Vampires rule the movie world anew

MANILA, Philippines - In recent years, vampires have always surpassed zombies, witches, and werewolves in the hierarchy (The Twilight Saga, True Blood, Vampire Diaries). Now, vampires rule again; this time with Vampire Academy (VA).

VA is based on the widely-popular book series by Richelle Mead — a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. The series sold more than 10 million copies worldwide; and won Best Teen Series in the Teen Read Awards and Best Graphic Novel and Comics in the Goodreads Choice Awards.

The movie stars Zoey Deutch as Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir, and guardian to a Moroi named Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry) at St. Vladimir’s boarding school for vampires. Expect a whirl of fighting, explosions, disrobing and smooching — oh, and biting, of course. It all adds up to a Twilight-meets-Mean-Girls vibe, which is not surprising when you realize that director Mark Waters also made 2004’s Mean Girls. And screenwriter Daniel Waters wrote the script to 1988’s Heathers, another tale of dark high-school politics. With such great people on board, how could Vampire Academy not be a hit?

Who are part of the Vampire Academy?

Moroi: Basically these are “living” vampires — the good guys. All Moroi, including Lissa, need blood to live, but they also possess magic. Each one specializes in a certain element: Earth, water, fire or air. Though they have these gifts, using them is not allowed, especially for personal gain.

Dhampir: These are a strange hybrid of Moroi and human. Because of a genetic glitch, Dhampirs can’t have children with each other, but they can reproduce with Moroi. This is part of why Dhampir want to protect the Moroi, because without them, their race would die out.

Strigoi: These are the bad guys. Technically, they’re the “undead” vampires, unable to go out in the sun at all. There are a couple of ways to make a Strigoi: Either a Strigoi can forcibly turn a human, Dhampir, or Moroi with one bite, or a Moroi can become a Strigoi by choice by purposely killing another person while feeding on his blood. That second route is considered really dark and twisted. Strigoi can be killed one of three ways: With a stake through the heart, by cutting off its head, or by setting it on fire.

Feeders: Humans who volunteer to donate blood to feed Moroi. Because Moroi saliva triggers an endorphin rush when it enters the bloodstream and causes a high, these people are generally regarded as addicts. Though they’re necessary to Moroi survival, the feeders are looked down upon as drug users.

No young adult adaptation is complete without an accompanying soundtrack of “dark” and “edgy” pop music, and Vampire Academy has given us just that.

A song that Katy Perry wrote with her boyfriend John Mayer will be featured on the soundtrack of the upcoming movie. The track is titled Spiritual, and you can also find it on the deluxe edition of Katy’s latest disc, Prism. 

Vampire Academy opens in cinemas nationwide today.