Vampire Films Throughout the Years

Vampires have been a big topic in entertainment throughout 2008. True Blood, a popular HBO series involving vampires, has generated interest. The film adaptation of Stephanie Myers' Twilight was a hit with some teenagers and children. Let the Right One In, a Swedish film about a bullied child who befriends a vampire, was briefly released in the United States and critically acclaimed. An English language remake of the film is being directed by Matt Reeves, the director of the 2008 film Cloverfield, and is slated for release in 2009. What with all the vampire hype, it might be interesting to take a chronological look back at vampires in film. Over 160 adaptations of Bram Stoker's Dracula alone have been filmed in the past, but not to worry - we're only covering eight of the most popular, memorable, and relevant vampire movies, starting with....

1922 - Nosferatu

This German film was directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. It was nearly a direct copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula (starring Max Schrek as Count Orlok rather than Count Dracula), but was unlicensed and Stoker's estate sued over the film and won. They ordered that all copies of Nosferatu be destroyed. In 1994, European scholars pieced the film back together from five remaining prints that had been accidentally preserved. Nosferatu remains one of the most memorable and fascinating vampire films. One of the most interesting things about it is that it nearly singlehandedly incorporated the idea that light can harm vampires into vampire mythology. Prior to Nosferatu's release, vampire myth had stated that vampires disliked light, but it had never been made out as though light could harm vampires. It took nearly no time at all for the idea to catch on, though.

1931 - Dracula

This is possibly the best known film adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Starring Bela Lugosi as the King of Vampires, the film was directed by Tod Browning and was based on a stage play (which was, of course, based on Stoker's novel). Universal was at first weary of releasing the film, as they were unsure if an American audience was ready for such a horrific film as Dracula. However, the film was a great success, and as a result, horror films were released left and right soon after. Dracula's success saw to it that Lugosi was constantly typecast as Dracula from then on. In addition, Lugosi's portrayal of Count Dracula - with the slow, deliberate speech, heavy accent, and stony facial features - became the definitive Count Dracula. The film spawned many sequels in the Universal Horror series.

1958 - The Horror of Dracula

Directed by Terence Fisher, this was the first of the Hammer Horror films inspired by and starring Dracula (played by Christopher Lee, in this film). It was simply called Dracula in Europe, but in the United States it was renamed to The Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion (and copyright infringement) with 1931's Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. The Horror of Dracula would have seven sequels, five of which would star Christopher Lee as Dracula. Though not the best known or absolute favorite portrayal of Dracula, Christopher Lee is often noted as "the actor who played Dracula," and his portrayal was also a popular one, so this film certainly deserves a spot in a list of relevant and memorable vampire films.

1979 - Dracula

Frank Langella's portrayal of Count Dracula in this film was applauded by both critics and audiences, though the film did not fare so well at the box office. Following the seven sequels to The Horror of Dracula, the actual horror in this film seemed lightweight and underplayed. The film is not one of the most famous Dracula interpretations, but deserves a mention in this list, especially because Langella was so applauded for his portrayal of the most famous of vampires.

1987 - The Lost Boys

This film is often considered one of the quintessential vampire films of the 1980s. It takes a slightly non-traditional approach to vampire legend - two teenage boys move into a California town (from which people often disappear with no explanation) with their mother. The boys are urged to examine horror comics, because it apparently may save their lives one day. One of the brothers becomes a vampire, and what follows is an engrossing tale of how the remaining human brother will try to solve this problem. The film fared well at the box office and has quite a following today.

1992 - Bram Stoker's Dracula

This is a personal favorite of mine - when I think of this film, I think of red, which is fitting considering the main character. Gary Oldman portrays the Count in this interpretation of Stoker's novel by Francis Ford Coppola. Oldman portrays Dracula in a different style than that which has become popular, but his portrayal is still quite effective. He is an eerie old man, then a sexually charged immortal young man, and then a terrifying beast with powers beyond the understanding of most men. The film is rich in color and the sets are stunning. It is probably the best interpretation of Bram Stoker's novel that I have seen - the major difference is that Dracula is associated with Vlad the Impaler in the film, whereas he was not in the book.

1992 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

This film starring Kristy Swanson was originally considered a sort of parody of the vampire genre - a valley girl cheerleader is somehow "chosen" to kill off vampires, and she must accept this task. The film only had moderate success and was both praised and criticized, but it is not the film that is so notable. The much darker television series spawned from the film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the Slayer is what is notable. The series enjoyed much success and has a quite large following even today. Though it is rare, the series achieved a popularity that the film never enjoyed.

1994 - Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles

This interpretation of Anne Rice's 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire was directed by Neil Jordan and starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. The imagery is lush, the soundtrack is beautiful, and the tale is fascinating. Though the plot sort of wanders in the film, it is a clear and interesting one nevertheless. Lestat (Cruise) makes Louis (Pitt) into a vampire, but Louis is angered by this and does not want to kill anything to survive. The story tells of Lestat making a little girl, Claudia (a young Kirsten Dunst) into a vampire, and the consequences surrounding that decision. It is unconventional when discussing vampire myths and in general an interesting film to watch for anyone interested in modernized vampire tales.

It is perhaps no surprise that out of eight films listed, over half of them are about Dracula. The story of Count Dracula could probably be retold three hundred more times and people would still attend the films. Dracula is possibly the ultimate vampire tale - it has a bit of everything: horror, love, comedy (there is some to be found, especially in the Van Helsing character), eroticism, mystery...there is a bit of everything in the story. So, yes, this particular list of vampire films is biased in so enjoying that tale. However, the list is but a vague glance at a film sub-genre that has come to stand on its own in the years since Nosferatu. Some other films I felt I should mention, but not make notes on, are Roman Polanski's The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967, a parody of the genre), Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht [Nosferatu the Vampyre] (1979, a stylistic remake of 1922's Nosferatu), 'Salem's Lot (1979, a television miniseries film based on Stephen King's novel), and Vampyr (1932, an originally silent film given limited dialogue in three languages).