Monsters Are The Stars Of Entertainment For The Horror Industry

Vampires have been around for centuries, they represent the fear of many things such as sexuality, race, gender, etc. and above all, they stand for the fear of diseases. Vampires have once been the symbol of horror due to their terrific depictions and were described as a threat to the humanity. Throughout time, the image of vampire has changed dramatically from a monstrous, inhumanely creature that doesn’t belong to human society to such an attractive and adaptive figure that expresses more of the human side than the evil. They developed human feelings, senses, and live within our society. Modern vampire movies are often more romantic and “sympathetic” comparing to the past. Vampires have abandoned their horror and evolved to a more

Bram Stoker's Dracula has been reviewed and reflected upon in the literary world for it engaging plot and characters as well as it's hidden undertones. As a modern society, pop culture has reshaped the image of vampires and the image of monsters in general. Today media alters the once threatening figure of blood-sucking overpowering beings into personable, even heroic at times with human flaws that make them more relatable to the average person. Movies and TV have make celebrities out of these fearful creatures. However, the classical tropes of vampirism comes from Bram Stoker’s classic horror novel, Dracula (1897).

The mischaracterization of Dracula and the propagation of the archetype and stereotype of vampires can mainly be blamed on the media. While this is not the grossest mischaracterization that we will see in this paper, it is certainly an early starting point for the making of monsters out of the misunderstood and unknown.

Since the beginning of time vampires have been categorized into different "types” and are portrayed in different ways throughout several books. This paper will focus on three vampires from the following books: Dracula by Bram Stoker, and I am Legend by Richard Matheson. Dracula is considered to be the traditional vampire, where it all started, and the vampires in Matheson’s book, follow somewhat Stoker’s concept, but is more of a modern “type” of vampires. Certain vampire elements have been presented, but others have been completely removed or altered. In addition, elements along with appearances are used to infer if the vampire is a form of “the other”. There are two types of vampires; the traditional or modern vampire which can be distinguished based on the elements present in their storyline.

Most people are not aware that our fears can affect the decisions we make in our everyday lives. Chuck Klosterman’s My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead dives into the deeper meaning behind the world’s fascination with the undead. Klosterman first explains the roots behind the different popularities of different monsters: “Frankenstein exemplified our terror of untethered science, Godzilla emerged from the atomic age, werewolves arose from panic of being preyed upon, vampires represented the loss of purity or AIDS, and zombies represent rabies or the pitfalls of consumerism” (Klosterman). In this passage we learn how each monster is associated to different fears people have faced in the past and present. Frankenstein was feared because that was

People have always and will always be affected by the infamous vampire. “Norine Dresser, a folklorist at UCLA also wrote a book at that time called American Vampires in which she documented vampire images in the media and described the effects on people who claimed to be vampires. She sent out a questionnaire, and out of 574 respondents, 27 percent admitted to a belief in vampires” (Ramsland 65). Certain individuals would file their teeth into a razor-sharp weapon, sleep in coffins, avoid the sun, and dress entirely in black. Some people would even form small groups to exchange blood in secret. Sadly enough, people would go too far to become their fictitious character. Known as “Lust Murders,” people would kill in order to get a sexual pleasure as a vampire would. In 1827, a moody 24 year old vine dresser named Leger killed a 12 year old girl in the woods. He admitted that he drank her blood, mutilated her genitals, tore out and ate a part of her heart, and then buried her remains. When he was questioned about his horrific event, he talked with no emotion or remorse. Two other “Lust Murders” comprise of a man cutting his arm for his wife to suck on before sex because it would arouse his wife so strongly. The second is “a man dissected his victims and got so caught up in the gore that he trembled with the desire to wallow in it and consume it” (Ramsland 105).

Vampire have been made out to be a lot of thing over the years of history. Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. They may be the best-known classic monsters of all. Most people associate vampires with Count Dracula, the legendary, blood-sucking subject of Bram Stoker’s epic novel, Dracula, which was published in 1897. But the history of vampires began long before Stoker was born. (History.com Staff A+E Networks, 2017). Many people also believed that vampire’s legends came from bats “vampire bats” but the legends and myths go much deeper and older.

