Count Basie

So, maybe Transylvania aka Romania wasn’t one of these countries but the uneasy feeling is still there. What does Hollywood do when they want to make an antagonist seem even scarier? They make the antagonist a foreigner. This novel would not have been as enticing and thrilling if Dracula was from England. Even making his character French or American would not have been as effective. These two cultures were ones the Brits already knew well enough not to fear. Stoker was clever to make Dracula…

In chapter 22 of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Jonathan Harker, Mina Harker’s husband, reveals in his journal how unresponsive he is too the fate of his wife. Following the events in chapter 21 where Mina had been hypnotized by Dracula and is at risk for becoming a vampire Mr.Harker writes “ As I must do something or go mad, I write this diary” (306). It is sensible that Mr.Harker would use writing as a coping method when his lover could fall victim to the very man that abused him just months ago, but…

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson was a brilliant, enticing read. It is definitely the most interesting, multi-layered vampire story I have ever read. It provided the genre with such unique and authentic qualities, allowing Matheson to impregnate a unique believability of these vampires into my mind. Robert Neville, the protagonist of the novel, is the only survivor of a devastating pandemic which plagued the rest of the population with a form of vampirism. Neville spends much of his days…

Bram Stoker’s Dracula expressed the nature of good and evil. The protagonist, Jonathan Harker, a realtor, was sent to the castle of Transylvania to complete a transaction with the antagonist, Count Dracula, an evil vampire, so he can move to England. What Harker did not know was that Dracula had a plan for world domination. Christian redemption was shown in many ways throughout the book. Very early in the book, Harker was making his journey to Dracula’s castle until he was stopped by the…

Societal interest in the vampire has waxed and waned throughout the ages though they have remained ever present. Vampires have gone through many evolutions, as have their admirers and audience. Throughout the centuries they have been portrayed as dreaded creatures of the night, beings to be pitied, and, in recent years, as love interests. The evolution of vampires can be traced back throughout history using their presence in mythology, literature, and film. Vampires, like most creatures of…

According to Monica Hesse, author of Girl In the Blue Coat, “Mina’s storyline draws from Lydia van Nobelen-Riezouw, though not a member of the underground camera, a loosely joined network of professional photographers, did live in an apartment abutting the Schouwburg’s rear courtyard, and Lydia did take photographs of the Jewish prisoners when she recognised a childhood friend among them.” But, what I’m actually here to talk about, is what motivated Mina to take pictures of everything. Mina…

strong, and has a strange obsession with blood. In Dracula, Jonathan Harker, an English lawyer, goes to visit Count Dracula in his castle in Transylvania. He ends up figuring out that Count Dracula is a vampire escapes. Jonathan ends up in the hospital with brain fever, while Count Dracula makes his way to London on a cargo ship. Jonathan’s fiancé’s friend, Lucy, ends up getting bitten by Count Dracula and becomes ill then eventually dies. The three most essential, plot-twisting objects in the…

Vlad the Impaler: The Original Dracula Dracula. Everybody knows who that is. He inspires terror in everybody's heart. He is the blood sucking monster that haunted Transylvania. He is an iconic legend that has inspired a countless amount of classic movies and novels to this day. However you may be surprised to know that he is not pure fiction. Bram Stoker the author of “Dracula” based his novel off of the Prince of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes or “Vlad the impaler” as he was called as a result of his…

If you were moments away from being in an inevitable car accident, would you try to stop the car, or, would you try to defend yourself from the accidents’ aftermath? Sure, we have all heard of the ‘fight or flight’ defensive mechanism, it was Sigmund Freud himself who described the first complete theory of personality, and founded psychoanalysis. His descriptions described the mental and emotional systems of defense, which we all have, but vary depending on the situation we are forced to face.…

In the play Capulet is portrayed as a kind, considerate and loving father. Whereas in the film (by Baz Luhrmann) Capulet is portrayed as a mean, drunk and naive person. Juliet on the other hand stays the same in both the play and the movie. The relationship they share is very differently presented in each form of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In the play the relationship that they have between them is very close and loving, however in the movie it is shown to be very distant and controlling…