The Versions of Dracula & Vampires in Literature, Film, & Other Media

Literary Origin
Nosferatu
Vampires in film & fiction (1930s-50s)
Universal Dracula Series
Hammer Dracula Series
Vampires in film & fiction (1960s)
Dark Shadows
Vampires in film & fiction (1970s)
Marvel Comics Dracula
The Night Stalker
Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles
Love at First Bite
Dracula (1979)
Vampires in film & fiction (1980s)
Lifeforce
Fright Night
Once Bitten
Vamp
The Lost Boys
The Monster Squad
Near Dark
Vampires in film & fiction (1990s)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Vampire in Brooklyn
Dracula: Dead & Loving It
From Dusk till Dawn
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (television series)
John Carpenter’s Vampires
Blade
Vampires in film & fiction (2000s)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Underworld
Van Helsing

Literary Origin

The literary vampire became a staple of gothic fiction with the publication of John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” in 1819, which introduces the vampire Lord Ruthven & was born from the same three-day period to which Frankenstein owes its genesis. The penny dreadful Varney the Vampire was published in 1847. Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla” appeared in 1872. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published in 1897.

Stoker is most likely single-handedly responsible for the present popularity of vampires & if not for Dracula the vampire would probably remain an obscure, mythical Slavic creature as familiar to North Americans as the gnoll, shedu, or tengu.

Count Dracula is perhaps second only to Sherlock Holmes in terms of the number of motion pictures produced featuring the character.

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens

A silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula produced in Germany, starring Max Shreck as the vampire Count Orlok, & released in 1922.

Vampires in film & fiction (1930s to 50s)

Universal Dracula Series

Dracula (1931)

More crucial to the propagation of the pop culture phenomenon of the vampire was the 1931 Universal film Dracula, directed by Tod Browning & starring Bela Lugosi.
The first cinematic Dracula is based on the stage play by Hamilton Deane & John L Balderston (as is the 1979 film starring Frank Langella), rather than the Stoker novel. This version of Dracula departs from the novel in several specific instances, including the following:
- Renfield rather than Harker visits Dracula in Transylvania.
- Mina is Dr Seward’s daughter. In the novel, Mina Murray is unrelated to the rest of the cast & is, in fact, courted by John Seward.
- In the film, Lucy’s last name is Weston. In the novel, it is Westenra.
- The film omits Arthur Holmwood & Quincey Morris.
- The novel lacks any face-to-face confrontation between Dracula & Van Helsing. Nearly all film adaptations provide one.
- Dracula is destroyed while still in England rather than Transylvania.

The film makes two major departures from the novel concerning the characteristics & vulnerabilities of vampires, which later authors & film makers have perpetuated so faithfully that they are an integral part of modern vampire canon. Namely, the charismatic, sex symbol vampire—Stoker’s Dracula was pale & hairy & had protruding fangs & pointed ears—& the vampire’s vulnerability to sunlight. Stoker’s Dracula could move freely by day, &, although the sun imposed limitations on his ability to metamorphose, daylight did not harm him. A third minor departure is the omission of the wild rose from the list of items to which the vampire is susceptible.
Interestingly, another vampire vulnerability that seems to originate with Stoker—the inability of a vampire to enter a home without an invitation—absent in the 1931 Dracula & its first several imitators, eventually makes it back into the media & is a rather common idea by the time of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Lugosi does not wear false fangs in Dracula.
So successful was Dracula that Universal Pictures made five sequels—Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945), & Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). The latter three are, as the titles suggest, also sequels to other films belonging to the Universal stable. Bela Lugosi reprised the Count only in the final Universal film, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

I Am Legend

In 1954, Richard Matheson published I Am Legend. Three film adaptations of I Am Legend have been produced: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), & I Am Legend (2007). This novella also inspired George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). Thus, the influence of I Am Legend has been such that I felt compelled to include it on this page, even though I do not consider it vampire fiction.

The story has two premises novel for 1954: 1) vampires have spread throughout the world, and only one living human remains, & 2) vampiric characteristics are based on biochemical qualities of the vampires’ infected blood, not metaphysical forces. These sounded cool enough to me that I sought out the novella & read it...& was very disappointed. Despite the tale’s protagonist calling the creatures with whom he is in conflict “vampires,” they are not vampires, an assertion validated by the observation that none of the protagonists of the four derivative films calls these creatures “vampires.” In The Last Man on Earth & Night of the Living Dead, infected individuals are more appropriately labeled “zombies.”

