School for Little Vampires - does season 1 hold up
Remember how fun it is to be a vampire?
Hi, Girlie! Welcome to the new and improved In The Pillow Fort! Regardless of the move, the spooky season continues! Today, we're talking about one of my favourite childhood animated series; School for Little Vampires!
Trigger warning: mentions of blood
School for Little Vampires is an animated show which follows the students and faculty of the titular school. Of course, they're all vampires. The series follows the various shenanigans of the students in and around the school, with a largely episodic format. The main overarching plot focuses on Oskar and his feelings for a human girl named Sunshine. The problem is that Sunshine lives with her grandpa, Paulus Polidori, who is a vampire hunter.
There is very little information about the production of this series. According to IMDb, it was originally produced in Germany, Italy, and France, with the original language being German. In Europe, it aired in the late 2000s to early 2010s, and was released later in the US in 2017.
Nowadays, School for Little Vampires seems to be quite forgotten. I've asked a few people about it over the years, and at most they have a vague memory of it. Even the show Wiki has very little information beyond episode summaries. Meanwhile, my wannabe edgy self had the season 1 DVDs and rewatched them over and over again. I revisited the season for this post to see if it holds up.
The vibes are immaculate
The art style of School for Little Vampires is one of the most unique ones that I have ever seen. It's pretty but has a layer of surreal and unsettling placed over it. Even the most ordinary objects are twisted just enough to make them creepy, such as the park benches with their elongated backrests and rolled-up ends. They're imposing, looming, and look incredibly uncomfortable, yet they are just benches in this world.
It's obvious that the vampire school itself would be creepy and twisted. However, the surrounding town being influenced by it and having its own level of creepiness takes the world-building to the next level. There's very little stylistic distinction between human and vampire architecture. The humans living in the town are not phased by it. It's a very interesting dynamic and it makes me feel like vampire and human culture have co-existed in this area for so long that they blend together.
This series does not shy away from the macabre. Blood, graveyards, death, etc. are regularly mentioned and shown. Not in a gory way, but I'm definitely not used to seeing bags of blood in other animated shows once every few episodes. I think that's also what drew me in as a kid. Vampire lore is not too sanitised. Whereas other vampire media might substitute bloodthirst for tomato juice, this series is very clear on the fact that they drink blood... save from Oskar who faints at the sight of it.
Characters to die for
Off the bat, these characters are not that deep. The students and the faculty are very archetypal with a few quirks and interests to set them apart. My favourite student is Gothetta. She has no archetype other than being the girl. Rather than leaning into the stereotypes about feminine people, they genuinely gave her a personality and made her the most interesting character. Also, I have always LOVED her design!
The faculty is where most of my favourite characters actually lie. The school is led by Count Alarich von Horrificus. Menacing, mysterious, and gives off the vibes of an all-knowing; all-powerful ancient being. He also has a killer sense of style. I had/have a massive crush on this man. There's a scene in episode 2 of season 1 where he hypnotises a woman to presumably drink her blood. I would have done so willingly.
Then there's Lady Cryptina who is the most glamorous vampire that I have ever seen in a cartoon. Her design is modelled after Lucy Westenra in Bram, Stoker's Dracula. Also; she canonically has a skin care routine to preserve her pale complexion and is amazing at kicking ass with martial arts.
The character designs and names often reference other pieces of vampire or horror media. The design of Lenny, the school's cook/janitor/all-around handyman, is inspired by Riff-Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show, professor Oxblood is clearly based on Nosferatu, while the student Stoker has the name of Bram Stoker; and his design is inspired by the Dracula played by Bela Lugosi.
In season 2 there's a Madame Maxine. Her design is a nod to the goth icon Vampira, with her micro waist and plunging neckline. Catching these references was always such a fun part of School for Little Vampires, especially as I grew up and got more into classic horror.
The (cemetery) plot is lost
While I love the vibes and design of the show, I have always had some struggles comprehending what's going on and the reasons for things that were happening. The average run time of an episode of School for Little Vampires is 12 minutes, so it's natural that the storylines have to be quick. But sometimes, it seems like the characters are pulling stuff out of thin air or that there's a part of conversation missing between sentences.
The original language of the series is German so I couldn't watch the episodes in their original language. Undoubtedly some things got lost in translation. However, I watched the Croatian and English dubs and both had this issue, sometimes in the same spots.
The episodes require a lot of suspension of disbelief. The plot holes are plentiful, the resolutions are rushed. In one episode, the students are learning to manipulate their shadows. The class has just started, as Oxblood is introducing the lesson. The Count enters, demonstrates how he controls his shadow before leaving. Then Oxblood asks the students to show him what they've learned, without giving them any explanation behind the techniques they can use or how the power even works.
The main plot line of Oskar's crush for Sunshine was also never interesting to me. There isn't any chemistry there. Sometimes, it actually seems like Sunshine doesn't like Oskar very much. They're kids so I understand that they won't have the most profound storyline ever, but Oskar and Gothetta have much more chemistry to me. Even as a kid, I didn't care about Sunshine. In season 1 they barely spend any time together, so maybe that's why.
Wrapping it up
Basically, this series is incredible to just lose yourself in and not think about it too much. It does a great job at setting up the feeling of the world and character vibes, but if you're an adult who wants to relate to the characters or follow coherent stories, I don't think School for Little Vampires holds up.
I have yet to watch all of season 2 and the rest of the 2 seasons; so maybe there are some more overarching plotlines. I still like the show for its worlds, it's silliness, and the fact that it caters to kids with an interest in vampires.
Thank you for visiting the Fort this spooky season! I hope you like the new look! If you would like to continue talking about School for Little Vampires or other similar series, make sure to leave a comment in the Guestbook or e-mail me at dorianbay@proton.me. Until next time, happy Halloween!
Dorian
The blog’s header and the drawing featured atop this post were made by @ambybun on Instagram
The DVD cover featured on the drawing was made by me