Vampire fiction

Vampire fiction

Vampire fiction covers the spectrum of literary work concerned
principally with the subject of vampires. The best known work in this
genre is, of course, Bram Stoker's gothic novel Dracula. It was not,
however, the first. The literary vampire first appeared in poetry
rather than prose.
Contents

* 1 History
o 1.1 Eighteenth Century
o 1.2 Nineteenth Century
+ 1.2.1 Dracula
o 1.3 Twentieth Century
* 2 Traits of vampires in fiction
* 3 Literature
o 3.1 Vampire fiction series
* 4 Films and television
o 4.1 Dracula and his legacy
o 4.2 Other Vampires on movies and television
* 5 Other media
* 6 References
* 7 External links

History

Eighteenth Century

Vampire fiction is rooted in the 'vampire craze' of the 1720's and
1730's, which culminated in the somewhat bizarre official exhumations
of suspected vampires Peter Plogojowitz and Arnold Paole in Serbia
under the Habsburg Monarchy. One of the first works of art to touch
upon the subject is the short German poem The Vampire (1748) by
Heinrich August Ossenfelder, where the theme already has strong erotic
overtones: a man whose love is rejected by a respectable and pious
maiden threatens to pay her a nightly visit, drink her blood by giving
her the seductive kiss of the vampire and thus prove her that his
teaching is better than her mother's Christianity. Furthermore, there
have been a number of tales about a dead person returning from the
grave to visit his/her beloved or spouse and bring them death in one
day or another, the narrative poem Lenore (1773) by Gottfried August
Bürger being a notable 18th century example. One of its lines Denn die
Todten reiten schnell ("For the dead travel fast") was to be quoted in
Bram Stoker's classic Dracula. A later German poem exploring the same
subject with a prominent vampiric element was The Bride of Corinth
(1797) by Goethe, a story about a young woman who returns from the
grave to seek her betrothed:

From my grave to wander I am forced
Still to seek the God's long server'd link,
Still to love the bridegroom I have lost,
And the lifeblood of his heart to drink.

The story is turned into an expression of the conflict between
Heathendom and Christianity: the family of the dead girl are
Christians, while the young man and his relatives are still pagans. It
turns out that it was the girl's Christian mother who broke off her
engagement and forced her to become a nun, eventually driving her to
death. The motive behind the girl's return as a "spectre" is that
"e'en Earth can never cool down love". Goethe had been inspired by the
story of Philinnion by Phlegon of Tralles, a tale from classical
Greece. However, in that tale, the youth is not the girl's betrothed,
no religious conflict is present, no actual sucking of blood occurs,
and the girl's return from the dead is said to be sanctioned by the
gods of the Underworld. She relapses into death upon being exposed,
and the issue is settled by burning her body outside of the city walls
and making an apotropaic sacrifice to the deities involved.

The first mention of vampires in English literature appears in Robert
Southey's monumental oriental epic poem Thalaba the Destroyer (1797),
where the main character Thalaba's deceased beloved Oneiza turns into
a vampire, although that occurrence is actually marginal to the story.
It has been argued (Leatherdale 1993: 46-9) that Samuel Taylor
Coleridge's poem Christabel (written between 1797 and 1801, but not
published until 1816) has influenced the development of vampire
fiction: the heroine Christabel is seduced by a female supernatural
being called Geraldine who tricks her way into her residence and
eventually tries to marry her after having assumed the appearance of
an old beloved of hers. The story bears a remarkable resemblance to
the overtly vampiric story of Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
(1872).

Nineteenth Century

In a passage in his epic poem The Giaour (1813), Lord Byron alludes to
the traditional folkloric conception of the vampire as a being damned
to suck the blood and destroy the life of its nearest relations:
Lord Byron in Albanian Costume, painted by Thomas Phillips in 1813
Lord Byron in Albanian Costume, painted by Thomas Phillips in 1813

But first, on earth as vampire sent,
Thy corse shall from its tomb be rent:
Then ghastly haunt thy native place,
And suck the blood of all thy race;

There from thy daughter, sister, wife,
At midnight drain the stream of life;
Yet loathe the banquet which perforce
Must feed thy livid living corse:
Thy victims ere they yet expire
Shall know the demon for their sire,
As cursing thee, thou cursing them,
Thy flowers are withered on the stem.

Byron also composed an enigmatic fragmentary story concerning the
mysterious fate of an aristocrat named Augustus Darvell whilst
journeying in the Orient - as his contribution to the famous ghost
story competition at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva in 1816, between
him, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley and John William Polidori (who
was Byron's personal physician). This story provided the basis for the
The Vampyre (1819) by Polidori. This short story was the first example
of the vampire in prose fiction. Byron's own wild life became the
model for Polidori's undead protagonist Lord Ruthven. Polidori's Lord
Ruthven seems to be the first appearance of the modern vampire: an
undead, vampiric being possessing a developed intellect and
preternatural charm, as well as physical attraction. By contrast, the
vampire of folklore was almost invariably thought of as a hideous,
unappealing creature.

