So last Friday, I gave the Interwebs my first “Fangtastic Friday” post.

This Halloween, I did a Vampire A to Z week where I spent a week featuring some of my favourite vampires and vampire lore.

Doing this renewed my dormant love of all things brooding undead and so I’ve been busy rediscovering the genre and catching up on everything that’s happened since Twilight so terribly let me down about a decade ago.

In my quest to determinedly ignore blogging advice about reviewing my stats and posting on topics that have been popular, in addition to my lonely and equally sporadic Musical A to Z series, I thought I’d add this to my sometimes weekly offerings.

Because it’s my blog and I’ll write about whatever I want.

Of course, I hope at least a few others enjoy it too – but it’s mostly about me.

So that said, I’ve dressed Draculaura here up with new Fangtastic Friday lettering and we’re all official with this new swank series.

And this week? I’d like to talk about three “new to me” vampire movies I found on Netflix.

Fright Night 2 – 2013

Yeah. So when I found this direct-to-video gem on Netflix I knew where the next almost two hours of my life would be spent.

Gotta love anything billed as a “comedy horror” vampire film … and that pretty much sums it up.

No Jerry Dandridge for anyone remembering the original 1985 Fright Night, or Colin Farrell’s 2011 reprise of the role.

Instead?

You get Gerri Dandridge, sexy college professor by day, actually famous vampire by night.

I don’t know about you, but I gotta love Charlie’s devil-may-care attitude in this film. I know vampires exist? Heck! Let’s go on exchange to a college in Romania to take some unnecessary arts credit and bring my virgin ex-girlfriend along. If that won’t win her back and finally get me some I don’t know what will!

What could go wrong?

Dark Shadows – 2012

I have to admit embarrassment about having not watched a Tim Burton Johnny Depp vampire movie until about a month ago.

That said, many would maintain I hadn’t missed much and I, sadly, tend to agree.

Based on the gothic television soap opera of the same name that ran from 1966-1971, it has all the Tim Burton and Johnny Depp flair I love but I admit it took me two sittings to get through it.

The movie had some wonderful visuals and cinema. Very gothic pretty. And, well, I did love the campy – I just wish it could have contributed rather than substituted for plot development.

Hotel Transylvania – 2012

So, this movie almost won me over before I even watched it.

My 5-year-old chose it for me.

Because she’d watched it at daycare; knew I liked vampires; and thought we could watch it together.

– pause for melting of heart –

Don’t get me wrong. My kids subject me to a lot of kiddie TV pablum; but I went into this on a “bond with my preschooler” high, and it pretty much delivered.

Premise? After Dracula’s wife dies, Dracula builds a fabulous 5-star hotel and oasis getaway for the monsters of the world to escape to – where they are protected from the evil humans with their pitch-forks and fire and stakes and such.

In this sanctuary, Dracula raises his daughter Mavis, in safety and security – just like all parents dream of doing – until her 118th birthday when she wants to get out and see the world. Daddy Drac tries to control this, but events converge with the arrival of a human backpacker at the hotel and, well, young love.

The vocal cast is awesome. Dracula is Adam Sandler; his daughter – Mavis – is Selena Gomez; and other characters are voiced by Steve Bucemi, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, David Spade and Jon Lovitz.

If that isn’t enough to win you over, how about this?

@HotelT Pouty Bat #vampires : http://t.co/3kMLWDJmUs via @giphy

— Louise Hayes (@Louise_Hayes) November 29, 2014

No?

Well, then there is this diaper change, story-time scene that had me all Jerry (not Gerri) McGuire at hello:

So there’s my dive back into watching vampire movies. I have more on my list already, but give me suggestions!

Photo credits: From the montage: Fright night from here; Dark Shadows here and Hotel Transylvania here. I link to tooth brushing Depp via the picture.