Presentation Script

Audio: On Screen – Slide 1: Theme music from Dracula 1931 (Item 1) - 27 seconds

Speaker: Good morning everyone, today I’ll be discussing:

On Screen - Slide 1: Has the vampire sub-genre evolved genres from Horror to Romance?

On Screen - Slide 2: This presentation will focus on:

·         How vampires have been romanticised

·         The evolution of the vampire genre

·         Comparing the image of the vampire

On Screen – Slide 3 – Item 12 *Bullet points with descriptions of vampires in 1734 and present day*

Speaker: In the past two-hundred years, vampires have transformed from your worst nightmare into the charming hero of our dreams. “Flashback to 1734, Oxford English Dictionary’s first record of the word vampire: they were generally and, depending on geographical location, inconsistently thought to be red-faced, fat on blood, furry of foot, and may or may not have possessed more than one nostril.” Moving forward to the present day: they’re cold, pale skin, perfectly defined faces and delicate fangs. (Item 12)

Speaker: There has been a range of Vampire films for years many following the classic Vampire impression and others creating a sense of a whole new genre. One of the first and most well-known vampire films was the original Dracula directed by Tod Browning. (Item 1)

On Screen - Slide 4 - Item 8 *Dracula (1931) poster appears*

Speaker: Dracula is a 1931 film based off Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. Stoker's ideas of vampires generated a future for vampire movies – female vampires who are portrayed as predators sucking the blood of their male victims, a charismatic and sinister Count whose only interest is the blood of his victims, and Van Helsing the vampire hunter with Wolfs bane and a crucifix to ward off the "Prince of Darkness" and with a wooden stake to drive through Dracula's heart. (Item 15)

On Screen – Slide 5 *Play Dracula (1931) trailer* (1 Minute 48 Seconds)

Speaker: This film was classed as part of the Horror genre. The characters were afraid to be out after sundown especially on ‘the night of evil’. Although the film was predominantly horror it did incorporate some Romantic elements. However the type of Romance was different, Dracula hypnotizes his victims in order to seduce them so he can feed from their blood. (Item 1)

On Screen - Slide 6 *Picture of the 1931 Dracula on screen*

On Screen – Slide 6 *Quote from 1931 Dracula script*

Speaker: Dracula was also portrayed very differently with his pale face, long black cloak, protruding thangs and a desire to feast on human blood. (Item 5) A Quote from Dracula 1931 script “They take the form of Wolves and bats. They leave their coffins at night and they feed off the blood of the living.” As the vampire films progressed the classic vampire started to change in looks and in their desires.

On Screen - Slide 7 – Item 9 *The Lost Boys Poster*

On Screen – Slide 8 - *Quote from The Lost Boys script and picture from a scene*

Speaker: The Lost Boys is a 1987 film directed by Joel Schumacher. (Item 2) This film is still incorporated very much in the Horror genre but certainly features more Romance than Dracula. The portrayal of vampires defiantly looks more so part of the horror genre. In The Lost Boys script the vampires were described as “Cool kids in distinctive dress. Compelling; not threatening.” before they change. The vampires after they change look a lot more threatening with sharp fangs and glowing yellow eyes and the attacks on humans being a lot more frequent.

On Screen – Slide 9 *Quote from The Lost Boys*

On Screen – Slide 9 *Play The Lost Boys trailer* (1 Minute 22 Seconds)

Speaker: The dusty cloaks and coffins were replaced with studded leather jackets, gelled hair and motorcycles. They live in a communal crypt, but that crypt is decorated with a massive portrait of Jim Morrison. These boys may be vampires, but they're also rock stars who live by the mantra: "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire." (Item 14)

On Screen – Slide 10 – Item 6 *Quote from The Lost Boys actor*

Speaker: Edward Herrmann who plays the town’s video store owner and head vampire, Max in the Lost Boys said “Joel (Schumacher) was very hip. He portrayed the Lost Boys as a combination of James Dean and Jack the Ripper. There’s both a romantic and a rebellious side to them.” (Item 6) Although Romance is not a specific genre used in this film the elements are again used with a part of the main narrative being spurred by a romantic goal.

On Screen – Slide 11 - *Picture of Twilight scene*

Speaker: Twilight (2008) directed by Catherine Hardwicke was originally a book written by Stephanie Meyer. (Item 3) Twilight could be considered a turning point for vampire films with the Horror genre being practically invisible throughout the duration of the film. Where the other two films focus on the characters being scary and threatening Twilight focuses on the characters being Mysterious but romantic. The family of vampires in the film are a ‘new breed’ of vampires. They are seen as the ‘good vampires’. They overcome their thirst for human flesh by instead feasting on animal blood.

On Screen – Slide 12 – Item 7 *Play Forest Scene from Twilight* (57 Seconds)

On Screen – Slide 13 - *Quote from Twilight script*

Speaker: In the script of Twilight the vampires are described in a way that romanticizes them. The main family the Cullen’s are described as “Two guys, two girls, all chalky pale, purplish shadows under their eyes… and all devastatingly beautiful.”

On Screen – Slide 14 - *Quote from Twilight Script*

Speaker: Edward is then described as he walks into the scene “Edward, 17, lanky, with untidy bronze coloured hair. He seems inwardly turned, mysterious. More boyish then the others. But the most striking of all.” These quotes both describe the vampires to be beautiful with an innocent persona.

Speaker: “Horror films have never been particularly complicated. Their aim is simple: to provoke a physical response from the audience. To make them scream, shriek, shudder, wince, or even cry with terror. There's a visceral quality at the centre of horror, an instinctive emotional response that remains an ode to our dark hearts.” (Item 10)

On Screen – Slide 15 – Item 11 *Stephen King quote on slide*

Speaker: Stephen King is a well-known author of many genres, Horror and supernatural fiction being just two of them. When talking to The Guardian Stephen King says:

Speaker: "Here's what vampires shouldn't be: pallid detectives who drink Bloody Marys and work only at night; lovelorn southern gentlemen; anorexic teenage girls; boy-toys with big dewy eyes, what should they be? Killers, honey. Stone killers who never get enough of that tasty Type-A. Bad boys and girls. Hunters… Those vamps got hijacked by a lot of soft-focus romance." (Item 11)

Speaker: And unlike many other vampire films, the "victim" in Twilight; human teen Bella is not scared of Edward’s icy touch and his family of beautiful vampires. In fact, she wants to be a vampire. “The chase is reversed: the human pursues the vampire, and the vampire resists.” (Item 5)

On Screen – Slide 16 - *Conclusion*

Speaker: Although the protagonists in Twilight are vampires it is not a horror story. Instead of focusing on their negative characteristics they concentrate on their love story and the protection of the mortals and so are not represented as classic horror monsters. (Item 13) However The Lost Boys depicts both the horror and romance genre. It updates the image of the vampire to appeal to a modern day audience whilst still incorporating Horror elements.

Speaker: Though Stoker’s Dracula will be remembered as the immortal that started the vampire craze, the image has drastically changed based on what society demands. The image has become a kinder, gentler creature because people in general are fascinated with the idea of dazzling beauty, eternal youth and immortality. This image, however appealing, will eventually change again because society’s wants will always change. (Item 4)