Since the 1980s, movies featuring vampires and the supernatural have not been limited to the horror genre. Are vampires no longer frightening? Are they no longer the stuff of horror films? What do we find scary today (at least on screen)? Offer at least three examples of vampire/supernatural films to support your answer. At least one must be a movie that is discussed in The Everything Vampire Book reading for this week.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteThroughout the years since Bram Stoker’s original Dracula and the silent era featuring vampire films such as F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, there have been many vampire-based movies and television shows. There have been countless adaptations of both films, and as time passed, movie producers are using the films as basis for adaptations that interconnect genres. With the turn of the 1980s brought a new sub-genre of vampire flicks. As The Everything Vampire Book states on page 234, “the vampire realm offered up a distinct melting pot of bloodsuckers from this and other worlds” (Everything Vampire, 234)
I think vampires are still frightening, but since there have been so many similar adaptations of classic vampire films, producers and directors need to make a film that puts a creative and modern twist on the popular vampire genre to generate fans in more demographics. Joel Schumacher placed a comedic twist on his 1987 box office flick The Lost Boys, which shows the rivalry between teen vampires and teen vampire hunters in the “murder capital of the world”. Schumacher used a common plot line—teenage rivalry and angst—combined with the ever-popular vampire genre to make a film that is unlike any of its kind and features various story lines that pull in a diverse fan base. History has shown that vampires will always be a classic favorite, so much that they can be pulled into other genres other than horror. We are still intrigued by vampires, but they don’t need to be portrayed as frightening so those audiences that don’t prefer horror films can still enjoy some bloodsuckin’ fun.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteAs much as The Twilight Saga is one of my guilty pleasures, I think that Stephenie Meyer ruined the idea of vampires as a frightening group with her Romeo and Juliet themed vampire franchise. Not only did she use her own vampire characteristics and strewed away from the classic characteristics of the Dracula/Nosferatu vampires. Now, society unconsciously and consciously groups together Edward Cullen and vampires. Vampires are now seen to sparkle in the sun and as “vegetarians” who feed of the blood of animals, versus humans. “Lacking the classic charm of their predecessors of the fifties, sixties, and seventies, the vamps of the eighties, like so many disco songs, are often left to obscurity” (The Everything Vampire Book, 234). Although this refers to the eighties, it’s relevant to the Twilight Saga, as it can very well be left to obscurity in terms of classic vampire films. Meyer’s Twilight, does exemplify how vampires are now used in other genres, as the saga is packed with teenage romance, and uses vampires as a creative twist to capture audiences of many ages and demographics.
My first media occurrence with vampires was not Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but with the 2000 Disney TV movie, Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire. The film, with the key demographic being the pre-teen age, is a comedic twist on the fantasy genre, where three kids set up their mother on a blind-date who happens to be a vampire. Although it was directed as a modern family-fun movie, classic vampire characteristics and ideologies are used throughout the film. There is a portrayal of the vampire hunter, Van Helsing, the vampire doesn’t have a reflection (one of the ways they confirm he is indeed a vampire), and the mother is used to break the trance of the vampire as she is his “true love”. Although the movie was made and directed for the youth generation who are most likely not aware of the history of vampires in the media, the director used the classic characteristics to bring a legitimacy to the vampire theme.
We are in a different time from when vampires were the primary genre of horror films, so it is inevitable for the entertainment industry to steer away from the vampire genre for horror films, but vampires are now used as a classic twist to modern ideas. Vampires are still frightening, but I don’t think they fit into the horror genre anymore. Vampires live on in the media, but in different ways than we are used to.
Ashley Heiberger
ReplyDeletePart I
Due to the fact Hammer productions slid downhill in popularity during the 1970’s, vampire films had to be over-the-top with creativity (Karg 228). In 1972 Blacula was produced with the first African-American vampire. Producers were breaking mainstreams in society, especially Deafula in which the main character was deaf (Karg 232). Vampires are no longer frightening like they had been before. We find paranormal scary today because we are so into technology that we need evidence. Like stated in my post last week, “Horror films have become popular with audiences over the years due to a number of reasons, which include better technology, more acceptable society and curiosity of the unknown. As we discussed in class on the seventh of September, we came to the conclusion that humans are curious about the afterlife. Some people want to speak to the dead, some want to know their future and some need scientific proof to help further their beliefs.” We have television shows where mediums go into houses and cannot explain the things that make noises during the night, which leaves a chance that there may be ghosts or supernatural out there. However, there is no proof of vampires.
I must agree with Rebecca Schneider’s previous post about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. The Cullen family is far from being frightening, maybe to animals since they are “vegetarian” and live off wolves, deer and bears. The Twilight saga is the true definition of our modern day film where romance is involved. Stephenie Meyer’s Edward Cullen has nothing on Dracula. Edward is living within society and can win anyone over on his side with his looks and gentleman manners. The fans know when they pop Twilight in the DVD player that they are not in for a fright but more for a “Romeo and Juliet” type atmosphere (Karg 244).
Another movie that is more modern and goes away from horror is Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Although I have not personally seen it, it was in the “top twenty all-time grossing vamp flicks...[and] launched the popular television franchise” (Karg 238). It goes against all horrors of vampires while a teenage cheerleader goes out to slay a vampire. I read mixed reviews and found some hilarious for example, “So, what does this strange little film have going for it? Does it deliver the goods as a "horror" film? Hardly. The "freak-outs" are as drearily predictable as the creaking coffins in a carnival funhouse. The vampire villains are more grotesquely comical than frightening. And as for gore - well, you've seen WWE "wrestling" matches more blood-drenched than this,” says marcusman48 from Southern California (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103893/reviews). His comment might have been a little harsh but he definitely did not find horror in this film. Overall, the plot was a comedy and insisted that vampires are nothing to take too seriously.
Ashley Heiberger
ReplyDeletePart II
The last movie I would like to mention is Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire (Karg 245). I remember seeing this “back in the day”; it was released 11 years ago. It is a Disney movie, so there again; it goes against vampire’s nature to live (or date) among humans. The most horrific part in this movie (which was controversial and led to not airing the part) was when the vampire licked his lips towards the dog, thinking of how delicious it would be (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mom's_Got_a_Date_with_a_Vampire). Dracula feasted on small children, there is no way he would let a dog go.
Times have changed for horror films and vampires, but it did not start with Twilight. Although Stephenie Meyer changed the outlook on vampires, she was not the first to do so. Many of these films still carry the same characteristics of vampire hunting; wooden stacks, garlic, smell of blood (when Bella Swan cut herself with rock). It all ties in together but with different standards. If we came into contact with a vampire what would we do? Introduce ourselves? Van Helsing, Jonathon Harker and John Seward would have went out of their way to end his or her existence.
After reading Chapter 17 of the textbook, I was surprised to see how vampires have truly become part of a cult genre. After seeing the lists of the prominent movies throughout the decades, I didn’t realize the immensity of the genre itself and I had only seen a few movies on each list. Prior to the 1970’s, vampire movies seemed to harbor violent tendencies. No matter how undeveloped the technology may have been, the movies had the goals of inciting fear. Films such as Nosferatu, as old as they may have been, worked with the techniques available to them to create monsters such as Dracula. Movies after the seventies seemed to change their tone and material a bit. In some movies, vampires maintained their “scariness,” but garnered new qualities.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I just watched The Lost Boys this past weekend. This movie combined comedy with terror, and its popularity was due in part to its young cast. According to the book, it was “a vamp flick with decidedly more comedy than drama that pits teen vampires against teen vampire hunters” (235). The movie portrayed a herd of California vampires, led by Kiefer Sutherland, as badass bikers who liked to hit on women, party at the local pier, and perform crazy dares (such as dangling off of a railroad in the middle of nowhere). They feed on the locals while listening to Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” and initiate new member Mike by pretending to feed him maggots and worms in Chinese cartons. Thus, these vampires become attractive and lust-worthy because of their devil-may-care personas. They are the vandals of town that anyone would want to run with. Although they must be killed in the end by comic-reading adolescents who take staking and garlic a bit too seriously, they are really no different from your regular teens until we see them sleeping cocooned in a cave.