An unauthorized sequel to Polidori's tale by Cyprien Bérard called
Lord Ruthwen ou les Vampires (1820) was adapted by Charles Nodier into
the first vampire stage melodrama, which was in turn made into an
opera by German composer Heinrich Marschner. Alexandre Dumas later
redramatized the story in a play also entitled Le Vampire (1851).

An important later example of 19th century Vampire fiction is the
penny dreadful epic Varney the Vampire (1847) featuring Sir Francis
Varney as the Vampire. In this story we have the first example of the
standard trope in which the vampire comes through the window at night
and attacks a maiden as she lies sleeping.

Similar erotic fixations are evident in Sheridan le Fanu's classic
novella Carmilla (1872) which featured a female vampire with lesbian
inclinations who seduces the heroine Laura whilst draining her of her
vital fluids. Le Fanu's story is set in the Duchy of Styria. Such
central European locations became a standard feature of vampire
fiction.

Another important example of the development of vampire fiction can be
found in three seminal novels by Paul Féval: Le Chevalier Ténèbre
(1860), La Vampire (1865) and La Ville Vampire (1874).

Dracula
Filmgoers met Dracula (Bela Lugosi) in 1931 in a landmark vampire film.
Filmgoers met Dracula (Bela Lugosi) in 1931 in a landmark vampire film.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) has been the definitive description of
the vampire in popular fiction for the last century. Its portrayal of
vampirism as a disease (contagious demonic possession), with its
undertones of sex, blood, and death, struck a chord in a Victorian
Britain where tuberculosis and syphilis were common. A decade before
in 1888, the press had sensationalized Jack the Ripper's sexualized
murders of prostitutes during his reign of terror in East London.

The name Count Dracula was inspired by a real person, Vlad epe (Vlad
the Impaler). epe was a notorious Wallachian (Romanian) prince of
the 15th century, also known by as Vlad III Dracula. Unlike the
historical personage, however, Stoker located his Count Dracula in a
castle near the Borgo Pass in Transylvania, and ascribed to that area
the supernatural aura it retains to this day in the popular
imagination.

Stoker likely drew inspiration from Irish myths of blood-sucking
creatures. He was also influenced by a contemporary vampire story,
Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu. Le Fanu was Stoker's editor when Stoker
was a theatre critic in Dublin, Ireland. Like Le Fanu, Stoker created
compelling female vampire characters such as Lucy Westenra and the
Brides of Dracula.

Twentieth Century

Most 20th-century vampire fiction draws heavily on Stoker's work.
Early films such as Nosferatu and those featuring Bela Lugosi and
Christopher Lee are examples of this. Nosferatu, in fact, was so
clearly based on Dracula that Stoker's widow sued for copyright
infringement and won. As a result of the suit, most prints of the film
were destroyed. She later allowed the film to be shown in England.

Though most later works of vampire fiction do not feature Dracula as a
character, there are typically clear thematic ties. These include the
association of the vampire with great wealth and erotic power, as well
as frequent use of Gothic settings and iconography.

Prior to the mid-1950s, vampires were usually presented as
supernatural beings with mystical powers. Discussion of the
transmission of vampirism was sketchy at best. This changed with the
publication of I Am Legend by author Richard Matheson in (1954). The
story of a future Los Angeles, overrun with undead
cannibalistic/bloodsucking beings changed the genre forever. One man
is the sole survivor of a pandemic of a bacterium that causes
vampirism. He must fight to survive attacks from the hordes of
nocturnal creatures, discover the secrets of their biology, and
develop effective countermeasures. This was the first piece of fiction
with an analytical slant towards vampires.

Since the 1970s, many American children have been introduced to the
concept of vampires by Count von Count, a loveable muppet on the
educational children's series Sesame Street. The Count, as he is more
commonly known, helps young children practice their numbers concepts
by counting things around him with a stereotypical eastern European
accent. Although the Count is never portrayed carrying out acts of
mayhem typical to vampires or even drinking blood, he does possess a
prominent widow's peak and fangs and so is presumably a vampire.

The 1981 novel and 1983 film The Hunger examined the biology of
vampires, suggesting that their special abilities were the result of
physical properties of their blood. The novel suggested that all
vampires were not undead humans, but some were a separate species that
had evolved alongside humans.

The Vampire Chronicles series of novels by Anne Rice are the most
popular in a genre of modern stories that use vampires as sympathetic
protagonists rather than monsters or villains.

