The Vampire: How the Genre has Morphed

1798 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the vampire in dracula

Myths of werewolves, witches, and fairies have swept across the world, each being shaped by a culture, time, and other bizarre occurrences that people could not explain. These mythical creatures have terrified and awed audiences from around the world throughout time. One of the most widely known, and changed myths that has ever been shaped by any culture is that of the vampire. The vampire has gone from a feared, practically all-powerful, foul creature, to a popularized icon of mystery, romance, and undeniable sex appeal. Before becoming the vampires of today, the vampire underwent changes in its appearance, the bite that it made, the materials that warded it off, and the way it was, ultimately, destroyed.

Nosferatu, the first vampire film, made in 1922 and directed by F.W. Murnau, portrayed Count Orlok, the vampire, as a beast. It was a monster that slept in a coffin by day, and by night, roamed the lands for fresh blood. The surrounding villages are full of people who are terrified of the Count. Hutter, a real-estate agent, is given a book warning him of the “Nosferatu,” a hideously ugly vampire, by these people. In it, the book says that the vampire feasts on blood of humans, and the only way to stop them is for a woman who is pure of heart to sacrifice herself to him so that he loses track of time and gets caught at day break, foreshadowing the end of the film.

Count Orlok is a revolting looking- creature, closely resembling a rat. He has lengthy fingers and nails, strangely shaped teeth, as well as graying hair. He also has supernatural abilities shown throughout the film, such as super-human strength, transfiguration, and it appears as if he can fly. His super human strength is demonstrated in the scene in which he lif...

... middle of paper ...

...in the blood: on the heels of the twilight saga's success, Christian novelists are tapping the riches of vampire mythology." Christianity Today Feb. 2010: 36+. Student Resource Center - Gold. Web. 14 Mar. 2010.

Kane, Tim. The Changing Vampire of Film and Television. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., 2006. 22-218. Print.

Maurer, Harry, and Cristina Linblad. "BOFFO AT EVERY BITE." Business Week 7 Dec. 2009: 8. Student Resource Center - Gold. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

Miller, John J. "Defanged: once upon a time, the living dead were scary." National Review 8 Feb. 2010: 27. Student Resource Center - Gold. Web. 14 Mar. 2010.

Nosferatu: Symphony of Horrors. Dir. F. W. Murnau. Perf. Max Schrek and Gustav von Wagenheim. Manitoba, 1922. Film.

Twilight. Dir. Catherine Hardwicke. Perf. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Steward. Summit Entertainment, 2008. Film.

Show More
Related

  • The Other in Nosferatu and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Nosferatu this take the form of Count Orlok/Dracula who comes from outside Germany, bringing with him death and disease. The most often assumed identity of Orloks otherness in that of the anti-Sematic stereotypical depiction of Jew’s. This comes from Orloks facial characteristics such as his hooked noes, long ears and bushy eyebrows. In addition, Count Orlok brings with him rats that spread the plague, a theme that had leveled against Jews senses the Middle Ages. Orlok represents Jews also played into the idea that Jews and Communi...

    Read More

  • Sexuality And The Vampire Analysis

    139 Words  | 1 Pages

    J. Gordon Melton, in the excerpt “Sexuality and the Vampire” published in his The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (1998), explains that vampires have a sexual appearance that started from their origin in Dracula. Melton supports his statement by analyzing the monsters' transition to sexual beings through the stories of Dracula’s desires, multiple countries’ erotic tales revolving around vampire-like beings, the manifestation of sensual themes in literary, stage, and screen works, and their current evolution of the once terrified immortals to loved heroes. The purpose of this essay was to outline the seductiveness of the written immortal creatures in order to explain the fanged-mammals’ appeal beyond their terrifying monster abilities.

    Read More

  • The Vampire And Their Victims

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.

    Read More

  • Dracula by Bram Stoker: Modern Man to Enduring Romance

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Film Adaptions: A Checklist” in Dracula. Bram Stoker. 1897. Eds. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal. New York: Norton, 1997. 404-5. Print.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Two Vampires

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Vampires have been viewed with fear and fascination for centuries. Of all the vampires in literature, Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula is probably the most prominent vampire. Recently, there has been an upsurge of public interest in socially acceptable vampires, like the Cullens in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. This essay will contrast Stoker’s Dracula with Carlisle Cullen, one of the newer vampires from the Twilight series. They will be examined in terms of their origins and how they dealt with immortality.

    Read More

  • Sexual And Sexual Repression In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout decades of cheesy horror movies, the image of vampires have been misconstrued as sparkly, angsty teenage boys or handsome men that lure in girls for the fresh blood of a virgin. Many of these stereotypical vampires are influenced by the story of Dracula, held in the Victorian era. During this period, sexuality is repressed by society, as sexual behaviors from women are viewed as unacceptable. Yet, many of the stories published about vampires diverge from the message that Bram Stoker was trying to make. In the Gothic horror novel Dracula, Bram Stoker uses the traumatic experience of Jonathan Harker at Count Dracula’s castle and the invasion of vampires in Great Britain to create a social commentary on the sexual repression occurring

    Read More

  • Twilight: Gender Representations and Sexuality in Vampire Tales

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vampire characters have existed in different genres of literatures as a trope of sexuality—sometimes in the form of irresistible male vampires such as Dracula who seduce women with their gaze and prey on them.

