Nosferatu was directed by F.W.Murnau. This was the first vampire film (feature length) to ever be released. The idea of vampire originated as a mythological tale, made popular in the early 18th century, However, it is Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula that is remembered as the original vampire novel and provided the basis of modern vampire fiction. Nosferatu is based around the character of Dracula.
The film was shot in black and white with no speech. However, text is used after certain scenes to fill in any speech needed and to give the audience all of the information needed to follow the narrative. As music is the only sound heard in the clip it sets the mood for each individual scene. An example of this is the opening scene. Here we are introduced to Hutter and his wife Ellen, romantic music played on a violin and piano, this is used to emphasize the love bond between the characters and make this relationship clear to those viewing the film. We then move onto a shot of just Ellen sewing near a window; soft, romantic music here suggests the girls innocence. This is then enforced by the use of nature in the form of plants and a kitten.
Themes of Nosferatu include Corruption, the unknown, female isolation, loneliness and greed. Such themes are replicated in modern day horror and can be found in films throughout horror history.
Coppola's Dracula (1992)
This take on the story of Dracula uses humorous and sexual based tones, these are used due to the idea formed other many years that a vampire is seductive to gain prey. This leads to Dracula going after his visitor's fiancée following a similar story line to Nosfuratu. The humour used in this film is quite dark and subtle, as if used to foreshadow what is to come in the narrative and to highlight on the naivety of the character Jonathan, played by Keanu Reeves. Here Dracula takes on a more human form compared to Nosfuratu in Murnau interpretation. However, some horror aspects are kept in terms of the physical appearance of the character. The long nails and "floaty walk" are present in the character to show contrast between human characters and the vampire. As Dracula takes a human form, he has been sexually emphasised in terms of behaviour towards women and sometimes men, this in my view shows the character to be powerful in more ways then just a killer. He can play with you through lust and love to torment you and make you vulnerable. This gives the character an overall strong sexual presence. These small changes in the vampire theme have created what we now know as "Vampire Mania", mainly focusing on women wanting to be seduced by a handsome male with a strong sense of presence who could potentially take there life; In other words the women like to play with fate and put their blood on the line literally.
Here is the visual change in vampires over time:
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Twilight Saga
The twilight saga is a very modern twist on an old myth which helps to bypass the desensitisation theory and give the audience something new and exciting to watch. Here the horror element has been combined with a romance narrative to appeal to a mainly female audience, this in turn mixes lust, fantasy and the typical horror element (vampires) to create a hybrid appealing to a larger audience than that of a strictly horror based film.
Like its ancestor, Bram Stroker's Dracula, the saga origination from a fictional book creating a fan base before being converted on to the "big screen".
The subversion of typical vampire concepts is what made twilight so successful. Things like surviving on animal blood and other supernatural powers are something new to the vampire world as we know it creating a buzz on whether it is a good media move on behalf of the writer in terms of the horror genre. One thing I like about the way Twilight and the sequel, New Moon have been edited, is the coloured tint added to the shot to create either a cold effect like the blue tint in Twilight or to create a warm effect like the reddish tint in New Moon.
Cool image:
Let the right one in (2008)
A genre defying film adapted from a book.The narrative follows a love story between a young female vampire called Eli and a bullied school boy called Oskar. It is set in Sweden and is therefore spoken in a Swedish dialogue, however subtitles are available in English. The use of silence in this film builds tension and adds to the narrative in a way that is indescribable. Within the silences the audience is left to there own thoughts, here you can build up your personal view to the characters without any interruption. as well as this the silence adds to the narrative as it highlights on the naivety of this young boy as he has no idea about what is going on around him. The use of children actors is effective as we feel more vulnerable watching them due to their vulnerability themselves. This is also effective as it appeals to a younger audience who appear to be more likely to watch horror films. This is shown in Paul Wells' Research into Horror audiences.
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