In the nineties, Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a phenomenon. Before I go any further, I want to mention that it was not a show I regularly watched, but it was an obsession among my friends. Personally, I find that this show was more concerned with creating controversy or changing societal standards, rather than provoking fear. Buffy garnered this role as a modern-day, female Van Helsing. She had sex appeal and confidence, and she fought off vampires in a kickass way that only a heroine could. She also did so with her friends, one of whom happened to be a lesbian. The show became phenomenal because of its high school setting—teenagers who wanted to date, party, and do well in school, while still maintaining their ability to fight vampires and evil spirits.
ReplyDeleteAs I am sure everyone else will notice, the Twilight saga is drastically different from the Hammer flicks starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. This is so simply because the vampires from Stephanie Meyer’s novels are beautiful, and there is no way around that. Her novels associate the idea of beauty with inherent goodness--the Cullen family is headed by the town doctor, will only feed on animals for sustenance, and try to save their fellow town members from the evil vampires within Washington state. The first movie of the series hadn’t been released before the publication of the text, but we can all agree that the movie has become a blockbuster due to its attractive cast (Robert Pattinson, anyone?) that takes part in the age-old battle between good and evil. Plus, girls of all ages swoon with Kristen Stewart’s character Bella throughout the movies, and pour themselves into the romantic aspect of the film. This is anything but a horror film; rather it makes young girls secretly hope that their own Edward is lurking in the halls of their high school.
Samantha Howard
ReplyDeleteAs we move into modern day vampires, it seems as though they are becoming increasingly sexual and intriguing and less scary. In modern representations like True Blood, “fang bangers” covet vampires. Instead of being creatures to be feared, they look like and live amongst humans while other creatures lacking human characteristics are feared.
Among the most memorable are the horror characters of the 1980s. This included “a new breed of evil ghouls and mutants, like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Vorhees” (The Everything Vampire Book 234). Many classic horror movies came about from the 1980s, but very few of them include vampires as their main source of horror. The Everything Vampire Book says it perfectly, “the vamps of the eighties, like so many disco songs, are often left to obscurity” (234). The new more gruesome horror characters trumped vampires.
The shift from vampires being feared to overlooked is in part due to the rise in clearly defined vampire hunter characters. Famous, successful vampire hunters give a feeling of ease to the audience that there is someone who can kill the vampire, and in the template of Hollywood cinema the vampire hunter usually wins. It is also due to the introduction of films like Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys (1987). The Lost Boys uses comedy to show the opposing forces between vampires and vampire hunters. As soon as something is spun in a comedic sense, for many people it is less scary as well as less likely that they will be able to willingly suspend their disbelief while watching the movie.
The 1990s re-vamped the presence of vampires in film. The film adoption of Ann Rice’s Interview With a Vampire cast very attractive actors to play the vampires. I cannot picture Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise as being anything but seductive. This along with the very campy film Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) made vampires less of a threat and more of a nuisance. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Kristy Swanson who plays Buffy goes up against vampires on her own, basically sending the message that even with their immortality and super-human strength, this blonde high school girl can still kill them. From the movie came a spin-off television series, which was less campy than the movie, but still portrayed vampires as being on an even playing ground with the slayers.
In more modern times, in 2008 with the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, vampires were further stripped of anything remotely scary. Although the Twilight Saga is among one of my favorites, I do think that Stephanie Meyer and similar authors are responsible for vampires no longer being frightening. Vampires have made the transition from being in the horror genre to the paranormal romance genre. Whether the stories are teen geared or more sexually graphic and geared towards adults, the focus on a vampire-human relationship makes vampires less of an immediate threat to humans.
I think that although there is a large following of vampire media today, it is more focused on an idealization of forbidden love and rekindling romance, not for horror. I think I am proof of this switch, because I am a fan of many vampire books, movies and television shows, but I hate horror movies. I would classify vampires as paranormal, but not horror. Movies like Paranormal Activity and The Exorcism of Emily Rose are scary to me. I think this is because there is a very realistic element to them because they came about from true stories. That daunting fact that this hasn’t been proven true nor has it been proven untrue makes it truly frightening. With the humanization and glorification of vampires, Hollywood has taken away from the reality of vampires existing. Since we cannot see ghosts or spirits or supernatural forces they remain relatively unknown which in turn makes them horrifying.
The role that the vampire plays in the media has definitely been going in a different direction, at least in these past couple of years. Yes, vampires were used all the time in the horror genre in the past decades, but more recently, they have been popping up in Sci-Fi films, such as I am Legend, and can even have a romantic aspect to them, such as in Twilight. Even in Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, there is a childish spin put on them, thus not taking them as seriously. They still have that mystery about them, and that little bit of a creep and eerie factor, but their reputation is slowly starting to become tainted.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say that the Twilight craze is to blame for this change in reputation. It is not a horror film, and it breaks so many old vampire “rules”. When they go in the sun, they sparkle. Seriously? Sparkling in the sun does not make me have nightmares for weeks. It’s just a little weird, that’s all. The films do not necessary show them as gentle creatures, as they do engage in violent acts, however, they are seen as something to fall in love with. It is “a modern day twist on Romeo and Juliet.” (244) Girls want their boyfriends to be like Edward Cullen, and if they’re not, they’ll break up with them. I don’t think that the girls decades ago wanted Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula as their boyfriend.
What we see as scary on the silver screen these days actually rarely involves vampires. To be honest, nothing makes me angrier than what people find scary today. Those audience members who enjoy going to horror films, are not going to the theaters to see vampire movies (for the most part). They are going to see absolutely repulsive torture movies such as Saw 1003948 (How many of these can they actually make? Enough already.), Hostel, Final Destination, and other movies filled with blood, gore, and torture. I just don’t even understand what would make someone want to write, or watch, something like this. It’s really disturbing to me that human beings we walk around with come up with the ideas about how everyone is going to be tortured and killed in the Saw movies. There is a pattern in the films that I just listed. They all have at least one sequel. Viewers cannot get enough of this stuff, and I’m not sure why. However, this is the stuff that we find scary. If people had to run out of Nosferatu, imagine what they would have done if they saw Hostel? We laugh now at what people used to find scary. When we watched Dracula in class, people were chuckling pretty much the whole time, when those in 1931 were screaming the whole time. It seems like writers and directors need to push the envelope more than ever to produce a horror movie that actually scares people. Even in some of the latest horror films that do involve vampires, such as the newest Fright Night, there is a gore component to it. I think that scares us more than the actual supernatural character itself.
However, I do not think that the idea of the scary vampire is dead. Once the Twilight craze dies down (if it ever does) I believe there will be a change. If there are people out there who want the scary vampire back, it can be done. Since Twilight, there really has not been an abundance of vampire films out there that have been widely advertised. There have been television shows that follow this same type of romantic/sci-fi/thriller aspect, but there has certainly not been a 2011 equivalent to the 1922 Nosferatu. Fright Night could be a start, but once there is a vampire film that comes out again and successfully scares the pants off of all of us again, their reputation in the horror genre will definitely improve.
