The entertainment world has always been vampire crazy, and much like a vampire’s reflection, the end of this bloody trend seems non-existent. Oscar-winning filmmaker Neil Jordan has just announced that he is teaming up with producer Stephen Woolley to make "Byzantium”, a female vampire movie starring Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan in the lead roles.In light of this recent news, we thought – why not base our holidays on some of our favourite vampire movies? Here are some of the most famous vampire films, and where you can go to get your fangs into the action.
“The Lost Boys” – (1987) – Santa Cruz, California USA.
o The original vampire movie for rock stars and rebels, The Lost Boys is set in Santa Clara, but mostly filmed in Santa Cruz, a town in the U.S. state of California. The film follows the story of Michael, a teenager who becomes involved with a leather jacket clad gang of young vampire bikies, eventually becoming a half-vampire himself. If you visit Santa Cruz yourself, stop past the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, California’s oldest surviving amusement park where most of the movie was filmed.
“Twilight” – Forks, Washington USA
o We know, we know, but we couldn’t mention vampire movies with at least some reference to Twilight. Although filmed mostly in British Columbia in Canada, the film is set in the town of Forks, Washington USA. The town’s website has a dedicated ‘Twilight’ section for manic Twilight fans who come to visit, and holds events such as “Stephanie Meyer Day” every year. If you prefer the beautiful nature in the film and not the screaming fans, we suggest you visit Canada instead…
“London After Midnight” (aka “The Hypnotist”) – 1927 – London, UK.
o This creepy silent film follows the story of a caped, fanged character and his ghostly female companion who mysteriously move into a deceased man’s home after he is shot dead. If you’d like to visit some of London’s ‘haunted’ buildings and other scary spots, a number of companies offer Horror Tours and Vampire Walking Tours every night. All major airlines offer daily flights to London, so getting there is easy,
“Daybreakers” – 2009 – Gold Coast, Queensland Australia.
• Set in the year 2019 when a plague has turned the majority of humans on earth into vampires, Daybreakers follows the story of vampire researchers trying to invent a substitute for blood, in order to save what’s left of the human race. The film was shot at Warner Brothers Studios on the Gold Coast in Australia. If you want to visit the studios (and soak up some Queensland sun in true non-vampire form) it’s easy to find extremely cheap flights. Australia has plenty of discount airlines, making it affordable to plan your vampire holiday.
“30 Days of Night” – 2007 – Barrow, Alaska.
• A snowy twist on the vampire trend, 30 Days of Night is set in an Alaskan town which experiences a full 30 days every year where the sun does not rise. Of course, as soon as this darkness takes over, the vampires and monsters come out to play. The film was actually filmed in Auckland, New Zealand, so if you want to see some snow and beautiful landscapes minus the vampires, there are plenty of flights to New Zealand departing daily on most major airlines.
Marina Pliatsikas writes for cheapflights.com.au
