THE WEEKEND DISCUSSION: ARE VAMPIRES DEAD?
- By Devin Faraci
- Published 11/21/2008
- News
Are vampires dead? Well, technically they're undead of course, but I mean this in more of a cinematic/storytelling way. Has the time come and gone for the vampire?
This sounds like a weird question to ask on a weekend when the number one movie in America is going to be about teenaged vampires, but these sparkly, kind-hearted variations on the theme remind me of the saliva-tainted last dregs at the bottom of your 40. Shit's gross, and it's done.
We've seen every variation on the vampire in the last couple of decades; we've seen the archetype subverted and changed and reinterpreted and put into almost every possible situation. We've seen the vampire be a metaphor for everything from addiction to society's obsession with youth to love to our most primal sexual desires. We've had vampire heroes and villains, vampire sidekicks and comedic relief. We've had a chocolately vampire cereal.
We've sucked the vampire dry.
Or have we? While millions of teens will be flocking to see the romance of Edward and Bella this weekend, another vampire movie will draw fewer eyes but has been the best infusion of blood that the monster has had in years. That's Let the Right One In, a vampire movie that not only out-romances Twilight but also shows that maybe the vampire story still has something left. Instead of reinventing the vampire or rewriting the rules, this Swedish film goes very much back to basics, envisioning a creature of the night that is quite traditional. And quite compelling.
Of course Let the Right One In could just be a fluke, a last gasp for the blood sucker.
What do you think? Is there still unlife left in the vampire as a legitimate horror creature? Are there still good vampire stories to be told, or should we put a stake in the genre's heart and bury it at a crossroads? Chime in below or on our message board in this thread. And while you're at it, what are your favorite vampire movies of all time?
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Pear Pimples for Hairy Fishnuts)
The vampire myth is far too engrained in our culture for it too just suddenly disappear. (Same goes for werewolves, zombies, mummies, demons, giant sea beasties, and Cher.)
So while 95% of the vampire-related media produced in the future may be schlock, I'd say that 95% of the vampire-related media produced in the past was schlock as well. And somehow, life goes on.
Comment #2 (Posted by Rob)
Interesting article, Devin. In terms of there being little to no life left for the vampire, all it takes is someone with some vision to add something new to the genre. Whether its sexy vampires like in "Lost Boys", or "real" vampires like in "True Blood", there could just as easily be something to come in a few years that'll interest people again. Everyone likes blood, immortality, and sexiness, three things that go hand in hand with mainstream vampire film and television. That said, I'm dying (no pun intended) to see "Let The Right One In".
Comment #3 (Posted by mike s)
It's an interesting thought... I think the question is more are vampires dead in terms of genre fans? I'm inclined to say I've been weened off any kind of fear or interest in vampires at large. Mostly beginning with my childhood like (not love) of the Lost Boys and it's more fun an campy elements. The Genre fans know vampires. They get vampires. I find most of the twilight fans to be new to the genre or at least Buffy fans. (side note: buffy was a great show) We're at a point where really there's nothing particularly interesting about vampires per say but there can still be really good movies about them. Let the Right One in is simply a fantastic film; stunning in every way but not necessarily because it's some wild new take on the vampire, just because of remarkable execution. I'm inclined to agree wtih pear. They're a part of the culture. They're the alpha dog of monster culture and in strange way I'm finding the genre fans lack of interest to be a lot like our genre culture's sudden lack of interest in Superman. There's the same familiarity and the things that made them relevant in the first place just don't apply as readily.
Comment #4 (Posted by Tennyson E. Stead)
How can you even ask this question, with Bubba Nosferatu gearing up? My take is this: filmmakers who are patient with character and who love actors will continue to tell great vampire stories, while impatient, "story-driven" filmmakers who are trying to cut the fat and instead cut the meat will keep making obnoxious, loud movies with lots of hissing. And then Joss Whedon will make fun of them. I'll say this - vampires have more mileage than zombies. At least vampires have throughts and feelings. In fact, they seem to store them up for hundreds of years, just waiting for storytime! As someone who's now writing a story along vampiric lines (although not precisely), I really think it all depends on how much patience the artist has for letting characters and actors share something honest and unique.
Comment #5 (Posted by Three Oranges)
Vampire movies reveal my secret racism. Somehow black vampires always look ridiculous to me. I'm so ashamed.
