| The Lair | |
|---|---|
Title card |
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| Format | Horror LGBT |
| Created by | Fred Olen Ray |
| Starring | Peter Stickles David Moretti Dylan Vox Colton Ford |
| Opening theme | Welcome to the Lair |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 24 (as of November 6th 2009) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | here! |
| Original airing | June 1, 2007 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
The Lair is an American gay-themed vampire television series produced by here! in 2007. The first season, consisting of six episodes, wrapped production in January of that year. The first two episodes premiered on June 1, 2007. Season 2, consisting of 9 episodes debuted on September 5, 2008.[1] A third season of 13 episodes was announced in September 2008 and Colton Ford confirmed that filming took place in October and November 2008.[2] Season 3 premiered September 4, 2009. All three seasons also currently air online at Gay.com. A fourth season has yet to be announced.
Contents |
The Lair is set in a small island community, the exact location of which is unknown. Thom, a reporter for the local paper, is investigating a string of deaths of young men, known as the "John Doe murders". His investigation leads him to a sex club called The Lair, which he discovers is run by a coven of vampires led by Damian. Damian is drawn to Thom because Thom is the double of the man who turned Damian into a vampire two centuries earlier. Colin, Damian's lieutenant, schemes to brick Damian behind a wall and take over The Lair. Local lawman Sheriff Trout, also investigating the murders, finds his way to The Lair. A shootout ensues in which Damian's human henchman Frankie is killed.
As Sheriff Trout recovers from his gunshot wounds, he takes in Ian, a new arrival to the island who is pursued by a mysterious mainlander. Damian contacts Thom and convinces him to recover Damian's body and restore him. Frankie haunts Colin, warning of his imminent demise. Intrigue blooms in the form of the Lumina Orchis, a flower that blossoms only in moonlight and which casts a strange fascination over local botanist Jake to the dismay of his assistant Tim. By season's end Jake, Laura, Jonathan and the mysterious mainlander are all dead, Colin is destroyed and Thom is living at The Lair.
Thom struggles to adjust to life as the only human at The Lair. Colin enthralls Richie from beyond the grave to restore Colin, who schemes to establish a club to rival The Lair. Damian is contacted by the reclusive Frau von Hess, who has plans for him and the island. Sheriff Trout, missing the now-fugitive Ian, recalls another young man from his past. A new arrival to the island is Athan, an antiquities expert who harbors within him the spirit of a male gorgon.
On June 21, 2007, here! launched a podcast for the series. Hosted by DJ and here! personality Ben Harvey, the podcast features roundtable discussions of the series and interviews with cast members. No new podcasts associated with season two have been released; the last podcast was released in October 2007.
The Lair takes place in the same fictional universe as another here! original production, Dante's Cove. Sheriff Trout refers to Saint as "the new drug all the kids are doing". Colin speaks of being banished by an "Avatar." A book on legends of the town refers to covens of witches centered around a spring. Saint, covens led by Avatars and mystical springs are all components of the magickal religion of Tresum from Dante's Cove. As of the end of season 2, however, Tresum has not been mentioned specifically.
Dylan Vox plays a character named Colin in each series;[3] however, dialogue in The Lair indicates that his character from that series has been a vampire for a long time, perhaps centuries.
Dante's Cove director Sam Irvin and star Charlie David refer to the Dante's Cove sex club as "The Lair" and call the series The Lair "sort of like a spin-off."[4] According to Peter Stickles, The Lair was originally intended to be a direct spin-off of Dante's Cove and was originally entitled "Dante's Lair." Early in production the name was changed but the show was intended to be set in the town of Dante's Cove, but eventually the connection was dropped.[5]
David Moretti reported on The Lair podcast that he would appear as his Lair character Thom in season three of Dante's Cove, running the island's sex club, but did not elaborate on how that will come about.[6] Moretti appeared in the third episode, "Sexual Healing," and the fourth episode, "Like a Virgin," and the Cove's sex club was finally identified by name as "The Lair."[7] Whether this finally establishes that the two series are indeed set on the same island remains unclear.
Critical reaction to The Lair has been largely negative. "Awful...in a general sense [but with] true camp value" is how the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the show.[8] While the Post-Gazette singles out Moretti's performance for praise, other reviews describe various of the cast as "wooden"[9] and the acting "so amateurishly done as to be comical at times."[10]
| Cover Art | DVD Name | Episodes | Release Date | Special features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 6 | October 9, 2007 (Region 1) February 2, 2009 (Region 2) |
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| The Lair: Season 2 | 9 | February 24, 2009 (Region 1) August 3, 2009 (Region 2) |
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| The Lair: The Complete Third Season | 13 | March 10, 2010 (Region 1) |