Amac Productions

In prepping for this the other night after I realized it was ten years of Carmilla, I played the song above, and my kitty got all excited.

This is what I was watching when I brought her home from the shelter, non-stop. It became a comfort show for her and I would play it from time to time to get her comfy or to calm her. It’s cute that after a time without it, she still loves it as much as before and will sit and look for the show when it’s theme plays.

So adorable!

Anyway!

I completely forgot until Carmilla stuff started popping up all over my Tumblr dashboard and when I looked closer, I discovered it’s been ten years of Carmilla.

On August 19th, 2014, the internet got one of the best lesbian vampire series it could have never asked for.

Lead by two leads with an undeniable chemistry.

On a YouTube channel that had no idea what was going to happen to the ‘little web series that could.’

It went from having one low budget season without any actors of color because they were too expensive given, they would be part of a union. To having a movie paid for in part by the fans.

There were even whispers of the series becoming a full time TV show.

Ultimately, that didn’t pan out.

Which sucks, because I would have watched the hell out of that.

I know some people weren’t crazy about the movie, but honestly, I thought it delivered. Even though it turned Carmilla back into a vampire. It’s my one critique of the movie, because I felt like it undid a bit of the hard work we got at the end of the series.

Although, I did like the possible toss in that there’s a fountain of youth. Suggesting that Carmilla and Laura could live together, forever.

Overall, the series was chaotic, funny, and utterly ridiculous.

Because it was.

In the first season, Laura is a wide-eyed college student who believes that doing the right thing all the time and being good means, everything will turn out alright in the end. Meanwhile, Carmilla is a cynical vampire who knows better, but is also ultimately, an idiot in love.

Season two, Carmilla establishes that unless Laura’s life is on the line, she wants nothing to do with being the hero. While Laura completely misunderstands everything about Carmilla. She considers Carmilla’s good deed of saving her life to mean she’s a good guy now, when it’s not the case. Carmilla views saving Laura as a selfish act of purely her own interests and keeping Laura safe while she tosses herself headfirst into danger is about what she wants. Laura believes that Carmilla and she can save the day, but makes everything worse.

Season zero. In a bunch of tapes that Laura and Carmilla find, we see a story before the story. Carmilla investigates something for her mother and nothing of interest happens with their relationship aside from awkward hand touching moments in present. But in the past, Carmilla is told by a powerful entity she will meet her match in a form of a shrew of a girl. Carmilla disregards the statement believing her mother would never allow it.

Then season three happens and everything is for sure turned on it’s head. Laura wants no part of the coming conflict. She fears she will only make things worse. Things are awkward between her and Carmilla after their break-up and not knowing where they stood with the life saving and all. As Laura tossed everyone into danger to save Carmilla at the end of season two.

Laura’s father arrives with more chaos and is annoyed with Carmilla but soon finds some common ground as they both desire to keep Laura safe. Although, they disagree on the how.

Laura ultimately decides to fight again.

And she and Carmilla find an understanding.

Meanwhile, all sorts of hijinks ensue around and with them.

Carmilla’s sister appears and tries to kill Laura. Repeatedly. They break up. And even that doesn’t stop Carmilla’s protections as she insists Laura is off limits to her sister at all times. To her sister’s annoyance.

Carmilla and Laura annoy each other.

Laura has Carmilla murder someone for Christmas.

They cuddle.

Ignore personal space. A lot.

Laura’s original roommate is a snob.

People are possessed. People die and come back as vampires. Someone is used as food. There’s a crush that goes nowhere. Several crushes actually.

I’m not sure if some people are a couple or not or a throuple or not. It’s hard to tell.

We take advice from a man in a computer. Take him out of a computer and put him into a vampire. He becomes a high priest. Then dies. I think…

Carmilla is also revealed to be a high priestess.

There’s so many hijinks and crazy.

Also, a door that depending on where you know, tries to kill you.

Go figure.

The series is a delightful romp through chaos and love and college and not college and vampires and magic that it is still somehow grounded in characters that are relatable. I have no idea how that works, but just trust me.

And the movie proves to be no different.

Carmilla never choose to the right thing for the right thing’s sake.

Not even in season three. Her mother pissed her off and she wanted her dead. Pretty simple actually.

In the movie, Carmilla is content to live her life until her past comes to haunt her present. Causing issues in not only her life but Laura’s. And just like everything Carmilla does, she heads out to sort out this issue to save Laura.

And ultimately, she saves more people than that and proves there’s more to her than her own selfish desires as with most people.

On the flip side, proves that Laura also struggles with her selfish urges as she wished to leave everyone to rot to have her happy ending with Carmilla.

Which is relatable on both fronts.

Overall, this series never fails to make me happy.

It’s silly and ridiculous and over the top and not the best. It’s cheesy in some places but it works because the character beats make everything else worth it. Everyone has their own story here. They all feel like main characters to themselves, even when they’re not.

How does it fit together? It doesn’t, in the best way.

Everyone has a purpose and a story and something to gain or lose as we go.

It’s worth a watch even ten years later! Check it out!

Thanks for reading!

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