All together now: FIIIIIVE WOODEN STAAAAKES!!!!! Advancements in the research and treatment of a medical condition known as porphyria have not abated popular culture’s fear of and fascination with the individuals who possess what novelist Anne Rice describes as The Dark Gift. But in the last 2 decades, thanks to Hollywood, we have also become great fans of the heroic and yet tragic figures whose primary mission in life is to hunt and kill, for good this time, those bloodsucking creatures (no, not IRS employees!). The vampire hunter played so masterfully by Peter Cushing in the old Hammer films has been given movie makeovers by the likes of Anthony Hopkins (“Dracula: A Love Story”), Hugh Jackman (“Van Helsing”), James Woods (‘Vampires”), Wesley Snipes (“Blade”), and even George Clooney (“From Dusk to Dawn”). In these new portrayals, they often prove to be as crafty, as crazy, and as cruel as their undead prey. When an element of camp is added to the plot, the vampire hunter can become cringing, like Roddy MacDowell (“Fright Night”), or crass, like the Frog brothers, played by Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander (“The Lost Boys”), or simply cryptic, as played by Donald Sutherland (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). Compared to the comedic tone of the movie, the television series was dark and moody. This Buffy led a team of young adults who regarded their work with deadly seriousness. The show ran for six seasons over two networks, developed a huge fan base, earned Sarah Michelle Geller a Golden Globe nomination, and propelled her into stardom. Ironically, TV Buffy called her group “The Scooby Gang.” In 2002, Geller played the live action role of cartoon character Daphne Blake when the Hanna-Barbera series “Scooby Doo (Where Are You)” was released as a feature movie. (BTW: in the cartoon series, the voice of Shaggy, Scooby’s owner/buddy, was Casey Kasem. Yep: THAT Casey Kasem.) I hope y'all are enjoying the series!! Dr. Zik