Bangkok Vampire Season 2 Episode 1

[Grethe Presnar]

SynopsisIn a small, eerie town called Hemlock Grove, a series of mysterious and brutal murders have left the community in fear. The resident and heir to the Godfrey family, Roman Godfrey (Skarsgrd) befriends a newcomer Peter Rumancek (Liboiron). Rumancek soon comes under suspicion for the murders. Two team up to find out the real culprit.

Why you should watch it: Hemlock Grove is not solely a vampire show and travels across the supernatural spectrum with different kinds of entities. When it comes to vampires, however, this show has a fresh take. They are called upirs, originally from Slavic and Turkic folklore. The show has flaws, but it is still a compelling watch if you like supernatural mysteries in small towns.

Why you should watch it: The Strain puts forward a unique concept where vampirism spreads through an outbreak. But beyond that, the narration is engaging and showcases solid performances by Stoll and Bradley. And being a Del Toro co-creation, it is a visual delight.

Synopsis: Single father Mark Kane (Bichir) has been having trouble protecting his daughter Eleanor (Baez) after she turned into a vampire 10 years before the story begins. While Eleanor is stuck at the age of 12, Mark has to feed her human blood to keep her alive. Eventually, they end up in New York, where Eleanor meets a 12-year-old boy called Isaiah Cole (Foreman). Despite their starkly different backgrounds, they bond over their mutual sense of isolation and loneliness.

Bonus tip: This show is loosely based on the 2004 novel of the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The novel has inspired two adaptations before, both cinematic. One, Let the Right One In (2008), is Swedish and the other, Let Me In (2010) is American. While both are great, the Swedish original captures the essence of the novel better.

Synopsis: The arrival of a fanatical young priest Father Paul Hill (Linklater) causes a significant upheaval in the isolated island community of Crockett Island. As his sermons begin sparking a religious revival in the community, strange occurrences begin to plague the people, including an unholy creature who begins to kill off the islanders in the dark of night.

Why you should watch it: There is a vampire in this miniseries, which brings much woe to the community. But this show is really about faith, fear and superstition and how they are all related. The strong writing is ably complemented by some brilliant performances, particularly by Siegel and Linklater.

Why you should watch it: True Blood is a deliciously lowbrow and sexy TV series that touches upon taboo topics like sexuality, addiction and prejudice with refreshing frankness. Being an HBO show, the production quality is outstanding with a solid set design and top-notch special and visual effects.

Synopsis: This gothic horror series brings together multiple literary characters from Victorian fiction, including Dr Frankenstein, Dracula and Dorian Gray. The story centres on Vanessa Ives (Green), a young woman of immense inner strength, who is fighting an inner battle against none other than the Devil himself. Helping her in her cause are a wealthy Londoner Sir Malcolm Murray (Dalton) and an American gunslinger Ethan Chandler (Hartnett). Together, they face monsters, both metaphorical and supernatural.

Synopsis: A young woman, Buffy Summers (Gellar) is the latest Vampire Slayer and a long line of people chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons and other supernatural threats to humanity. With the help of her friends Xander Harris (Brendon) and Willow Rosenberg (Hannigan), she balances her duties as the Slayer with the more routine challenges of a high schooler: studies, relationships and other growing pains.

Synopsis: Set in mediaeval Europe, this animated series follows vampire hunter Trevor Belmont (Armitage), magician Sypha Belnades (Reynoso) and dhampir (offspring of a vampire and a human) Alucard (Callis), as they battle the forces of evil vampire lord Count Dracula (McTavish). Dracula has sworn vengeance on the people of the Wallachia region (modern-day Romania) after his human wife was burned at the stake on a false accusation of witchcraft.

Why you should watch it: This richly animated series has everything you would want in a vampire show: action, gothic horror elements and astoundingly good storytelling. Moreover, the bite-sized episodes leave you wanting for more.

Synopsis: Siblings Elijah (Gillies), Niklaus (Morgan) aka Klaus, and Rebekah Mikaelson (Holt) are the original vampires (thus the title) who return to their old home, the city of New Orleans, which they helped build. Klaus is angry and brash and wishes to reclaim the city. Elijah, though, is the measured one and prefers a subtler approach. The contrary perspectives create tensions within the family. The siblings also get entangled in the politics of the local supernatural community.

Why you should watch it: This mockumentary series is just gloriously entertaining. The absurdist tone that Clement and Taika Waititi pioneered with the 2014 movie of the same name (the show is a spinoff of the movie) is at full display here. But the performances are the highlight here, with Demetriou consistently funny and watchable as the saucy, oversexed female vampire. Proksch is an extremely close second and, in fact, the episodes centred on Robinson tend to be my favourites.

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