Traits of vampires in fiction

In contrast to the numerous and contradictory beliefs about vampires
in traditional folklore (see vampire), the Western literary tradition
has seen the rise of a more or less unified image of the vampire. This
image maintains certain folkloric traits but discards others. This new
vampire archetype has spread to modern cinema and popular culture in
general, although individual works may vary from this norm.

The fiction of the 19th century, especially Bram Stoker's Dracula, has
been hugely influential. Fictional vampires can be romantic figures,
often described as elegant and sexy (compare demons such as succubus
and incubus). This is in stark contrast to the vampire of Eastern
European folklore, which was a horrifying animated corpse.

A well-known set of special "powers" and weaknesses is commonly
associated with vampires in contemporary fiction:

* Vampires, being already dead, do not need human sustenance such
as food, water, or even oxygen. They are sometimes portrayed as being
unable to eat human food at all, forcing them either avoid public
dining or mime chewing and eating to deceive their mortal victims.
They often have a pale appearance (not the dark or ruddy skin of
folkloric vampires), and their skin is cool to the touch.
* Fictional vampires are sometimes considered to be
shape-shifters, with the ability to transform themselves into animals
such as bats, rats, and wolves. Some vampires are even described as
being able to change into fog or mist.
* Some vampires can fly. This power may be supernatural
levitation, or it may be connected to the vampire's shape-shifting
ability.
* Vampires cast no shadow and have no reflection. In modern
fiction, this may extend to the idea that vampires cannot be
photographed. This concept originated with Stoker, who derived it from
the idea that mirrors portray one's soul--something that most vampires
lack.
* Some traditions hold that a vampire cannot enter a house unless
he or she is invited in. Generally, a vampire need be invited in only
once and can then come and go at will.
* Some tales maintain that vampires must return to a coffin or to
their "native soil" before sunrise to take their rest safely. Others
place native soil in their coffins, especially if they have relocated.
Still other vampire stories such as Le Fanu's Carmilla maintain that
vampires must return to their coffins, but sleep in several inches of
blood as opposed to soil.
* Werewolves are sometimes held to become vampires after death.
Other fiction, however, holds werewolves to be the mortal enemies of
vampires.
* As in folklore, the vampire of fiction can usually be warded off
with garlic and symbols of Christian faith such as holy water, the
crucifix, or a rosary). Some stories have extended this power to all
religious icons, any object through which faith is channelled, or
religious icons that are significant to the vampire itself. For
instance, a formerly Jewish vampire might recoil from the Star of
David.
* A vampire may be destroyed by a silver or consecrated bullet, a
wooden stake through the heart, decapitation, or incineration.
However, one of the most common means for killing the fictional
vampire is exposure to daylight. This idea seems to have originated
with the 1922 film Nosferatu, but vulnerability to sunlight has become
popularly accepted as a standard vampire weakness. Still, the
magnitude of vulnerability varies with the story. In Stoker, for
example, Dracula is merely weakened, not destroyed, by sunlight.
* Some fictional vampires are fascinated with counting, an idea
derived from folk stories about vampires being compelled to stop and
count any spilled grain they find in their path. The most famous
fictional counting vampire is likely Muppet character Count von Count
on television's Sesame Street. Other examples include a fifth season
episode of the X-Files titled Bad Blood, and the Discworld novel,
"Carpe Jugulum" by Terry Pratchett.
* Since the 1958 film Dracula, vampires are almost always depicted
as having fangs. These fangs are sometimes retractable, only becoming
visible when the vampire is about to feed.
* In most T.V. shows, or movies, a sign that someone is a vampire
is, a cape, cloak, or something else with a high collar to obscure the
bite marks.

