In his 1897 gothic novel, Dracula, Bram Stoker defined the modern form of the vampire. His character, Dracula remained popular through the ages, being one of the most popular adaptation source in history. Dracula has created an extraordinary vampire subculture, and an enormous amount of films have been made that feature Count Dracula as it’s main antagonist, or protagonist. However, most adaptations do not include the major characters from the novel, focusing only on the now traditional characteristics of a vampire, created by Stoker. In this essay I will focus on the novel and how different adaptations through the 20th and 21st century differ from it. Bram Stoker did not invent the vampire as a creature, but rather adapted it from Eastern
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It is a German Expressionist horror film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula, thus the director had to change names and other details because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel. “Vampire” became “nosferatu” and “Count Dracula” became “Count Orlok”. At first glance Nosferatu seems faithful to be a faithful adaptation of Stoker’s novel in plot and action, particularly with respect to the hero’s journey to the Carpathian Mountains. However the film marks a decided break from the novel with its relationship to modernity. The directors moved away from the modern world by setting the story in the past and in the town of Wisborg far away from the loud and bustling town of London or Berlin. The vampire Orlok is associated with disease and pestilence as opposed to the modern business, transport and technology described in the novel. The directors also left out the romantic elements from Count Orlok. He is portrayed with the facial elements of a rodent and claw-like fingers like a predator. They used the ancient description of a vampire rather than the alluring and attractive Victorian image, focusing on intensifying the horror elements of a vampire. The boxes of earth which he transports to Wisborg are also filled with vermin and when he leaves the ship, he is followed by a horde of rats. The film stood apart from other early 20th century German
It is a German Expressionist horror film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula, thus the director had to change names and other details because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel. “Vampire” became “nosferatu” and “Count Dracula” became “Count Orlok”. At first glance Nosferatu seems faithful to be a faithful adaptation of Stoker’s novel in plot and action, particularly with respect to the hero’s journey to the Carpathian Mountains. However the film marks a decided break from the novel with its relationship to modernity. The directors moved away from the modern world by setting the story in the past and in the town of Wisborg far away from the loud and bustling town of London or Berlin. The vampire Orlok is associated with disease and pestilence as opposed to the modern business, transport and technology described in the novel. The directors also left out the romantic elements from Count Orlok. He is portrayed with the facial elements of a rodent and claw-like fingers like a predator. They used the ancient description of a vampire rather than the alluring and attractive Victorian image, focusing on intensifying the horror elements of a vampire. The boxes of earth which he transports to Wisborg are also filled with vermin and when he leaves the ship, he is followed by a horde of rats. The film stood apart from other early 20th century German