Comment #6 (Posted by jazzhanded)
Personally, I think the "alternate" vampire tale crested with Near Dark, whose awesomeness knows no bounds to this very day
Comment #7 (Posted by mr_adam)
I loved let the right one in. Loved it. but to label it as "vampire movie" does it a great disservice. Vampire movies will always continue as they are cheap and sexy fodder for the PG13 horror crowd, it's when something new is done with them that they break out. I doubt twilight will qualify. My favourite vampire movies: Dusk till dawn and shadow of the vampire. Oh and the first blade stands up pretty fucking well.
Comment #8 (Posted by John)
I think the vampire will always be around. The problem is they aren't consistently good. There's a good one every couple years, and then a ton of bad ones. Since the vampire story has been around as long as Frankenstein, it's easy to see why good ideas are few and far between. The story has been bleed to death.
Personally I'd like to see a revamp of the classics done by a studio like Hammer did in the 60's so we don't get too much CGI gloss. Down and dirty low budget films that use implement character, and imaginative sets with atmosphere. We need a new actor to identify as Dracula. The genre needs to have fun again.
No more werewolf and vampire wars. That shit is boring.
Comment #9 (Posted by Nathaniel Wayne)
The vampire reinvention is what's dead. People need to stop trying to think of clever things to do with Vampires and just bring it back to the basics, much like "Let the Right One In" does. They focus needs to come of supposedly clever variations and just tell a good story using the established creature.
Comment #10 (Posted by Imran Jaffery)
This would have been a compelling argument a couple of years ago, but certainly not now. Not when a vampire film is going to reach blockbuster status this weekend and one of the best movie's so far this year is a vampire flick. If anything, the genre is enjoying a resurgence. Sure <i>Twilight</i> little more than an amuse bouche for a younger generation into the vampire mythos, but it's still generating increased interest. I've read plenty of <i>Twilight</i> reviews where <i>Let the Right One In</i> was mentioned-- you have to believe at least some "Twilighters" will check it out and be blown away.
As far as vampires being scorched earth cinematically, let's not forget that Chan-wook Park's next film <i>Thirst</i> is a vampire flick. Artists are still finding unique ways to present vampires-- no less so than at any other point since the monster-movie heyday. Genres and archetypes never truly die, they just go into hibernation until audiences and artists are ready to rediscover them. Vampires are just fine.
Comment #11 (Posted by Joe)
After Blackula, nothing ever needed to be said about vampires ever again - including Buffy & Angel.
Comment #12 (Posted by izikavazo)
I read a very interesting thing the other day. Did you know that Mummies used to be romantic characters? After a while they were transformed into horror film villains. Seeing Vampires change over the course of a few decades may seem strange, but it's not without precendence.
- izi
Comment #13 (Posted by an unknown user)
"...these sparkly, kind-hearted variations on the theme remind me of the saliva-tainted last dregs at the bottom of your 40. Shit's gross, and it's done."
What the fuck does that even mean? Can someone with a better understanding of posturing explain it to me? "Shit's gross, and it's done." I guess pronouns are dead too then.
Comment #14 (Posted by JB)
Man,
Vampires are not dead... Just well over used...
Unless its done like this-
http://elmwoodproductions.blogspot.com/2008/02/this-weeks-short_27.html
- Vamps and Puppets... the only way they are worth watching anymore.
Fuck Twilight
Comment #15 (Posted by CDI F Kelly)
THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES is a good, simple vampiresque fic. We need more of those. UNDERWORLD and the like are tedious to the point of pain. By the way, does anyone remember BUNNICULA? Adorable little devil, that.
Comment #16 (Posted by an unknown user)
Vampires aren't dead as long as we have techno clubs where people wear leather dusters and silky blouses. Don't forget to throw in writers who still think equating vampire bloodlust to forbidden gay sex is interesting or original. Wait, maybe an original take would be to take that formula and put them in the south...and they're real! So fucking dumb. Can anyone tell me how the fuck they plan on keeping True Blood interesting for more than this season when it became lame in the first episode? Let's move on from variations on the shitty Anne Rice formula and find something new. Maybe making one that's, I don't know, scary or something?
Comment #17 (Posted by OperativeD)
I think that the vampire genre isn't dead, but it does need to take a bit of a nap. A hiatus if you will. Now I haven't seen Let the Right One In yet, but I do intend to after all the positive buzz I've been reading on here and my horror movie related sites. As far as my favorite vampire film goes Near Dark would have to be the top winner. I ended up buying the 2 disc dvd awhile back on a whim since I hadn't heard of it before, but it sounded interesting. In this time of Underworld and Twilight it was a breath of fresh air to me. It's "less is more" approach to the vampire myth was a nice change of pace and I also liked the idea of a "blue collar vampire" or a group of them in the films case. Not the massively (so it seems) wealthy European expatriate aristocrats that have been in place since Bela Lugosi's Dracula emerged. If you haven't seen it I recommend you seek it out. Sure it's a bit 80's and not as stylish as Lost Boys, but if you want a change of pace it should do nicely.
