New episodes of The Vampire Diaries won't start until January, but cast member Ian Somerhalder has offered fans a sneak peek through new Instagram photos.

Judging by Somerhalder's photos, the second half of season 5 will probably feature a lot of blood.

In one shot, Somerhalder, who plays Damon Salvatore on the show, wears his vampire fangs as blood is smeared all over his mouth and nose. Some of it is even dripping on his neck.

"Season's Greetings from Damon The Red-Nosed Reindeer Ripper...," he captioned the shot.

In another picture, the actor also appears bloody. He captioned that shot: "Scared a bunch of people accidentally at a gas station today. Damon was a little bloody..."

Damon's bloody look could mean that the rest of season 5 might include some vicious attacks. It could also mean the character turns evil again.

"It's The Vampire Diaries and you can't remain happy for too long," he previously told reporters about season 5. "Anyone will tell you it's typically going to be a lot more fun to play the bad guy or the bad boy or the bad girl because it's more dynamic."

Another one of Somerhalder's photos also reveals that he's been shooting scenes with Enzo, a recurring character that appears in season 5. All that's visible in the picture is the characters' nametags.

"Damon+Enzo= Denzo in the HOUSE! On the Vampire Diaries set shooting great scenes with my new bro&Damon Salvatore's Partner in crime @mkmalarkey aka Michael Malarkey/Enzo Awwwww how sweet...," he wrote as the caption.

The Vampire Diaries returns to the CW on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. EST.

Tags: vampire diaries