by Vaughn Schoonmaker
Eric Northman's flashy, provocatively named vampire bar, Fangtasia, is the perfect antidote for Bon Temps' teaming population of bloodsuckers bored up with staid Merlotte's. It's a place where "True Blood"'s vamps and humans can delight in a little mutual admiration over a cold (or warm!) beverage, and it got plenty of play on last night's season four premiere, "She's Not There," in which Eric taped a PSA encouraging dubious humans to stop by for dinner (with the promise that they wouldn't be the main course).
The rowdy, ridiculous hangout is the kind of place only a mind like Alan Ball's could dream up... Or is it? We couldn't resist asking our real vampire commentator, Michelle Belanger (@sethanikeem), if a true-life version of Fangtasia actually exists.
"In episode one when they first went to Fangtasia, all I could think about were the vampire nightclubs I’ve been to in New York and Los Angeles and New Orleans," Michelle explained. "These places do exist."
But don’t expect to walk into a real vampire bar without a hitch. "They are fairly exclusive," she informed us. "You have to be one to get to some of these places."
As it turns out, those that are open to "general customers" have VIP rooms where only vampires and their donors are allowed. (Earlier in the conversation, Michelle explained that donors are people who willingly supply real sanguine—blood-drinking—vampires with their, uh, cocktails.)
Click play on the video above to hear what other secrets Michelle dishes about vampire bars!
What questions do you have for Michelle? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
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