I am a fan of adaptations of Matheson’s work. Matheson’s Twilight Zone, Star Trek, & The Night Stalker episodes are excellent; so is Somewhere in Time (based on Bid Time Return). Indeed, I even appreciate The Omega Man as a decent if rather cheesy 1970s SF classic. However, I have never been a fan of Romero or zombies, & I was therefore disappointed in I Am Legend—the only long fiction of Matheson’s that I have read—due to failed expectations rather than any fault in his writing.

Hammer Dracula Series

Horror of Dracula

Released in 1958 by British company Hammer Film Productions & directed by Terence Fisher (who directed most of the early Hammer horror films & a few of the later ones), Horror of Dracula stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, & Michael Gough. So successful was the film that it spawned eight sequels between 1960 & 1976.
In Horror of Dracula, Van Helsing actually recommends to Holmwood that he drink wine after donating blood.

Simply titled Dracula in the United Kingdom, the film was re-titled Horror of Dracula in the US to avoid confusion with the 1931 Universal film.
In Horror of Dracula, Van Helsing adamantly maintains that vampires cannot transform into wolves or bats. Although Arthur Holmwood argues that this faculty might explain some of the otherwise-inscrutable circumstances surrounding their entanglement with Dracula, the issue is never resolved.

Horror of Dracula departs from the Stoker novel perhaps more than any other film adaptation. Such differences include the following:
1. Dracula’s castle appears to be in Germany rather than Transylvania, nor does the Count ever imply that he plans a voyage to England.
2. Harker is not a solicitor, he knows Dracula is a vampire, & he goes to Castle Dracula with the intention of destroying the Count. To this end, Harker poses as a librarian. Additionally, Harker actually becomes a vampire & is destroyed by Van Helsing.
3. Mina, instead of Jonathan Harker’s fiancee & wife, is Holmwood’s wife.
4. Lucy, rather than Mina’s friend & the object of Seward’s, Morris’, & Holmwood’s affections, is Holmwood’s sister & Harker’s fiancee.
5. Morris & Renfield are omitted.
6. Dr Seward’s role is vastly reduced. Indeed, Van Helsing is cast as Harker’s friend, as opposed to Seward’s mentor.
7. Dracula has but one bride & is destroyed by sunlight instead of a stake.

Vampires in film & fiction (1960s)

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows was a popular daytime drama, which aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. One of the main characters of the series, Barnabas Collins, is a 200-year-old vampire.

Dark Shadows introduced a number of features & motifs to the vampire mythos, which later fiction incorporated almost immediately. First, Barnabas Collins is possibly the first vampire character to appear in the present. Second, Barnabas is probably the first vampire portrayed in a sympathetic light & as a tragic hero. Third, Barnabas is possibly the first vampire presented with “retractable” fangs. That is, his fangs are malleable to the extent that Barnabas can control their length. When he wants to blend in with human society, his teeth appear normal. When he is alone or about to feed, his fangs become conspicuous & protuberant. This vampire feature has appeared in many films & TV shows, notably the 1979 film Dracula starring Frank Langella. The trait has also evolved into the human/vampire face dichotomy. Essentially the same as the retractable teeth phenomenon, but the vampire’s entire face becomes horrid in addition to his or her fangs lengthening when he or she no longer wishes to disguise himself or herself. The “vampire face” appears in Fright Night, The Lost Boys &, perhaps most famously, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Finally, Dark Shadows appears to be responsible for the reincarnated-lost-love motif’s application to vampire lore. This phenomenon involves the main female character of the story being the reincarnation (or, at least, an exact physical twin) of a woman loved by the vampire when still living or earlier in his un-life. This theme was first introduced to the story of the Count himself in the 1973 made-for-TV movie Dracula, which stars Jack Palance & was produced & directed by Dan Curtis, the producer of Dark Shadows. The reincarnated-lost-love motif crops up again in Fright Night, the backstory of Strahd von Zarovich in Ravenloft, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, & the 1991 Dark Shadows revival. Apparently, the idea is lifted from the 1932 Universal film The Mummy. Whether this idea has a literary precedent is an open question.

Barnabas Collins was created by series writer Malcolm Marmorstein & portrayed by Jonathan Frid.

In 1991, 12 episodes of a short-lived Dark Shadows revival series starring Ben Cross aired in primetime on NBC.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

Episode 1x11

“A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts”

Vampires in film & fiction (1970s)

Marvel Comics Dracula & Blade

In 1954, the comics industry instituted the Comics Code Authority under pressure from Congress. The code specifically prohibited vampires, werewolves, ghouls, & zombies, which brought many horror comics to an end. In 1971, the revised code eliminated several restrictions, including that on werewolves & vampires. Marvel Comics quickly capitalized by introducing its version of Dracula in 1972, created by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan, in Tomb of Dracula #1. The Marvel Dracula existed in the present & in the mainstream Marvel continuity, although he generally travelled in his own circles with his own supporting cast & his own rogues gallery, which included descendents of Jonathan Harker & Abraham Van Helsing. Dracula did occasionally encounter Marvel super-heroes, such as the X-Men & Spider-Man, &, particularly in the 80s, became an increasingly common opponent of Dr Strange.

