Sexual Transgression in Monster and Vampire Movies

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Sexual Transgression in Monster and Vampire Movies

Vampires, not only lurking in far away lands such as the renowned

Transylvania, but also have been said to lie in the deepest recesses

of the human psyche. Its home, not a fortified castle guarded by the

children of the night, but the realm of the sub-text, guarded by

endless narratives. Each, a new bread in themselves, having

represented different arenas in the human social order one thing

remains true in all the Vampire narratives, they always have something

to do with the idea of a being, or way of being, that literally lives

off another. What follows, are accounts by various authors on the

subject of the vampire myth and ledged, its place in society and in

psyche of its people. However, it must be noted that although the

realm of the vampire is huge and many have existed, there is none

other than Dracula that more writings have been engaged in for which

this essay will pay close attention to.

Dracula, Sex & Taboo

“The vampire idea deals in the terror of recognising, challenging or

being challenged by dependency, and always registers this through the

body: the dependencies of its needs and drives, especially, but not

exclusively, sexuality.” (Dyer, 10)

Perhaps if we are to enter the vampires castle of subtext, the front

door would be clearly be marked Bram Stokers Dracula (Francis Ford

Coppola; US, 1992), for which Richard Dyer pays close attention too.

This fascinating look at the vampire leads into the notion that

Dracula represents the more vile side of male sexuality; that Dracula

acts as an antithesis to how society resides in sacraments of

marriage, moral order ...

... middle of paper ...

... Whether it be the treat of industrialisation,

anti-imperialist societies and the loss of nation identity or the rise

of the woman in both society and their sexuality, the vampire it seems

will always remain ever-living, for until we completely stop being

threatened, our fear will always be drained by the jaws of a blood

sucker.

Bibliography

Dyer, Richard: Dracula and desire from Sight & Sound, January 1993, pp

8-12

Gelder, Ken (1994): Reading the Vampire, Routledge, USA / Canada.

Filmography

Blade (Stephen Norrington; US, 1998),

Blade 2 (Guillermo del Toro; US, 2002)

Bram Stokers Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola; US, 1992)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) (US 1997-2003)

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauensby (F.W. Murnau; Germany, 1922),

Shadow of the Vampire (E. Elias Merhige; US, 2000)

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