In the text “Vampires Never Die,” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, the authors main purpose is to tell the origin of vampires and how the perception of vampires has changed throughout history. Although the myth of an undead monster was created before the word “vampire” ever was, this text begins with a story told by John William Polidori that created the two main branches of vampire fiction known today. These branches include the vampire as a romantic hero and the vampire as an undead monster. Moreover, Polidori’s creation was widely accepted as being based upon Lord Byron, a superstar in the era of the 1800s. This new twist to an old idea was thought of by Polidori because he was a doctor and friend to Lord Byron. Nonetheless, Polidori resented Lord Byron 's charm, physique, and brilliance thus creating the alter egos. However, this text also suggest vampires may have originated from the repressed memories humans had as primates. Therefore, out of necessity, people may have been cannibalistic. In addition, this text suggest that vampires do not wish to destroy human lives but rather live for eternity. Furthermore, vampire characters are often used today in a variety of media ranging anywhere from cereal boxes to romantic fiction. Additionally, Polidori’s “Dracula” vampire movie was a success due to the featuring of new technology at the time including telegraphs, typing machines, and blood transfusions. Today, the world is exposed to wireless technology and is

Vampires have aroused a perennial fascination within humanity since their fictional materialization into history. However, it is over the course of the last century that these creatures have become an iconic symbol of mystifying horror and inexplicable desire. Recently, the vampire has undergone modifications that are imperative when considering two of the most notable vampires ever fashioned: Count Dracula and Edward Cullen. The dissimilarity between the appearance, behaviour, surroundings, and supernatural disadvantages of Bram Stoker’s 19th century Count Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s 21st century Edward Cullen reflects the contrasting societies from which these vampires emerged.

Orlomoski, Caitlyn, "From Monsters to Victims: Vampires and Their Cultural Evolution from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century" (2011). Honors Scholar Theses. Paper 208.

The generalization for vampires has been displayed in films and literature for hundreds of years. The stereotypical versions of vampires are that they have long fangs, sleep in coffins during the day, and suck the blood out of humans. Both novels contradict those stereotypes in different ways. To understand the diversity of the vampires described in both novels, one must examine the characteristics that the vampires display and the meaning and purpose behind them. David D. Gilmore’s book “Monsters” analyzes monsters and other mythical creatures. Gilmore describes why humanity invented the idea of

The first record of vampires’ undead activity was in Sebia (Butler 77). The local inhabitants’ lives were uneasy, because they were confused about their identities and what they should follow (Butler 77). In this circumstance, vampire myth appeared to express the society’s anxiety by their irregularities, such as upsetting healthy sexuality and destroying normal patterns of reproduction (Butler 78). Places like back alleys and hidden recess provide opportunities for vampires to gain their powers and their exotic influence

Vampires have aroused a perennial fascination within humanity since their fictional materialization into history. However, it is over the course of the last century that these creatures have become an iconic symbol of mystifying horror and inexplicable desire. Recently, the vampire has undergone a significant reconstruction of physical appearance, behaviour, and surroundings, along with, extensive modifications to its super-natural disadvantages. These distinct character adaptations are imperative when considering two of the most notable vampires ever fashioned: Count Dracula and Edward Cullen. The dissimilarity between Bram Stoker’s 19th century, Count Dracula, and Stephenie Meyer’s 21st century, Edward Cullen, is a complex reflection of the contrasting societies from which these vampires emerged.

The legend of the vampire has emerged countless times within human imagination over the past few centuries. The first available representation of the mythical creature in prose fiction can be found in John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” (1810). It was not until eight decades later that Bram Stoker popularized the existence of this figure with the publication of “Dracula” in 1897. The folklore of the vampire has come a long way since and can be found in today’s popular media more frequently than ever before. However, with due course of time, the representation of the creature has taken alternate routes and today’s vampires are noticeable different – socially and physically – from their predecessors. One effective path to trace this

The late 18th to early 19th centuries rightfully hold the title as the birthplace of the gothic, in which the monsters that we have come to know and love found their creation. Since then, countless renditions and interpretations have been made concerning said ferocious beasts, or so they once were. Society and the media have worked hand in hand to reconstruct and strip away many of the characteristics and ideals that once defined these monsters. Those which were once looked upon in terror have now, in some cases, been modified to be anything but that. The humanizing of monsters such as Dracula and Frankenstein’s Creature has caused a frenzy of “modern monsters” to take over television. Depicting the slightest similarities in order to identify their relation with early monsters, these malicious beasts have been humanized by society in order to fit the “feel good” entertainment that aims to please the vast majority. Demands have changed since the Victorian and Romantic era that supplied us with these novels. John Edward Browning said, “Monsters are cultural constructions of the terrible that define what it is we subconsciously fear and what it is we’re told to hate or love.” He adds, that the definition of monsters change over time and with each generation (University of Buffalo). In order to maintain relevance, I believe that the original gothic monsters have been modified to acquire the humanized characteristics that modern day society desires.