Vampirism in Millennial Film
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thematic flow, the film’s climax tends to be more focused. When this backstory is
merely a throw-in, its inclusion tends to leave its audience hanging, wondering
why the information was presented in the first place. Ultimately, what is most
striking about the titles discussed here is the overt decision by their respective
scriptwriters and directors to establish a source for the vampirism their stories
exhibit. While the expository scenes make up only a brief portion of their tales,
these narrative digressions provide intriguing contributions to the ongoing devel
opment and expansion of vampire lore.
Also worth noting is that the four contemporary films discussed above are
evenly balanced between storylines following the romantic and monstrous tradi
tions, with both John Carpenter's Vampires and The Forsaken returning us to the
purely-evil vampire such as Lord Ruthven, Varney, Count Dracula, and their ilk in
classic vampire literature. Is it possible that a few years’ perspective will find us
looking upon Carpenter and Cardone’s films as the beginning of a backlash away
from the dark romance championed by Rice, Saberhagen, Yarbro, and company?
Or is this a signal that future vampire cinema will jump from one tradition to the
other, incorporating the monstrous and romantic forms as best fits their themes?
One might suggest that the theatrical vampire fan is in a chest-beating mode fol
lowing the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and is presently more
likely to view the undead invader with less sympathy. As vampire scholars such as
Holte and others have suggested, just about the time someone thinks vampire nar
ratives have settled down and we have seen and read all that storytellers can give
us, something new comes along to break or transform these traditions. What the
four films examined here suggest to us is that we should enjoy their excursions
into origin stories and hope such backstories are expanded in creative ways in
future productions.
Central Michigan University
J. Robert Craig
Works Cited
Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1992.
Cumbow, Robert C. Order in the Universe: The Films o f John Carpenter, 2d ed. London: Scarecrow
Press: 2000.
Dark Prince: The True Story o f Dracula. Directed by Joe C