Comment #18 (Posted by JoNuggs)
I've been fed up with the bullshit vampire stories since Anne Rice started writing those ass-tastic novels.
I'm dying to see Let The Right One In but it sounds like a return to basics rather than a reinvention. Perhaps the genre has completed a cycle?
Comment #19 (Posted by Xian)
Both zombie films and vampire films (both highly metaphoric) seem to have seen their apex recently... and there is such a thing as the law of diminishing returns wherein you can go back to the well of originality too often that the well becomes tainted by cliche, shoddy storytelling and appropriation of the concept for uses outside of its core idea... Satire is often considered the death-knell of certain genres, for instance. Vampire themed-stories will eventually get, dare I say, new blood... But for now, they seem to be exhausted and very worn out... with exceptions like "Let The Right One In." Like any other iconic monster or film genre, the overriding theme of the vampire needs time to lie dormant for a while (like a fallow field in agriculture) in order to reclaim the energy that once made for powerful drama, horror, etc. And bang! There's the vampire metaphor again... lying dormant until, like lame ol' Lestat, the vampire is refreshed and can rise again. For now, though... we've had enough it seems... "30 Days of Night" rightfully placed the vampire back into the monster category without making them some type of androgynous Euro-trash creature intent on above the belt romance, emotional guilt (the tortured soul syndrome that some bloodsuckers are partial to) and denial of their base desires (bloodsucking) that only a pre-Christian Anne Rice (and her faithful readers) could love. The vampire should remain a monster if it's to be truly effective, other than that, let the damn thing lie down and rest for a while.
Best Vampire Movie (IMHO): Martin
Best Dracula Movie (IMHO): Coppola's version of Stoker's novel.
Best Vampire Book (IMHO): Salem's Lot
Best Vampire Comedy (IMHO): Love at First Bite
Comment #20 (Posted by bluelouboyle)
Holy shit! No-one has insulted Devin!
Nikce article. I think Vampire movie's have run their course. But they will always be made anyway
Comment #21 (Posted by Adam)
This shit is always cyclical. It was zombies five years ago, and vampires again before that, and then zombies before that again. There's always something new to be done with our traditional archetypes, just like there's always some overrated piece of genre trash waiting to be the next big thing for lonely single women/manchildren/tweens/fabulous gay people.
Comment #22 (Posted by Mike)
Does CHUD have a financial make in this movie? This damn Swedish movie gets more play than any American blockbuster ever has. Who gives a damn about Scandinavian vampires?
Comment #23 (Posted by Creepy)
My favourite vampire movie is that one where the needles come out of their teeth. Man, that really freaked me out when I saw it. Just the sight of those things pushing their way out and then clamping onto someone's neck. Brrrrrrrrr. Wish I could remember what it was called though!
Comment #24 (Posted by Sara)
Fright Night, anyone?
Comment #25 (Posted by BigNoseBob)
This subject has been on my mind for a little while now. Seems to me the genre needs a blood transfusion (get it? haha). Even decent efforts like "Let the Right One In" still seem like they're treading water a bit, and I think vampire tales need to lay low for a while...as creatures, they seem to have lost their relevance and are simply used as a metaphor-of-the-week. Of course, a real back-to-basics approach (despite the current love of reboots and re-imaginings going around) might be just what it needs...drafty castle, flying bats, guys with European accents and capes.
Comment #26 (Posted by Paddy C)
Mike - part of the point on CHUD is to draw our attention to movies we might not otherwise have investigated. CHUD's interest in Let the Right ONe IN has really piqued my interest in seeing it, IF it gets a cinema release in Ireland! I see someone lists Coppola's version of Dracula as the best Dracula film, and I agree, even though it's not very scary. is there a really scary version of Dracula knocking around there somewhere? FWIW, I enjoyed Interview with the Vampire, the book and film, and read some of the sequels, before totally losing interest when the Devil appeared in one of them.
Comment #27 (Posted by kingkrims)
R u kidding?.. Bram Stoker's Drcula by Coppola is the best?.. Near dark is way better, and even blade in my mind. Seeing Reeves in it acting badly was too much.
I agree Vamp movies is a dry well, and the white trash angle on tru blood will get old quick. Even though people hated Rice, at least she brought vamps back to popularity. I agree "Let the right one in" was good when I saw it, it still did not feel right to me. I doubt if it gets any money in the USa, since twilight or vapms for chjildren, will take in all the dough.
