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The Vampire Movies With a Lot of Bite |
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Written by Webmaster
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Saturday, 01 November 2008 |
By Patrick Omari
 Vampire films are extremely popular with the cinema-going public of the world. Film-fans can't seem to get enough of the fear and fangs that vampire movies inflict upon their audience. Throughout the years since the first vampire film in 1913, various incarnations of the famous blood-sucking creatures have hit the silver screen with relatively erratic success.
The most famous vampire to have been immortalised on the big-screen, in a number of guises and roles, is Dracula. Created by Bram Stoker in 1897, the character of Count Dracula has appeared in numerous films, TV shows and even cartoons in the last 120 years. In 1922, Max Schreck played a renamed Count Orlick, an unauthorised adaptation of the Bram Stoker story.
Shreck's portrayal of Dracula appeared in Nosferatu, a silent movie that would heavily influence the genre and films for years. Shadow of the Vampire, released in 2000, imagined a story where Schreck was a real-life vampire, 78 years after the film's original release.
The most famous, and official, version of Dracula appeared in 1992 when Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola attempted to interpret
the novel. With a cast of many big-name stars, expectations were high for the film that would go on to gross over 200 million dollars worldwide. The film proved to be fairly-decent, although Keanu Reeves' wooden performance would also be widely-criticised for his attempts at an English accent.
Vampires and Dracula are popular choices for horror-films as the audience understands their motives, weaknesses and strengths immediately. This understanding enables the film's writers and directors to move the setting from its traditional place to modern-day with little or no problem. Contemporary vampire films have proved to be as popular as the older versions, some proving even more popular.
One of the best films of the vampire genre features Wesley Snipes as a half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter named Blade. The opening scene of Blade is one of the most memorable of the vampire genre, where a man is led to a club by an attractive girl, only to find it full of vampires. A great start to a great film, with Snipes fitting the role perfectly as the dark, stern-faced superhero.
Other modern versions have included the Tarantino-Rodriguez collaboration From Dusk Till Dawn. This film begins as a straight-up gangster road-movie before turning into a vampire-led bloodfest. George Clooney received rave reviews following his switch from the ER and would go on to perform in several more critically and commercially-acclaimed films.
In 1987, The Lost Boys hit the cinema screens across the world and would change the way people looked at vampire movies. Placing the vampires in a quiet, American town made them more real to the audience, and led the way for the vampire movies of the later 80s, 90s, 00s and beyond.
A recent blockbuster vampire film which again evolved the concept was 30 Days of Night. Starring Josh Hartnett, the film centres around an Alaskan town that has no sunlight for a whole 30 days. During this time, vampires arrive to feed off the townsfolk and take advantage of the lack of sun. The vampires are quicker, more brutal and scarier than previous movies, perhaps suggesting a new direction for vampire movies in the future.
Despite the amount of movies made with vampire-themes, the genre continues to evolve and develop with no ideas brought by every writer, director, actor and special effects people. As the vampire movies continue to attract audiences, they will have to adapt to the latest trends in order to remain fresh and modern.
Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Stansted hotels, Heathrow hotels and Heathrow parking.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 01 November 2008 )
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