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The Best Known Dracula Movies

Moonlight — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:00:31 +0000

Bram Stoker’s influential novel, Dracula, has inspired a ton of movies… seriously, there are SO many Dracula movies. I mean, if you type “Dracula” into the IMDB search bar you get well over a hundred results. While I’m sure there are a bunch of real gems in those results, I’m going to stick with a couple of the most popular and beloved of all Dracula flicks.

Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Lead Actor: Max Schreck

This was the first big interpretations of the famous novel. Since the writer and director didn’t have the rights to use Stoker’s actual characters they switched it around a bit, turning Count Dracula into Count Orlok.

Dracula (1931)
Director: Tod Browning
Lead Actor: Bela Lugosi

It was this movie we have to thank for the modern day vampire stereotype. This is where we got coffins, bats, satin capes, slicked back hair and all of that. Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula has lasted decades and is still going strong.

Dracula -aka- Horror of Dracula (1958)
Director: Terence Fisher
Lead Actor: Christopher Lee

According to Christopher Lee, “Hammer’s Dracula, the first Dracula film to incorporate fangs, blood, and red eyes, brings the best Dracula to the screen.” This movie was huge and still is – so much so that most people still recognize screenshots taken from the film.

Dracula (1979)
Director: John Badham
Lead Actor: Frank Langella

This film also features a face we all know well, that of Langella’s Dracula. This Dracula flick doesn’t really follow Bram Stoker’s novel well at all but it’s still an interesting interpretation, one that has many fans.

Dracula (1992)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Lead Actor: Gary Oldman

This Dracula film is probably the most popular of them all. Staring not only Gary Oldman, but Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins. This was a big budget flick that gained a very large fan base and three Oscars.

- Moonlight

Fashionable Vampires … or not

Moonlight — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:36 +0000

Maybe it’s just me being girly but I always love looking at the clothes the designers create for vampires in movies and TV shows. Sometimes they’re absolutely ridiculous, other times they’re damn sexy and sometimes they are brilliant works of art. Here’s a small list of a few vampire looks used throughout the years (check out the full gallery at the bottom).

Béla Lugosi as Dracula (Dracula, 1931)
Dracula’s appearance in this classic film is legendary. This is where we got the slicked back hair and satin cape stereotype that haunts vampires to this day. This movie created a look that has forever left an impression in the minds of everyone.

Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview with the Vampire, 1994)
Lestat’s period clothing in this movie was so elegant and beautiful. Not only his but Louis’ and Claudia’s clothing as well. I even loved the laid back big poofy old timey shirts they wore.

Stuart Townsend as Lestat de Lioncourt (Queen of the Damned, 2002)
Stuart’s Lestat was significantly different than Tom Cruise’s version. But the clothes in this movie were … interesting. Since this time around Lestat was a rock star and not an aristocrat there was a whole lot more leather. Leather and mesh.

Kate Beckinsale as Selene (Underworld, 2003)
Ok, now this is a look we all know and know well. How can you forget the skin tight leather body suit? I think Kate just may win the prize for sexiest looking vampire chick thanks to that outfit.

Gary Oldman as Dracula (Dracula, 1992)
Gary definitely sported some unusual looks in this flick. From the old Dracula with the totally weird white rolled up hair and red robe to the younger looking Dracula and those ridiculous sun glasses. If anything it’s memorable.

Evan Rachel Wood as Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq (True Blood, 2008 – Present)
Her look is one of my top faves. From that gorgeous gown to the bathing suit and sunglasses. The Queen was the epitome of deadly sexiness and classic elegance.

Bill Paxton as Severen (Near Dark, 1987)
There was no satin capes and girly lace for Severen, oh no, it was all biker leather, belt buckles and jeans. Oh and we can’t forget the blood, that was an extra fashion statement – blood, lots of it.

James Marsters as Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997-2003)
Oh Spike, sexy sexy Spike. This vamp kept it hot and simple – black on black. You’ve got the black pants, black t-shirt and that kickass black leather trench coat. Although I have to say in all honestly that my favorite look of his was the naked sex scene look. Mmm.

Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen (Twilight, 2008 and New Moon, 2009)
Alice’s style was very modern, yes, but she was an adorable little pixie. Her clothes looked so cute and comfy; I’d love to wear them myself.

I’ll end my list here; feel free to leave a comment letting us know what your favorite vampire look is. There are loads and loads of vampires to choose from, I barely touched them here.

- Moonlight

The Truth Behind Transylvania

Moonlight — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:00:20 +0000

We hear or read the word “Transylvania” and we instantly think “vampire.” We have Bram Stoker to thank for that since Transylvania (which translates as “Land Beyond the Forest”) was pretty much unknown to the world before his legendary vampire novel Dracula came out. When writing his book Stoker picked Transylvania (known to the Romanians as Transilvania or Ardeal and to the Hungarians as Erdely) as the Count’s home because of its vast history and its countless myths. It was a superstitious and dark land so it was the perfect setting for his bloodthirsty villain.

