said Suzie Whetzel, a second-year graduate student studying film who teaches the class Vampire Films as Allegory at Ohio University.
Vampires are a trend that tends to come in and out of fashion, Whetzel said.
Take, for example, the vampire-heavy '80s brought on by Anne Rice novels and launching movies such as The Lost Boys. The '90s were relatively light on vampire material, save for the Joss Whedon show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Today, Twilight has started a new generation's love for vampires - ones that are more romantic and less action-oriented.
The vampires, unlike other monsters, crosses both cultural and language barriers. Its myth is versatile. In early stories, vampires represented a fear of the unknown world, like a foreigner bringing diseases into a country. Now, pop culture is more accepting of vampires, even rooting for them.
Editor's Note: This is the last in a four-part series exploring local monster myths.
There is an invasion, and it's a part of everyday life. Turn on the TV, watch a preview for a new movie or read a book, and there it is. Hordes of vampires looking to suck your blood or strike up a romance are here - and they are here to stay.
It is nearly impossible to get away from the vampire phenomenon. From Twilight and The Vampire Diaries for tweens and teens to True Blood for the older crowd, America has become obsessed with vampires.
Vampires are representative of those who are unspoken for. They are the other. They take on the form of what we need in our society said Suzie Whetzel, a second-year graduate student studying film who teaches the class Vampire Films as Allegory at Ohio University.
Vampires are a trend that tends to come in and out of fashion, Whetzel said. Take, for example, the vampire-heavy '80s brought on by Anne Rice novels and launching movies such as The Lost Boys. The '90s were relatively light on vampire material, save for the Joss Whedon show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Today, Twilight has started a new generation's love for vampires - ones that are more romantic and less action-oriented.
The vampires, unlike other monsters, crosses both cultural and language barriers. Its myth is versatile. In early stories, vampires represented a fear of the unknown world, like a foreigner bringing diseases into a country. Now, pop culture is more accepting of vampires, even rooting for them.
People are really anxious about aging and death and it's a really creative way to take that away said Kait Duffy, a junior studying women's and gender studies and communications, on why she likes vampires.
The blood-drinking figure is a worldwide phenomenon. Before writing and TV, it was a part of folklore.
The Greeks had Lamia, who was half-snake, half-woman and fed on infants. That is similar to the Mesopotamian and Assyrian legend of Lamatsu, a demon goddess who fed on humans, most often babies. There are also the Indian Baital, the Ch'ing Shih in China and the Romanian Strigoi, among others.
The first time the idea of vampires showed up in writing was in 1043 B.C. in Russia, Whetzel said. John Polidori is credited with writing the first vampire story in English, The Vampyre, in 1819. While serving as Lord Byron's doctor, he created the story on the famed night at the Villa Diodati when Mary Shelley created Frankenstein.
Arguably the most famous vampire and vampire story is Bram Stoker's Dracula, written in 1897. The villain in his novel was originally going to be named Count Wampyr. Many scholars believe that Dracula is based on Vlad III, more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler. His father was known as Vlad II Dracula. Dracula translates to son of Dracul.
Vampires as we know them today are immortal creatures who need to drink human blood to survive and use their fangs to do so. Most versions only come out at night, because they will catch on fire if exposed to direct sunlight.
They usually are pale, cold to the touch and unusually strong. They don't cast reflections. Vampires can be killed by stabbing a wooden stake into the heart, beheading, fire and direct sunlight. They are wary of crucifixes, holy water and garlic.
Some parts of vampire lore have evolved over time. Modern-day vampires, except for those on True Blood, don't sleep in coffins. They also don't change into bats, as Dracula has been known to do. The vampires in Twilight do not burn in the sun, but sparkle, and many have special abilities such as precognition and telepathy.
I don't like contemporary ones like Edward (Cullen
from Twilight). If you're gonna have a vampire
at least have him be believable
Whetzel said.
Duffy, who considers Twilight cheesy
prefers older, more gruesome vampires. Movies like Nosferatu, Duffy's favorite, paved the way for today's modern bloodsuckers.
(Nosferatu was) one of the first silent films
pretty authentic. Without it stuff like Twilight and The Lost Boys wouldn't exist
she said. Nosferatu is a badass. Rethink your Twilight obsession and test out other movies and books
because there's more out there.
jp388706@ohiou.edu
