More vamps – more witches – and werewolves, too!

“THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON”

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2010-11, not rated

Best extra: One lone audio commentary with executive producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec

FALLING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN the angsty teen romance of “Twilight” and the aggressively sexual and violent “True Blood,” “"The Vampire Diaries,” from creator Kevin Williamson (“Scream” and “Dawson’s Creek”) is a guilty pleasure. The show has been a big hit for the CW network and with its talented cast, sharp writing, and playful tone, it’s also perfect for marathon Blu-ray viewings.

Just hit “Play All,” sit back and enjoy the cheesy fun. Set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Va., a hotbed of vampires, werewolves, and witches, the show follows vampire brothers Stefan and Damon, who both love the same young woman, Elena. She’s the doppelganger of Katherine, the drop dead gorgeous vampire who turned the boys to the dark side hundreds of years ago. Season Two finds star Nina Dobrev tackling the roles of sweet Elena and evil Katherine with great results.

The 22 episode season is spread across four Blu-ray discs. This is a surprisingly pleasing presentation of the show, rich in detail, colors and very satisfying blacks. TV shows on Blu-ray tend to be hit or miss as far as presentation goes; luckily, “Vampire Diaries” looks excellent. It’s also nice to see that Warner Bros. has listened to their critics and have begun including uncompressed DTS-HD sound for their shows. The soundstage is shockingly immersive, offering far more than crisp dialogue for audio hounds. Monster-related sound effects are powerful, the score is rousing and location ambiance is excellent. Technically, buyers should be very satisfied with the show's presentation.

Unfortunately, extra features don’t come as highly recommended. There’s less offered than the previous season, with only a single commentary, a handful of deleted scenes and just over 30 minutes of featurettes. All the video extras are in HD, with most focusing on the addition of werewolves to the series.

— Josh Boone

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