daywalker.  Since the explanation was plausible in my warped mind, I can't see anyone else who's made a vampire in the traditional sense, roaming the country roads in daylight.  As far as I'm concerned, an attempt at shaking up the genre has served to damage it.  Recently, an article was brought to my attention of which I will post a portion of it with Jennifer Lynch's permission.  


Now, I'm in total disagreement with her when it comes to one movie in particular.  I enjoyed the movie UNDERWORLD.  Though I must admit, Jennifer claims we let things go because Kate Beckinsale is super hot!  And she's probably right, but I wouldn't place that movie in this particular list. Here's a portion of the article.  Feel free to follow the link after you read what she has to say about UNDERWORLD.  http://www.toponlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/9-vampire-movies-that-ruined-the-genre/ to read the full article. 

9 Vampire Movies That Ruined the Genre

The vampire film genre, starting with Nosferatu, began as a horror category with very specific rules for what vampires can and can't do. No sunlight, stakes, or American citizenship. But as time has worn on, the genre has grown to encompass all types of movies from comedy to romance to thriller and everything in between, and vampires can come in forms Dracula himself wouldn't recognize. Some of these films have gracefully and believably expanded the genre for fans while others have turned the category into a cinematic joke. Here are 9 vampire movies that effectively ruined the genre.

1. TWILIGHT SERIES

   This is an obvious choice for movies that ruined the genre for people who normally love it. Of course, for many teenage girls (and even some middle-age women), Twilight's sparkling vampires are the only ones who matter. Not only do these non-traditional immortals prance around in the daylight, they have supernatural strength, drink animal blood rather than that of humans (normally), and spend their free time playing family games of baseball. The author of the Twilight books even admits that she didn't really consider normal vampires when creating her own. Besides the fact that the Cullens, Twilight's clan of vampires, don't fit in with the normal undead, the movie itself is full of bad special effects and teenage angst, and its popularity stakes the death of vampires as we knew them.

2. VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN

   The vampire in this movie is played by Eddie Murphy. If that doesn't convince you that this is an awful film, you should know that Murphy also plays an alcoholic preacher and dons white face to portray an Italian mobster. These alter egos are explained away by a kind of vampire voodoo Murphy's (main) character uses to take over their bodies. Murphy falls in love with a half-vampire lady cop who is supposed to give the film some sex appeal. The movie's tagline promotes it as "a comic tale of horror and seduction," but really just shows how director Wes Craven was spreading himself too thin between genres. Falling in a weird gray area between comedy and horror flick, Vampire in Brooklyn is neither funny, sexy, nor scary and reminds us how overdone vampire movies are.

3. DRACULA 3000

   Take the classic Dracula story, add Coolio, and set it in space, and you'll haveDracula 3000. In general, when a rapper stars in a film and a classic genre is transported to the final frontier, you know the result is going to be disappointing. But the disaster of Dracula 3000 is even more spectacular than expected. Everything in this movie is terrible, including the writing, acting, and the plot in general. And while the script borrows from the original Dracula using several character names and noting that the vampires hail from the planet Transylvania, the alien vampires don't do justice to the traditional bloodsuckers or the loyal fans of the genre.

4. ONCE BITTEN

   Once Bitten is probably not Jim Carrey's worst movie, but it definitely ranks among the worst vampire movies. Since it's supposed to be a comedy, it accomplishes the purpose the director was going for, but it takes the role of vampire from creepy and mysterious to laughable. Carrey's transformation from human to vampire is overacted, as you might expect, and the movie's climactic scenes involve a dance-off in a high school gym and sex in a coffin. While you might smile occasionally during the film, the premise is slightly confusing, the timeline gets a bit muddled, and the genre here is more teen sex comedy than vampire flick.

5. UNDERWORLD

   Some people seem to really like Underworld but that probably has more to do with Kate Beckinsale's hot bod than with their love of vampires. And most people would admit that the visuals in the film (besides the eye candy of Beckinsale herself) are striking, but the plot and acting of the film cancel out the positives. The conflict takes place between vampires and a species of werewolves, though it didn't divide audiences nearly as much as the Team Edward or Team Jacob debate of Twilight. Most serious vampire fans and critics hate this movie for its poor character development and unnecessarily complicated back story, but teenage dudes and action lovers will probably enjoy it.