The Marvel Dracula had essentially the same powers, abilities, limitations, & backstory as Stoker’s Dracula, although over the years his powers tended to increase while his vulnerabilities waned. Also, his backstory became increasingly complex.

Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973) introduces the vampire hunter Blade. A vampire (Deacon Frost) feeds on Blade’s mother as Blade is born, causing Blade to mutate into a quasi-vampire, a long-lived human who is immune to becoming a vampire as well as vampire hypnosis. Blade was also the subject of a film trilogy released by New Line Cinema in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The chief difference between the two versions is the comic Blade is very old but does not possess superhuman strength, agility, or healing ability, while the film Blade has most of a vampire’s physical powers except that he ages normally.

The Night Stalker

In 1972, the TV movie The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin (1922-2006), aired on ABC. The Night Stalker received phenomenal ratings; so the network followed up with another movie, The Night Strangler, in 1973. In 1974, The Night Stalker went to weekly series. 20 episodes were produced & aired (not counting the two pilots) before The Night Stalker was cancelled in 1975 at the end of its first season. The Night Stalker recounts the exploits of newspaper journalist Carl Kolchak as he investigates, uncovers, & ultimately destroys a host of supernatural creatures of legend.

The Night Stalker is another series that received a retronym in syndication—namely Kolchak: The Night Stalker, which I refuse to use.

The Night Stalker is credited as partly inspiring The X-Files, & McGavin appeared in several episodes of the later series.

In 2005, ABC rebooted The Night Stalker with a series called simply Night Stalker, which stars Stuart Townsend (who played Dorian Gray in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) & was cancelled after just six episodes aired.

McGavin was married to actress Kathie Browne, who guest starred in the third-season Star Trek: TOS episode, “Wink of an Eye,” as well as the last episode of The Night Stalker, “The Sentry.”

I have included The Night Stalker on this webpage, because Kolchak faced vampires in both the first pilot & in the fourth episode of the regular series, which is actually a sequel to the original pilot.

My Three Favorite Episodes of The Night Stalker in Production Order

The Night Stalker episode
“The Night Stalker” (0x01)
“The Vampire” (1x04)
“The Devil’s Platform” (1x07)

“The Night Stalker” (0x01)

“The Night Stalker,” which first aired on January 11, 1972, was written by Richard Matheson (based on a novel by Jeff Rice), produced by Dan Curtis (who also produced Dark Shadows), directed by John Llewllyn Moxey (who also directed episodes of The Saint, Mission: Impossible, & Charlie’s Angels), & stars Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Carol Lynley, Barry Atwater, Claude Akins, & Larry Linville.
“The Night Stalker” centers around a vampire, Janos Skorzeny, operating in Las Vegas, who has most of the traditional strengths & weaknesses of the cinematic nosferatu, apart from his apparent inability to fly or shape-shift.

“The Vampire” (1x04)

“The Devil’s Platform” (1x07)

Dungeons & Dragons

In addition to their appearance on stage, screen, & the printed page, vampires have been a popular subject of board games, video games, & role-playing games far too numerous to list. Vampires first appeared in the venerable Dungeons & Dragons game system in the very first edition published by TSR in 1974. In addition, vampires appeared in the first edition of the AD&D Monster Manual in 1977.

The main difference between the AD&D vampire & the Bram Stoker vampire is that the AD&D vampire’s qualities are explained as due to the vampire’s partial existence on the Negative Material Plane. When an AD&D vampire strikes someone, the vampire drains two levels of experience from that character. No mention is made of AD&D vampires engaging in biting or exsanguination of any kind.

In AD&D, vampires are classified among the undead, a special category of monster noted for its dependence on the Negative Material Plane & its vulnerability to being “turned” or destroyed by clerics. The AD&D vampire is an especially powerful undead creature, second only to a lich (the ghost of a powerful wizard or priest). Other types of undead monsters detailed in the original version of AD&D are skeletons, zombies, ghouls, ghasts, mummies, wights, ghosts, spectres, & wraiths. Wights, wraiths, & spectres were also capable of draining experience levels as the vampire did, but these weaker undead only drained a single level at a time.

In 1983, TSR published the AD&D intermediate-level adventure module Ravenloft written by Tracy & Laura Hickman. The central character of Ravenloft is the 450-year-old Barovian vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich. Among Strahd’s features of interest is the reincarnated-lost-love motif.

