HOW HAVE VAMPIRE FILMS DEVELOPED OVER

TIME

OUR FASCINATION WITH VAMPIRES

• Dracula is apposing to are human normalitys. • Vampires also embody perfection as they hold the desires of humans

(immortality, intellect)• Dracula himself is based on Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Drăculea) who was

thought to drink the blood of his defeated enemy's.• Vampires were feared as we humans are scared of what we can not

understand (fear of the unknown) and vampires are exactly that.

NOSFERATU (1922)• A German, vampire, silent film made just after the first world war. German

expressionism was big at the time, this can be seen through the shadow and other artistic work in the film

• Count Orlok (the vampire) was shown to have sharp nails and teeth with a menacing glare making him look animalistic

• The film had an eerie suspenseful soundtrack in the background further adding to the fright of the audience at the time.

HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)

• In this film Dracula (although still a killer of humans) is shown in a more human way, he is gentleman like and considered attractive.

• Nevertheless there is still the presence of fright in this film, as the character is still associated with blood sucking and shadows.

• The music when Dracula is hunting his prey is menacing and unnerving. • The film was also in colour adding more fright to audience.

BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992)

• This film differed from previous Dracula films as it brought the audience on the journey of Dracula's life making them sympathies with him.

• The music is still alarming but the intention of the film is to show that Dracula no longer wants to cause harm he want to in fact move on.

• Dracula is still shown to have long fingernails and have a some what frightening exterior.

TWILIGHT (2008-12)• This was the film most thought to truly change our viewpoint on vampires.• Although there are some characters in the story who stick slightly to old

concepts of vampires (the ‘Volturi’), the main vampire family (the ‘Cullens’) are show to be mostly friendly, ‘beautiful’, ‘vegetarians’ (they drink animal blood only)

• The idea of romance also changes out perception of vampires as before this vampires were no shown in a romantic way (romance as the central storyline not used before in this way).

CONCLUSION • These movies all carry different looks into vampires, but it is evident that over time

vampires have become less scary and more ‘lovable’.• Horror is always going around in cycles, who is to say if vampires will make a comeback and

return to their former horror glory, there are already some forms of media trying to bring vampires back to the forefront of horror including ‘American Horror Story’ (season 5 ‘Hotel’).

• The genre of horror is here to scare and conjure fear, the all important question audiences and creators must answer now is if they find vampires scary any more? The easy answer would be no, but just like the genre of paranormal activity was once chucked out for a new sub-genre then made a comeback in recent years, vampires can also do so…they just need to shack off the whole sparkly lovable look given to them from twilight.