Literature

* The Giaour by Lord Byron (1813).
* Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1816).
* The Vampyre by John William Polidori (1819).
* La Morte Amoreuse by Theophile Gautier (1836).
* Varney the Vampire or The Feast of Blood by James Malcolm Rymer
(or Thomas Peckett Prest) (1847).
* Le Chevalier Ténèbre (Knighshade) by Paul Féval (1860).
* La Vampire (The Vampire Countess) by Paul Féval (1865).
* Carmilla (1872) by Sheridan le Fanu.
* La Ville Vampire (Vampire City) by Paul Féval (1874).
* Manor by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1884).
* The True Story of the Vampire by Count Stanislaus Eric Stenbock by (1894).
* Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897).
* The House of the Vampire by George Sylvester Viereck (1907).
* I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954).
* "Pages from a Young Girl's Diary" (1973) by Robert Aickman.
* 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975).
* For younger readers, the Little Vampire series, by Angela
Sommer-Bodenburg, began in 1979.
* The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas (1980).
* The Keep by F. Paul Wilson (1981).
* Castle Dubrava (1982) by Yuri Kapralov
* The Curse of the Vampire (1982) by Karl Alexander.
* Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin (1982).
* The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford (1983)
* The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers (1989).
* Vampire$ by John Steakley (1990).
* The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause (1991).
* Darkness on the Ice by Lois Tilton (1993).
* Guilty Pleasures (1993) and subsequent books in the Anita Blake
series by Laurell K. Hamilton.
* Pam Keesey edited two anthologies of lesbian vampire stories,
Daughters of Darkness (1993) and Dark Angels (1995).
* The books I, Strahd, Memories of the Vampire (1993) and I,
Strahd, the War with Azalin by P.N. Elrod tells the tale of the
vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich who occupies the castle Ravenloft.
* The Hunger and Ecstasy of Vampires by Brian Stableford (1996).
* Dracula the Undead by Freda Warrington (1997).
* Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett (1998).
* Amelia Atwater-Rhodes novels In the Forests of the Night (2000),
Demon in My View (2001), Midnight Predator (2002), and Shattered
Mirror (2003).
* Låt Den Rätte Komma In (Let the Right One Slip In) by John
Ajvide Lindqvist (2002).
* Sunshine by Robin McKinley (2003).
* The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2005).
* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005).
* New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (2005).
* Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (2005)
* The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo (2006).
* The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld (2006)
* Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith (2007).

Vampire fiction series

There are many series in vampire fiction. They tend to either take the
form of direct sequels (or prequels) to the first book published or
detail the ongoing adventures of particular characters.

* Christopher Moore's A Love Story series:
o Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story (1995)
o You Suck: A Love Story (2007) (will be released January 16th, 2007)
* Fred Saberhagen's Vlad Tepes series:
o The Dracula Tape (1975)
o The Holmes-Dracula File (1978)
o An Old Friend of the Family (1979)
o Thorn (1980)
o Dominion (1982)
o A Matter of Taste (1990)
o A Question of Time (1992)
o Seance for a Vampire (1994)
o A Sharpness on the Neck (1996)
o The Vlad Tapes (2000)
* Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series:
o Interview with the Vampire (1976)
o The Vampire Lestat (1985)
o The Queen of the Damned (1988)
o The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
o Memnoch the Devil (1995)
o The Vampire Armand (1998)
o Merrick (2000)
o Blood and Gold (2001)
o Blackwood Farm (2002)
o Blood Canticle (2003)
* Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain series:
o Hotel Transylvania (1978)
o The Palace (1978)
o Blood Games (1980)
o Path of the Eclipse (1981)
o Tempting Fate (1981)
o The Saint-Germain Chronicles (1983)
o Darker Jewels (1993)
o Better in the Dark (1993)
o Mansions of Darkness (1996)
o Writ in Blood (1997)
o Blood Roses (1998)
o Communion Blood (1999)
o Come Twilight (2000)
o A Feast in Exile (2001)
o Night Blooming (2002)
o Midnight Harvest (2003)
o Dark of the Sun (2004)
o States of Grace (2005)
o Roman Dusk (2006)
* Whitley Strieber's Hunger series:
o The Hunger (1980)
o The Last Vampire (2001)
o Lilith's Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life (2002)
* Brian Lumley's Necroscope series:
o Necroscope (1986)
o Necroscope II: Wamphyri! (aka Necroscope II:Vamphyri!) (1988)
o The Source: Necroscope III (1989)
o Deadspeak: Necroscope IV (1990)
o Deadspawn: Necroscope V (1991)
o Necroscope: The Lost Years (1995)
o Necroscope The Lost Years: Volume II (aka Necroscope:
Resurgence) (1996)
o Invaders (1999)
o Defilers: Necroscope (2000)
o Avengers: Necroscope (2001)
o Harry Keogh: Necroscope and Other Heroes (2003)
o The Touch (2006)
* Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series:
o Anno Dracula (1992)
o The Bloody Red Baron (1995)
o Judgment of Tears (aka Dracula Cha Cha Cha) (1998)
* Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series:
o Guilty Pleasures (1993)
o The Laughing Corpse (1994)
o Circus of the Damned (1995)
o The Lunatic Cafe (1996)
o Bloody Bones (1996)
o Club Vampyre (omnibus) (1997)
o The Killing Dance (1997)
o The Midnight Cafe (omnibus) (1997)
o Black Moon Inn (omnibus) (1998)
o Burnt Offerings (1998)
o Blue Moon (1998)
o Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
o Narcissus in Chains (2001)
o Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Set (omnibus) (2003)
o Cerulean Sins (2003)
o Incubus Dreams (2004)
o Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Omnibus (omnibus) (2005)
o Nightshade Tavern (omnibus) (2005)
o Micah (2006)
o Danse Macabre (2006)
* Christine Feehan's Dark series:
o Dark Prince (1999)
o Dark Desire (1999)
o Dark Gold (2000)
o Dark Magic (2000)
o Dark Challenge (2000)
o Dark Fire (2001)
o After Twilight ("Dark Dream") with Amanda Ashley and Ronda
Thompson (2001)
o Dark Legend (2001)
o Dark Guardian (2002)
o Dark Symphony (2003)
o The Only One ("Dark Descent") with Susan Grant and Susan
Squires (2003)
o Dark Melody (2003)
o Dark Destiny (2004)
o Hot Blooded ("Dark Hunger") with Emma Holly, Angela Knight
and Maggie Shayne (2004)
o Dark Secret (2005)
o Dark Demon (2006)
o Dark Celebration: A Carpathian Reunion (2006)
* Gene Wolfe's Urth: Book of the Short Sun trilogy:
o On Blue's Waters (1999)
o In Green's Jungles (2000)
o Return to the Whorl (2001)
* Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series:
o Storm Front (2000)
o Fool Moon (2000)
o Grave Peril (2001)
o Summer Knight (2002)
o Death Masks (2003)
o Blood Rites (2004)
o Dead Beat (2005)
o Proven Guilty (2006)
o White Night (2007)
* E. E. Knight's Vampire Earth series:
o Way of the Wolf (2001)
o Choice of the Cat (2004)
o Tale of the Thunderbolt (2005)
o Valentine's Rising (2005)
o Valentine's Exile (2006)
* Karen Koehler's Slayer series:
o Slayer (2001)
o Black Miracles (2002)
o Stigmata (2003)
* Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series:
o Twilight (October 2005) - The first book in Stephenie
Meyers popular series. The story revolves around an incredibly
beautiful vampire named Edward Cullen who had fallen deeply in love
with a young human female, Bella Swan. The thirst for Bella's
delicious blood and other complexities add to the addicting plot of
the romace, suspense, and mystery story.
o New Moon (August 2006)
o Eclipse (October 2007)
o Midnight Sun (in development)
* Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night series
o Twilight Phantasie (1993)
o Twilight Memories (1994)
o Twilight Illusions (1995)
o Beyond Twilight (1995)
o Born in Twilight (1997)
o Twilight Vows (1998)
o Twilight Hunger (2002)
o Embrace the Twilight (2003)
o Run From Twilight (2003)
o Edge of Twilight (2004)
o Blue Twilight (2005)
o Prince of Twilight (2006)

