The Wussification of Vampires

My fascination with vampires began with Dracula, he of the widow's peak and and shiny black cape. I was too young to really understand all that blood drinking and swooning but there was something interesting about him. People were afraid of him, whole villages actually, but the ladies still had a thing for him.

A few years later I would discover "Dark Shadows" and Barnabas Collins. I was a still a child but still not getting it; what was it about Barnabas? He wasn't in the front of the line when looks were being given out, but there was just something about him.

Over the years there have been many other movie and television vampires; possibly you have favorites of your own. If you're an older person maybe you think no one could top Bela Lugosi or Klaus Kinski; at the other end of the spectrum many people are still mourning the loss of "Angel". One thing about them, they all had a certain something that made them compelling and strong and dangerously interesting.

We all know the rules; can live forever, must drink blood, mustn't get caught in the sun, must be invited into a place in order to enter. A wooden stake through the heart, holy water and the head cut off is the only way to make sure they're dead because above all these creatures are of great power.

There have been a few signs in the latter years of what I call, "The Wussification of Vampires". They have gotten better looking (what happened to the Barnabas Collins type vampires?), developed consciences so that they don't have to prey on humans (they either only feed on criminals or get their blood from a blood bank) and they have jobs. One thing that was a constant was that power that emanated from them.

The Wussification of Vampires has reached its peak in the person, so to speak, of Mick St. John in the new vampire television show, "Moonlight". I have watched a couple of episodes, so if I still possess the talent to have shows canceled then this drivel should be off the air shortly.

Mick St. John is a private detective, which seems to be the popular vocation for vampires, (you know, they can work at night)and that brings him into contact with bad guys. On a recent episode Mick the Vamp had been chasing a bad guy whom he intended to kill and unfortunately was stopped mid-bite by the arrival of the police. He goes scampering into the night like a scared rabbit (WTF?) and said bad guy goes to jail; but now bad guy knows that Mick is a vampire and when he gets paroled years later he goes hunting for him.

Bad guy is really on top of his game unlike Mick the Vamp and he manages to make it look like Mick is stalking him (normal stalking if there is such a thing, not "vamp" stalking) and has attacked him. Bad guy has no aversion to injuring himself right up to, and including, shooting himself and so Mick looks like the psycho. Oh, I forgot to mention Bad guy shoots himself in Mick's APARTMENT! That's right, he broke in, and was waiting for him when the Vampire was away.

I don't know if you could hear me screaming: "What a wuss!" but I was. This guy is a disgrace to the entire Vampire genre and I am getting weary of his frightened, dear-in-headlights, expression which he wears all too often.

You'll pardon me for the obvious pun but Mick St. John and the show, "Moonlight" sucks.