I can say confidently that vampires are not real, thus they do not frighten or horrify me. What scares me is the possibility of our bodies being taken over by the unknown and violent spirits. Since the 1970s the vampire genre became more widespread. At present vampires are often portrayed in a fanciful and romantic manner in films. Vampires have come a long way since being considered horrifying in films.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the subject of being abducted in your own body scaring me and vampires, is the stigma of folklore that vampires. Vampires and werewolves are just wise tales. Romance has also taken over much of the vampire genres plot thus taking away the fright appeal. Take for instance the 2011 Film, Red Riding Hood, it is a fantasy and very much an old tale. It carries the Romeo and Juliet plot when the main character, Valerie, played by Amanda Seyfried falls in love with her childhood best friend, Peter, an orphaned wood cutter. However her parents want her to marry another man, named Henry. In the end Valerie’s father turns out to be the werewolf killing villagers, and Valerie is forced to kill her own father in order to save the love of her life, Peter. What makes this film even more campy is that her love interest Peter then becomes a werewolf at the end of the film. It is all very lighthearted with the teenage love triangle happening between Peter, Henry, and Valerie. Perhaps the filmmaker copied the same romance plot as the vampire film Twilight, where human Bella is caught in a love triangle with vampire, Edward and werewolf, Jacob. Vampires have become romantic and more of an excuse to put teenage heart throbs on the screen.
Furthermore vampires are no longer the stuff of horror films because since the 1980s vampires have been portrayed in a funnier manner. With comedic films in 1985, such as, Once Bitten with Jim Carrey, and Transylvania 6-500 with Jeff Goldblum. A true horror film of the 1980’s is The Shining, written by Stephen King. As The Internet Movie Database describes the plot, “A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.” What horrifies me about this movie is the “evil spiritual presence” that abducts Jack Torrence played by Jack Nicholson. The violent unknown is the stuff of horror films today. There is nothing scarier than losing control of your body and mind. Take the more recent example of the 2009 Film, Paranormal Activity, where a demonic spirit takes over a young couple living in a suburban home, and eventually abducts the body of the female lead, Katie. Not only is it scary because the main character is being terrorized by an evil spirit, but also it is filmed in a way that looks like a home video. Another movie released in the same year, that has a similar plot and production is The Fourth Kind. The movie claims to be showing home videos when it shows a number of people’s bodies and minds being hypnotized into reliving the alien abduction experience that they cannot remember otherwise.
What is scary about the films previously mentioned is that the movies deal with the subject of loss of control over your own body and being taken over by something evil and violent. Also the films are shot in a realistic manner. Vampires are no longer scary and horrifying because the films dealing vampirism fit more so in the fantasy, romance, and action genre. Vampires are myths, while the unknown demonic spirits or aliens are frightening because they have the possibility of being real.
Back in the 80’s, and even I would say in the early 90’s, vampires and the supernatural were the pinnacle of the horror genre. Everyone believed that the once the lights when out at night these creatures were lurking under your beds, closets, and forget going outside because they would be everywhere watching you. Today that seems to be different because since the younger generations are now more educated on the supernatural it just isn’t scary anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe deal with vampires in today’s day and age is that since we are young we hear about the vampires and the zombies every Halloween and by now it starts to get old. Year after year people try to put different twists on vampires but people still see them as the same thing. They have shifted from being the scary monsters to now the hip cool thing in the fall once Halloween comes around. There are now new movies out that make your adrenaline rush due to other characters, some real and some supernatural. “The turn of the century brought about a new strain of vampire cinema, and while many films and filmmakers paid homage to their distinguished predecessors by retaining some portion of the Dracula legend, many encompassed within this new breed of cinema came with a few decidedly welcome twists, including bigger and better monsters courtesy innovative CGI techniques, slick Japanese anime, and a few kick-butt female action heroes.” (242). With the advancement in modern movie making producers are able to make the simplest characters ones that will keep you awake at nights.
Movies like Clover field, I am Legend, and movies like Jeepers Creepers have provided us with a whole new kind of horror films. Movies that depict true events seem to be on the rise all over the country. There is a greater fear for people when the movie is portraying events that have actually taken place because they know that things like this are actually possible. Movies that I have seen that explain true stories like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Jeepers Creepers are ones that will stay with me for a good amount of time. Why is this? The fear that it brings to people is far beyond anything of vampires or supernatural creatures. Actual events that have taken place where multiple people’s lives have been taken bring quite a bit of fear, whereas vampires like Edward Cullen make them look like passionate sentimental characters. The Dracula movie explained in the book was during the time when vampires were still thought of as being “real” that individuals actually had the characteristics shown in the movie. When we see people with pale skin and redish eyes we don’t stop and think oh they are a vampire, at least not anymore. We look at them as being sick and unhealthy, now when we see a person who looks dark and sketchy is not one of the first things that crosses our mind, are we safe? Is he a kind of mass killer? I believe this is because of the new era films and the topic they are starting to cover. Stories based off true events spark so much fear in people’s lives now that I believe vampires have taken the back seat to them.
ReplyDeleteThe 20th century film era has taken a turn away from vampires I would say and is now focusing on CGI supernatural figures as well as stories based off true events. The one upside to the film industry is that one good vampire movie depicting a strong fearful vampire would put them back up on top as a creature to be feared by everyone. Never the less though stories based on true events have taken over the film industry and have sparked more fear in people’s lives then I believe vampires ever had.
The expansion of vampires and the supernatural into other genres besides horror has been the result of the evolution of these characters. That is, as last week’s blog demonstrated, the trials and tribulations that the horror genre underwent, ultimately determined the characteristics prevalent in today’s portrayal of vampires. In particular, the Deane and Balderston’s rendition of Dracula gave us the modern-day vampire that we see in films today. This version of the vampire differed from the early descriptions in that vampires began to come out of the dark castles and into civilization. Similarly, the modernized vampire inspired by Deane and Balderston’s illustration of Dracula appears more like a normal human being as oppose to the early depictions of the overtly characteristic Dracula. While Bram Stoker’s original Dracula is shown as unfit to interact normally with other humans, the modern day vampire attempts to blend in with society.
ReplyDeleteThe portrayal of vampires in the media has clearly changed with the times. The establishment of more media genres has encouraged producers to experiment by placing vampires and the supernatural in seemingly unfit plots. Along the ride through their appearance in modern films, vampires became more enticing than frightening. In fact, the modernized vampire has become a character known more for his or her sexiness than fright. The romanticism linked with vampirism is evident in many vampire films and television shows of the past several years; namely, the Twilight Saga, which depicts vampires as young, handsome heart-throbs capable of falling madly in love. Twilight may in fact be the most prominent example of the modernization of vampires as the vampire characters drink animal blood, rather than human blood and are able to be out in the daylight without being burned. Twilight uses both vampires and shape-shifters not for their terror or scare, but for their sculpted physiques and romantic tendencies.
Ultraviolet is a great example of the integration of vampires into other genres. This film brought vampires in the world of sci-fi. Mixing biological warfare and vampirism proved to be a hit as Karg calls it “the most succulent and mind-blowing film to date” (Chapter 17). I Am Legend followed this trend of sci-fi merged with horror. Like Ultraviolet, I Am Legend uses vampirism as an infectious disease, cleverly inputting it’s classic characteristics into the modern day world. I Am Legend depicts vampires as skinless, hairless creatures that are burned from sunlight. What is most frightening about these vampire characters is their modernity; that is, they do not resemble the antiquated vampire character. Instead, these predators are biologically enhanced and mutated into blood-sucking vultures.
