Durham Red and the Return of the Problematic Vampire

[Alec Worley]

Did an essay about writing the new Durham Red, why the Wagner/Grant/Ezquerra version was so iconic, vampire fiction, bloodletting and all that good stuff.
Aaaaand you can read it right here.

[Barrington Boots]

Really good article this, thanks Alec! Some insightful thoughts on Red herself and vampires in popular culture and how they've very much been de-fanged, so to speak.

The idea of a vampire as a gloomy, romatic with magic powers has never interested me and I think they work much better as creatures of real horror (Realm of the Damned was excellent in this regard). I think reading this you've definitely suceeded at potraying Durham Red as a murderous, horrible individual struggling to be better and it's a very good take, even if it has veered into places I personally haven't enjoyed.
I'd be interested to know if you think a redemption arc is possible for the character now you've taken her down a far darker path - although I appreciate you may not want to discuss future plans for her!

[broodblik]

A good read thank you Alec.

[IndigoPrime]

This has been on my digital read pile for a while. Really good stuff. And I'd echo much of what Mr Boots above had to say.

[Richard]

That's a great article and I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks also for the link to Kim Newman's essay.

[Alec Worley]

I'd be interested to know if you think a redemption arc is possible for the character now you've taken her down a far darker path - although I appreciate you may not want to discuss future plans for her!

Cheers, Barrington! The ambiguity is interesting, right? Civilised societies pride themselves on the notion that everyone – no matter how evil - is capable of some sort of redemption. Then again, what kind of redemption could ever be possible for crazed, remorseless monsters like Hitler or Ian Brady? Who gets to choose where that line is drawn? And, when it comes to popular stories about hitmen and killers, where do our sympathies lie? Which faction or species is getting 'othered' by whom?

Kim Newman (again) made a really good point in Shivers magazine back in the day regarding Buffy. He said that the premise of the show kinda unravels the moment a single vampire is capable of being rehabilitated. Every vampire Buffy nails could be a potential redemptee! It makes what she does feel less like heroism and more like genocide. I guess it's all in how you frame the story.

Thanks to everyone for reading!