Thanks to Dracula, the political hell and the people’s struggles in Transylvania have been overlooked by the world and instead seen only as vampire-ville. The public’s association with Transylvania is simply that it’s the land of the undead and nothing more. And to add to the stereotype, thanks to actor Bela Lugosi’s thick accent used in his portrayal as Dracula many assume that that’s how everyone speaks over there, when in fact his accent was more Hungarian than Transylvanian. But the damage has already been done.

The truth is that Transylvania is a land that’s rich with culture and beautiful and amazing sights. A visitor to the region won’t be seeing any vampires (sorry guys) but instead will have the chance to hike through underground rivers, view breathtaking mountains and visit small friendly villages. Sure you can also visit a few vampire inspired tourist traps but it’s actually places like Braşov that get the most tourist visits. Braşov is a town that’s still surrounded by its medieval stone walls, still has its cobblestone streets and ancient buildings – it’s a perfect trip for a traveler that wants to escape from the modern world for a bit. But see, no vampires, just history. Sure, the region’s age-old folklore is full of vampire tales but so is most every European country, from Germany to Greece, all countries have their own vampire legends, not just Romania.

So what have we learned today? That we shouldn‘t believe everything that books or movies tell us.

- Moonlight

How To Be The Perfect Vampire

Moonlight — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:00:51 +0000

…and by “perfect vampire” I of course mean “perfectly stereotypical vampire.” Damn near everything has a label or image associated with it, especially vampires and vamps have one very big classic stereotype.
Here is your list of instructions on how to be the perfectly horrid perfect vampire. Take notes, you want to get it right.

Formal black clothes – Vampires dress in style and black never goes out of style… plus blood stains don’t show on black. Oh and the black helps with lurking in shadows. Getting your lurk on is a big part of being a vamp.

Cape – You must have a big black cape and this cape needs to have a big collar. That way you can hunch over and peer over the top of it (like in the picture on the left). It helps if the cape has bright red velvet lining. Stylish. Thank you Bela Lugosi.

Slick black hair – Make your hair really greasy and just slick it backwards, then spray enough hairspray on it that not even a tornado will move it. A widows peak is a plus, if you don’t have a widows peak then bust out the electric shaver. If that’s not hot then I don’t know what is.

Vamp bling – It’s still cool to say bling right? No? Meh, fuck it. Anyway, you need to get yourself a big, and I mean big gaudy pendant around your neck, use bright red ribbon instead of a chain.

Accent - You gotta have a Transylvanian accent. The thicker the better. The more inaccurate the better. The more lisping action the better. Have I made my point?

Drool blood – All the cool vampires do it. Don’t you watch the movies? Munch down on a human then open your mouth wide and let the bright red life juice run down your chin. Mmm Mmm.

Hiss - For some reason many vamps do this. I guess it’s an intimidation thing. They bare their fangs and hiss like a cat. Mix the hissing in with the drooling blood and you got a peeeerfect badass combination.

Mirrors - You have no reflection. So you get to save some cash and not buy any for your lair. Win!

Castle – You need to live in a castle. A big old school castle. Make sure to get some good real estate, one where it storms a lot. You must have lightening and rain to enhance your property.

Coffin – You have to sleep in a coffin. Sunlight = bad! Beds are so for the living. Your coffin needs to be lined with velvet and when you get in and out of it you need to be as dramatic as possible. Keep it classy.

Bat – Shifting into a bat is pretty important. All the top vampires do it, you want to be cool like them right? Of course you do. Plus bats are cute…right…they have …uh…wings… and fangs… and no, no they are not cute, but it’s still part of being a vampire.

Stalk someone – All your forefather vamps have done it. You pick out some chick, preferably blonde and dumb, and then you watch her from a distance all the time. You stalk her like no one has stalked before. Lurking and stalking are two of a vampires favorite pastimes.

Fear holy items – Come on, everyone knows vampire don’t like crosses or holy water. You guys have a holy-phobia. Make sure to cringe and hiss at any holy item that come near you, it adds to the drama.

Moodiness - Keeping up with the theme of modern vampires, you need to be as emo as possible. You have to be one giant whiny little bitch. Somehow this adds sex appeal. Trust me.

Bach – Real vampires don’t rock out with their cock out to Cradle of Filth or Marilyn Manson! They rock out to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue! You know the song, everyone does. Check out the video below, you will recognize it within the first three seconds.

And that’s where I’ll end this list. You got the basics there. To be a truly bad ass vampire, you gotta stay with the stereotypical classics man.

Click here to view the embedded video.

- Moonlight

Playboy Makes Vampires Even Sexier

Moonlight — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:00:54 +0000

…and who thought that was even possible?

