Showing posts with label VAMPIRE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VAMPIRE. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Sunday, August 21, 2022
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Monday, September 6, 2021
ANNE RICE
ANNE RICE – Born and raised in New Orleans in 1941, Anne Rice lived in her grandmother’s home along with her alcoholic mother. When her mother died her father placed her, along with her sisters, in a boarding school. Her path changed when she met her high school sweetheart in Texas. They later married and lived in San Francisco, with 2 children: Michele and Christopher. In 1968, Rice wrote a short story which predated her most famous character. The idea percolated for a long time before going public. Her debut novel, Interview with the Vampire was published in 1976. In it she features Louis de Pointe du Lac, man turned vampire, as the protagonist. Louis tells his life story to an interviewer; beginning with his own grief, character flaws and unsavory proclivities. It turns out these faults made him perfectly suited to the dark gift. Similarly, Rice composed and published Book 1 shortly after the death of her young daughter. The lost child served as inspiration for Claudia’s character. Rice followed up Interview with subsequent sequels. They formed the beginning of a novel series, entitled The Vampire Chronicles: The Vampire Lestat in 1985, and The Queen of the Damned, in 1988. She kept writing books, earning ongoing success and a vast readership. Currently AMC has reported they acquired movie rights to Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. I’m so excited to see what comes of this. The literary community - and probably academia too - is afraid to catalog Rice with Poe, Lovecraft and Jackson. They do the same thing to Stephen King. It seems her readership says otherwise.
Related post:
https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/08/the-vampire-chronicles.html
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
Saturday, August 21, 2021
THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES
THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES - The Vampire Chronicles is a novel series including Interview with the Vampire (1976), The Vampire Lestat (1985), and The Queen of the Damned (1988), in a saga which stretches across 14 books total. Lestat de Lioncourt, an 18th century French nobleman turned vampire, is the center of this universe. AMC revealed it had acquired rights to The Vampire Chronicles and Lives of the Mayfair Witches for developing film and television projects in 2020. When asked in an interview about her characters, Author Anne Rice said her vampires were a "metaphor for lost souls".
Interview with the Vampire (1976)
Louis de Pointe du Lac recounts his supernatural transformation to an interviewer, from human to vampire. A fate inflicted upon him long ago, by Lestat de Lioncourt. The duo becomes a trio, when they make a vampire daughter together. The little family catches the latest show at the Théâtre des Vampires. Things don't go as planned, leading to ruin for one of them.
The Vampire
Lestat (1985)
Searching for his own origins and Marius de Romanus, Lestat de Lioncourt awakens Akasha, an ancient Egyptian vampire queen. She’s immobile but alive, resting for centuries in her hidden sanctuary. Later Lestat resurfaces in the modern world as rock star, only to find he's the subject of a book written about him.
The Queen of
the Damned (1988)
Lestat has awakened Akasha - the first vampire and the vampire queen - with his rock music. After destroying her husband, the Queen kills vampires worldwide by using spontaneous combustion. She is herself destroyed by the vampire witch Mekare.
Related post: https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/09/anne-rice.html
The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice:
1. Interview with the Vampire (1976)
2. The Vampire Lestat (1985)
3. The Queen of the Damned (1988)
4. The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
5. Memnoch the Devil (1995)
6. The Vampire Armand (1998)
7. Merrick (2000)
8. Blood and Gold (2001)
9. Blackwood Farm (2002)
10. Blood Canticle (2003)
11. Prince Lestat (2014)
12. Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016)
13. Blood Communion: A Tale of Prince Lestat (2018)
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
Saturday, April 4, 2020
DRACULA, A CENTURY OF THE VAMPIRE
DRACULA, A CENTURY OF THE VAMPIRE - Dracula, the novel, was written
by Bram Stoker in 1897. Years later, it appeared in silent films and then talking
films. TV shows and streaming series came afterward. At present Blumhouse
Productions, a film studio, announced a new treatment of the material. In 2020,
director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), is working to bring a fresh
perspective to the tale. Why has the character endured, while so many others
have faded away? Because the character has so much potential for retellings,
depending on the desired outcome. Count Dracula can be: a hero, a historical figure in a period piece, an ugly monster, a PNR love interest, an antihero/ villain, or
even a straight man for puns or jokes. This post will provide sample actors,
scripts and renditions which have been released over nearly a century. Which
one of these subjectively deserves to be considered the best, or the worst?
Max Schrek -
Nosferatu (1922)
As thinly veiled plagiarism, Stoker's widow sued the film
studio and won a judgement. The studio went bankrupt, and all copies were ordered
to be destroyed. Somehow one version of this silent film survived and was
reprinted. Technically this was Count Orlok, but nothing had been altered from novel
to script. The vampire is animalistic: slumped back, sharp ears, jagged teeth
and long fingernails. This is Schreck’s most famous role. His acting was so
convincing legend persists to this day he was a real vampire.