Tracy Hickman is perhaps better known for co-creating the Dragonlance AD&D campaign setting as well as co-authoring several Dragonlance novels. Ravenloft is frequently cited as one of the best AD&D modules ever. Ravenloft spawned a host of sequel adventure modules, the Ravenloft: Realm of Terror campaign setting, & several novels.

’Salem’s Lot

In 1975, Stephen King published his second novel,’Salem’s Lot, essentially a modern-day retelling of Dracula, with the important distinction that, while Dracula only creates a single vampire in the course of the Stoker novel, ’Salem’s Lot experiences a geometric progression of the vampire population. This difference caused King himself to note that in a way the novel has more in common with Invasion of the Body Snatchers than with Dracula. King’s vampires have essentially the same powers, abilities, & limitations as Stoker’s vampires except in ’Salem’s Lot vampires are never shown to undergo metamorphoses into bats or wolves, & the effectiveness of the crucifix against the undead is based on the faith of the user in the cross. This latter idea is one that I have not noted in vampire fiction prior to ’Salem’s Lot. King’s master vampire, Kurt Barlow, is intelligent, charismatic & at least 2,000 years old if not significantly older.

A three-hour mini-series adaptation of the novel aired on CBS in 1979. Starring David Soul, Bonnie Bedelia, & James Mason, the mini-series is unremarkable except that it completely destroys the character of Kurt Barlow, presenting him as an entirely inhuman, mute Count Orlok clone.

In 2004, another three-hour mini-series adaptation of ’Salem’s Lot aired (on TNT this time). Starring Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, & James Cromwell, the newer version is generally less true to the King novel than the 1979 version, although Barlow is returned to his attractive, intelligent form. The casting of both Sutherland & Hauer in this mini-series is an in-joke, as they played opposite each other in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with Hauer as the master vampire Lothos.

King has written two short story follow-ups to ’Salem’s Lot—“One for the Road” & “The Night Flier.” In addition, Father Callahan resurfaces in The Dark Tower series in Wolves of the Calla.

The Dracula Tape

Fred Saberhagen published The Dracula Tape in 1975, which is a re-telling of the events of Dracula from the Count’s perspective. In all instances, Dracula represents himself as an honorable man & insists that his actions were either justified or misinterpreted by Van Helsing et al. In most cases, Saberhagen’s retooling is plausible. However, once or twice in the novel belief in the Count’s version stretches credulity, & I honestly could not tell if the reader were simply supposed to accept Dracula’s version at face value or to think the Count was lying (&, if he lied on this particular, might not the entire re-telling be a lie?).

Saberhagen has since written no fewer than nine sequels to The Dracula Tape. They are The Holmes-Dracula File, An Old Friend of the Family, Thorn, Dominion, A Matter of Taste, A Question of Time, Seance for a Vampire, A Sharpness on the Neck, & A Coldness in the Blood.

Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles

Interview with the Vampire, the first novel in the Vampire Chronicles series, was published in 1976. Interview with the Vampire recounts the tale of how 300-year-old vampire Lestat de Lioncourt turns Louis de Pointe du Lac (200 years old at the time of the novel) into a vampire, their exploits in New Orleans, how they turn Claudia into a vampire, how Claudia & Louis attempt to kill Lestat, their flight to Europe, their meeting with the 400-year-old vampire Armand, their reunion with Lestat, & the death of Claudia. I do not personally think Interview with the Vampire is a great book. It is slow-moving & boring in many places. Interview with the Vampire was adapted as a film in 1994 starring Tom Cruise & Brad Pitt.

The Vampire Lestat, published in 1985 is much better. Recounting Lestat’s life & point of view, The Vampire Lestat is fast-paced & deals with intrinsically more interesting material, a variety of older, powerful vampires.

The Queen of the Damned followed in 1988 & is, perhaps, the best of the first three novels. The Queen of the Damned tells the story of Akasha, the 7,000-year-old progenitor of all vampires.

The other novels in the Vampire Chronicles are The Tale of the Body Thief (1992), Memnoch the Devil (1995), The Vampire Armand (1998), Merrick (2000), Blood & Gold (2001), Blackwood Farm (2002), & Blood Canticle (2003).