It is evident that vampires are being used across many genres, adding either to its romanticism or its fright. The use of vampires in films like Twilight add sultry romance while films like Ultraviolet and I Am Legend play on media audiences’ fear and obsession with biological and psychological chaos. Indeed, the popularity of I Am Legend can largely be attributed to its specific scare tactics. An infectious disease that spreads throughout New York City is the plot of the film and is concurrently one of the most relevant fears among media audiences.
Lindsay Walker
ReplyDeleteHaving studied the ways in which vampires have been portrayed in the media over time, and the many ways these storylines have evolved throughout the years, we seem to have identified a type of pattern. During our last few classes, most people seemed to agree that the portrayal of vampires has undoubtedly strayed from the original representation in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, however they still maintain certain characteristics and traits. The representation of vampires and the supernatural was inevitably going to change with the changing society however, that is not to say Vampire and supernatural films no longer fit into the horror genre that they once so perfectly epitomized.
I don’t think the matter is that vampires are no longer the stuff of horror films, but rather that they have grown and diversified into being the characters of various genres. Throughout the years we as a society, have witnessed an ever- changing portrayal of these characters. Originally created to solely be the characters of horror films these creatures now appear in dramas, action films, and even comedies. Vampires and supernatural beings are not completely letting go of their horror traits, they are just broadening their fields. The Everything Vampire textbook acknowledges this when it states, “lacking the classic charm of their predecessors of the fifties, sixties, and seventies, the vamps of the eighties, like so many disco songs are often left to obscurity” (Karg, 234). I interpreted this quote as saying that the material shown in vampire movies from the eighties has changed since that shown in the fifties , sixties, and seventies. This change has created a sort of obscurity about vampire films in that they are beginning to offer various types of entertainment. They no longer appear as just horror films but instead cater to even more genre types.
For example, there is the vampire comedy Vampira, which appeared in 1974 and then The Lost Boys which came out in 1987. According to the textbook, The Lost Boys is a, “vamp flick with decidedly more comedy then drama that pits teen vampires, against teen vampire hunters in a small coastal community dubbed the murder capital of the world” (Karg, 235). Vampire films have managed to attack the complete opposite side of the spectrum by adapting to the comedy genre.
Not only have they managed to sink into the comedy realm but vampire movies have also been successful as dramas. Probably one of the most popular vampire dramas would have to be Twilight. The book does not go into much detail about the Twilight series because it hadn’t hit theatres yet but it was described as being a “ modern day twist on Romeo and Juliet” (Karg, 244). Although the twilight films incorporated some action and intensity we expect from vampires it focused primarily on the love between Edward and Bella. It was more about forbidden love then anything else thus showing how versatile vampire films have become.
Although recent vampire films have demonstrated versatility, they have completely strayed from horror. For example, the textbook mentioned the film Near Dark, which apparently remains in the horror film category. The description included, “ the frightening brood of Southern bloodsuckers featured in Kathryn Bigelow’s 1987 offering, Near Dark” (Karg, 235). Therefore as the years progress some vampire films still maintain that frightening aspect they were constantly associated with in the earlier years.
Even though vampires have dominated the big screen since their start in the 1920’s they aren’t always portrayed as horrifying characters. In the beginning of vampire film, horror was always a theme. This started with Nosferatu in 1922 and Dracula in 1934. These two movies set the stone for vampires being the object of fear in cinema. Then the 1950’s and 60’s blew up with many different horrifying films featuring vampires. These movies were often sequels of the Dracula movies, or used Bram Stoker’s Dracula as an influence on how to portray vampires as frightening characters.
ReplyDeleteWhen we reached the 1970’s vampire films started to shift into other genres. Vampires started to appear in films of comedy, action, sci-fi, and even musicals. This shift to other genres was most likely due to the fact that so many vampire films were being made that people started to want something different. As our textbook states, “the wide variety of films speaks to the fact that so many vampire flicks were being made that filmmakers were in danger of beating the genre into an early grave”(228). Audiences started to grow and wanted new plots, not the same old Dracula one.
Once audiences started to see vampires in other genres the response was positive which lead to all the different vampire films we have seen from the 1970’s up until today. But because vampires have been seen in so many different genres are they still frightening? To be honest I don’t think so, because they are now seen in a new light, and also there are other scarier things being shown in films. Growing up in the 90’s vampires weren’t seen as the most horrifying creature. You knew they were supposed to be scary but when one of your first impressions of vampires is from Sesame Street or from The Little Vampire it’s hard to always associate vampires with fear.
Lately the only time we see vampires close to being frightening is in action films. Films such as Van Helsing portray vampires as being scary, but I wouldn’t call it a horror film. Van Helsing is “action oriented in its base conception”(243) and it is filled battle scenes, and not the typical blood-sucking ones. Because of this action tone we don’t see vampires being scary in this film, all we see is one big action sequence between “scary” characters. Besides action, vampires also show up in comedy films, and when you’re laughing at a vampire it is hard to see them as scary.
The most significant shift in vampires I have seen is definitely in Twilight, this was the first time I saw vampires completely differently, not only were they not the stereotypical vampire, but “vegetarians”. Never before had I ever thought that vampires wouldn’t feed on humans, this factor make them less threatening and scary. Also, these vampires actually have feelings and you can relate to them. Because we can find ourselves relating to these characters we can’t see them as being scary. Twilight is more of a romantic drama then it is horror film and this isn’t the only time we see this in vampire related film.
One of the main reasons I think vampires aren’t frightening anymore is because they don’t fall into what audiences find as scary anymore. Vampires don’t seem as real as they once did, we (for the most part) don’t see vampires as people who can live among us. They have somewhat transformed into fantasy creatures rather than horror ones. Also horror movies don’t consist of fake characters anymore; these movies show real people being hunted by crazed murderers or being possessed by the devil. Movies such as Paranormal Activity scare people more than vampires do. Our society has come to see a difference between what is real and what is fake. For example people don’t think vampires are real, but they think ghosts are. Society’s perception of scary has changed and that is why vampires have had to find other genres to go to. People still love hearing stories about vampires, but just not so much in the horror genre.
When we think of a vampire, one’s mind immediately gravitates to the stereotype of a description that resembles something similar to Dracula: pale skin, long fingernails, dressed in all black including a cape, fangs, and blood red eyes. Just the description alone sends shivers down one’s spine. The image is quite grotesque. However, with many of these images slowly being stripped away to get to what the audience sees today, a more “sexy”, handsome vampire, for example, Edward Cullen of Stephanie Meyers’ series, Twilight. The question still remains, if vampires scare us, why are we so drawn to today’s vampires, like Edward? Why are we suddenly not afraid? What do we find scary? Do vampires still scare us?
ReplyDeleteIf we go back to the 1980’s, one of the most successful vampire films of the decade was The Lost Boys. “What did prove to be a box office success in 1987 was director Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys, a vamp flick with decidedly more comedy than drama that pitted teen vampires against teen vampire hunters in a small coastal community dubbed the ‘murder capital of the world.’ A cult fave to be certain, the film grossed over $32 million.” (Karg 235) The comedy, campy aspect of this film contributed greatly towards the film’s success because it was a different spin on vamp films. This is one of the first times the film-goer sees vamps in a comedic light. I think this film may have contributed to vampires being less “scary” today because of the comedic design of the film as well as how the vampires in the film were portrayed. They were seen as the rebels. The “bad asses.” The troubled kids. They wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles and caused commotion around the town. They were portrayed as “cool”. The audience slowly became less afraid of the physicality of a vampire and what they are, and we become more afraid of the idea that they can turn anyone into one of them, and become one of them…become immortal. The idea of immortality and feeding off of humans terrifies us rather than the actual physical image of a vampire. That is what scares us, immortality and fear of the unknown. The average person is afraid of an unknown darker world unlike the world humans are used to. We are fearful of an unknown way of life that behaves in an inhuman way.
