Dracula Research Paper

Ally Maher

Dr. Robin Werner

English 2090-002

November 30, 2017

The Psychological Point of View: Vampires Are Scary Vampires are embedded into pop culture as beautiful bloodsuckers. However, despite sparkles and parodies, many still fear the concept of the vampire. The concept of a human-like creature lurking in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to attack and drink its victim’s blood is haunting and definitely deserving of fear. It is not a new concept, but instead very embedded into everyday culture. Although vampires are not real, the idea of them is. That may be what people today fear. The readers of the past, specifically during the time of the release of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, would fear vampires in a different light. It may be easier

As humans, many find comfort in the belief that we are the apex predator, or top predator. The idea of not only realizing one is prey but the realization that one has always been prey brings about a sudden fear. No longer can a person walk outside calmly without being reminded that he or she could be being hunted at that very moment or any moment that humans are not the apex predator. According to Carla Edwards and Carrol Fry’s the New Naturalism: Primal Screams in Stoker’s Dracula, “Stoker establishes the vampire's role as a hunter-predator early in the film…The vampires' drinking of their victims' blood must resonate at the primal and instinctual level as the action of a hunting predator…” (46). Dracula uses his victims’ fear of being prey to his advantage by giving off the appearance of better and stronger. It is a power move that weakens his victims and takes advantage of the “Fight or Flight” brain mechanism. The study continues, “Efficient hunting often requires group coordination, obedience to authority and a high degree of conformity, especially if the prey is large and dangerous” (47-48). The victims believe they are less equipped so they do not even bother fighting back. Professor Helsing describes the power of Dracula with Mina, saying. “He is only stronger, and being stronger, have yet more power to work evil” (222). He is describing Dracula using his strength of manipulation to lure in victims. He continues, “This vampire which is amongst us is of himself so strong in person as twenty men, he is of cunning more than mortal, for his cunning be the growth of ages…” (222). Dracula is frightening because he really is better and stronger than humans, which forces humans to no longer think of advancement. They must firstly think of pure and primitive