Throughout the development of horror cinema – the figure of the ‘vampire’ has changed and progressed dramatically. When thinking of the ‘classic’ figure of the ‘vampire’ – one of the first that comes to the minds of most is none other than Hammers Dracula (Horror of Dracula; 1958). The stereotypical judgments or thoughts towards the ‘classic’ vampire figure – in this case, Dracula – is most notably known to be from Transylvania. He seduces and lures his victims in order to suck blood for survival and also finding pleasure in the process of his kill. Ultimately, Dracula is portrayed as evil, a threat to society and a menace.
It is this very brain, which is ultimately used to aid in Dracula’s downfall. Lucy, on the other hand, is presented as the temptress at the very start of the novel. Stoker presents her as exhibiting personality traits potentially dangerous in women. She is ever the tease, falling into the traditional female role more than Mina ever did. Her vanity
In the most important aspects of Frankenstein; Frankenstein is compelling in and of itself. This book has stories that surround other stories, setting them up in one way or another. Frankenstein is a gothic novel that focuses on mysterious or supernatural features. It takes place in dark, often exotic settings. Readers feel uneasy and in terror after reading the novel.
Filled with theatrical themes, dramatic irony and symbolism, Dracula acts as much more than a vampire novel. Bram Stoker writes of an assembly of people who have to contract a way to save themselves and others by putting their lives in danger against a resilient vampire. Although society of the time period frowned upon certain behaviors, Stoker managed to get away with writing shocking the social values of a Victorian reader. Through symbolism, Stoker explores female sexual corruption and Christian salvation by contrasting the power of good over evil. Dracula opens with Jonathan Harker, a man who is newly engaged to Mina Murray, traveling to Transylvania on a business trip while telling of his journey through a web of journal entries that last from May to June.
For example in Dracula, Count Dracula is the antagonist and In the Devil Rides Out its Mocata. These are only a couple of examples but shows that this type occurs in not just one. Going along with the antagonist is the complete opposite this being the protagonist also said to be the hero. This is the person who normally fights or attempts to kill the villain. The protagonist can help keep the story going and normally fails a number of times before succeeding.
Stoker’s choose of women as the temptresses may be a warning to the women of the Victorian era to beware about pushing the boundaries of their sexuality. Stoker’s use of structuring emphasizes a women’s role in society at the time, this is the first women that Harker meets in the novel and they are devilish vampires, this implies that the novel appeals to an only male audience and their fantasy of women giving in to their temptations. Harker is simultaneously confronting a vampire and another creature equally terrifying to Victorian England, an unabashedly sexual woman, the evidence for this comes from the implied act of oral sex, ‘The fair girl went on her knees, bent over me, fairly gloating.’ Contextually the fact that Harker becomes the ‘submissive’ and is easily overpowered by their seduction and his own temptation shows the role reversal as women take on the dominating role that a traditional Victorian man is supposed to possess. The fact that Harker is both aroused and disgusted by the Vampires shows the Freudian
Bram Stoker’s Dracula It’s very clear to me that Dracula meets the criteria for ‘gothic horror.’ I could give examples of that using all six elements of gothic horror but I’ll use Supernatural, Main Character/Madness, and Evil because I felt they were most important. Supernatural involving otherworldly characters that defy natural laws, Main Character/Madness due to the risk of going mad from the extreme pressures of a threatening situation and evil since there is an atmosphere of fear and dread that evil will prevail over good. The movie starts out in the 15th Century where Dracula a member of the Order of the Dragon is victorious over a battle with the Turks, though many of his men died during battle he prevailed uttering “God be praised! I am victorious!” When Dracula returns from battle his wife, Elizabetta has thought him dead, so she throws herself off her balcony and committing suicide is a horrible sin in Christian faith. It is there that Dracula in a burst of anger stabs the cross, and renounces God and everything pure.
2 Feb. 2009 <http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2008/11/21/2008-11-21_on_the_eve_of_twilight_why_women_find_va.html>. There are four top reasons why women find vampires sexy. Joanne Detore-Nakamura, a professor of a literary film and monster class at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, says, “The vampire represents the quintessential bad boy.” She also says that people are drawn to things they fear, like roller coasters and scary movies. There is a type of thrill
Dracula, Psycho, and Jane Eyre are three texts which, though covering a broad variety of topics, are intrinsically linked through one such topic: the duality of human beings. Dracula, on its surface, may appear to just be a monster story, but the monster in question is more than just a blood-sucking abomination. He is representative of how mankind has a monster lurking within, one that must utilize others to survive, one that is seductive, dark, and mysterious, and one that is ultimately invited in by its victims. Psycho, as the title suggests, is about a deranged killer. However, he is no ordinary murderer.
The film contains strong sexual content, but according to Pirie (2008) does more than parade nudity, rather the film, with its strong rain soaked vegetation, employs a vivid natureous scene, along with, the violent sexual nature of the vampires. The film, was later re-released as Daughters of Dracula, and many similarities can be drawn with the film, Dracula, in terms of its theme and in terms of its props, such as, according to Pirie (2008) the castle like house and the elegant goblets of wine. Within this film, one of the female vampires becomes so obsessed with her partner that she cannot keep her hands off him, aware that with every bite she takes; he becomes weaker and weaker, thus demonstrating the violent sexual nature of the vampire. Indeed, in one scene, another vampire girl is seen literally prising the lifeless figure of her partner from the arms of another vampire, who has drained his body of all