[2]When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to watch scary movies. But elements of those films became well-known to me through friends and TV shows. So I knew what vampires were before I ever saw a horror movie on TV or at the theater. There were certain aspects that sounded funny. I recall laughing with friends about lines like “I want to drink your blood!” and the whole garlic keeping vampires away. When I did finally see the Bela Lugosi Dracula, I was surprised that it really was very creepy -- and a little scary. My mom was right in not letting her imaginative child see those movies at an early age.
The movies that I was familiar with a few decades ago present vampires in one way. They were vicious, amoral, ugly blood-suckers who enthralled people – especially women -- by means of supernatural powers. But something strange happened in the last couple of decades. Vampires became young, handsome men and beautiful women. Sometimes they were even – gasp! – the heroes of movies and TV series! How did that happen?
With Halloween coming, I thought it’d be fun to take a look at the evolution of vampires and how we view them. I’ve listed several below, along with the stars.
Vampires as evil
Nosferatu [3] (Max Schreck)
Dracula [4] (Bela Lugosi)
Dracula [5] (Gary Oldman)
Horror of Dracula [6], Dracula Has Risen from the Grave [7], Taste the Blood of Dracula [8] (Christopher Lee)
The Lost Boys [9] (Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric)
From Dusk Till Dawn [10] (George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino)
Slaying vampires for fun/profit/because they're bad guys
Buffy the Vampire Slayer [11] (Sarah Michelle Gellar)
Blade [12] (Wesley Snipes)
Van Helsing [13] (Hugh Jackman)
Hellsing [14] (anime series)
Vampires [15], a.k.a. John Carpenter’s Vampires [15] (James Woods)
Blood feuds that last a lifetime and beyond
Underworld [16] series (Kate Beckinsale)
Bloodrayne [17] (Kristanna Loken)
Queen of the Damned [18] (Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend)
Forever young
Interview with the Vampire [19] (Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise)
Let the Right One In [20] (Kare Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson)
Vampires who walk among us
True Blood [2] (Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard)
Daybreakers [21] (Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill)
The Vampire Diaries [22] (Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev)
The Vampire’s Assistant [23] (Josh Hutcherson, John C. Reilly)
Vampire Knight [24] (anime series)
Vampires with a conscience – and they’re usually gorgeous, too
Moonlight [25] (Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles)
Angel [26] (David Boreanaz)
Being Human [27] (Aidan Turner)
Twilight [28] series (Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart)
I guess it doesn’t matter what kind of vampire you prefer for entertainment. Scary, creepy, sad, angst-driven, or even funny. In fact, I probably left out one of your favorites. Who of the undead is your choice?
- Movies [29]
- Television [30]
- vampire movies [31]
- vampire TV shows [32]
- vampires [33]
