Dreams, fantasy, and mythology have fascinated me since my early childhood. From the exploits of Theseus, Perseus, and Odysseus to the works of C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll; from my own vivid childhood dreams rife with werewolves, witches, and dragons to the writings of Joseph Campbell and James Frazer, I have viewed fantasy and fairytales as vital tools to understanding life.

With Spike I have set out to tell a fantasy story exploring dark and dangerous possibilities of a condition we have all experienced in one way or another: romantic love. Why do we love? What causes us to love particular individuals? What is love? Can we control it, or does it control us?

Most movies take love for granted. The phrase "love conquers all" dates back over two thousand years to Virgil -- and was probably considered cliché a few weeks later! Parsing the expression, focusing on the definition of "conquer," i.e., to overcome or control by force, evokes a different connotation for love than most of us usually consider. But who among us has never had the feeling of love -- as intangible as dreams, fantasy, and mythology -- seize, subjugate, and vanquish us? Love can tyrannize, and that aspect informs and pervades the story of Spike.