Rice’s vampires differ from Stoker’s vampires in the following ways:

Rice’s vampires have a number of psychic powers
Rice’s vampires acquire powers as they age
Rice’s vampires do not transform into bats & wolves, but the oldest can fly
Rice’s vampires are not vulnerable to garlic, holy water, the crucifix, or wood stakes; they are vulnerable only to sunlight, fire, & grievous damage
Rice’s vampires lose their vulnerability to fire & the sun as they age
the skin of Rice’s vampires becomes more marble-like as they age
like Barnabas Collins, Rice’s vampires are often portrayed as noble, heroic, & worthy of pity

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

Episode 2x01

“The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula”

The Saint-Germain novels

Published in 1978, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Hotel Transylvania is the first in the 21-novel Saint-Germain series. This series presents fictionalized accounts of the enigmatic but historical Count Saint-Germain as a heroic 3,500-year-old vampire. Each novel of the series is set in a different time period & has Saint-Germain meeting different historical persons. Saint-Germain is different from the standard literary & cinematic vampire in that sunlight & running water cause him discomfort but no serious injury.

Love at First Bite

Released in 1979, Love at First Bite was directed by Stan Dragoti (who also directed Mr Mom & The Man with One Red Shoe) & stars George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin, Arte Johnson, & Dick Shawn.

Love at First Bite grossed $43 million at the box office.
A rather unusual ability possessed by Dracula in this film is the ability to transform into a Doberman Pinscher.

Love at First Bite continues the vampire/Dracula trope of the reincarnated lost love. In this case, Cindy Sondheim is presented as the latest incarnation of a woman pursued by the Count through the ages for at least 700 years. In their next-to-last encounter, Dracula says her name was Mina Harker, & he gives the year as 1931 (not the publication date of the novel, but rather the release date of the Universal film). The Count himself is presented as significantly older than in most sources.

Dracula (1979)

Directed by John Badham (who also directed Saturday Night Fever, Blue Thunder, WarGames, Short Circuit, The Hard Way, & Point of No Return), Dracula stars Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Kate Nelligan, & Donald Pleasance.
Although two other vampires in this film do, Langella never dons false fangs or contacts.

This version of Dracula is based on the stage adaptation by Hamilton Deane & John L Balderston, rather than the Stoker novel. The film nevertheless diverges from the both the novel & the 1931 Bela Lugosi film in the following ways:
- The film has no scenes in Transylvania, & dialogue makes clear that neither Harker nor Renfield ever visited Dracula there.
- The film switches the characters of Lucy & Mina.
- Mina is Van Helsing’s daughter. (While the 1931 film has Mina being Seward’s daughter, & this film has Lucy as Seward’s daughter, in the 1931 film, Lucy was unrelated to the rest of the cast. In the novel, both Mina & Lucy are unrelated either to Seward or Van Helsing.)
- Neither the novel nor the 1931 Dracula film has the intricate & extensive romantic love theme of this film. Dracula never shows any particular affection either for Lucy or Mina. He simply feeds on them.
- Dracula kills Van Helsing.
- Dracula is killed by sunlight aboard a ship.

In an apparent gaffe, after Mina has become a vampire, she nevertheless casts a reflection in a puddle in the mines running beneath the cemetery.
The score was composed by the great John Williams.

Vampires in film & fiction (1980s)

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Episode 1x11

“Space Vampire”

The Vampire Tapestry

The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas, published in 1980, is an interesting novel that attempts to lend some scientific credence to the vampire myth, such as different muscular attachment lending vampires greater strength & their sleep being psychologically necessary to give them sufficient emotional detachment from humans in order to regard them as prey. Dr Edward Weyland, anthropologist, is the ancient vampire protagonist of The Vampire Tapestry.

The Hunger

Published in 1981, Whitley Streiber’s The Hunger presents the most scientifically plausible vampire yet. The Hunger’s protagonist is Miriam Blaylock, a millennium-old vampire who may be the last of her kind. Streiber’s vampires can operate in daylight, although they prefer darkness because of humans’ reduced sensory effectiveness at night. Miriam & her kind are a subspecies of human, physically identical on the exterior but intellectually, anatomically, & physiologically superior in almost every way.

Interestingly, while Stoker wrote of vampires on the fringe of society & how Western civilization, science, & technology must inevitably defeat & supplant myth & magic, The Hunger presents us with scientific vampires who are comfortable with technology & are an inextricable part of society in the same way that wolves & deer are part of an ecosystem.

In 1983, a poor film adaptation of The Hunger starring David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve, & Susan Sarandon was unleashed.

Streiber has written two sequels to The Hunger—The Last Vampire (2001) & Lilith’s Dream: A Tale of the Vampire Life (2003). In The Last Vampire, Miriam discovers that human intelligence agencies know about vampires & have steadily been eradicating them, while the reader learns that many vampires besides Miriam exist & that vampires are, in fact, an alien species who have bred humanity from the apes they discovered when they colonized Earth. Humans have been bred for their relative defenselessness against vampires as well as taste.

