Final Film term Paper " NOSFERATU(1922)" and " INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE (1994)"

    Nosferatu (1922)

 Interview with a Vampire (1994)

 Introduction:

        Horror is an ancient form of art. We tell tales that trigger the less logical side of our brain, our imagination. These dark tales allow our imaginations to wonder and explore that which is forbidden, considered evil and taboo. Yet, we seek the knowledge of such tales as it thrills us and makes life a little more exciting. Horror films have long served both purposes. They deliver thrills by the hearse hold, as well as telling us stories of the dark forbidden side of life( and death). (Wilson)  Tales of vampirism has long graced its presence in the genre of horror films since the early 1920's and has slowly undergone a remarkable transition over the past few decades. The purpose of this paper is to compare two films that being " Nosferatu ( 1922)" and

" Interview with a vampire (1994)" to see how the image of vampires depicted in horror films have changed over time. This will be done by comparing and contrasting the physical appearance of the vampire, exploring the similarities and differences of vampire characteristics in both the films and analysing the transition of the vampire role over time.

Comparing and contrasting the plot of Nosferatu (1922) and  Interview with a Vampire ( 1994) :-

         Two seemingly similar movies, both bestseller adaptations, both influential and popular in their own times, and both dealing with the myths and folktales of vampires. Although they are separated by seven decades, they follow a similar plotline of  conflict between life and death, and good against evil, yet the two movies are distinctly different.

          On one hand, we have Nosferatu (1922) which takes place in two settings; the fictitious German city of Wisborg and Transalyvania. Nosferatu (1922) is not simply a tale of vampirism, but offers heart-rending images of a town beleaguered by premature and random deaths, echoes of the Great War and the Great Flu Epidemic fatalities. (Wilson) The plot revolves around the terror that befalls upon Thomas Hutter as he makes his way to Transylvania and encounters the much feared vampire, Count Orlok who feeds on human blood. Moreover, it also revolves around the city of Wisborg  which undergoes a change after the arrival of the vampire. In keeping with the legends and folklores, Count Orlok is portrayed to be monstrous and frightening. The movie focuses on the relationship between the vampire Count Orlok, and the humans that fear him.

         On the other hand, we have Interview with a vampire( 1994) which takes place in modern day San Francisco, where reporter Daniel Molloy interviews Louis de Pointe du Lac who claims to be a vampire and tells the story of his past. (Interview) The movie focuses on the three main characters; Louis, Lestat and Claudia. The vampire Lestat  is Louis's maker, the one who gave him the dark gift. In turn, the both of them turned Claudia, a young girl whose mother died from the plague, into a vampire after Louis accidentally bit her from hunger. Claudia is considered to them to be their vampire "daughter." In other words, the movie basically focuses on the personal relationships between vampires and their way of life. (Interview)

The Physical Appearance of the Vampire:-

            Naturally, the two movies are different, there is a clear distinction between the vampires that keep to the legends and folklores and the vampires that do not conform to the traditional legends. Comparing these two movies, we see a shift in identity in how the character and plot has evolved from the 1920's to the 1990's. In relation to that,  one of the foremost differences that we can discern from Nosferatu (1922) and Interview with a Vampire( 1994) is physical appearance. In Nosferatu, Count Orlok is depicted to be the traditional type of vampire we hear about in the myths and legends. The  traditionally grotesque vampires that flitter about at night and have extremely inhuman features. The pointed teeth, yellow hypnotic eyes, pale complexion, pointed bat-like ears and extended fingers. (Debbiedocs) On the other hand, we have the beautiful vampires with the more human like features depicted in Interview with a Vampire. These vampires have somewhat evolved from the traditional roots of myths about the physical traits of vampires. They are not depicted to be hideous creatures of the devil who isolate themselves from society and hide in some dark and creepy castle like in Nosferatu; but rather, the more modern day like vampires are depicted to be one that looks truly human, or to put it more precisely, to be in some ways more attractive than a normal human being. They are able to easily blend into society and hunt their victims in secrecy, under the disguise of potraying a fellow human being. Moreover, what is more interesting about this new adaption is that, these vampires walk freely amongst people in society. It is more difficult for the victim to recognize these creatures as their enemies as they do not have any apparent external characteristics that is extremely different from their own like pointed bat ears or a distorted face.

Exploring the Similarities and Differences of Vampire Characteristics:-

         The incorporation of vampire characteristics into the characters in both the films is another interesting aspect which can be explored. Firstly, we will compare the similarities of vampire characteristics in both the films before contrasting them.  According to the ThinkQuest website which I will be using as an external source for reference, vampires have many characteristics that vary from each vampire depending on where they came from. Some of the characteristics are; they need blood to survive because it is the elixir of life – without blood they will die. The blood gives them energy, power and replenishes their body; it is the key to immortality, they only come out at night because they fear sunlight, they grow stronger, tempering with time,  they have no reflections, so when they look in the mirror they don’t see anything, they have the power to control animals and vampires die if they have been staked through the heart by wood, burned or by decapitation and removing the brain. (Vampire characteritics) In Nosferatu (1922), we see the film taking on the cliche traditional vampire characteristics. Count Orlok feeds on human blood to live and only comes out at night because he fears the sunlight. This can be seen in the scene where Hutter cuts his thumb and Count Orlok tries to suck the blood out of his wound, but his repulsed guest pulls his hand away. (Nosferatu) Count Orlok's fear of sunlight can be seen when Hutter wakes up in the castle the next morning to see that the Count has vanished and he is in the castle alone. Then, at night, we see the Count reappear before Hutter to sign the documents and purchase the deserted house across from Hutter's home. We see a similar trend of these characteristics in the film, Interview with a Vampire( 1994) where the vampires as well fear sunlight and require to feed on human blood in order to satisfy their hunger. In Interview with a Vampire, we see Lestat teaching Louis to sleep in a coffin and coming out during the night. Moreover, we also see Lestat teaching Louis to hunt and feed on humans in a subtle way, by blending into society.

