Ten years ago if one heard the word ‘vampire’ one thought of horrible, blood sucking, manic creatures of the night. This image of the vampire as a sophisticated man who preyed on young women was one that terrorised people to their core. Cinema has shown the mythical being in various lights through the ages though. It just shows how the power of imagination can tame the most vicious of beasts.
The earliest depiction of a vampire in a movie was in a German silent film Nosferatu. Even though it was based on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, the vampire was not a man, but more of a rodent like creature. This movie was dark and scary but in 1931, in the movie Dracula, the monster had pale, waxy skin, shiny dark hair, and a cloak. He could turn into a bat and used to sneak into the bedchambers of aristocratic ladies and turn them into his slaves or vampires by feeding on them after seducing them. He was feared and rightly so. There were several movies after this which portrayed the vampire as Dracula the handsome count.
Then Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt became the first vampires Lestat and Louis, who were shown to have a ‘soul’ of sorts. These undead creatures in Interview with a Vampire were brooding intellectuals with Cruise being the ancient, evil one and Pitt being the desperate one who didn’t want that fate. But they were still sleeping in coffins and seducing women with their good looks and charm. They were still deterred by crosses and holy water and thus the real essence of the vampires remained.
The women vampires were shown to be more vicious than their male counterparts. They were brimming with sexuality and were always lusting for blood, which they took from their victims in such a way that no man would ever refuse. They were never shown to be horrific but were almost always portrayed as objects of desire.
After years of being middle-aged suave men, sultry sirens and horrible monsters, vampires became normal looking teenagers in The Lost Boys. This was when the girls started going crazy about them instead of being afraid. Hunky actors in leather jackets and spiked hair playing these vampires were rebels and outsiders. Too cool to be ignored, they were the ‘bad boys’ on motorcycles.
Then came the time with the vampires who were warriors, fighting for survival and to be the mightiest. Underworld and Blade: Trinity brought about the rise of the uber cool, muscular, leather donning creatures who fought against the lycans and the vampire hunters. They were still cunning and smart, they still fed on human blood, and they were still the nocturnal creatures that stayed away from sunlight. The religious symbols were taken out of the consideration though. These vampires did not fear the cross and the holy water. They used modern weaponry and awesome fighting skills.
All of this change that the image of the monster has gone through finally came to a stop at the sappy, romantic, ‘vegetarian’ vampires of Twilight. The cause of fear from the unnatural being has been completely lost. They still suck blood, but the ‘good’ vampires feed on animals while the ‘bad’ ones hunt man. Girls swoon at Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of the dreamy Edward Cullen. Everyone wants a vampire boyfriend for herself.
Even though the super speed, unnatural abilities, divine good looks and fangs remained, as soon as vampires started sparkling in sunlight instead of burning, I’m afraid to say they completely lost their groove!