Dear Vampires,
First of all, I apologise for not knowing your real names. It is, in my opinion, a capital crime that you were not given greater screentime in The Nightmare Before Christmas, time which might have allowed me to learn more about you beyond the basics of your vampiric identity - including your actual names. The Nightmare Before Christmas wiki informs me that you are referred to as Prince, Baron, Lord, and Count, but for simplicity's sake I will refer to you in the second person for the rest of this letter.
Let me say that I am a huge fan of your work. Even though you only made a few brief appearances in the film, I can safely say that you made an impression which lasted far longer than the movie's 1 hour and 16 minutes runtime. I would consider the four of you to be my favourite characters in the film, ranking you above the charming Jack Skellington and even that other iconic group, Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
You first attracted my attention during "This is Halloween", the opening number of the movie, where the four of you make your initial dramatic appearance. From the moment you popped out of your coffins (and appeared dangling down from the ceiling), I knew it was love.
In a sequence filled with memorable introductions, you caught my eye and then my ear - your haunting, softly wailing voices are the best part of the song. Your voices in general fascinate me: they possess an incredibly amusing quality which I can't quite put my finger on. Even when speaking, like when two of you appear to tell the mayor how your search for Jack is going, your voices retain this melodious hilarity.
That's not to say your voices are the only thing I love about you, of course. I also adore your style, so classic yet spooky - a timelessly gothic look. Your black robes with red accents on the collars are minimalist yet striking, a combination I wish I could manage to combine with such effectiveness. Your decision to sport umbrellas during the daytime - a choice made out of necessity, I'm sure - is also executed with impeccable style. I admire how perfectly your umbrellas match your robes and how they add to the elegance of your outfits. Your enviable aesthetic taste even goes beyond fashion. "Snakes and mice get wrapped up so nice / With spider legs and pretty bows" - need I say more?
Adding to the whole stylish effect is naturally the fact that you all dress exactly the same, in spite of your diverse body types. This is an admirable commitment on a fashion level, but I also wonder if this choice is indicative of a strong group identity. You all seem very close, never seen individually and even sleeping in the same room. You sing in time, coordinate group dance routines... all signs of a sort of inspiring camaraderie. The aforementioned wiki tells me that you are brothers; is this true? If so, then your closeness as a family is beautiful. If not, then I nevertheless admire the non-biological family which you share, because surely no other term could be used to describe such a close relationship as the four of you possess.
While I say all of this, I do so knowing that there is so much more I wish I knew about you. What are your real names? Are you really brothers? Were you born vampires, or were you all turned later in life? These are questions I realise I may never find the answers to, but this lack of knowledge does not diminish the love I have for your characters.
Let me finish by saying this: every so often, the sound of your voices singing "This is Halloween" comes unbidden into my head, making me smile in spite of whatever else is going on at the time. I hope you understand this as the compliment I intend it to be.
Yours faithfully,
Mary (your biggest fan)
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