Vampires Evolve
The superstitions about vampires begain to fade out somewhat with the advent of industrialization. Literature then served to keep the myth alive. The romantics introduced vampires in their writings and the Gothic novel turned vampires into charming erotic beings. In 1897 Bram Stoker brought the vampire to life in his famous novel, Dracula. With the invention of motion pictures, the popularity of the mapire continued to climb. Bram Stoker's characters of Dracula and Van Helsing were portrayed in film in 1922, 1931, 1936, 1958, 1992 and 2004. These movies established the popular image of the vampire as a distinguished, romantic, cloak-wearing count. Anne Rice, a 20th century novelist, also changed the image of the vampire. In 1976 her novel, Interview with the Vampire, introduced the world to the vampire Lestat. It was also made into a movie. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a popular movie in 1992 and an enormously popular TV series that ran for seven seasons. Stephenie Meyers introduced her Twilight Saga books -- Twilight in 2005, New Moon in 2006, Eclipse in 2007, and Breaking Dawn in 2008. They are also being made into movies. The stars of the series are a family of vampires referred to as the Cullen family. They are "vegetatian" vampires who only drink the blood of animals. The Vampire Diaries is the most recent television vampire creation. Two brothers, the Salvatores, are vampires -- one good and one evil.  Bram Stoker, author of Dracula (source: latenightlibrary.wordpress.com)  Bela Lugosi as Dracula, 1931 (source: http://www.hauntedshop.co.uk/home.html) |
 Nosferatu, 1922 (source: seminars.torontoghosts.org)  Interview with the Vampire, 1994 (source: www.river-phoenix.org)  Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1992 (source: triciacannon.files.wordpress.com)  Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, 2005 (source: www.amazon.com)  The Cullen Family, Twilight, 2008 (source: accessories.ifrogz.com)  The Salvatore Brothers, The Vampire Diaries, 2009 (source: jennifermorrill@wordpress.com) |
