As a connoisseur of all things dark and supernatural, having delved deep into the annals of vampire lore since my teenage years when I was but a fledgling goth, I find myself intrigued by this comparison between the immortal creatures of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and those of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight”. While the silver screen version of Nosferatu might have introduced us to the concept of sunlight as a vampire’s kryptonite, it seems that the original Dracula was more in tune with the true nature of these bloodthirsty beasts.
While vampires are having their moment in entertainment again thanks to television series like Interview With the Vampire and the upcoming film, Nosferatu, the blood drinking supernatural creatures are timeless — and we don’t mean in that they are immortal. The concept of the vampire has existed in human legend and lore for centuries with stories of the mysterious creatures that exist by feeding on the vital essences (namely blood) of the living found in just about every culture across the globe. But while the vampire of myth is varied with their rules and attributes largely dictated by the culture they’re found in, in fiction things are a little different. For the most part, vampires adhere to a similar set of rules, something that started with the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1897. The novel is perhaps the most influential vampire fiction even to this day — and weirdly enough, when it comes to Dracula’s vampires as the gold standard, you may be surprised to learn that the vampires of Twilight are much more “accurate” than Nosferatu or even Anne Rice’s creatures of the night.
In the realm of gothic literature, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” significantly shaped our understanding of the elusive and enigmatic vampire. From my perspective as a dedicated fan, the book portrayed vampires less as bloodthirsty fiends and more as alluring predators who seduce their victims with an eerie charm. The concept of vampirism in “Dracula” was not just about bloodsucking but a form of contagious demonic possession that could be transmitted from the undead to their unfortunate victims. This notion resonated deeply with the audiences of Victorian Europe, as it mirrored their fears surrounding deadly diseases like tuberculosis and syphilis.
If you’ve made it this far and find the statement about sunlight not harming vampires puzzling, don’t worry, many others do too. In modern fiction, vampires are typically harmed by daylight, a portrayal largely influenced by the original Nosferatu film. This cinematic adaptation made sunlight lethal to the creatures and introduced other changes as well. For instance, unlike the seductive and physically attractive vampires depicted in some stories, those in Nosferatu‘s world were neither alluring nor infectious. However, it’s the daylight vulnerability that stuck and has been a defining characteristic of fictional vampires ever since, essentially becoming the new norm. Yet, if we consider Dracula as the benchmark, the vampire in Nosferatu is quite different – the Cullens are more representative of the traditional vampire image.
In the story of Twilight, the vampires share more similarities with Bram Stoker’s Dracula than anything else. They possess an allure due to their good looks, which could potentially be used to entice victims (although Edward Cullen wouldn’t do that). Like Dracula, they have superhuman abilities such as strength, speed, endurance, and even supernatural powers. The vampires in Twilight also exhibit unique talents, including mind reading and mind control. However, unlike Dracula, sunlight doesn’t harm them in Twilight but instead poses a challenge due to their distinctive sparkling nature, which makes it difficult for them to blend in with humans because it gives away their identity as vampires.
In essence, there are multiple ways to portray vampires in fiction, with each new famous vampire tale altering our expectations of these supernatural beings. For instance, Bram Stoker’s Dracula paved the way for F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, which introduced the vulnerability to sunlight that has since been a common trait in various other stories, such as those created by Anne Rice. The vampires in Rice’s works then modified established vampire characteristics and influenced modern depictions of these creatures so significantly that one could argue they have become the new benchmark. It’s thought-provoking to ponder whether the vampires in Twilight might not be as different from Stoker’s original vision as we believe – and perhaps just as accurate as what Nosferatu presented.
Nosferatu opens in theaters December 25th. The Twilight Saga is available to stream on Hulu.
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2024-12-21 19:10