Bela Lugosi –
Dracula (1931)
When asked to imagine Dracula’s appearance, this is the
image that comes to everyone’s mind. The widow’s peak, the tuxedo, the red
lined cape, the pale skin and long fingernails. His furtive movement, the
rhythm of his voice, and the way he swept his cape over his face. Lugosi never
again played a part so well, but that’s why his performance has been copied so
many times.
Lon Chaney Jr. –
Son of Dracula (1943)
Lon Jr. could never have lived up to his father: legendary
actor and makeup artist, The Man with 1000 Faces, Lon Chaney Sr. The other
problem with this film is Lon Jr. attempted to copy Lugosi. Another man whose
shoes he could never fill. This film fails on both accounts, as a poor and
lifeless imitation. Sadly reductive it brought nothing new, compared to better versions.
Christopher Lee –
Horror of Dracula (1958)
I’d like him to be known as the Technicolor Dracula. He was presented
in color for the first time in this version. Hammer Horror devoted themselves to
the genre, whereas Lee played the title role his entire life. It became his signature role for good reason. Filmed
on location in real chateaus, the atmosphere of lurking dread is marvelously
authentic, especially in the studio’s early films. For me, Lee is the best at this part.
Frank Langella –
Dracula (1979)
This version portrays our hero as a romantic lead. Including
a tagline "a love story" incorporated into the title. This iteration created
space which modern vampire versions would later occupy. Such as Twilight,
Vampire Diaries and Interview with a Vampire. Frank Langella is quoted as
saying he “wanted to show a man who, while evil, was lonely and could fall in
love."
Gary Oldman – Bram
Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
A bit hokey at points, the film is successful overall in the
performances, sets and costumes. The result is a convincing portrayal of the
count from Transylvania. It’s a romance between Winona Ryder as Mina and Gary
Oldman in the title role. He’s lavishly costumed, strange, dramatic, intense,
and sexually alluring. Somehow this film is still fresh, when compared to less
successful versions. Francis Ford Coppola does a great job of creating a period
paranormal romance.
Richard Roxburgh –
Van Helsing (2004)
Bad early CGI, unrealistic hairpieces, clunky dialog, fake
accents, and wooden overacting. What’s worse is it’s riddled with cliché movie
monster references. Not to mention full-on explanations on the backstory, along
with labored “how to kill vampires” sequences. Nothing works, the whole thing
is canned and over produced. As I prepped
to write this post, I wondered. Why hadn’t I ever watched this movie? After
forcing myself to sit through it, the answer became clear.
Claes Bang –
Dracula (2020)
This concept strays far, far away, from the original source
material. Reviews are mixed, pertaining to Netflix’s version of the vampire. But in
my opinion, this version works well enough. I liked the fresh take on storytelling.
It included satisfying, daringly dark humor. Most horror comedy doesn’t work,
but this one does. It’s dark enough to be shocking sometimes. Bang is a
dashingly handsome man, possessing enough elegance to bring believability to
the character. His mannerisms are
reminiscent of Lugosi, which makes him well-suited to the part.
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice 1976
Interview with the Vampire by Anne RiceMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice 1976
A vampire tells a reporter about an encounter, whereby another vampire turned him into his immortal companion.
View all my reviews
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Dracula by Bram Stoker 1897
Dracula by Bram StokerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dracula by Bram Stoker 1897
When a solicitor visits a Transylvanian castle, he soon realizes he’s the Count’s prisoner.
https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2017...
View all my reviews
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
Saturday, May 25, 2019
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS - Produced by Hammer Films, The Vampire Lovers stars Ingrid Pitt in the title role, a vampire first depicted in a novella, Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. After a carriage ride, Carmilla is dropped off at the chateau, when she captures the lord of the manor’s daughter (Emma). The vampire kills everyone who tries to take her new lover away, but somehow Carl is able to rescue Emma. Carmilla flees to her ancestral castle, now laying ruins. Carl, Emma and two accomplices find Carmilla's grave, and according to vampire lore, she can only be killed by one method. So they cut off her head and drive a stake through her heart. The film was considered daring for its depictions of lesbianism and nudity, which are quite innocent by today’s standards. These themes reference the source material and provide all the trappings of gothic fiction. Shot in a bona fide mansion, the majestic building adds to the dream-like ambiance. Brooding actors flit down hallways lit by candelabras, attired in Regency costumes. I have loved vampires for as long as I can remember. Having watched most every vampire flick, I’ve seen each one, from Nosferatu up to the present. The Vampire Lovers is a film you should not miss!