Thundarr the Barbarian

Episode 1x10

“Stalker from the Stars”

Lifeforce

Fright Night

Released in 1985 & directed by Tom Holland, Fright Night stars Roddy McDowall [The Planet of the Apes (1968), Camelot (Broadway stage play), The Black Hole, A Bug’s Life, The Cat from Outer Space], Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride, The Nightmare before Christmas), William Ragsdale, & Amanda Bearse. Fright Night was a surprise hit the summer of 1985, grossing $25 million & finishing 1985 as the second-most successful horror film of the year.

Fright Night seems to be the first film to feature a vampire who switches back & forth between a human face & a vamp face, something that would become common in vampire movies. Fright Night is also a bit unusual in its insistence that merely showing a cross to a vampire is not sufficient, but rather that the cross wielder must have faith in the religious icon he brandishes.
Chris Sarandon, brother of Susan Sarandon, delivers a wonderful performance as the fruit-eating, sweater-wearing, 1000-year-old Jerry Dandridge.

The 1988 sequel Fright Night II was much inferior to the original. In 2011, a remake of Fright Night was released.

Once Bitten

Vamp

The Lost Boys

Released in 1987 & directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, St Elmo’s Fire, The Client), The Lost Boys stars Edward Herrmann (The Gilmore Girls, A Little Sex, Annie), Dianne Wiest (Footloose), Kiefer Sutherland [A Few Good Men, 24, The Three Musketeers (1993)], Jason Patric, Jami Gertz (Less Than Zero, Twister, Square Pegs, Sixteen Candles), Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, & Barnard Hughes. The Lost Boys grossed $32 million.

The Lost Boys continues the trend seemingly begun by Fright Night in showcasing vampires who switch back & forth between human faces & vamp faces. The vampires of The Lost Boys are perhaps unique in having unnaturally long, sharp second incisors instead of canine teeth. The Lost Boys has a few illogical moments, such as the implication that inviting a vampire into your home somehow eliminates the creature’s vulnerability to garlic & allows it to cast a reflection, as well as the implication that deer antlers are as effective as wooden stakes when thrust into the vampire’s heart.

Corey Haim’s character in The Lost Boys, Sam, is a comic book collector who cites issue numbers for significant events in the Superman mythos.
The Lost Boys was originally based on the premise that Peter Pan is a vampire, since he can fly, never ages, & visits children at night. A number of subsequent changes to the plot & characters left the film with the following vestiges of the original concept—the characters Michael & Nanook (Nana) & the film’s title itself.

The Monster Squad

Released in 1987, The Monster Squad was directed & co-written by Fred Dekker & stars Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, & Jon Gries (Fright Night II, Napoleon Dynamite, Taken).

The Monster Squad was unsuccessful at the box office, grossing less than $4 million against an estimated $12-million budget.

The Monster Squad is an obvious homage to the “monster rally” films produced by Universal in the 1940s, such as Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man & House of Dracula.

Near Dark

Vampires in film & fiction (1990s)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)

Released in 1992, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui & stars Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, & Luke Perry.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Released in 1992, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was directed by Francis Ford Coppola & stars Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, & Cary Elwes. Bram Stoker’s Dracula won three Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Sound Effects Editing, & Best Makeup. Bram Stoker’s Dracula grossed $215 million worldwide & was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1992.

For a film claiming to be Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this film makes two major departures from the novel. First, the film begins with a scene depicting the historical Vlad Tepes in the 15th Century, something Stoker never does. Second, Bram Stoker’s Dracula revolves around the now-trite concept of the reincarnated-lost-love (Mina/Elisabeta). As stated earlier, this theme seems to have originated in cinematic horror with the 1932 film The Mummy, in 1966 with respect to vampires, & in 1973 with the Count himself—in any case, long after the 1897 publication of Bram Stoker’s actual Dracula.

In accordance with my previous point, Fred Saberhagen (author of his own aforementioned Dracula series) wrote a novel adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If it is in fact Stoker’s Dracula, then how could another adaptation capture it better than Stoker’s Dracula?

Forever Knight

Running for three seasons from 1992 to 1996, the TV series Forever Knight was revolutionary, because it paved the way for primetime TV series featuring heroic vampires as lead characters. Forever Knight recounts the adventures of Nicholas Knight, a Toronto cop who is also an 800-year-old vampire.

Vampire in Brooklyn

Dracula: Dead & Loving It

Released in 1995, Dracula: Dead & Loving It was directed by Mel Brooks & stars Leslie Nielsen, Steven Weber, Amy Yasbeck, Peter MacNicol, Harvey Korman, & Anne Bancroft.