Twenty years later, we still see the image of a vampire become less intense. For example, in The Lost Boys, the character of David adapts fangs and demon eyes and a grotesque appearance when he begins to get angry and wants to feed himself. However, in Twilight, Edward’s only physical feature that has audiences aware he is a vampire is his eye color change and pale skin. Edward is still handsome in the strong and silent type of way which is mysterious and intriguing to audiences. Filmgoers become even less scared of vampires in the 2000s because of characters like Edward who walk amongst mortals and do not have many physical features that strike us as “scary”. Today, we watch any film in the Twilight saga and are amazed at how little fear is in us. We are watching vampires. They feed off of humans! How are we not petrified? Maybe it is because of the romantic aspect we see more in films today. For example, The Everything Vampire Book states that Twilight is a “modern day twist on Romeo and Juliet, featuring Bella, a young high school girl in love with Edward, a stunning young lad who, as luck would have it, happens to be a vampire.” (Karg 244) We are no longer scared because filmmakers are romanticizing vampires. Writers are granting vampires relationships to humans. Girls swoon over the relationship Edward has with Bella the way they feel about Romeo and Juliet; the concept of love that cannot happen because they are part of completely different worlds. We are scared more for their love than of who they love. Vampires are now becoming part of long lasting love stories which makes it hard for audiences, especially, women, to be scared.
ReplyDeleteWe see the same concept of love between a mortal and an immortal in the television series True Blood. However, for some reason, audiences fear these supernatural beings more than those in Twilight. Because of the lack of censorship HBO has, True Blood scripts feature blood, gore, sex, and all sorts of wild special effects that keep us at the edge of our seats. It is more graphic, yet, we still are not convinced. The show is so unrealistic because it has a variety of supernatural beings all connected in one tiny, southern town. Audiences have a hard time being scared by things that are so unrealistic and unrelatable. However, their special effects do make you cringe a few times…I certainly have.
In the modern media, I believe that the supernatural writers have made vampires less scary, and more “cool” and “sexy.” Writers have created relationships that the average young women cannot help but want for herself, and yet, still makes it hard for audiences to relate. Vampire media is an escapism from reality for a majority of females in America. Most women love watching “cool”, “sexy” people who fall in love with the wrong person and although the vampire cult is unrelatable, the romance helps us get away from whatever is going on in our daily lives. This is why today, I believe audiences are no longer horrified by vampires in films today. We are scared of the unknown and appalled at the gore however with all of the horrifying images slowly being stripped away, vampire media seems to no longer fall under the “horror” genre, but rather, its own, “vampire/supernatural” genre. Today, this genre combines things that irk you with things that move you. Dracula frightened audiences whereas Edward Cullen makes audiences swoon. Oh how things have changed.
Ever since vampires have crossed over to other genres, they have no longer been considered scary. The once frightening creatures have been watered down to bring success to other genres where the main focus of the movie isn’t to inflict fear into its audience but to entice them with intense fighting scenes or a love stricken plot. Movies revolving around vampires and other monsters such as Blade and Van Helsing are more action oriented, so fear isn’t a factor. I guess directors are playing off of the different qualities of vampires, such as their super strength and speed to develop them into the action movie stars, but with that being said they are also being diverted from the terrifying creatures that they were once known as.
ReplyDeleteDuring the 1970s, a bunch of pictures that were made contained multiple appearances from monsters and creatures to see which could out duel the other. Movies such as Dracula vs. Frankenstein played into this idea of seeing which character was more dominant. During this time, movie goers were witness to horror film overload. “The wide variety of films speaks to the fact that so many vampire flicks were being made that filmmakers were in danger of beating the genre into an early grave. (228)” Seventy plus movies were produced and most were sequels to the Dracula saga during the 70’s. With the revival of Dracula and the features of his kin, horror movies were losing their edge. This overexposure could have caused audiences to become accustomed to the characters more and feel less scared. Spoofs of these movies didn’t help resurrect fear either. Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein
Not only have action films profited off of vampires, other movies and tv series surrounding love and lust have become popular due to the plot revolving around supernatural characters. Also, the idea of knowing what it is like to be a vampire and learning to understand them is also a big concept in these newer shows and pictures. The Twilight Saga is a perfect example of commercial success for the non-traditional vampire. The craze over Team Jacob and Team Edward just solidifies how the once frightening supernaturals have lost their mojo.
Vampires, werewolves, and other monsters and creatures are dying quickly in the horror genre, but new faces are emerging. With the top spot in the genre up for grabs, the past decades have produced new horror heros. Attention has turned towards new horror characters. The 1980s introduced “a new brand of evil ghouls and mutants like Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger and Jason Vorhees… (234)” These big three names have carried the genre for decades bringing myths and stories of their killings to screen. They are similar to what the vampire used to be. They are fictional mass murders that are or, at one point in time, were human. Why they might be frightening is because their faces are ambiguous. Jason and Michael both wear masks, and Freddy’s face is disfigured. The fact that we don’t know their full identity is kind of scary, especially since they are killers.
The only supernatural that seems to be prospering during this time are ghosts. The fascination of these vengeful spirits seems to have made ghosts the most consistent of the supernatural. Unexplainable occurrences are normally blamed on ghosts. In many movies, there are families that move into homes that are inhabited by the spirits of those that died there, and the souls begin to cause havoc on the unsuspecting family. The technology used now in movies is able to apply different camera angles and special effects to help make the thought of a ghost believable. Ghosts are no longer just a sheet being moved by a string, they are implied by a series of actions and instances caused by these technological advancements.
When examining the evolution of both horror and vampires within the movie industry, it’s easy to see how there has been a dramatic shift between the 1980’s and present-day film. In regards to the horror film industry, vampires are certainly not the stuff that scares at present. Instead, the blockbuster hits are gore; films that contain human mutilation and psychological games where the eventual result is death for all. Sometimes, the plot allows for the virgin to live, but this is even becoming a rarity. Movies such as House of Wax, Saw, Cabin Fever, Final Destination, Scream… they all contain victims being chased, captured and cut up by a crazed killer. And since the silver screen is being lit up with blood and guts, vampires have had the opportunity to sneak into a space of romance. Recently, in literature, film, television, vampires are creatures with eternal sex appeal. They sparkle, and not just because of the sun. Suddenly, vampires are the cool kids in town. They give us goose bumps of pleasure not from pain, but rather pleasure. From Twilight to True Blood to the children’s movie, The Little Vampire, the once frightening figures are now friendly, and characters to emulate, strive for, to incorporate into our dream date. It’s not something outrageous for tweens to have crushes on vampires. Not the actors playing the vampires, although they are desired, but yes, the vampires themselves. Edward Cullen and his bloodthirsty family are the new knights. They leave the armor at home though because they have bodies as hard as armor. Clearly, this is the way to mega stardom and the heart’s of American girls and women. Some might be a little upset with the transition, but after looking into the vampire past and seeing the potential of a vampire’s future, I think this evolution should be given the proper credit. Vampires are a money making, heart breaking, soul shaking, fan-tastic franchise. And that doesn’t suck at all.
