Review of FROM DUSK TO DAWN

FROM DUSK TO DAWN - first season.

 2014 series, horror, fantasy, mythology, vampires,

A beautiful young woman is running through the jungle with dark-skinned natives in pursuit. They catch her and throw her into a pit full of snakes, one of which, in a don't-tell-me-this-isn't-Freudian shot, plunges itself deep into her wide open mouth.

The scene shifts to two Texas Rangers, rookie FREDDIE GONZALES and his mentor, EARL MCGRAW. They walk up to a convenience store out in the desert, but unfortunately, brothers SETH and RICHIE GEKKO, who have just robbed a bank and killed some people, are inside. Seth is sort of a nice guy. He describes himself as a thief, not a killer, and, in fact, he does not kill people, at least not for the hell of it. Richie, on the other hand, is a total nutcase.

Seth tells the store clerk not to let the ranchers know he and his brother are there. The ranchers enter, and Earl says he wants to 'drain the lizard'. When he returns from the bathroom, Richie, convinced that 'drain the lizard' was a code to the rangers, starts shooting. Earl is mortally wounded, and with his dying breath, tells Freddie to kill the Gekko brothers. Freddie agrees. He will pursue the brothers no matter what the cost - his career, his life, and even his family's life. And it may very well come to that.

Though the title and the first scene suggest supernatural, the rest of the pilot episode doesn't show it. True, Richie hears voices and sees weird images, but he's so crazy, you don't have to consider paranormal. But in the second episode, vampires appear, and in the third episode, the snake lady is explained.

There is only one clear shot of naked breasts, which is strange because a lot of the action takes place in a bar called the Titty Twister. Maybe they felt that unlimited murder, torture and blood was okay for kiddies, but bare boobs?  No way.

The series is an elaboration of the movie, From Dusk to Dawn and, like the movie, is violent, interesting, and without a lot of repetition. On the whole it grabs your interest. Another season is planned, and I'll probably watch it. I give it ++++. It will get your pulse up to a run.

Review of TRU-BLOOD

TRUE BLOOD - Episodes one and two.

In the near future, scientists have synthesized a compound called Tru Blood that contains all the nutrients of the human substance. This discovery has enabled vampires to survive without having to kill people. Thus, they have come out of the closet--or coffin--and now live openly with people. Not everyone accepts them.  In particular, the religious right regards them as Satanic, soulless monsters and vigorously opposes their integration into society. In response, vampires have formed advocacy groups with respectable looking spokespeople, and are lobbying for equal rights with humans.

SOOKIE is a pretty young woman who works as a waitress. She is telepathic and doesn't date because she can hear the lascivious thoughts of boys who take her out. A vampire, BILL, moves into an abandoned house once owned by his ancestors centuries ago. Sookie can't hear Bill's thoughts. Also, he's kinda handsome, and she's attracted to him.  Sookie's grandmother, ADELE, has no problem with this relationship, but most other people, including Sookie's loudmouthed friend TARA, boss SAM, and brother JASON are convinced that vampire Bill will hurt Sookie.

Like In the Flesh the parallels to prejudice against minority groups in real life are obvious. Certainly, vampire Bill is a nice guy, and the dislike so many people show against him feels unjust.  However, not all vampires are so benign.

The vampires are reasonably standard. They must have blood (or the substitute) to survive, they can't stand daylight, and they can move impossibly fast, appearing and disappearing instantaneously.  Some can change into bats or wolves, but not all. So far, there's no mention of garlic or crucifixes. They do have some atypical features. Silver weakens them, and is a means whereby some people can trap them and drain their blood, which can be sold at a high price as a potent tonic.

These vampires can definitely have sex.

The story has lots of action with various fights, murders, and soft-core-porn sex. The characters are interesting, though some of them, like loudmouth Tara are overdone. The vampires snap their fangs into place instead of taking a second or two to extend them, which is sort of silly, and the first two episodes end in cliffhangers that are way too obvious. But these are minor complaints.  In general, this promises to be a good series to help your workout, especially for people who like vampire stories.  I give it ++++ - it will get your pulse up to a run.