[Prestidigitweeze]

Surely what's ruined zombies for us has been their exhaustion as a metaphor and, ultimately, their second life as a meme. Dawn of the Dead was a high point of Zombie Exegesis but also signaled the dawn of the obvious. "Shot after shot of zombies looking lost and hungry in a shopping mall -- what could that possibly mean?"

Shaun of the Dead was an even more obvious turn despite the flick's many merits. After that, Romero found a wedge of new territory (zombies' second sentience) but didn't manage to slow the shambling class's death by metaphor.

The living dead are now the fallback for spoofs, as post-Scorcese Italian mobsters became before them. Expect a zombie romcom in the next few years.

Vampires have gotten wearisome because the Twilight books sanitized them. Even the Showtime version of True Blood has gone that route as of its fourth season: Sensitive vampires who initiate gentle sex while whispering slogans from perfume ads.

But active fangs are more like an S&M prop. Real vampires either do it rough or kill whichever prospective partner seems to want it that way.

Less gauze-obscured narratives reveal the hilt-deep ugliness of blood urges.

By the way: The worst written of TB's most embarrassing episodes are all by creator Allan Ball. That should tell you something about the show's purple histrionics.