Films and television

Vampires have been a film staple since the silent days. The Vampire
(film) (1913, directed by Robert G. Vignola), also co-written by
Vignola, is the earliest vampire film. The landmark Nosferatu (1922
Germany, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau) was an unlicensed
version of Dracula based so closely on Bram Stoker's Dracula, the
estate sued and won, with all copies being destroyed. (It would be
painstakingly restored in 1994 by a team of European scholars from the
five surviving prints.) By 2005, Dracula had been the subject of more
films than any other fictional character.

The treatment of vampires has been kaleidoscopic. It has been comedic,
including Old Dracula (1974 UK, directed by Clive Donner) featuring
David Niven as a lovelorn Drac, Love at First Bite (1979 USA)
featuring George Hamilton and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995 USA,
directed by Mel Brooks) with Canadian Leslie Nielsen giving it a comic
twist, to absurd, with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Vampirism has changed from embodied evil in Dracula to a kind of virus
in David Cronenberg's Rabid (1976 Canada) and Red-Blooded American
Girl (1990 Canada, directed by David Blyth). It got a science fiction
spin in The Last Man on Earth (Italy 1964, directed by Ubaldo Ragona)
and The Omega Man (1971 USA, directed by Boris Sagal), both based on
Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend (writing as Logan Swanson), the
product of a biological war. Race has not been excluded, either, as
exemplified by the blaxploitation picture Blacula (1972 USA, directed
by William Crain) and several sequels.

Roman Polanski made his own vampire movie with The Fearless Vampire Killers too.

Killing vampires has changed, too. Where Abraham Van Helsing relied on
a stake through the heart, in Vampire$ (1997 USA, directed by John
Carpenter), Jack Crow (James Woods) has a heavily-armed squad of
vampire hunters, and in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992 USA, directed
by Fran Rubel Kuzui), writer Joss Whedon (who created TV's Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and spinoff Angel) attached The Slayer, Buffy Summers
(Kristy Swanson in the film, Sarah Michelle Gellar in the TV series),
to a network of Watchers and mystically endowed her with superhuman
powers.