Dracula: Dead & Loving It diverges from the novel Dracula in more-or-less the same ways that the 1931 Universal film Dracula does. Mina is Dr Seward’s daughter, Jonathan Harker is his assistant, & Renfield is the one who visits Dracula in Transylvania.

Dracula: Dead & Loving It is unfairly maligned as not funny & not as good as other Mel Brooks films (Young Frankenstein in particular). I heartily disagree. The scene in which Anne Bancroft offers MacNicol the cross, the scene in which Van Helsing tells Seward that Lucy will become a vampire herself, the scene in which Dracula commands Mina & her servant from outside, the scene in which Renfield eats several arthropods while breakfasting with Seward, & the scene in which Harker stakes Lucy are all very funny. Furthermore, Dracula: Dead & Loving It has all of the warm homage for the Dracula films of the 20th Century that Young Frankenstein harbors for the Frankenstein movies. (& Dracula: Dead & Loving It is a great deal funnier—to say nothing of being in generally better taste—than Spaceballs or History of the World Part I).

From Dusk till Dawn

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (television series)

Created & produced by Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters, Emma Caulfield, & Michelle Trachtenberg & aired 144 episodes over seven seasons from 1997 to 2003.

My 10 Favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episodes in Order

Wade’s Ranking	Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
#1	“Graduation Day” (3x21 & 3x22)
#2	“Dopplegangland” (3x16)
#3	“No Place Like Home” (5x05)
#4	“Becoming” (2x21 & 2x22)
#5	“Checkpoint” (5x12)
#6	“The Wish” (3x09)
#7	“Revelations” (3x07)
#8	“Intervention” (5x18)
#9	“Blood Ties” (5x13)
#10	“Helpless” (3x12)

Notes on favorite episodes

#1

“Graduation Day” (3x21 & 3x22)

“Graduation Day” is the two-part third-season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “Graduation Day” was written & directed by Joss Whedon. Parts I & II aired on May 18, 1999 & June 13, 1999, respectively.
“Graduation Day” guest stars Eliza Dushku (Faith Lehane), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins III), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), & Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder).
Some have speculated that Richard Wilkins III was in fact Richard Wilkins II (or Junior) in addition to Richard Wilkins (Sr).
Although Faith’s surname was not disclosed in the seven-year run of Buffy TVS, it was revealed to be Lehane in a role-playing game, & Whedon considers this canonical.

As is appropriate for an episode dealing with the transition from secondary public school to whatever life the individual has in store & in accordance with Mayor Wilkins’ speech (“Today is about change.”), “Graduation Day” features several beginnings & endings. Some of the endings:
- After Cordelia & Wesley kiss, neither seems interested in pursuing a relationship.
- The Mayor, Principal Snyder, & Larry Blaisdell all die.
- Sunnydale High is destroyed.
- Faith enters a long-term coma.
- Buffy repudiates the Watchers’ Council.
- Angel, Cordelia, & Wesley leave Buffy TVS as regular characters. (And Cordelia & Wesley, in fact, never return to the show that spawned them.)

...and some of the beginnings:
- Cordelia & Wesley kiss for the first time.
- Willow & Oz have intercourse for the first time.
- Anya aids Buffy & the gang for the first time.
- Harmony Kendall is sired as a vampire.
- Cordelia “dusts” her first vampire.
- The spinoff series, Angel, started less than three months after the airing of “Graduation Day.” Angel stars David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, & Alexis Denisof.
- Buffy plans her first premeditated murder (of a human being).
- Faith makes several confusing comments. Planning to kill Faith & feed her to Angel, Buffy confronts the renegade Slayer wearing leather pants & an outfit overall more characteristic of Faith. Faith slyly comments, “Look at you, trying on big sister’s clothes.” Later, in an eerily placid & amicable dream apparently shared by Buffy & Faith while both are comatose, both make several enigmatic statements. Faith says, “Little Miss Muffet counting down from seven-three-O.” Many hotly contend that this is a reference to Buffy’s sister Dawn Summers who would make her first appearance in two years (the first episode of the fifth season), the 730 referring to the number of days until that appearance. Others claim that since 730 days is exactly two years & that since this statement occurs at the end of season three, it must refer to Buffy’s death at the end of season five. The former group claims as evidence two other references to Little Miss Muffet in season five (one by Glory, one by an insane man) & that both of these statements relate to Dawn. This camp further claims that Faith’s earlier comment about “big sister” is an additional reference to Dawn. Personally, I think that Faith’s “big sister” line refers to nothing except Faith herself (and possibly an Elvis Costello song). The Little Miss Muffet & 730 stuff, I’m not too sure about...

