Vampires in the Movies

Introduction

Vampire films have been a staple since the silent days, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in movies throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's Dracula, with over 170 versions to date. Running a distant second are adaptations of Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. The legend of Elizabeth Báthory, the "Blood Countess" has also been an influence. By 2005, Dracula had been the subject of more films than any other fictional character.

Discussion

The prospect of reliving high school is scary enough; imagine having to do it over and over again for all eternity. That ninth circle of Hell premise is the reality of vampire Edward Cullen and his clan of adoptive siblings in Twilight, the faithful (from what I'm told) adaptation of the bestselling young adult novel by Stephenie Meyer (Holte 56-311). It's the first of what will certainly become a franchise of films, the next in the Lord of the Rings-Harry Potter chain of blockbuster literature adaptations.

Bella's a mopey, humorless teen who keeps to herself, but as high school popularity is based 95% on looks; she falls in with a cool crowd. She's drawn to Edward (Robert Pattinson), one of five impeccably coifed 17-year-old adoptive children of local doctor Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli). He, however, acts strange towards her, at times unnaturally intrigued and at other times rudely repulsed (Christopher 12-39).

Once they finally hash things out, it becomes clear that he indeed finds her appealing but for some reason feels it's in her best interest if they don't interact. Their mutual attraction can't be contained, however, and Bella eventually puts two and two together to figure out that Edward and his clan are vampires. Edward explains that he can read minds, but he's intrigued by the fact that hers is blocked. They quickly become more than friends, as he indoctrinates her into the ways of the vampire (apparently, they enjoy giving piggyback rides). The Cullens, we find out, are friendly, "vegetarian" vampires who feed on animals instead of humans (try explaining the upside of that to your pet schnauzer) and welcome her with open arms. Trouble comes to town, however, when a trio of "old school" vamps breezes through, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Dr. Cullen officially labels them "animal attacks" but knows that they'll have to confront the interlopers. All possibility of civility goes out the door when one of the meat-eating vampires catches Bella's scent (apparently, she's got an irresistible door) and targets her for death. Edward and his family must stand up to protect her while maintaining their secret.

Twilight is solid entertainment if you go in expecting a romance collared by a supernatural thriller and not the other way around. Like the early episodes of True Blood, the standard vampire elements are downplayed in favour of the central human-vamp relationship (Melton 54-72). And like True Blood, it manages to remain watchable, since ...