Murnau's Nosferatu featured a vampire (portrayed by Max Schrek) that
was ancient-looking and ugly, similar to the vampires of European
folklore. The vampire was transformed from a creature of disgust and
fear into an object of lust, in such films as Camilla (released as La
Maldicion De Los Karnstein, 1963), Daughters of Darkness (released as
Children Of The Night, 1971), Dracula (1979), and Once Bitten (1985),
for just a few examples. Delphine Seyrig, Frank Langella, or Lauren
Hutton could hardly be called ugly. Even X-rated films (such as 1978's
Dracula Sucks and 1999's Hot Vampire Nights) have used vampire themes.

In 2002, Shadow of the Vampire (2000 UK/USA/Luxembourg, directed by E.
Elias Merhige) starred Willem Dafoe as leading man Max Schrek, playing
an actual vampire, and John Malkovich as a harassed Murnau. Dafoe's
character is the ugly, disgusting creature of the original Nosferatu.

A 1998 UK television drama called Ultraviolet centres around vampires
and a fictional British governmental agency which both keeps their
existence secret and seeks to destroy them.

In 2006, the TV show Supernatural occasionally sees the two brothers
meeting vampires. Their father's mentor was a vampire hunter, and was
killed by "old friends". Sam and Dean hunt down the vampires as they
have in their possession a gun which could kill the thing they're
really after.

Dracula and his legacy

By far, the most well-known and popular vampire in the movies is
Dracula. An amazing number of movies have been filmed over the years
depicting the evil count, some of which are ranked among the greatest
depictions of vampires on film. Dracula has over 160 film
representations making him the most frequently portrayed character in
horror films; he has the second-highest number of movie appearances
overall, following only Sherlock Holmes. [citation needed]

* Nosferatu (1922; starring Max Schreck, remade 1979 with Klaus
Kinski) – unlicensed German adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel
* Dracula (1931) – the first Universal Studios Dracula film,
starring Bela Lugosi
* Dracula (Spanish Version) (1931) – Spanish-language version
starring Carlos Villar, made simultaneously with the Bela Lugosi film,
using the same sets on a timeshare basis
* Dracula's Daughter (1936) – Follow up to the 1931 film, starring
Gloria Holden
* Son of Dracula (1943) – further sequel to the 1931 film starring
Lon Chaney Jr.
* House of Frankenstein (1944) – John Carradine plays Dracula as
part of an ensemble cast in this Universal Studios film
* House of Dracula (1945) – The final serious Universal Studios
Dracula film, starring Carradine
* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) – Lugosi played
Dracula on film for the second and final time in this comedy-horror
hybrid that concluded the Universal Studios series.
* Dracula (1958; aka Horror of Dracula) – the first Hammer Horror
Dracula film, starring Christopher Lee
* Dracula (1968) a made-for-television version starring Denholm Elliot.
* Count Dracula (1969 film) was the Jesus Franco-directed adaptation.
* Countess Dracula (1970)
* Blacula (1972) – a blaxploitation cult film in which an African
prince is turned into a vampire by Dracula.
* Dracula (1973) was directed by Dan Curtis and starred Jack
Palance in the title role.
* Blood for Dracula (1974) - also released as Andy Warhol's
Dracula (x-rated)
* Count Dracula (1977) was the second BBC production, this one
remarkably faithful and starring Louis Jourdan.
* Lust at First Bite (1978) - (x-rated)
* Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) was Werner Herzog's remake
of Murnau's silent classic.
* Dracula (1979) – a film in the gothic romantic tradition
starring Frank Langella
* Love At First Bite (1979) – romantic comedy spoof starring
George Hamilton.
* Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1991) is a comedy western about
a ghost town populated by vampires.
* Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) – attempt at filming the story
quite close to Stoker's novel, but merging the medieval story of Vlad
Tepe; starring Gary Oldman as Dracula
* Interview With the Vampire (1994) – While no appearance or
rendition of Dracula is made, the vampire Louis denounces the Dracula
legend as "the vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman."
* Monster Force (1994) – an animated television series featuring
Dracula as the mastermind of Evil, the Prince of Darkness and the main
antagonist of the series
* The Addiction (1995) A philosophical variant on the vampire film
directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Lili Taylor. It uses vampirism
as a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic and ends with a notorious and
extremely sexually charged orgy of blood-sucking.
* Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) – a parody of Dracula films
by Mel Brooks; Leslie Nielsen as Dracula
* Dracula 2000 (2000) - a modern reworking of the story.
* Buffy vs. Dracula episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2000)
* Dracula (2002) was an Italian miniseries which updated the story
to modern day.
* Hellsing (2002) - Alucard is Dracula, controlled by the
desendent of Abraham Van-Helsing, Integra.
* Dracula, Pages From a Virgin's Diary (2002) - a silent
interpretation of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's take of Bram Stoker's
Dracula.
* League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) - Mina Harker, vampiric
thanks to her encounter with Dracula, is a member of the League.
* Van Helsing (2004) – action movie only loosely connected to the
original Dracula; Richard Roxburgh as Dracula
* Blade: Trinity (2004) - Drake the vampire is supposed to have
had many forms throughout the centuries, Stoker's Dracula being one of
them.
* Lust For Dracula (2005) is an all-lesbian, very surreal
adaptation (x-rated).
* Hellsing Ultimate (2006) - Remake of Hellsing following the
original manga series more closely.
* Dracula (2006) is the third BBC version, starring Marc Warren as
the title character and reworking the plot.

