2. How have vampires changed over time?
• In the past, vampires used to be seen as scary, foreign,
unnatural beings. They were feared by people as they
were different from western norms, and were very
gothic.
• They were seen as more ‘human-like’ monsters, rather
than like Frankenstein’s monster and werewolves, they
looked human most of the time, and were only
differentiated by their eating habits, and a variety of
powers such as turning into bats, immortality, and
more recently, things such as super speed and
3. Nosferatu - 1922
o Nosferatu was a German vampire film that
was basically a copy of Dracula, but due to not
having rights to names etc, certain elements
were changed. E.g., instead of Count Dracula,
it was Count Orlok.
o Nosferatu was a silent film, with only the use
of music to aid the story telling. It is set in
Transylvania, and Nosferatu follows the
tradition of vampires drinking blood.
o Nosferatu is less human like than more
modern depictions of vampires, with long,
intimidating claws, and inhuman, abnormally
large eyes and ears. He is also freakishly tall
and lanky, making him all the more creepy.
4.
5. Dracula - 1958
o Christopher Lee’s Dracula portrayal was
much more gentlemanly and charismatic
than Nosferatu. He dressed much more
suavely, wearing all black and a cape
with a red lining.
o Dracula in this film again followed
traditions of sleeping in a coffin and
living in a gothic castle.
o Dracula followed the motif of the 1950s
of the ‘Fear of the Unknown’, as Dracula
was an Other. This portrayal of Dracula
showed a sexually powerful undead
being, which appealed to audiences.
6.
7. Dracula - 1992
o Dracula is first shown to be young,
knightly and very much human, which
is a trend that has become more and
more common in modern day vampire
stories.
o The film uses a lot of religious
imagery, such as when Dracula stabs
the cross, and it starts bleeding,
following the convention of blood and
gore.
o Dracula follows the blood drinking
convention, and when he becomes old,
he evokes empathy from the viewers.
He also transforms into a bat in this
version.
8.
9. Twilight – 2008-12
o The vampires in Twilight are portrayed
as very human, sexy, attractive and
follow very different conventions to
the typical vampire films.
o The vampires in Twilight are
‘vegetarians’ and live in a family, in a
modern house. They sparkle in the
sunlight and have very human
emotions.
o They are viewed as perfect and
desirable.
o People want to be friends with them.
10.
11. Let the Right One in - 2008
o Let the Right One in follows the horror
and vampire convention of blood and
gore iconography, and Eli, the vampire
girl, drinks blood to survive.
o Unlike the traditional vampire, Eli
lives in a council estate.
o Eli is also seen as heroic, as she saves
Oskar and treats him well, which is
how Dracula was presented at the start
of the 1992 adaptation.