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
Saturday, February 23, 2019
BRAM STOKER
BRAM
STOKER - Abraham "Bram" Stoker was born in 1847 to Abraham Stoker, a
senior civil servant, near Dublin, Ireland. Bedridden and ill until he started
school, he recovered and attended Trinity College, where he met Oscar Wilde.
Stoker married Florence Balcombe, whose former suitor was Wilde. The notorious Wilde
was initially upset, but later resumed a social and literary relationship with
Stoker. Bram had one child, a son named Irving Noel Thornley Stoker, born in
1879. Stoker involved himself in London's high society and wrote theater
reviews. He became assistant to actor Sir Henry Irving and business manager of
the Lyceum Theatre, which Irving owned. He toured America with Irving, where he
met President McKinley and Roosevelt, along with his literary idol Walt
Whitman. Stoker wrote for The Daily Telegraph newspaper: The Crystal Cup, The
Chain of Destiny, The Snake's Pass, The Lady of the Shroud and The Lair of the
White Worm. Before Dracula, Stoker met Hungarian Ármin Vámbéry, who shared
folklore/ myths of the Carpathian Mountains. On a visit to Whitby, England;
Stoker became inspired to write Dracula, in 1897. Stoker began Dracula mere
weeks after Oscar Wilde's conviction for homosexuality. He visited castles,
crypts and the locales featured in Carmilla, written by Sheridan Le Fanu. He
conducted research at The London Library but never traveled to Transylvania. An
epistolary novel, Dracula is a collection of diary entries, telegrams, letters,
ship's logs, and newspaper clippings, a style developed while working as a
newspaper writer. Stoker corresponded with/ participated in long-term
relationships with many important men over his lifetime. Walt Whitman, Henry
Irving, Oscar Wilde and Hall Caine, to name a few. Reportedly, his marriage was
sexless and he died of syphilis, just like Oscar Wilde. His letters, research
and journals were released posthumously, filled with pledges to men as comrades,
Grecian themes, and codes for homosexuality. Much of Dracula’s homoeroticism is
said to derive from his own repressed/ thinly veiled sexual fantasies. Late in
life, he demanded imprisonment of homosexual authors, in order to divert
attention from himself, and to pay penitence for his own self-loathing. The
monster in Wilde’s book The Portrait of Dorian Gray, literally a painting, is a
self-portrait of the writer, so is the vampire depicted in Stoker’s Dracula.
The vampire, a mincing monster in evening wear, creeps secretively in shadows,
imprisoned by his own vices, feasting on young blood. Victorians were terrified
of being outed, a source of the longing, captivity, coded language, and secrecy
imbued in these writings. The specter of death was central to Stoker’s most
famous character, yet his best book was relatively unknown in his lifetime. After
several strokes, Stoker died in 1912. Florence published Dracula's Guest and
Other Weird Stories in 1914. When FW Murnau released Nosferatu in 1922,
starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, Florence sued for copyright infringement
and won. The court ordered all existing prints burned, but a single print
survived which had already been distributed. Duplicated over the years, it took
on its own life as a fan favorite. Universal Studios released the first
authorized version in 1931, starring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. A pre-code production,
staged with a similar extravagance as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The
Phantom of the Opera. Dracula was forever cemented as an icon of popular
culture, largely due to Universal and Lugosi. Vampire legends weren’t new, yet Dracula’s/
vampire fiction’s place in film, TV, radio, comics and novels never waned in
popularity ever since. Lost until the 80s, the original 541-page manuscript of
Dracula was found in Pennsylvania. Typed pages, with handwritten notations
scribbled in the margins, with THE UN-DEAD on the title page, changed at the
last minute to DRACULA. Who says there’s anything wrong with changing your mind
at the last minute?
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
Sunday, August 23, 2015
NOSFERATU
NOSFERATU - The iconic 1922 silent film is the stuff of
nightmares, so realistic the lead actor was rumored to have been an actual
vampire, in the tribute film entitled ‘Shadow of the Vampire’. ‘Nosferatu’ was an unauthorized adaptation of ‘Dracula’,
it’s studio Prana Films was immediately embroiled in lawsuits, brought by heirs
to the Bram Stoker estate. It made it’s one and only film then went bankrupt to
avoid copyright infringement. Courts at the time ruled that the film be
destroyed, however a few prints were salvaged and the film came to be lauded,
as a triumph of horror cinema. The film’s use of angles, light and shadow--along
with locations in Germany and Slovakia, shot by single camera--was probably
intended to be color tinted, which didn’t happen. There is a rumored remake in
the works, by Robert Eggers, director of ‘The Witch’.
#vladdracula #bramstokersdracula #hammerhorror #fangs #draculavlad #christopherlee #immortal #dracula #vampire #childrenofthenight #dracul #petercushing #belalugosi #vampires #castlevania #bramstoker #romania #nosferatu #boriskarloff #vampyre
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