Other Vampires on movies and television

* The Vampire (1913) - directed and co-written by Robert G. Vignola
* Les Vampires (1915)
* London After Midnight (1927) - a lost silent film.
* Vampyr (1932) - a classic silent film.
* Mark of the Vampire (1935) - a remake of London After Midnight,
this time as a talkie. At the conclusion of the film the vampires are
revealed to be fraudulent.
* The Return of the Vampire (1944)
* Not of This Earth (1957)
* Curse of the Undead (1959)
* La maschera del demonio (aka Black Sunday) (1960)
* Camilla (1964)
* The Last Man on Earth (1964) - based on the novel I Am Legend
* Kiss of the Vampire (1964)
* Dark Shadows TV series (1966 and 1991)
* Blood Bath (1966)
* The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) - a semi-spoof of the genre
directed by Roman Polanski.
* Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).

* The Return of Count Yorga (1971).

* The Vampire Lovers (1970), based on the story Carmilla by
Sheridan Le Fanu and featuring Ingrid Pitt as a lesbian vampire. This
was the first of Hammer's Karnstein Trilogy and set a trend for
lesbian erotica in the genre.

* Lust for a Vampire (1971) - the second film in the Karnstein Trilogy.
* Twins of Evil (1971) - the third film in the Karnstein trilogy.

* Le Rogue aux Levres (Daughters of Darkness) & (Children of the
Night) (1971)
* The Omega Man (1971) - also based on the novel I Am Legend
* The Night Stalker (1972)
* Vampire Circus (1973) - a Hammer Horror.
* Vampyres (1974) - an erotic film which features two lesbian
vampires who inhabit a Gothic mansion in England: includes much in the
way of bloody violence.
* Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974) episode 4 "The Vampire"
* The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) - a kung fu vampire movie.
* Rabid (1976)
* Salem's Lot (film) (1979) - based on the novel of the same name
by Stephen King.
* The serials State of Decay (1980) and The Curse of Fenric (1989)
from the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
* Dr. Slump (1981) - episode 17 part 2
* The Hunger (1983)
* Fright Night (1985)
o Fright Night II (1989)
* Real Ghostbusters (1985) episode "Transylvanian Homesick Blues".
* Once Bitten (1985)
* Vampire Hunter D (1985)
* Dragon Ball (1986) - episodes 69 and 70
* Vamp (1986)
* The Lost Boys (1987)
* Near Dark (1987)
* My Best Friend is a Vampire (1988)
* Vampire's Kiss (1989)
* Red-Blooded American Girl (1990)
* Dracula: The Series (1990)
* Subspecies (1991)
o Bloodstone: Subspecies II (1993)
o Bloodlust: Subspecies III (1994)
o Vampire Journals (1997)
o Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm (1998)
* Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), the TV show of the same name
and its television spinoff Angel
* Forever Knight TV Series (1992)
* Innocent Blood (1992)
* Cronos (1993)
* Interview with the Vampire (1994) - based on the book by Anne Rice.
* Embrace of the Vampire (1994)
* The Addiction (1995 in film) A philosophical variant on the
vampire film, that uses vampirism as a metaphor for AIDS and ends with
a notorious and highly sexually charged orgy of blood-sucking.
* Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
* From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
o From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999)
o From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (2000)
* Tales From the Crypt: Bordello of Blood (1996)
* Ultraviolet (1998)
* Blade (1998)
o Blade II (2002)
o Blade: Trinity (2004)
o Blade: The Series (2006)
* Vampires (1998)
o Vampires: Los Muertos (2002)
* Modern Vampires (1998)
* Hot Vampire Nights (1999) (x-rated)
* Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
* Port Charles - daytime serial on ABC that utilized vampires in
story arcs from 2001 - 2003.
* Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2001)
* The Forsaken (2001)
* Queen of the Damned (2002)
* Hellsing (2002)
o Hellsing Ultimate (2006) - new series that sticks closer
to the original comic.
* Underworld (2003)
o Underworld: Evolution (2006)
* 'Salem's Lot (2004)
* Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) (2004) Russian fantasy film
partially involving vampires
o Day Watch (Dnevnoi Dozor) (2006)
* Van Helsing (2004)
* Vampires: The Turning (2005)
* Ultraviolet (2006)
* Frostbiten (2006) - Sweden's first vampire movie.
* Dracula (BBC) (2006) - Adaptation from ITV Productions.