The Christ parallels are particularly conspicuous in “Graduation Day.” Buffy, often called the “chosen one,” in her capacity as Slayer (which even sounds like “savior”), often saves people. In “Graduation Day,” Angel (who can certainly be considered “fallen”) must drink Buffy’s blood to be saved.
In “Graduation Day,” Anya mentions an earlier Ascension involving Lohesh—a demon of radically different appearance from the Mayor’s eventual form. Additionally, the gang discovers that the Mayor will ascend as the demon Olvikan & that Olvikan had been killed on Earth previously possibly in another earlier Ascension. (How is it possible for the Mayor to become “in pure form” a personally named demon which was already dead?)
As usual, this episode contains several pop culture allusions, including Xander quoting Jaws & the Mayor making a reference to Popeye the Sailor.

#2

“Dopplegangland” (3x16)

#3

“No Place Like Home” (5x05)

“No Place Like Home” originally aired Oct 24, 2000 & guest stars Kristine Sutherland, Clare Kramer, & Charlie Weber.
“No Place Like Home” introduces the character of Glory—variously referred to throughout the season as Glorificus, the Beast, the Abomination, That Which Cannot Be Named, & Hell-Bitch.
“No Place Like Home” also features the revelation that Dawn is not really Buffy’s sister & that she is in fact the key for which Glory searches.
“No Place Like Home” also features the grand opening of the Magic Box as well as Giles hiring Anya as a cashier.

#4

“Becoming” (2x21 & 2x22)

#5

“Checkpoint” (5x12)

#6

“The Wish” (3x09)

#7

“Revelations” (3x07)

#8

“Intervention” (5x18)

#9

“Shadow” (5x08)

“Shadow” originally aired Nov 21, 2000 & guest stars Kristine Sutherland, Amber Benson, Clare Kramer, & Charlie Weber.
In “Shadow,” Buffy & the audience learn that the name of That Which Cannot Be Named is, in fact, Glory.
“Shadow” features Tara’s epiphany that the reason Giles’ & the gang’s research on Glory has proved ineffective may be because Glory predates the written word. This is, of course, a silly argument. The Earth, the Moon, & dinosaurs all predate the written word. Should we, therefore, expect not to find any words (let alone copious volumes) written about them?
“Shadow” also introduces the first of Glory’s fulsome servant demons, Dreg.
In “Shadow,” Riley stakes a vampire (Sandy) whom he intentionally allowed to feed on him. Vamp Willow sired Sandy in the third-season episode “Dopplegangland.”

#10

“Helpless” (3x12)

John Carpenter’s Vampires

Blade

Released in 1998, Blade was directed by Stephen Norrington (who also directed The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) & stars Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, & Kris Kristofferson. Blade grossed $70 million in the US.

Vampires in film & fiction (2000s)

Smallville

Episode 5x05

“Thirst”

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Released in 2003, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, based on the comic mini-series by Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta), was directed by Stephen Norrington (who also directed Blade) & stars Sean Connery. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen grossed $66 million in the US.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen grossed $179 million worldwide against a $78-million budget.

I found the decision to include Mina Harker, rather than the Count, & Moriarty, instead of Holmes, to be a subtle & provoking move of the filmmakers.
In addition, the inclusion of Detective Tom Sawyer in this film led me to the revelation that Twain did in fact write further adventures of Tom & Huck after The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Underworld

Released in 2003, Underworld.

Underworld.

Underworld.

Van Helsing

Released in 2004 & written, produced, & directed by Stephen Sommers (who also directed the 1999 & 2001 Universal Studios mummy films with Brenden Frasier), Van Helsing stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men) & Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor, Underworld). Van Helsing grossed $120 million in the US in 2004 & was the 16th-highest grossing film domestically.
Van Helsing is an homage to Universal’s ensemble monster films made from 1943 to 1948. Van Helsing also bears resemblances to the 1987 film The Monster Squad & the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in addition to displaying considerable influence from James Bond & Indiana Jones.

Van Helsing bears so little resemblance to any of its literary antecedents that enumeration of the discrepancies would be a fruitless exercise in long-list making. The titular character, Gabriel Van Helsing, is, obviously, not the Abraham Van Helsing of Bram Stoker, although supposedly the film character was inspired by the famous monster hunter.

Late in the film, Dracula, in fact, implies that Van Helsing is in reality the Archangel Gabriel.
Van Helsing is unique in giving the Brides of Dracula names (Verona, Aleera, & Marishka) & assigning to them more than a token role in the action.
In Van Helsing, the role of Frankenstein’s Monster is particularly sympathetic, intelligent, & well-played. Furthermore, Dracula’s motive to give life to his undead children is provocative & original.

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