Vampires
âTo die, to be really dead, that must be gloriousâ
There are so many vampire films. Like other
sub-genres, there is a basic story and an iconic film for vampires,
but as there are so many, it is easier to find films that are farther from
the icon than in other categories. And with vampires, there's
developed a few extra main stories.
It all started with Dracula (making 1931's Dracula the representative film); the story in some
modified form has been made over and over again. A vampire, normally
from Eastern Europe, finds an innocent girl he wants and more often than
not is connected to him from ancient times. But the girl has a
boyfriend/husband/fiancÃe who, with several accomplices, defeats the
vampire and retrieves the girl. Initially these stories had the
vampire coming to a Western city, but by the '60s, it was as common for
the girl & fiancÃe to be the ones traveling.
While the Dracula story is still being made, another major story has
popped up. In it, the conflict is no longer between vampire and
human, but between vampire and vampire (or other supernatural
creature). The fight is political, determining who will control the
tribe, but there is still a love interest that the leaders of both sides
want and whose existence has brought the political war to a
head.
My recommendations for the very best vampire films are: Dracula '31,
The Hunger, Lair of the White Worm, Lifeforce, The Lost Boys,
Underworld.
My Vampire Film reviews (a * means the review is on a different
page):
Dracula (1979) ![]()
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Yet another film of the stage play, Count Dracula moves to
England for new hunting grounds and to seduce Lucy Seward. However,
vampire hunter Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker fight to keep Lucy in
polite society and to destroy the king of the vampires.
The problem with all Dracula
movies is that the basic story isn't very good. It's a xenophobic
tale that assumes that middleclass English society is the only correct
society and foreigners are not to be trusted. Nor are women who are
weak by their nature. Nor the lower classes who are inherently
inferior. Nor, of course, any of our "base" urges as they are not
sanctified by The Church. This is the world of the novel Dracula, a puritanical world, and it explains why Harker
and Company are so dull and proper. By the nature of the story, the
good guys are bland, and we are supposed to like them. But I don't
like them. I like Dracula, even when he oozes evil (Lugosi).
In this version, Dracula has been made seductive, so I find myself hoping
he will destroy drab society (represented by Harker) and the institutions
that support it (Van Helsing). Unfortunately, the Dracula story wasn't written for anyone to cheer for the
"villain." Ah well.
Within the non-functional framework, this is a pretty good
adaptation. Yes, all the male "heroes" are either colorless or
insufferable and the pacing is off, but that's true of every
version. Laurence Olivier puts in a particularly annoying
performance, but then who could play the voice of righteousness in an
engaging way? It shines, as all watchable versions do, on its
Dracula. Frank Langella, even with his '70s hair, is an extremely
good-looking man with a fluid voice and piercing eyes. This Dracula
seduces both his victims and the audience. Kate Nelligan, as a
misnamed Lucy, puts in a capable performance as the seduced. As long
as they are on screen, this is sensual and moving. That makes this a
love story, and a very good one. Too bad Dracula isn't a love story.
Once Bitten (1985) ![]()
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A beautiful vampire (Lauren Hutton) must bite a virgin
three times before Halloween. In the 1980's she finds few options
until her minions spot a high school student and ice cream truck driver
(Jim Carrey) who is being frustrated by his girlfriend (Karen
Kopins).
A vacuous comedy that screams '80s, Once
Bitten is sitcom level fluff. Lauren Hutton is a sexy
vampire, and that's the best thing in the film. The jokes are almost
funny, the story almost makes sense, and the film as a whole is almost
enjoyable. Carrey, far too old to be playing a high school student,
shows signs of his later trademark insanity, but reigns it in, letting the
story, such as it is, guide the film. In this overly wholesome sex
comedy (if you are hoping for naked vampires, look else ware), there are
amusing moments, such as a Greece-style gym
dance-off (Carrey is a better dancer than Travolta), but not enough of
them. When AMC does its salute to '80s teen films, Once Bitten will play between Valley
Girl and Fright Night and while weaker than
both, will bridge them nicely.
The Lost Boys (1987) ![]()
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A divorced mother (Dianne Wiest) and her two sons, Michael
(Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim), move to the coastal town of Santa
Carla, the murder capital of the country. Michael quickly becomes
mixed up with a beautiful girl and a gang, led by David (Kiefer
Sutherland), all of whom have strange abilities. Sam meets Edgar
(Corey Feldman) and Alan Frog, teenage comic book freaks who think of
themselves as vampire
hunters.
Vampirism is the perfect metaphor for teen isolation,
particularly if you want to allude to drugs and sex. Vampires don't
fit into normal society. They have strange hours, can be violent,
and are always searching for something. They also aren't in control
of themselves and no one can help them. The Lost
Boys, the best of the teen vampire movies, is two films in
one. Michael's story is about teen angst, uncertainty, and desire,
and is taken quite seriously. Sam's is an over-the-top comedy, where
theme takes a backseat to slapstick and camp. Director Joel
Schumacher interweaves the two, giving a rest from intensity for laughs
and then cutting back when the jokes are getting too silly. It
works. A few of the gags do go too far, and a little Corey Feldman
goes a long way, but the mix is just about right. This is a fun film
with characters I cared about. Patric has the right amount of
intensity for a lost half-vampire (and looks strikingly like Jim Morrison,
a fact not missed by Schumacher who has an old poster of Morrison in the
vampires' lair as well as using People are Strange in the
soundtrack) and Sutherland looks odd enough that I wonder if he really is
a vampire. The climax is disappointing, going for a laugh instead of
meaning (and sense), but as a whole, The Lost Boys
is entertaining and emotional.