Other media

Video game series featuring vampires primarily use Dracula or
Dracula-inspired characters. Konami's Castlevania series is the
longest running series which uses the Dracula legend, though its
writers have made their own alterations to the legend. An exception to
this trend is the Legacy of Kain video game series, which features
vampires set in an entirely fictional world called Nosgoth.

Other vampires seen in games include:

* The Elder Scrolls game series involves vampires created by demon
lord. They have all the typical attributes, but some (though not all)
can walk in sunlight if they have fed on a victim.
* In the tabletop wargame Warhammer Fantasy: Vampire Counts are
one of the playable forces.
* Role-playing games such as Vampire: The Masquerade (1992), in
which the participants play the roles of fictional vampires (for
specifics, see vampires in the World of Darkness).
* The Darkstalkers (1994) fighting game series (known as Vampire
Savior in Japan) features a vampire along with other mythological and
horror-themed characters.
* Shadowrun features vampires whose existence is explained by a
resurgence of the Human Meta-Human Vampiric Virus. As such, the
afflicted are not undead, but instead are still alive but radically
changed by the retrovirus. They normally do not suffer from the
supernatural limitations such as crosses, but still are vulnerable to
sunlight.
* The Sims 2: Nightlife, the second expansion pack for popular
series The Sims 2, introduces vampires to the game. These vampires in
this game follow many fictional conventions, such sleeping in ornate
coffins, wearing gothic clothing, and being able to transform into
bats. Vampirism can be spread between game characters through biting.
If caught outside during the day, a Sim Vampire's will soon die.
* The video game series Castlevania establishes a new origin for
Dracula and chronicles the never ending struggle between him and the
Belmont clan of vampire hunters stretching from the 11th century all
the way to the 21st century.
* The video game series Shadow Hearts have four known vampires
(Three playable) in the games (though hardly stereotypical).
* The video game series Boktai revolves around the Vampire Hunter
Django. However, even though the games sometimes equalize the terms of
Vampire and Immortal, there are only a few true vampires in the games,
such as the Count of Groundsoaking Blood.
* The scrolling shooter Embodiment of Scarlet Devil features two
vampire sisters as the final boss and the extra stage boss. The older
of the two, Remilia Scarlet, became playable in two later games of the
Touhou Project.

In addition to gaming, vampires populate other popular media such as
graphic novels, comics, theater, and musicals:

* Comic books and graphic novels such as Vampirella (1969), Tomb
of Dracula (1972), the aforementioned Blade (1973), and 30 Days of
Night (2002). In addition, many major superheroes have faced vampire
supervillains at some point.

* The stage play (Love & Darkness) by Vancouver Island Playwright
David Elendune depicts the Nephilim as a race of vampires - ie the
resulting offspring of fallen angels and the daughters of man.

* First performed at the Limbo Lounge in New York City's East
Village in 1984, the play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom became so popular
it was moved Off-Broadway in June, 1985. It ran five years at the
Provincetown Playhouse.
* Dance of the Vampires (1997) is a musical from Jim Steinman.
* Japanese anime and manga features vampires in several titles,
including JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (1987), Vampire Princess Miyu (OAV
1988, TV series 1997), Nightwalker (1998), Vampire Hunter D (2000),
Blood: The Last Vampire (2000), Hellsing (2002), Vampire Host (2004),
Tsukihime, Lunar Legend (2003), Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase (2004), Bleach
(2005), Blood+ (2005), and Trinity Blood (2005), Black Blood Brothers
(2006).
* The Fempiror Chronicles (2004) is a virtual series which uses
the vampire mythology as a basis for its race of creatures known as
Fempiror (which is a play on the word "vampire").
* Gothic rock band HIM (band) has a song called "Vampire Heart" on
their Dark Light album
* Rock band My Chemical Romance has a song titled "Vampires Will
Never Hurt You" on their debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You
Brought Me Your Love
* In Magic:The Gathering, vampires are quite iconic creatures of
the color black. Most of them share the ability to fly and to grow
stronger (via +1/+1 counters) by dealing mortal damage to other
creatures (according to the idea of gaining power from the blood of
their victims).

References

* Christopher Frayling (1992) Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count
Dracula (1992) ISBN 0-571-16792-6
* Freeland, Cynthia A. (2000) The Naked and the Undead: Evil and
the Appeal of Horror. Westview Press.
* Holte, James Craig. (1997) Dracula in the Dark: The Dracula Film
Adaptations. Greenwood Press.
* Leatherdale, C. (1993) Dracula: The Novel and the Legend. Desert
Island Books.
* Melton, J. Gordon. (1999) The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of
the Undead. Visible Ink Press.