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My Vampire Fest Kick-Off: Nosferatu

8/12/2014

6 Comments

 
With Halloween and my book launch approaching (more to come later), this blog is going to change its focus. The trend? Vampires! Plus some other stuff for good measure because there really can be too much of a good thing.
Camela Thompson Nosferatu
In the spirit of kicking off my Vampire Fest the right way, I decided to begin with the earliest vampire movie I could get my hands on: Nosferatu.

Nosferatu was based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 Gothic Horror novel, Dracula. More accurately, there are aspects of the story that were followed very closely and there are elements pulled out of left field because the production company was unable to gain rights from Stoker’s heirs. Spoiler Alert! The main differences between the novel and movie were Van Helsing’s complete lack of involvement and the resolution. Instead of a violent confrontation, the heroine of the movie sacrifices herself to save the townspeople. By simply willingly offering her blood throughout an entire night, the vampire perishes with the rising sun. This is critical to point out because it was truly a sacrifice for the young woman. Count Orlok was a hideous monster with a deformed head, giant ears, pointy teeth, crazy eyes, and giant hands.

There is an ongoing trend in the fictional world of vampires. Some elements stay the same: the thirst for blood, eternal life, and inhuman strength. What has changed are the degrees of humanity and physical desirability. Today’s vampires are broody, gorgeous, and capable of complex emotions, particularly love. Many are even able to abstain or minimize their human consumption for the good of those around them. At times it goes too far (Sparkles? Really?), but I understand the impulse to soften the monster. It’s like finally being able to date the bad boy who really does have a sensitive side just for you.

Vampires branched out of the horror genre in film dating back to at least the 1960’s. Now it is rare to watch a film or read a book with vampires who are truly bloodthirsty and lacking all humanity. Emotional vulnerability gives us the opportunity to cheer for the bad guy and hope he can overpower his demons and not eat his girlfriend, but sometimes it gets a little boring. (For those of you who have watched The Vampire Diaries, it’s like watching Damon go from moody psychopath to pining and lovestruck. He’s still gorgeous, but lacking the edge that had me binge watching the series in the first place.)

The beautiful vampire was not at all how the legend began. Whether you look to the Norse draugr, Western European revenants, wendigo/wechuge of North America, or the vampires of Romani/Romanian/Slavic origin, the creature was a terrifying fiend who consumed the blood and/or flesh of its family and neighbors. Superstition fed into mass hysteria that led to executions and strange burial measures. Infants were murdered because they were unlucky enough to be born with a defect or a red caul. Nosferatu captures the traditional image of the vampire and reminds us of where it all began.

What do you think of today’s vampires?

Author’s Note: The decision to watch Nosferatu should be accompanied by adjusted expectations. Switching over to a black and white film with written blocks of dialogue was a challenge for the first five to ten minutes. The dramatic character makeup and exaggerated pantomimes kept me suitably entertained until it dawned on me that the movie was very advanced for 1922 technology. Shadows appeared from nowhere and Count Orlok faded in and out of scenes.
6 Comments
Rosalie Royan link
8/12/2014 09:48:54 am

I've not delved very far into the world of vampires, I watched Dracula and that's about it. Well I've also read the Twilight saga because I was fourteen and under coercion. Regardless of that, I do kind of side-eye anyone who says they absolutely love vampires without knowing any of their history. I feel that if you love vampires, stories of vampires who lack humanity and their blood thirst for humans should be at least a bit interesting.

As a concept I don't mind today's vampires, because like you said the impulse to soften vampires is understandable, and, from an outside perspective, I don't mind the characters. However, as a trend it bothers me because it at times seems to erase the history of what vampires really are.

t's like we've forgotten why vampires are seen as monsters under the weight of all this new media that makes vampires gorgeous and sensitive and completely unlike their predecessors. For example, I would still run like hell away from a vampire, but I know a bunch of teenage girls who wouldn't.

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Camela Thompson link
8/12/2014 12:03:20 pm

Great points! They have lost a lot of their predatory edge. Initially they terrified us and now they are more magnetic, which has its ups and down. Your impulse to run would be wise :)

Good and bad can be said about the Twilight series, but people have really strong opinions about it. Both fans and detractors usually admit that they read not one but all of the books. To create such a strong response must be the sign of a good writer. I give her props even if I squirmed at the dysfunctional relationships, "veganism", and sparkles.

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Rosalie Royan
8/12/2014 12:46:35 pm

I just about died laughing about the sparkles. I mean, there's a lot to be said about Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series. Honestly, I don't think anybody would bother enough to hate the books if she weren't successful. I think the problem is that she is so successful and a lot of people don't really think that's fair in a sense, because they've read better books, they think their own books are better, they have a problem with teenagers learning about relationships from these books or all three.

Unfortunately, that's how trends go. They don't always like the best stuff. However, like you said, most people have read all the books. Stephanie Meyer had a way of making people want to keep reading and that's a writing trait that all writers should aspire to have.

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Rosalie Royan
8/12/2014 12:46:48 pm

I just about died laughing about the sparkles. I mean, there's a lot to be said about Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series. Honestly, I don't think anybody would bother enough to hate the books if she weren't successful. I think the problem is that she is so successful and a lot of people don't really think that's fair in a sense, because they've read better books, they think their own books are better, they have a problem with teenagers learning about relationships from these books or all three.

Unfortunately, that's how trends go. They don't always like the best stuff. However, like you said, most people have read all the books. Stephanie Meyer had a way of making people want to keep reading and that's a writing trait that all writers should aspire to have.

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Z.D. Gladstone link
8/21/2014 10:08:22 pm

I can go for the gorgeous vampire because it makes sense to me from an evolutionary perspective: the better to blend in and attract prey. Since they're fictional (sorry, folks) one could argue they've evolved along with society. A thousand years ago, the human race was battling nature not out of ego, but for survival, and the unknown dangers must have been plentiful and horrific. Today, Western culture has little to fear except the consequences of its own short-sighted greed. "Yummy! Me want! Ow, diabetes hurts!" Or, more appropriately: "Pretty! Me want! Ow, Hep C hurts!" So vampires have evolved from a symbol of nature's cruel challenges draining the life out of mankind, to a symbol of mankind's insatiable nature coming back to bite us.
(Yes, both puns were intended.)

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Camela Thompson link
8/21/2014 11:56:03 pm

This is a really strong theory backing the sexualization of vampires. Nicely done!

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    Camela Thompson

    Freelance writer and Dark urban fantasy author featuring vampires with bite.

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