VAMPIRES from BOOKS to FILMS Andre Marc Strumer University of Southern Mississippi
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The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Fall 12-2007 THE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT : VAMPIRES FROM BOOKS TO FILMS Andre Marc Strumer University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Film Production Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Other English Language and Literature Commons, and the Other Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Strumer, Andre Marc, "THE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT : VAMPIRES FROM BOOKS TO FILMS" (2007). Dissertations. 1330. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1330 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi THE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT : VAMPIRES FROM BOOKS TO FILMS by Andre Marc Strumer A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: December 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. COPYRIGHT BY ANDRE MARC STRUMER 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The University of Southern Mississippi THE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT: VAMPIRES FROM BOOKS TO FILMS by Andre Marc Strumer Abstract of a Dissertaion Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT THE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT: VAMPIRES FROM BOOKS TO FILMS by Andre Marc Strumer December 2007 Focusing on the fact that we are shifting from a Print media culture to an electronic media culture, this is a study that explores how this transformation occurs concerning books to films. Specifically, vampire books and stories that have been made into vampire films will be the main point of this piece. Besides showing how the media transformation is made, actual historical personages who contributed to the establishment of the vampire myth are discussed. Among these people are infamous mass murderers, medical abnormalities, and servants of the church. There are three research questions, which are answered by this dissertation. First, how was a specific literary convention and object of fear, the vampire, established from history, legend, and myth into first, the print medium, and thence into the electronic media? Second, what conventions, once established in the print media, made the transition into the electronic media and how did these changes occur? Finally, why is such a comprehensive study of a single object of fear within a single genre of filmmaking an important focal point for understanding how the fears of a society change over the years and how the vampire changes to incorporate those new fears of the society? ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The research covers all available vampire films that were directly made from vampire books. The study results indicate that potential individual motivators for why certain aspects of a literary work made the transition to film and others did not cover a wide spectrum, the main reason for inclusion or exclusion of story aspects, and adherences to original plot lines was due to monetary constraints. The higher budget films were most often the films that were closest to the original text. The completeness of the vampire's dissemination throughout nearly every culture on Earth indicates that this highly pervasive phenomenon is worthy of continuing research. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank his two families, the light of his life, his daughter Kristall Jordan, his wonderful wife Emily for her constant support and encouragement, his mother Patricia, his father Jean-Pierre, his sister Danielle, his nephew and first godson Alexander Storm, and his sister Dana, and her three children Christopher, Caitlin, and Colin, for their constant love support, devotion, and encouragement throughout his lifetime. The author would also like to thank Art Kaul, and Gene Wiggins, for their well-placed counsel, as committee members, throughout this writing endeavour. Many interesting things have happened to the author since he and his family moved to New Orleans just two months before Hurricane Katrina decimated the city. The catastrophic impact the storm had on the author's life and home has been a horrific testament to what an individual, his family, and his city can endure. Many of the author's friends, even life long friends, have not been able to adjust to the struggles through which they have had to persevere. To those who have proven themselves again and again, the author points out, "I get by with a little help from my friends." With their help, the author was able to achieve both his personal and academic goals while emerging with his beliefs, his value system, and his integrity intact, having merely grown stronger as a result of these years of study. Due to the nature of this writing, the author would also like to thank the fictional character of Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Since seeing this film at age 14, the author wanted to be an adventuring hero professor; he has succeeded in living up to his model. Credit and thanks are also due for ALL the Fun, Understanding, Comfort, and Kindness, all iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the friends the author has made and lost along the way. "And surely they are all honourable men." My limitless love to you all. The reader must remember, "Life what happens when you're busy making other plans." "Lately it occurs to me, What a long strange trip it's been." v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................................................... iv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW............................. 1 The History of the Vampire Myths and Medical Abnormalities Vampires in the Ancient World Babylon And Assyria Greece Ancient Rome Ancient Hebrew Vampires in Europe Armenia The Baltic States Bulgaria France Germany Hungary Ireland Romania Russia Scandinavia Slavs Spain United Kingdom Vampires Among The Gypsies Historical Personages Associated with Vampirism The Vampire in Literature The Literary Conventions of the Vampire Genre The Evolution Of The Film Conventions Within The Vampire Genre Summary H. FILMS MADE FROM BRAM STOKER’S BOOKS.............................................................. 59 A. Dracula 1. Nosferatu (1922) vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2. Dracula (1931) 3. Draeuja (1931, Spanish Version 4. Dracula’s Daughter (1936) 5. The Horror of Dracula (1958) 6. Brides of Dracula (1960) 7. Scars of Dracula (1971) 8. Dracula 1972 A.D. (19721 9. The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973 10. Count Dracula. a.k.a. El Conde Dracula (1970/1971) 11. Dracula (1973) 12. Nosferatu—The Vampyre (1979) 13. Dracula (1979) 14. Dracula Sucks (1979) 15. Love At First Bite (1979) 16. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) 17. Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) B. The Lair of the White Worm The Lair of the White Worm (1988) Summary ID. FILMS MADE FROM SHERIDAN LEFANU’S BOOK CARMILLA.................................146 1. Blood and Roses (1960) 2. Terror in the Crypt (1962) 3. The Vampire Lovers (19701 4. Lust for a Vamnire 119711 5. Twins of Evil (1971) 6. Blood Spattered Bride (1972) Summary IV. FILMS MADE FROM OTHER VAMPIRE GENRE WRITERS..........................................169 A. Dr. John Polidori’s Per Vampyr The Vampire’s Ghost (1945) B. Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot 1. 'Salem's Lot (19791 2. A Return to 'Salem’s Lot (1987) C. Stephen King's The Tommvknockers The Tommvknockers (1993) vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. D. John W. Campbell Jr.’s Who Goes There? 1. The Thing (1951) 2. The Thing (1982) E. Anne Rice’s Interview With The Vampire Interview With The Vampire (1994) Summary V. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS............ Limitations of the Study APPENDIX I................................ Vampires in Africa APPENDIX n............................ Vampires in Asia China Japan Indonesia Thailand Tibet India Myanmar APPENDIX IE........................................... Vampires in South America Surinam Brazil APPENDIX IV................................ Vampires in Mexico Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPENDIX V................................... Vampires in Australia REFERENCES.................................. ix Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 CHAPTER