It is easy to find believers who say religion is their salvation; it is much more difficult to find people who will say it is their damnation. Directors do not seem to have a problem profaning religion- monster movies have long used religion as an inspiration for their terrifying creations. Of those movies, few have had more thrilling success than the vampire genre. In contrast, zombie movies rarely draw on religious inspiration, preferring to stay firmly grounded in the realm of science fiction. I will examine the religious dimension of the creation of zombies and vampires, analyze the role religion plays in the resolution of the films, and conclude with a few remarks about the genres as a whole.
James Whaley is an English born director whom participated in several films for Universal studios where he eventually took up the task of directing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel following the popular release of Dracula that same year. The success of Frankenstein was rooted in it’s genre being a horror film and the immediate success it brought to movie producers. The interpretation by Whaley is highlighted by several plot transitions which are not shown in the movie as well as certain alterations like Henry Frankenstein (Victor in the book) using a criminal brain rather than any other brain collected as implied by Shelley. Other major differences in the plot of the movie compared to the novel involves the monster Frankenstein himself and everything about the character. In the movie Frankenstein is portrayed as an impulsive monster only capable of fulfilling his most physical and animal like actions.
Many of the stories written during the Gothic Era include supernatural creatures like vampires, werewolves, and witches. Along with supernatural creatures, paranormal activity was introduced during this period. Dracula includes many supernatural beings that play an important role in the story. Dracula is about a vampire named Count Dracula. At the time, people didn't much about supernatural creatures.
Del Toro and Hogan explanation for the appeal of vampires in contemporary culture is described that vampires are sensual and liberated creatures who live forever. Vampires were shown as cannibal creatures who still live off of human blood and need for human lust. Anyhow, the appeal has changed through time and geography since it now comes in multiple structures, for instance, “soap opera storylines, sexual liberation, noir detective fictions, etc.” (Del Toro and Hogan, par. 11). The appeal of vampires has remained consistent in the style by which society is up until now fascinated with the possibility of
For example, a large number of people would like to be surrounded in a world containing plenty of mystery and suspense. Then again, a supernatural force can show what someone might or might not want to become. On top of that, a doppelganger in gothic literature definitely represents who the reader should avoid being. As a result, gothic horror is important to a reader because of how it can connect to their lives in a certain way. In the novel Dracula, author Bram Stoker focuses on multiple elements of gothic horror which apply to several of the characters in the novel and can compare to contemporary works that have gothic elements, as well.
Since old time, there are many producers that choose to zombie genre for their films. There are a lot of movies with the zombie genre got success. Some of them are iZombie and Train to Busan. Although both films have the same genre which in both films there are zombies, but basically both these films have many differences.
Monsters and Narrative : The construction of the fears from within the text in Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Gothic literature, more often than not, deals with monsters. The monster is a representation of the strongest fears and the more hidden desires of the society in which the book is written. In The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as in Frankenstein, this fear is also contrasted with the narration of each story. In other words, the fear represented through each monster is exalted with the way each story is narrated. In both stories the monster is a creation of scientific research but each one threatens the world in different ways.
Vampires have been a common monster used in horror literature; dating back to the 18th century. These creatures have been able to make an identity for themselves within the genre. For years authors have been able to take the essence of the vampire’s identity and ability by turning it into something new. The reinvention allows for there to be a fresh new take on the vampire’s identity and ability. The original template for a vampire has been created through Bram Stokers, Dracula.
From the beginning of the poem, the main character is portrayed as evil, as he interacts with the setting, the Caucasus, in a tyrannical way. Despite this, the idea of the Demon being of bad nature is just the surface description of the character since he “sowed evil without enjoyment”. This creates a new depth to the character and begins to highlight the idea that he isn 't content with the way he is “living” and seeks something deeper. As the story develops, we begin to see that the Demon is motivated to cause terror by very real, human characteristics and begins to project them. The Demon has the desire to break free of his isolation and sees the chance to do so when he is captivated by his love interest
Vampires and Zombies Reborn “Cursed By a Bite”, by Matt Kaplan from the book Medusa’s Gaze and Vampire’s Bite: The Science of Monsters (2012), explores the history of vampires and zombies and how they relate to actual events. This paper will show the effectiveness of the author’s use ethos, pathos, and logos and how the text fulfills its purpose for a historical and scientific audience. Throughout this paper the reader is shown how effective Matt Kaplan’s text Cursed By a Bite is. Matt Kaplan’s text is for an audience that is interested in a scientific explanation of the origins of mythical monsters with the use of historical context.
Life is hard and sometimes people try to connect their everyday lives with tv. This works the same when people are different but then become friends over their “similar” lives and cultures. “My Zombie, Myself” by Chuck Klosterman talks about how nowadays people are so infatuated with the zombies, and vampires, and anything dead. All of which can be representations of troubles in life that people are fighting. Life is like a war and when World War Z comes along, it definitely will be a war, a war of life and death.
I think that monsters and humans can go hand in hand. Some humans are more monster like and some monsters can be more human like. Since I have been analyzing zombies mostly over this semester, I view movies and shows such as, The Walking Dead and Warm Bodies differently. I believe that there is more to their character and we should appreciate them more.
The zombies of Oster Point are familiar to any fan, and are typical of the zombie genre. Gunther describes them as “Romero’s classic nightmare” (Gunther, 2015 p. 45). Gunther’s zombies definitely fit the Romero mold. His zombies, like Romero’s are slow and relatively weak alone, but become incredibly dangerous when they are found in large numbers (Konow, 2013). Gunther’s zombies also bear a distinct resemblance to the zombies described by Max Brooks.
Rebecca Williams talks about The Vampire Diaries, and how it was a series of novel and later turns into a teen horror television series. The debate on the similar genre of vampires movies explains how The Vampire Diaries has dominated and is most representative on contemporary vampire and supernatural. The author also shortly describes the role of the vampire and how it plays and associates to the current and evolving society. This is related to my claim in which the article can provide supportive evidence on the description of vampires and use it to explain further on how they are similar to human. The discussion of saying The Vampire Diaries is a horror television series can help to explain my research topic theme, violence.
Throughout the years, classic horror films have been adapted to modern days; moreover, vampires live forever, but they have evolved. The classic scary, but intriguing vampires who prey on humans to drink their blood have now become likeable and attractive vampires who protect humans. The classic Dracula and the modern Edward Cullen will be compared based on their creation, personality, and their supernatural aspects. Edward Cullen and Dracula are creatures that are considered to be thrilling and exciting creations. Dracula is a major figure that was inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.