» Vampires Deconstructed: 10 Iconic Visions of the Blood Sucking Undead.

Do you watch “True Blood” on HBO? If you haven’t, you need to and if you have, you know what I’m talking about, ’cause that show is out-fricken-standing. Love that show. I’m bummed that we’ll have to wait till the 13th to see the finale. “True Blood” brings the vampire genre to a whole new level of awesomeness.

What’s great about the show, is they really take a lot of chances with it, and they go hard. The plot twists and action are unrelenting. And this second season’s going really dark with the development of Maryann the Maenad. Now you got vampires, orgies, cannibalism and the fictional town of Bon Temps’ residents are under a zombified spell.

The thing that makes True Blood’s vision of vampires so great is they have created a world where vampires have become integrated into society, thus making them more human. They’re modern, yet they’ve lived countless lifetimes. Recent years, with the massive appeal of the “Twilight” series; the books and the hit film, vampires are at the pop culture forefront. “Twilight” is hugely successful, and in November “New Moon”, the next installment of the franchise, is being released.

The CW is debuting their own cheesy “Twilight” inspired series called “Vampire Diaries” with brooding, paleteenagers and even a Kristen Stewart lookalike. But isn’t this what entertainment is all about? Capitalize on trends and retreads? Vampires are a hot commodity now, kinda like the zombie genre, it never really goes away, it’s a horror concept that’s been proven time and time again to capture the hearts and minds of our society since Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” was published.

All of this started to make me think about my historical perception of vampire iconography.

1. The Count
Fuzzy, felt, with big goofy fangs teaching kids their numbers. (Probably my earliest intro to vampires.)

2. Christopher Lee and memories of Saturday Horror Matinees
When I think of the classical “Dracula”, I think of Christopher Lee, no one else. He’s the benchmark. Black satin cape – check. Widow’s peak – check. Peter Cushing – ehhh, yeah check, but I prefer to think of Cushing more as Grand Moff Tarkin than Dracula. Even Bella Lugosi sits in the back seat. My money goes to Lee. He’s got that classic cool ghoulish look, adult Eddie Munster gone bad.

3. Floating Vampire Kid in Pajamas (where they striped?)
Anyone remember the 1979 mini-series “Salem’s Lot” — based on the Stephen King novel? Well I definitively can’t tell you I saw the entire thing, and I know I didn’t read the book, but what I do remember is the creepy floating kid tapping on his friend’s window beckoning him to come outside and play. A little unsettling I must say.

4. The hip 80’s pre-hair metal Vampire
Before Jack Bauer became, well Jack Bauer — Keifer Sutherland was the first to make Vampires appealing to teens. Donning a spikey Billy Ray Cyrus mullet and a rebel attitude, the vampires of the 1987 film “The Lost Boys” made undead bloodsucking an ultra hip keg party that only the cool kids could go to.

5. The Vampire with a Tan
George Hamilton’s “Love at First Bite” gave us a vision of the Dracula you picture poolside at the Palms with a facial tanner.

6. Fey Vamps
Not that there’s anything wrong with that but take “Interview with a Vampire“; you’ve got 2 hours of some kind of behind the scenes gay-love triangle between Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas. “True Blood” has some weird sexual tension too — tell me right now that Eric doesn’t look like a German gay porn extra. And all the male characters on “Twilight” look androgynous to me.

7. I’m a Vampire and I’m so sad
The “Twilight” series has the market cornered on the “I’m a Teenage Vampire and my life totally Sucks! Everybody is sooooo unhappy, and everthing is so fiercely serious I could die!” Stay tuned, this isn’t going away anytime soon.

8. Scary Vampires of “30 Days of Night“
If you like Vampires, then “30 Days of Night” is your kinda flick. That movie rocks. It’s really strong in depicting more of an apocalyptic tone of survival against the a vampire horde. These vamps were flat out terror.

9. William Dafoe does not need makeup to be scary
“Nosferatu” brought cinema one of the first visions of vampires with the 1922 ghoul Count Orlok. Hollywood resurrected the story of the making of that iconic film with “Shadow of the Vampire” starring Willem Dafoe — who probably didn’t need much makeup because that dude can send shivers down anyone’s spine. Just look at him!

10. The Smokin Hot Vampire
There’s always that allure and sexual tension of vampires. And when I think of hot vampires, Kate Beckinsale from “Underworld” is making the board light up.

“BloodRayne” is a distant 2nd, but I’m talking the Playstation 2, 3rd-person action game, not that awful Uwe Boll movie — afterall, you spend the whole game starring at her backside.

I know I left a long line of screen vamps off my list, but that’s just it, it’s my list. So what about you? When you think of vampires, what visions do you conjure first?