Scarecrow suggests | Vampire and werewolf flicks that will get your blood pumping

Our "Twilight: New Moon" recommendations begin with the HBO series "True Blood." "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball adapted this supernatural soap opera from Charlaine Harris' book series "The Southern Vampire Mysteries." The show is set in a fictional small town in Louisiana called Bon Temps where, thanks to a conveniently available supply of fake blood, humans and non-humans can coexist in relative peace. A series of murders shatters this calm and throws young waitress and telepath Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her vampire boyfriend Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) into the thick of things when her older brother is named the main suspect. These gruesome happenings set the framework for the first season, along with the citizenry's various domestic and romantic entanglements (fans of the show say the show can get as steamy as the swamp in which it's set). The show is about to begin filming its third season, but right now only Season One is available on DVD.

"Ginger Snaps" (2000) is a different kind of teen horror, using lycanthropy as a metaphor for changing relationships. When Brigitte's older sister Ginger is bit by a werewolf, she begins to grow a tail and the two start to grow apart. Although less smart-alecky than "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" or "Heathers," it shares their teenage emotions, morbid humor and sympathy for outcasts.

Teenagers playing monsters on film is not an entirely modern concept. In 1957's "I Was A Teenage Werewolf," Michael Landon (Pa from "Little House on the Prairie") plays a rebellious young man named Tony Rivers who seeks professional anger-management assistance. The "professional" turns out to be a wannabe mad scientist who hypnotizes Tony, reawakening his inner werewolf with deadly results for all. For a more comical take on the young-werewolf phenomenon, there's the dynamic '80s duo of "Teen Wolf" (1985) and "Teen Wolf Too" (1987) starring Michael J. Fox (as the original high-school wolf) and Jason Bateman (as his college-age cousin), who use their newfound powers to excel at sports and love, then abruptly realize they don't need to rely on the hair to achieve their goals. There's also the very young and very undead Kirsten Dunst in "Interview With A Vampire" (1994), who holds her own evil-wise with fellow vamps Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

If Blade ever visited Forks, things would change pretty quick. Played brilliantly by Wesley Snipes and based on a '70s Marvel Comic character, he's a half-vampire who dedicates his life to the slaughter of bloodsuckers. With its bad-ass swagger, techno soundtrack and stylish violence, "Blade" (1998) is the antithesis of "Twilight." Things get even more interesting in Guillermo Del Toro's "Blade II," (2002) which delves deeper into the weird vampire mythology. "Blade: Trinity" (2004) is nowhere near as good as its predecessors, but does manage to get in some kick-ass moments along with the banter provided by new vampire hunters Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds that provides either annoyed eye-rolling or blessed comic relief, depending on how seriously you're taking the film.

For more vampire and werewolf action, we also like last year's Swedish teen-vampire movie "Let The Right One In," the tumultuous love triangle of 1983's "The Hunger" starring Susan Sarandon, Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie, and the Gothic spectacle "Queen of the Damned" (2002) and the "Underworld" films.

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