The Vampire Diaries: Discussion Thread

[EricMontreal22]

It's ok, we're still good. I would love to read her thoughts on the show, I think I read somewhere that she's putting out more books now? (They were out of print for a while there, I know). She really is not much of a writer (and the show is quite diff, even from Elena's personality on). Not to True Blood-up this thread again, cuz even I am tired of all the vampire books into shows/movies comparisons, but in that case I know Chalaine Harris does speak to ALan Ball about his plot changes (though I can't help thinking they must make her sad when she realizes how much mor ebrilliant his plot choices are than hers ).

Kevin Williamson should be used to that by now anyway--Lois Duncan was endlessly harsh about the film of I Know What You Did Last Summer. (But she did have a point--the rights to the book weren't hers to sell but the book, which I read in elementary school, is a morality thriller for kids with no gruesome deaths--Wiliamson took the concept and some characters and then used them to make a massive homage to his fave 80s slasher films. Duncan's own daughter being violently killed, I think she found the very idea nd genre beneath contempt, poor lady )

[All My Shadows]

Yeah, she's doing sort of a sequel series called The Return right now. I believe she's been planning it for years and years now, but finally started releasing them about a year and a half ago...you know, when Twilight started being all the rage. Of course, the original books weren't inspired by Twilight, but I think it's fishy that she announced the sequel series over 10 years before she actually started putting the books out.

Most people that I know who've read the books only did so because they liked the show and wanted to compare/were curious/etc, and they're all in general agreement that Williamson and Plec took the story from Smith and ran with it, which isn't hard to believe. Just from the cliched excerpts I've read ("Her smooth, olive skin" -- does every female in every young adult book have olive skin?!), I'm inclined to agree.

Lois! I idolize her. Read so many of her books in junior high. IKWTDLS was such a horrible, horrible adaptation for all the reasons you mentioned. It was not a slasher story, it was about these kids living with what they did last summer and knowing that someone else out there was aware of it, too.

Funny enough, and I'm the type of person who just loves this kind of thing, Lois of course panned the big, high budget big screen adaptation of one of her works, but around the same time, Lifetime made a movie out of Killing Mr. Griffin (with Amy Jo Johnson, Mario Lopez, Scott Bairstow, some others) and Lois thought it was excellent and she praised the acting and everything, and that movie wasn't 100% by-the-book either, so I guess she genuinely enjoyed it.

[JackPeyton]

^I LOVE Killing Mr Griffen. I DVR that every lifetime high school murder movie marathon weekend! And the tori spelling cheer leading movie!

[EricMontreal22]

To be fair, and I actually pretty much hate Twilight (as does Williamson apparently, though he's a massively outspoken True Blood fan), there's no way Vampire Diaries woulda been instigated as a tv show without Twilight's success. Some fans who claim otherwise, are just delusional

Yeah, I dunno why they had to even use the book's title and get the rights--maybe the studio just had them laying around or something. I like Last Summer, it's a guilty pleasure, but I do get why Duncan was kinda horrified, lol.

I'll have to keep an eye open for it... (Kevin didn't get the idea form it for his abysmal Killing Mrs Tingle, which was renamed at the last minute Teaching Mrs Tingle, did he? )

[All My Shadows]

Oh, abso. I don't deny that one bit, because like you said, it would be delusional. I'm just glad that they didn't just basically put the Twilight plot in a TV series and disguise it with the TVD characters' names.

Yeah, it's a fun (wrong word?) movie for sure, and a true 90s classic, but as an adaptation of the book? Nooooo. And I can imagine all the fans of the movie being excited to read the book and then being promptly let down.

Probably not. Griffin didn't really have a happy ending. I don't want to spoil it if you really do come across it one day and want to watch, but pretty much, the title of the movie comes true, though not on purpose. It's really a good movie. Like JP said, it usually gets play when LMN does their every-so-often teen movie weekends.

And to go OT just for another moment, I just have to sing Lois's praises a little bit more haha. I just wish some production company would get it together and do movies for all of her major YA novels. All of them would be excellent little teen/supernatural movies, and if they could squeeze a TV show out of one or two, I'd fall over with happiness. Daughters of Eve and Summer of Fear are my favorites. And I'll stop gushing about Mrs. Duncan now.

[EricMontreal22]

Yeah there was a good interview with Williamson about how hesitant he was to do the project because he thought that's basically what they'd want--Twilight with new names. His new writing partner Julie Plec was a fan but he wasn't and she convinced him, or something.

Ha anyone who liked the movie of Last Summer would, as you say, prob be disappointed the book is squarely aimed younger.

Wes Craven, of all people, did a TV movie of Summer of Fear, called Stranger in Our House. When I was a teen obsessed with Craven I tracked it down, but honestly it's made NO impression on me. I believe it's now on DVD though. (Linda Blair is in it... right around the time she made one of my faves, Roller Boogie! LOL)

I read a bit of Duncan but swiftly moved on to (ugh) Christopher Pike I think...

Edited May 28, 2010 by EricMontreal22

[Cat]

OMG, I *loooooove* Daughters of Eve. I think I reread it every couple of years because it is so well-written and nuanced and balanced. The version I got given was the one written in the 1970s and I think I could only accept a film adaption set in that time period because the whole point of the book was women's rights rubbing up against the "old order."

Speaking of endings... Vampire Diaries season finale had the twists coming thick and fast, huh? And here I was, thrilled that Damon kissed Elena. When it was nothing of the sort!

[anita30]

Well I really loved yesturday espisode. Damon and Bonnie the sexual chemistry is off the charts. They need to just have sex. LOL.

Loving new Stefon I mean he is going to be bad ass this year. If Katherine back is bring out this kind of Stefon, I say keep her.

Jeremy what is he did the ring save him or is he a vampire now. This will be interesting.

Good show last nite.

[Toups]

Did Caroline just get killed off? I hope not! Man, you never know who's going to get killed off on this show. I love Katherine - she's so evil and sexy. And did we get some foreshadowing when she said: "You hate me, huh? That sounds like the beginning of a love story, Stefan, and not the end of one." Cut to the end of the episode and Elena is saying she hates Damon.

[Bright Eyes]

Did you not remember that Damon gave Caroline his blood? ...

[Toups]

Oh yeah.....Phew1 Then she's not dead! Thanks for the reminder.

[CassieFan]

Yup, that means she's a vampire LOL.

[Cat]

Damon's one-liners are just "Ooo. Cover up, Fabio."

Stefan: Katherine is going to try and play us against each other. You do know that, right?

Damon: Brother. Don't you worry. Our bond... is unbreakable!

If y'all want to talk about inappropriate sexual chemistry, surely the tension between Damon and Stefan is the most hoo-ya of it all. Followed closely by Damon and Elena.

Zach Roerig. Steven R. McQueen. Damn, I love the eye-candy on this show.

[BadZoe]

I'm enjoying this season better than last, although I haven't seen tonight's episode.

Their werewolves are certainly much more to fear than the lame ass ones on True Blood.

[All My Shadows]

Tonight's episode was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. Caroline was a force of fierceness the entire hour!

Stefan sucking Elena's blood at the end was extremely sexy. They're one of the few "epic love" couples on TV that actually really, really work. PW and ND have great chem.

Loved my Tyler/Jeremy tonight. Tyler invites the Jeremy and the chicks over to his house and then they ignore the girls to spend some quality time together DO SOMETHING WITH THIS, SHOW. McQueen and Trevino could potentially have as much chemistry as Wesley and Dobrev.