    Read More

  • Vampire Lore In Dracula

    1871 Words  | 4 Pages

    When the vampire came about the thought of the monsters themselves were terrifying, and to view one they were ghostly pale with dark sunken eyes, large nose similar to that of the stereotypical witch, pointed ears like an elf and dark hair usually dark brown if not black. The original folklore on vampires showed a terrifying creature that you would know if you would see it out and about during the night. Today’s films and novels want to present you with an attractive vampire, like dying and becoming an immortal being is something a human would want to do because they would become more attractive. But also in today’s depiction of the vampire they have no obvious tells that a person is a vampire until they get angry and the fangs elongate. The idea of the vampire has shifted so drastically over the course of time, from fear to an admiration of a creature that could kill you in seconds. In the popular culture of today, the vampire is something attractive that girls pine after and want to be since there are a multitude of romance novels printed today with the male leads being portrayed as a

    Read More

  • Comparing The Movie 'Dracula'

    405 Words  | 1 Pages

    Dracula. Dir. Francis F. Coppola. Perf. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins. Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1992. DVD.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Bram Stoker's Dracula And Dracula

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    From Transylvania to Hollywood, vampires have transformed from unfamiliar, mysterious personalities to one of the most dominant monsters in the horror genre today. Vampires are one of the oldest and most noted creatures in mythology, with many variations of them around the world. Although the most famous version is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, many variants have come before and after telling of the same legend with their own added ideas and modifications to relate to their cultures. Today, there is a multitude of literary and film works that convey and resurface peoples’ fear of vampires. As gothic works like Dracula, by Bram Stoker and Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire directed by Scott Jeralds share certain traits reflective of the genre; These factors include setting, actions of each vampire, the initial reactions to news of them, and how their presence affects the people who live within the region the vampires inhabit.

    Read More

  • Nosferatu Analysis

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu was a powerful commentary on disease and lust for its time. The character of Count Orlok himself was a metaphor for most evils such as disease, lust, and death. Towards the end of the film, people began to get sick from a disease that originated from Transylvania. What also causes widespread epidemics is that people unknowingly carry them into their home countries. Paranoia of the disease is also a crucial element of the film. The film’s innovative use of shadows and lighting also add more depth and suspense to the film and adds on to the commentary and social themes of the film. The iconic scene where Orlok went up the staircase and you saw nothing but his shadow stuck out to audiences all around for good reason.

    Read More

  • Compare Dracula And Twilight

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Twilight, Edward Cullen presents the question; “ But what if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” The role of vampires is very controversial. Back in the day they were evil, soulless monsters and people genuinely feared them. However, in the present day it seems that we have grown to love them and even hope to one day be them. There are a plethora of vampire stories and many of them have become immense hits. With so many vampire stories, it is not uncommon that readers are able to identify a vast amount of similarities. Although similar in aspects, there are still many differences between the classic and modern day vampires. Two highly popular stories, in which we can easily identify similarities and differences, are Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.

    Read More

  • Sacrifice In Bram Stoker's Dracula

    2045 Words  | 5 Pages

    Bram Stoker's Dracula is a staple of the Gothic Horror genre. It is a novel that has been scrutinized by countless readers over the years. It has spawned an absolutely massive following that still persists to this day, more than a hundred years after it was initially published in 1897. While Stoker's novel is certainly not the first example of a piece of gothic horror, or even the first example of a gothic horror story focusing specifically on vampires, it still managed to fully capture the attention of the public. But not only did Dracula enthrall the readers of its time, but it continued to be a mainstay of the gothic horror genre, and was continually discussed over the following years. The myriad of ways this novel has been interpreted over

    Read More

  • Bram Stoker's Dracula Meets Hollywood

    4246 Words  | 9 Pages

    The above explanations have not paralyzed the countless attempts made by directors to bring the legendary Dracula to the big screen. Some cinematic reproductions of the novel have been more successful and critically acclaimed than others. According to Stuart, “ From 1897 to 1993 there have been at least 600 vampire movies. Dracula has been portrayed on film at least 130 times” (Stuart 217). But three versions of the genre have emerged as the most d...

    Read More

  • Critical Rhetorical Analysis: “Why Vampires Never Die”

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author’s op-ed piece was published in 2009, the very peak of the vampire contagion, where one could find these creatures wherever they looked. This pandemonium that arose from vampires is what drove del Toro and Hogan to pen “Why Vampires Never Die.” Furthermore, the purpose behind this essay is to give an abridged description of the past of vampires for the people who had become fanatics of the creatures. Also, this essay showed how vampires have persisted in pop culture. They suggest that vampires have been remade by diverse cultures at different times, and this change echoes that society's angst and concerns. The novelist’s imply that Stroker’s Dracula may mirror an exaggerated human on a prim...

    Read More

More about The Vampire: How the Genre has Morphed

Open Document