Classic Vampire Films
Vintage Vampire Movies for Fans of Twilight Include Nosferatu, Bela Lugosi as Dracula
May 29, 2009
With the recent DVD release of the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight it is clear to see the new lease on life that these undead being have been granted. Of course, vampire films, like the written fiction, have change immensely over the years. Here is a brief guide to vampires on film.
Nosferatu
Probably the most famous of the original, black and white vampire films is Nosferatu. Released in 1922, the film is essentially an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The studio was unable to gain rightsto the novel, which lead to several changes, including in the use of the word vampire. Despite the universal use of the word, in the film all references to the creature were changed to Nosferatu. The central monster takes on the name of Count Orlok, rather than Dracula and is played by Max Schreck. However, the storyline is recognizable. Directed by F. W. Murnau, it is a German expressionist take on vampires, typical of the art movement of the time.
The most interesting change from the novel is the appearance of the monster itself. It is quite far removed from the vampire that we are used to today. Instead of the elongated canines that we find so recognizable on vampires today, Orlok instead resembled more a rat, with elongated incisors. He is bald, tall, thin and beastly looking, rather than being the seductive dark and handsome figure of Dracula and subsequent vampire works. In true keeping with early gothic fiction and gothic inspired cinema the vampire is treated completely as a monster. It is something to be hated and pushed away, a beastly threat to humanity as a whole, a completely unsympathetic portrayal.
Dracula, Stoker’s Legacy
This is a trend to continue in almost all horror films and vampire films for the decades that followed. Hammer horror efforts, such as the Dracula adaptation, in which they were able to follow the Stoker’s original novel, takes a similar stance in the treatment of ‘the monster’. The character of Dracula is played up to devilish perfection by Christopher Lee. Released in 1958 and directed by Terence Fisher, it shows its age but is never-the-less a fun piece of cinema. Interesting to observe from where vampire films find their grounding and to see how they have come to change over the years.
Accompanying Hammer Horror’s efforts is the earlier 1931 version, directed by Todd Browning and staring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. This is a popular version in America. It takes a very similar stance on the monstrous other, the vampire, as the later Hammer Horror’s version did. Even Francis Ford Coppola’s version of the Stoker novel, Bram Stoker’s Dracula seems to follow this trend of utter demonization. However, the film itself gained a positive critical reception, especially Gary Oldman’s portrayal of the Count. Its closeness to the novel has been called into question; however, the general ideas seem to remain.
Like gothic and vampire literature, the attitudes the works offer over have changed over the decades. Modern vampire films like Twilight portray a much more complex monster in the vampire, something much closer to humanity. Still, it is always interesting to see where these characterizations have come from. Perfect films for anyone with an interest in the vampire mythology.
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