ReplyDeleteGeordie Geller
ReplyDeleteEver since Nosferatu and Dracula came to life on the big screen, they have scared audiences around the world. The 1980s continued with creepy and bone chilling films like The Hunger (1983) which was like nothing that had ever been seen before (Karg, p.235). At the same time many films began incorporating vampires into teen comedies which include The Lost Boys and My Best Friend Is a Vampire. One thing that changed was the humor that helped to off put fear that might otherwise arise in a horror film. There was also the addition of the vampire with morals. In My Best Friend Is a Vampire, the vampire tries to live as a “good” vampire and not drink human blood. This aspect alone makes him a more likable that any vampire character to come before him. Dracula was portrayed as tall, dark and handsome making the character more likeable. By having teen idols such as Corey Feldman and Corey Haim act in a film about vampires drove the younger audiences to see the film. It gave studios a new angle on how to profit from the vampire market which was to cast teen idols as the attractive “good” vampire take is seem today. Today these films are more about love and romance than the horror of the old days.
Film and television today has really capitalized on the likeable vampires that teen girls want to fall in love with. The sex appeal has become a major part of the characters design. Vampires have continued to look more and more human which helps the audience relate to their social issues. Vampires both male and female have gained a sense of self-empowerment and fight back against evil.
Films that would still be considered scary today are Shadow of the Vampire, Stephen Kings IT and The Shining. Each film has its own creep factor that is distinct giving it the ability to stand the test of time.
Shadow of the Vampire (2000) in the hair raising story of the making of Nosferatu. What made it so chilling was the sense that vampires could be real and hiding in plain sight. Both Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich gave performances that made your skin crawl. What gives it the ability to be creepy/scary is the new perspective on one of scariest horror films of all time (Karg, p.242).
Stephen King’s IT (1990) centers around a group of outcasts who battle a creature who can transform its self into a person worst fear or phobia. However most of the time he is seen as a clown. The film is especially scary for people to have a fear on clowns. Yet it can be scary for anyone because everyone has a phobia and watching the film draws it to the surface. It stretches your imagination to a point where you believe that anything is possible and nothing is more frightening that the unknown.
Lastly, and probably the scariest is Stephen King’s The Shining (1980). Writer Jack Torrance, takes a job as an off-season caretaker at an isolated hotel. His son possesses psychic abilities and is able to see things in the future and past, such as the ghosts who inhabit the hotel. Soon after moving in Jack in consumed by a supernatural presence at the hotel; he descends into madness and attempts to murder his wife and son. What is so terrifying about this film is the really of emotions and actions of the characters. While we may not be able to relate to malevolent spirits, we can relate to crazy and violate behavior because these are things that are not always brought on by things we see or even understand.
At the end of the day most vampire and other supernatural films have detoured away from the original fascination of horror and fright, yet there are still a few true classics scattered about.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula set the standard for what the portrayal of how vampires should be like. Since the publication of this novel that intrigued the multitude, there have been many cinematographic adaptations of the Stoker’s novel. The Everything Vampire book explains how vampire films have been unforgettable since the beginning of the genre. The textbook states, “What is perhaps more impressive about the films of the past three decades—aside from their sheer numbers—is how truly immortal the vampire has become, serving up guile, gore, and wiley wit to generations of truly mesmerized fans” (227). From Nosferatu to the most recent vampire film every single one has distinct characteristics that can be traced back to Stoker’s Dracula. As movies become more modernized we see different creative spins producers have adapted. In the early production of vampire films most of them were about scaring people while at the same time creating a fascinating theme about the unknown and everything that has to do with these mythological creatures. These films have also left a mark in people and in some sense become legendary. A perfect example is the film The Hunger based on a novel written by Whitley Strieber. This novel is one that uses modern twist in order to create an interesting and intriguing plot (234). This film has some similarities to Nosferatus because the main character in this case the vampire is from a foreign place residing in unfamiliar area where all of the bloodsucking takes place. This film is also interesting because it portrays massive bloodsucking taking place and the New York metropolitan area. Here is a clip from the movie trailer that gives an insight to what the movie is like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888bgz64ihc
ReplyDeleteIn some respects some of the 80’s vampire movies have become comedic in the sense that their themes can be seen as an exaggerated depiction of previous vampire films. The textbook explains how 80’s was a chaotic era for vampirism in the film industry. Our textbook also discusses how the decade of the 90’s was one to bring vampire stories back to its roots of Stoker’s Dracula. The textbook states, “Coming off a decade of decidedly chaotic vampire cinema, the nineties were prime and ready for the resurgence of Nosferatu that could bring the world of the undead to its roots” (237). The 1992 version of Dracula has been one that has been applauded for keeping the storyline very close to that of Stoker’s novel. I can see how keeping a story as close as possible to Stoker’s version can bring back the vampirism people have come to be intrigued by. The textbook also explains how along with the new millennium came a new era for vampirism in the film industry. According to book this time period in the new millennium brought changes to the typical vampire flick that people were accustomed to while paying its respects the previous films that have become classics. An example of how vampire films have changed is the Twilight Saga. This story romanticizes the typical scary portrayal of vampires. In some ways Stephanie Meyer’s distorts the ideas people have about vampires by making vampirism something desirable. I say desirable because that is mainly the plot through the whole Saga. Bella falls in love with Edward and wants to become a vampire to share her life with her lover. Meyer’s take on these folkloric creatures combines a Shakespearean theme with the characteristics Stoker has given to vampires in his novel. I personally, like Meyer’s has done to the vampire portrayal because this makes it easier for people like me who don’t like horror films to watch.
There is no doubt that the role of vampires in media has faced significant changes in the past 30 years. The character of vampires has changed from Bram Stocker’s Dracula; a dark vampire that bestowed fear among the humans that came in contact with him to Stephanie Meyer’s Edward Cullen a more loving and humanized vampire which presents little fear to mortals. The change of this role of vampires has indirectly changed how the media views vampires; they are no longer a supernatural being that transmits fear. Do we as a society just not find the vampire to be a scary supernatural creature anymore? Why has our views changed?
ReplyDeleteThe vampire genre in films began in the silent era in 1896 and has not yet faded in the current day. Although we are still surrounded with vampires in our media the way that they are portrayed is completely different. When first introduced to vampires in film we were presented with Nosferatu, a truly horrifying vampire with animalistic intentions. Nosferatu also looked nothing like a human, he had long fingernails and a ratlike face. In the 1890s this was so terrifying to the viewer because of how they used makeup and lighting when creating this film. Another prominent maker of vampire media was Hammer Films, even after their productions began to lose popularity; the vampire genre itself did not (288). Because of the popularity of the Hammer Films I feel that many other filmmakers wanted to create their own films after seeing their success. Because of all of these filmmakers taking their shot at creating a vampire fill we see all sorts of variations of the vampire. “The wide variety of films speaks to the fact that so many vampire flicks were being made that filmmakers were in danger of beating the genre into an early grave (288).” In the past 30 years vampires have been placed into all sorts of genres, making them no longer only a creature of horror films we can see them in all sorts of scenarios now.
The Lost Boys is an example of one of these films that went against the grain of traditional vampire media. Two brothers move to a small town in California, and the town if filled with bikers and mysterious deaths. This film while having the same descriptions of the traditional vampire it takes an entirely different twist on the vampire genre. This film reinvents the idea of vampire versus vampire hunter by changing the age group to teenagers; although this film is dramatic it is more along the lines of a comedy (235).
Another example of a film that did not follow the traditional vampire is Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire. Chelsea, Adam, and Taylor are siblings and they are trying to get their mother out of the house, and she ends up on a date with a vampire. This film creates a new twist of children trying to protect their mother from a vampire, and they also include a use of Van Helsing the vampire hunter to help the children save their mother. As a child I found this film to be frightening, but looking back on it today it is not scary in the least.