            Although the two movies share similarities in upholding some of the more internal traditional vampire characteristics,  there is also a clear objective comparison of some of the other characteristics that we can contrast. On one hand, we have Nosferatu (1922) which keeps with the traditional myths and legends about vampires. One of the traditional vampire characteristics is that they have the power of control over animals. Count Orlok has the ability to control the wolves that lurk outside his castle and the rats on the soil which the sailors found in the crates before it was shipped. On the other hand, we have Interview with a Vampire( 1994) which more or less loosely follows the traditional vampire characteristics, and even some of the characteristics were deemed false by Louis. For instance, in the beggining of the movie, when the reporter was interviewing Louis and asks whether the myths surrounding vampires were true, Louis replied by saying that he was rather fond of looking at crucifixes, and the old myth about the stake through the heart was pure nonsense. However, a coffin for a vampire is a must. Traditionally, a vampire can be killed when a stake is driven through the heart and vampires fear crucifixes because they are considered to be the child of the devil and fear the power of God. However, in the movie Interview with a Vampire( 1994), the belief of heaven and hell and the justice of the Almighty Father is nothing more than just a myth that has no effect in harming a vampire, nor do they fear it.  A great deal has changed since Bram Stoker first eternalized the folkloric vampire in his book Dracula. Since then, almost every adaptation to this character has made slight changes to the way vampires look, eat and fear. (Debbiedocs) As the decades pass, more drastic changes have been made to the character. In the movie Twilight (2008), the vampires portrayed, have been stripped of almost all traditional external characteristics and have been left with the internal characteristics only, the need to drink blood, extraordinary strength and longevity. (Debbiedocs)

Analysing the Transition of the Vampire Role over Time:-

           The two vampire characters Nosferatu and Louis that drives the narrarative plot of the story share some things in common. They are both vampires, they both have a girl that they desire to be with, and they both move around and not stay still in one location. However, there are glaring differences between the two characters that depicts the transition of the vampire role over the past seven decades. In Nosferatu (1922), Could Orlok is depicted to be a hideous creature who acts like a monster seeking victims to drain their blood. He stands out from society due to his appearance and the town people fear him. Count Orlok isolates himself into a dark and creepy castle which we first encounter upon the arrival of Hutter at Count Orlok's home. The interaction between Count Orlok and Hutter as well depicts the image of a traditional vampire of that time. They are monsters who see humans as food and are unable to interact with them in a civilized manner. The Count has neither a soul nor emotions. He is depicted to be like a phantom or a zombie in the film. On the other hand, we have Interview with a Vampire( 1994), and in this movie, we see the transition of the vampire role from an emotionless bloodsucking monster, to vampires that are more human like. They are able to mingle in society without fear of being identified as a monster. They are depicted to be beautiful creatures who are able to interact with humans on their level. The character Louis is one that shows humanity by showing compassion for life and refusing to kill. As Lestat teaches him to hunt and kill humans, Louis refuses because he treasures life. This angers Lestat but he allows Louis to live his own way of life; that is drinking not human blood but animal blood. Over time, the image of the vampire is depicted to not be feared  and disgusted but to be idolized and thought of as attractive. In this, we see the clear transition of the vampire role; straying away from the monstrous image and heading towards the more human like image.

Conclusion:-

              In conclusion, the main purpose of the paper was to investigate the portrayal of vampires in movies and understand how vampires are depicted differently in movies of different times. (Debbiedocs) This paper has given us some understanding into how the film industry pscyhologically manipulates our thoughts. In these modern day times, vampires are considered to be attractive and idolized by teenage fangirls who have been introduced to the concept of vampires being somewhat dangerously romantic and alluring. However, back in the early days of the film industry, vampire films were under the genre of horror where a long time folklore character such as a vampire represented the fear of our darkest thoughts and the creature that crosses the forbidden line of life and death, the undead.

Citations:-

Debbiedocs. "Identity and Political Otherness in Vampire Movies." 17 Oct. 2010. Web. 17 July 2011. <http://debbiedocs.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/identity-and-political-otherness-in-vampire-movies/>.

"Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 July 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview_with_the_Vampire:_The_Vampire_Chronicles>.

"Nosferatu." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 July 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu>.

"Vampire Characteristics." Thinkquest. Web. 17 July 2011. <http://library.thinkquest.org/28516/pages/vw/vampcharacteristic.htm>.

Wilson, Karina. "Horror Films: Why We Like To Watch." Horror Film History — Introduction. Web. 17 July 2011. <http://www.horrorfilmhistory.com/>.