I wont see twilight out of principle, cause I hate when writers try to be cute, and making vamps b out in daylight, no matter how foggy or whatever it is. and I hate how they make them into lovers, vamps need blood, and are monsters. Period.
Then again I'm a republican, so my voice won't be heard :0)
Comment #28 (Posted by badger)
CDI F Kelly : Bunnicla! wow! i loved that book as a kid
Comment #29 (Posted by Jack Rabbit)
Are you fucking kidding me? If anything, we need to start with having less zombie flicks. I mean, yeesh, too many zombie films, not enough werewolf films and just plain mediocrity when it comes to blood suckers. Fuck mythical monsters, let's have more giant insect films!
Comment #30 (Posted by pacman)
It seems like every film idea has been done to death, vampires withstanding. I am currently working on a short story that takes a far left-field approach to vampires because I felt vampires needed a spin to keep the momentum. Maybe it should be titled: No Country For Old Vampires but it's not. I am a novice, so don't expect to see the story anytime soon. I digress, I think zombie films are the ones that need to take a long nap. I love monster films and I would like to see more with suspension of disbelief than supernatural beasts.
Comment #31 (Posted by Ryan)
Vampires just happen to be the flavor of the month for bad writers and bad filmakers. I don't blame vampires for these people's mistakes. Had they written or made a movie about ANYTHING else, it would have come out just as lousy.
Comment #32 (Posted by Mike)
Considering that "Let The Right One In" might just very well be among the best vampire stories ever put to screen I have a hard time saying that the vampire movie as a whole is dead.
When I look at the bulk of vampire movies out there, most of them aren't good, and it's apparent "Twilight" is going to suck. The shame is that a great vampire film like "Let The Right One In" will be seen by so few people where shlock like "Twilight" will be gobbled up and blindly adored by millions.
Nonetheless, there are one or two good vampire movies made every 5-10 years, and that's about it, and I don't really see that changing any time soon.
Comment #33 (Posted by Thomas)
I think Buffy/Angel and Let The Right One In both show that so long as you're telling a good story with good characters, vampires make things more awesome, so long as you can make them fit.
Comment #34 (Posted by Lima Oscar Lima)
It's not a question of whether vampires are dead on film. As a lot of people have said in this discussion, it's simply a question of proper story and proper character development. Personally, I'm not looking to the future with much hope, but you can always look to the past. Some of my favorite vampire films are the BBC's production of "Dracula" with Louis Jourdan, and "Shadow Of The Vampire" with Willem DeFoe. You might disagree, but to me, they make you see the vampire in a different light. Granted, you may not like either one, but the point is that there are people willing to try making something different and new. "Let The Right One In" sounds like a departure from the norm, and that is one of the reasons I plan on seeing it.
Comment #35 (Posted by Gatack)
To put it out there my two favorite vampire movies are Blade 2 and Let the Right one In (just so you can match the personality to the post).
The Vampire genre isn't dead but it's gotten comfortable falling into the cliche' traps of the time. It took a while to break out of the eurotrash vibe, then it embraced the Anne Rice and now it's full on Buffy. It needs to break away from it's comfort zone which is what "Let the Right One In" did.
It's not dead but it can be more than what's currently popped out via the cinematic chum line.
Comment #36 (Posted by Pudding)
vampires as a genre would be better served if not-vampire movies such as Twilight, weren't called vampire movies. they're immortal superhuman cannibals. huge difference. or, as in Near Dark, they're light-sensitive cannibals. (i still maintain that vampirism cannot be cured by a blood transfusion. decent movie, retarded revisionist conceit.) i'd rather call a spade a spade. not-vampire films are not vampire films, plain and simple. that little bit of honesty would go a long way to improving vampires' lot in cinematic life. the other problem is Hollywood's tendency to take an idea, either good or bad, and run it into the ground as long as it makes money. the ability to tell shit from shinola is ridiculously lacking. are vampire films dead? no, they've just done a Robert Pollard: quantity over quality. sometimes there's a masterpiece, sometimes there's a flat-out failure, but they keep coming nonetheless.
Comment #37 (Posted by an unknown user)
Genres and mythologies are just blank slates for artists. If there's a good story with engaging characters executed well by people who are invested in the project, there will be more excellent movies. There will always be writers, directors and producers that are willing to throw some tired cliches on screen to make a buck, excellent genre films are few and far between period.
It's the same with sci-fi. You have filmmakers that use the genre to explore characters and subtext and some that make cowboy movies in space.
Comment #38 (Posted by an unknown user)
To paraphase Jello Biafra "vampires are not dead they just deserve to die when they just become another stale cartoon"