It’s no secret that the world of entertainment has been taken over by our favorite blood sucking creatures of the night. But you really know a fad is popular when the hotties over at Playboy join in on sexy fun, and man is it sexy.

Just in time for the Halloween season, Playboy recently released their October issue of the magazine and on the cover, a bounty of vampire-y goodness. With the steaming hot sex scenes in True Blood to the rated PG, yet still passionate kisses in Twilight, there is no doubt we find vampires sexy. This edition of the magazine seeks to explain this phenomenon with a history of vampire lore accompanied by a seductive, erotic eight-page pictorial. Naked vamps = pure win!

“Love Bites” takes a historic look into the sexualization of the vampire, starting out with Bela Lugosi’s classic portrayal of Dracula in the 1931 film. Now while that is all well and good you know it’s those 8 pages of pure undead sexiness that will be drawing people in, showing us just how sexy vampires can be, and who better to show us than Playboy.

The voluptuous and beautiful pictorial, featuring Playboy Poland Playmate of the Year Kasia Danysz and Weronika Zurkowska, was first shot by photographer Szymon Brodziak for the March 2009 issue of Playboy Poland. While Klinger offers numerous historic and social explanations for audiences’ fascination with vampiric love, Brodziak’s photos prove that no matter what it is that attracts us, vampires have never looked so good.

If the article section of the magazine has sparked your curiosity and you are interested in why we find vampires so sexy, there are quite a few books and documentaries on the subject. Yup, believe it or not vampires are so popular and so loved that there are entire books on their sexiness alone. Pick up Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead by Corvis Nocturnum if you are interested in that aspect of vampires. Or if you just want to read some sexy, and I mean sexy, vampire stories, pick up anything edited by Cecilia Tan. She has a deliciously large collection of erotic vampire anthologies (shapeshifter ones too for the werewolf fans), full of story after story of vampire sex that is so hot you wont be able to read enough of them and so dirty that even True Blood’s scenes will seem mild.

- Moonlight

Vampire Films

veritas — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:30:36 +0000

There are more than likely thousands of vampire movies out there, but most notably, the movie Blade, about the comic book hero, half vampire, half human, the definitive Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Interview With The Vampire, the debut novel of the Vampire Chronicles authored by Anne Rice made into a film, with it’s sequel, Queen of the Damned. Also as equally definitive as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, is Nosferatu, eine Symphonie Des Grauens, one of the very first vampire films, released in 1922; the unauthorized adaptation of the novel by Bram Stoker.

Vampire films were inspired almost as soon as the ability to actually make, record, and exhibit films had been created; one of the first of many films was titled simply “The Vampire,” in 1913, and followed by “A Fool There Was” in 1915. Both of these silent films were about “vamps” or, femme-fatales; the inspiration for both the films and the terms came from the 1897 poem The Vampire, by Rudyard Kipling. The poem by Rudyard Kipling, was inspired by the famous painting ‘The Vampire’ by Sir Philip Burne-Jones, featuring a female vampire straddling a wounded, or sleeping man. The first really supernatural vampire film to emerge was Nosferatu; it was so closely related to Bram Stoker’s novel, that his widow sued, won, and all copies were destroyed, except for five. It was finally restored in 1994 in Europe.

Bela Lugosi later starred in the 1931 classic Dracula, and then in two more vampire films following that; one of them Abbot And Costello Meet Frankenstein, in 1948 which was the last time he would play Dracula. Then another in which he played a vampire character that was everything Dracula was, except his name; the film was Return of the Vampire. Bela Lugosi was in a number of early horror films throughout the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. In 1957 the movie ‘El Vampiro’ was produced, and was one of the first vampire films in which the fangs of the vampire were actually revealed. In 1958, the renowned Hammer Horror series debuted with the film Dracula, starring Christopher Lee, who acted in five of the following seven sequels. Later, Francis Ford Coppola’s groundbreaking classic ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ emerged in 1992.

However, Dracula was not the only vampire novel to inspire directors and screenwriters. Although more distant from the novel by Bram Stoker, Carmilla, the short story by Sheridan Le Fanu inspired many classic vampires films. Carmilla put the sexual spin of lesbian vampirism on several popular vampire films in the 70’s, such as the Karnstein trilogy from Hammer Studios, as well as Blood and Roses, in 1960, Vampyres, in 1974, and The Vampire Lovers, in 1970, to name a few. The 1948 film with Abbot and Costello transformed many Dracula or vampire theme films into comedies. Sexuality has been drawn into the vampire genre of films from all orientations, and in both male and female roles. There are a few but still a strong flow of vampire films left that stick true to Max Shreck’s first portrayal of the disturbing, and monstrous Count Orlok in Nosferatu.

Vampires » bela lugosi

The Best Known Dracula Movies

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Fashionable Vampires … or not

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The Truth Behind Transylvania

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How To Be The Perfect Vampire

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Playboy Makes Vampires Even Sexier

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Vampire Films

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