ReplyDeleteThe most prominent vampire film to have a completely different genre of romance and drama is the film based off of Stephanie Meyer’s novels, Twilight. This film is a twist on Romeo and Juliet with vampires (244). The divide between the two lovers is no longer their family, it is that Edward is a Vampire and Bella is human, and they cannot be together. This film presented a different out look on vampires to the media. Although Stephanie Meyer was not the first author of vampire media to add love between humans and vampires into her novel, she is still recognized as one of the most well known for the breakthrough.
Although today we do not automatically associate vampires with horror because of recent vampire films and novels we still have characters within these films that show the true nature of the vampire. I would not say that vampires are entirely not scary anymore; I feel that they have been portrayed in a humanized way in most current vampire media. Yet we still see evil vampire characters to remind us that a vampire cannot be completely trusted. Even in New Moon we see Jasper who is a friend of Bella attempt to lung at her after she gets a paper cut. This reminds us that they are creatures that desire blood and friend or foe they cannot always control their actions. This is what people find frightening, the idea that a vampire could turn on you almost instantly and then it is too late.
Vampires, the creatures of the night lurking in the shadows awaiting their prey. But are we no longer afraid of the dark? Do we not look over our shoulders whilst walking in the dark? Do we not avoid dark alleys just incase a murderer is waiting for us? Do we no longer look under the bed for monsters? Well who do we have to blame for this lack of fear? I used to be so afraid of the things that go bump in the night. I still have trouble walking through the city or even campus at night, because you cannot see what may be lurking in the shadows or stalking your every move. I believe that if I had been born into the time when Dracula and nosferatu were just released I think I would have found them horrifying. But I believe the time I have been brought up in with the SEXY vampire has jaded my idea of what is scary. I guess I will have to start with my first experience with vampires, it was on sesame street. Come on now, how can a plush purple puppet who teaches me how to count be scary. So that would be desensitization one. Fast forward a few years to when I saw interview with a vampire. This movie wasn’t my favorite but it did portray the vampire in a killer light. It was the first experience I have had with that type of vampire. The thing is that it was more disturbing to me than scary. The whole staying a child forever with Claudia just bothered me. The most horrifying thing in that entire movie would have to be the dolls that she carries everywhere. When you were supposed to be scared when she killed all the dress designers I laughed because I could not take the angelic, young, Kristen Dunst (who I knew only as the cheerleader from Bring It On) to be anything scary. I remember one movie that I found absolutely horrifying. It was called Darkness Falls. Well first off it was scary because I was only thirteen when it came out, and second it supposedly took place in Maine where I lived and grew up. This movie was truly scary and made me have nightmares for weeks. The story is about how 150 years prior a woman who was called the tooth fairy was lynched when two children went missing. So now she torments the people of the town killing children who lose teeth when they are not in the light when she arrives. Your head must always be in the light. The whole movie is about a kid who survived her attack when he was younger, so it is her mission to come after him in his adult life. He is so scared every day of his life that he cannot live it normally. Watch the trailer her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfvAF-UdS_o&feature=related.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite movies as a kid was the Little Vampire. I loved this movie. It was so cute and touching and it showed how vampires won’t hurt you if they love you. So I saw this movie for the first time when I was ten, so how could I honestly find vampires scary when my second instance with them was having one as your best friend. It was amazing how the vampires got cured in the end and were able to come out in the day light. They also for the most part did not drink humans, they preyed on cows. It was a heartwarming, loving, laughable film. Not something to be feared in the slightest. So vampires are not scary, ghosts, vengeful spirits and insane psycho killers, well that is scary to me. But we cant forget the doomsday ideas too… the fact that people think the world is going to end, well that scares me too. But vampires in my day and age, are all believed to be like Edward. Most people who do not have a background like I do with Charaline Harris, J.R. Ward, Laurell K. Hamilton, The Underworld movies and Blade movies, believe that Edward was the beginning of vampires. I mean honestly, vampires were meant to be scary, meant to be the myth’s that keep children in line, but no. They sparkle and make you fall in love with them. Honestly I do like the twilight movies and books but it is just nauseating sometimes to think that some people truly believe Edward was the first vampire or that when they think of vampires he is what comes to mind. I guess I will just have to do my best to educate them. But all and all vampires are no longer a thing to be feared.
ReplyDeleteThe terms used to describe vampires on the back cover of Karg’s book “The Everything Vampire Book” are “erotic” and “exotic”, their realm being defined as “beautiful” yet “terrible”. The words lacking from this description are “frightening”, “horrifying” or even the mild “scary”.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1970s, vampires saw an over-resurgence in the realm of films – being continuously covered since the late 1890s may have been a contributing factor. Karg theorizes that the sheer volume of films involving vampires produced in the 1970s “were in danger of beating the [vampire] genre into an early grave.” (228) Karg lists 61 movies being released from 1970 to 1979, which means an average of six vampire flicks a year were exposed to the public, many hailing from the same studios (like Hammer Films), featuring the actors such as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine “figured prominently throughout the decade.” (228)
That said, it can be assumed that an over indulgence of vampires led to the 1980s being a lackluster year, with “the vamps of the eighties… often left to obscurity.” (234) In can be stated that, in order to keep the entire genre fresh, new mythologies contributing to the vampire must be accessed, revealed and acknowledged. And the “exotic” nature of the vampire, usually passed off as charm in vampire films, can be adapted to mean something else.
In the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel, “Interview with the Vampire”, we are introduced to three vampires with three very different defining characteristics: “Lestat’s arroganice matched up against Louis’ pensiveness and the wicket countenance of their daughter Claudia.” (238) While the movie did have scenes depicting blood-lust, the hunger for human blood, and abolished or established several myths in the opening minutes (in a memorable exchange, the vampire Louis states he is “actually quite fond of looking at crucifixes” and that Count Dracula was the “vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman” (IMDb)), it also allowed the characters of the vampires, not the humans, to come in full focus. It focused on the pains that Louis de Point du Lac experienced before and after he was turned by the much-more savage Lestat de Lioncourt. The movie shed light on the agony of the girl Claudia, who was spared from death by being given immortality but was doomed to be young and immature forever, never quite fully grasping it. In an attempt to redefine the genre, “Interview with the Vampire” dismissed the Dracula myth entirely and showed the pained, horrified state of the undead.
Movies with vampires also found a natural home in action movies, with the ever-raging war between the slayer and the undead dramatized in several films dating back to the 1980s (most memorably “The Lost Boys”). Movies such as the “Blade” trilogy starring Wesley Snipes and the “Underworld” series helmed by the fantastic Kate Beckinsale can be defined better as action movies with the vampire mythology sprinkled in. In “Blade”, the protagonist is a half-human half-vampire mortal who has taken a vow to slay the vampires from inflicting their evil on the world. Unlike other vampires, he can walk in the daylight and he is able to curb his hunger for blood. In “Underworld”, Kate Beckinsale’s Selene is a “death dealer” clad in skin-tight black-leather, a member of the vampire covens who are in a constant state of war against the Lycans, i.e. werewolves. She later becomes romantically involved with a descendant of the first immortal, Michael Corvin, who himself is transformed into a half-vampire half-werewolf creature, and she realized the coven of vampires she has grown up with for centuries had lied to her about her existence, forcing her to abandon them entirely.
