Vampires in Film

How have vampires changed over time?

• In the past, vampires used to be seen as scary, foreign, unnatural beings. They were feared by people as they were different from western norms, and were very gothic.

• They were seen as more ‘human-like’ monsters, rather than like Frankenstein’s monster and werewolves, they looked human most of the time, and were only differentiated by their eating habits, and a variety of powers such as turning into bats, immortality, and more recently, things such as super speed and strength.

Nosferatu - 1922o Nosferatu was a German vampire

film that was basically a copy of Dracula, but due to not having rights to names etc, certain elements were changed. E.g., instead of Count Dracula, it was Count Orlok.

o Nosferatu was a silent film, with only the use of music to aid the story telling. It is set in Transylvania, and Nosferatu follows the tradition of vampires drinking blood.

o Nosferatu is less human like than more modern depictions of vampires, with long, intimidating claws, and inhuman, abnormally large eyes and ears. He is also freakishly tall and lanky, making him all the more creepy.

Dracula - 1958o Christopher Lee’s Dracula

portrayal was much more gentlemanly and charismatic than Nosferatu. He dressed much more suavely, wearing all black and a cape with a red lining.

o Dracula in this film again followed traditions of sleeping in a coffin and living in a gothic castle.

o Dracula followed the motif of the 1950s of the ‘Fear of the Unknown’, as Dracula was an Other. This portrayal of Dracula showed a sexually powerful undead being, which appealed to audiences.

Dracula - 1992o Dracula is first shown to be

young, knightly and very much human, which is a trend that has become more and more common in modern day vampire stories.

o The film uses a lot of religious imagery, such as when Dracula stabs the cross, and it starts bleeding, following the convention of blood and gore.

o Dracula follows the blood drinking convention, and when he becomes old, he evokes empathy from the viewers. He also transforms into a bat in this version.

Twilight – 2008-12o The vampires in Twilight are

portrayed as very human, sexy, attractive and follow very different conventions to the typical vampire films.

o The vampires in Twilight are ‘vegetarians’ and live in a family, in a modern house. They sparkle in the sunlight and have very human emotions.

o They are viewed as perfect and desirable.

o People want to be friends with them.

Let the Right One in - 2008o Let the Right One in follows

the horror and vampire convention of blood and gore iconography, and Eli, the vampire girl, drinks blood to survive.

o Unlike the traditional vampire, Eli lives in a council estate.

o Eli is also seen as heroic, as she saves Oskar and treats him well, which is how Dracula was presented at the start of the 1992 adaptation.