ReplyDelete“Underworld” is a prime example of how romance has seeped into the vampire genre, but no movie can better illustrate that then the adaptations of Stephenie Meyers’ “Twilight” saga. It can be argued that, in “Twilight”, the protagonists and antagonists just happen to be vampires in order to differentiate it from any teenage love drama. The twist there, though, is that the mortal girl Bella Swan is in a love triangle between a vampire, Edward of clan Cullen, and a shape-shifter (who can turn into a wolf), Jacob. The movie explores the “erotic”, “exotic” appeal of the vampire –Edward is seen as a dark, brooding, dramatically attractive person whom Bella Swan is immensely drawn towards, despite the fact that Edward immediately reveals that he is drawn to how she smells. With “Twilight”, vampires no longer remained the charismatic murderous beasts seen in countless retellings of “Dracula” and “Nosferatu” but it is an immortal human, with a heart to love.
What is a scary movie now? Unlike the slasher films that gave rise to the legends of Freddy Kruger (Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th franchise) and Michael Myers (Halloween franchise, recent horror movies feature much more realistic gore and open acts of violence, as can be seen in the Saw franchise of movies. There is also a fear of watching a movie shot in the style of a documentary, giving the illusion of a true event, like in the movie “The Blair With Project” or “Paranormal Activity” (both infamous for being low-budget films with massively high returns). Fear is no longer a murderer rampaging through the countryside picking off scantily clad young men and women but open dissections and amputations, blood seeping through every crevice imaginable and bad camerawork done by “amateurs” to record a “real event” with tragic circumstances. There is no place for the openly supernatural in such films.
Elisabeth Keasler....
ReplyDelete“Given the rich history of vampires in film, it would only be a matter of time before Dracula and his kind would show up in our living rooms. “ (Karg, 248) According to Karg, Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been so influential to the horror genre that by the 21st century there is no surprise it has made it into our homes. Well yes, like our blogs addressed last week, we can attribute the horror genre to Bram Stoker himself, but has the definition of horror changed? Are you really scared when you watch a “horror film”? Has the franchise become something of a different nature?
Lets face it. As 21st century filmgoers we are so desensitized to the actual “scariness” of the horror or thrillers today. Depending on what you consider art, I’d say most people would agree that the entertainment industry lacks the idea of fear. I should probably be more specific when I say “most people” because I think I am speaking for my generation alone who has dated the notion of scary due to what we have been raised around. Like most young-adults our age we grew up watching Sesame Street with Count con Count portraying Bela Lugosi’s Count Dracula. I mean come on, how scary can Jerry Nelson’s voice in a puppet suit be? Honestly, it was either Barney or Sesame Street for me and I don’t remember once being scared by the Count. This says something for the nature of vampires. At such a young age we are being introduced to vampires and obviously there is a purpose behind children watching the show and not becoming frightened. Most always there was some kind of children’s lesson behind each of these characters. As far as dating back to my childhood it could have also been The Little Vampire or Mom’s got a date with a vampire. I’d have to say; the little vampire is one of my favorites with the little boy from Stuart little. (That is also one of my favorites as a kid) With that said, this movie was not scary at all. It’s the story of a little boy becoming best friends with a vampire. They love each other and reflect the true qualities of a loving children’s friendship. Flying cows? The vampire preying on them instead of humans? I think we can say our generation has been introduced to a new vampire! A sweet one…one we can look up to….one that we can see during the day…. And most importantly one we can be friends with.
On to our more adult stage we have been introduced to some newer more mature films, but once again still not the frightening fancies that came along with Bram Stoker’s Dracula and this is due to the evolution of the characters. “The fans know when they pop Twilight in the DVD player that they are no I for a fright but more for a Romeo and Juliet type atmosphere.” (Karg, 24) This is true, at least for me. I can definitely say that from these 2 childhood movies to Twilight, there was a huge gap of vampire fame. For me it was Stephanie Myers’ breakthrough with the Twilight series and I can definitely attest to the romance of vampires not freaking me out.
OK. OK. OK You might think of Blade or I am Legend, but Blade is more of a historic so…..is I am Legend the best the horror industry can do? It can’t be as frightening as Dracula was when it was first exposed, but I’ll give Richard Matheson’s remake a bit of slack. This maybe possibly the only movie in our generation that came close to being scary. Maybe I should say freaky. Definitely not horror but the story was just so REAL-LIFE that I feel like a 21st century audience could relate. Also, who connects Will Smith with horror? So, this movie might have been freaky with Will trying to survive the virus in NYC and the trivial nature of what he goes through. The vampires trying to kill Will Smith and tracking his steps with urine. And this movie takes a bit of a turn because for once they aren’t sexy, they almost in a sense lose all aspects of their humanity but this exactly is my point. Is not the vampire that is scary anymore. Its their stories being so real-life and losing the originality of the beginning vampires.
Elisabeth Keasler...
ReplyDeleteThe escapism of our vampires today, are just so imagination based. Today our vampires have under gone a transition of humanity and blending in, that even readers forget they are vampires. Before they know it, you are forgetting the chills you had and you are being lured in…. most always falling in love. I know this was long and drawn on, but I want to make a point that the film industry has transformed the idea of scary. Bottom line… if you truly want to be scared by a vampire I say you head back towards Bram Stoker’s days to the classics!
“Dracula Night” is set up around the celebration of Count Dracula. A quick observation of characters in this short story and how they interact with one another, the reader can conclude that the normal roles have been adjusted slightly. Eric appears nervous, and not at all like the confident vampire I would have anticipated to see from his characters. The bold kiss with Sookie at the beginning does ring true to what I expected, but overall falls short. Also, Eric is very detail orientated, which is generally a more feminine characteristic and would not normally correlate with a bad boy vampire. From the carefully planned decorations that he selected for his soirée, to the over the top fountains, buffets, and even “royal” blood that is purchased solely for Dracula’s consumption, Eric pulls out all the stops. This is definitely something that plays towards a sympathetic character. These details point to the fact that Eric values sentimentality and wants the night to be special despite the possibility that Dracula will not be in attendance. Harris continues to describe Eric’s demeanor as “ buzzing from table to table. He hugged and bowed and talked like a demented thing, and I didn’t know if I found this endearing or alarming. I decided it was both. I’d definitely discovered Eric’s weak side” (60). This goes to further paint the picture of how attentive Eric is being. Attentive is a far cry from the actions of a true bad boy vampire. In fact, Eric’s actions make him realistic, almost human. It is this relatibility that a reader can sympathize with and will continue to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteAs for the discussion of Sookie as a heroine goes, it is my belief that she straddles the line between empowered leading lady and torn individual amongst two worlds. She does struggle with living along side of the supernatural. Additionally, Sookie has a rather difficult time accepting her abilities, and doesn’t believe that reading minds is a gift, more so, a curse. However, the abilities she demonstrates and her quick thinking provides her with the chance to escape being sacraficed to an impostor Dracula. It is a mix of her abilities and knowledge of the vampires around her that she is able to save her life and the lives of other vampires in the process of outing the fake Prince of Darkness. This delicate balance that Sookie manages on a daily basis is what makes her a developing heroine. She is relatable, intelligent and has the potential for significant character growth; however, I don’t believe she is a complete leading lady yet. She still needs to come into her own.
A comparison that could be made between these two is to the characters of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight: Eclipse. Here, the two go through human emotions because of their relationship and the direction it is heading in. The reader sees Edward as a sympathetic, humanlike creature that is just trying to balance his world, who he is and the woman he loves simultaneously. Bella on the other hand is like Sookie in the aspects where she needs to be stronger but does manage to maneuver her way through every challenge she is faced with. For Bella, the strength comes with her transformation into a vampire. As for Edward, it’s an inward struggle that makes him a sympathetic vampire like creature instead of a bad boy or someone who is devote to the animalistic qualities in their vampirism.