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Vampires come in all shapes and forms, and they are certainly more numerous (at least at parties) near Halloween! Here’s a look at some pop culture vampires.
Vlad Tepes III, also known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, was the prince of Wallachia (a region of Romania) in the 15th century. Although he was a cruel leader, having tortured and killed thousands of his own citizens, he was never considered a vampire. He was the inspiration for the Bram Stoker character Dracula because of the name, which means “son of Dracul”. His father, Vlad Tepes II took the name Dracul as a member of the Order of the Dragon. Because of this inspiration, he is an “honorary” pop culture vampire.
The 1922 film Nosferatu was the first widely-seen movie based on the the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. However, it was not an authorized adaptation, so the names were changed. “Nosferatu” is supposedly a Romanian word for vampire, but the origin of the word is in doubt. Max Schrek played the title character, called Count Orlok, as a repulsive and terrifying creature. The film is in the public domain, and available on the internet.
But we’re just getting started! Lots more vampires, after the jump.
Count Dracula is the best known vampire of all. He was the subject of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, and set the stage for all other vampire tales that followed. The first authorized movie featuring the chracter was Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi in 1931. He was also played by Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Christopher Lee, Frank Langella, Louis Jourdan, Klaus Kinski, Gary Oldman, and Marc Warren in later movies. Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula as a charming and erudite aristocrat is still the archtype for the character.
The character Vampira was born when actress Maila Nurmi wore a Halloween costume modeled on a Charles Addams character (later named Morticia Addams) to a party. Nurmi was hired to host horror movies on KABC-TV in 1954. A year later, she took the show to KHJ-TV. Vampira became a local hit, then a nationwide cult celebrity. She appeared in several movies, most notably in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space. Nurmi now runs the website Vampira’s Attic.
Barnabas Collins was the most popular character on the ABC soap opera Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 to 1971 (also remade in 1991). The gothic series began with no supernatural elements. The vampire Barnabas Collins (played by Jonathon Frid) debuted in the second season and made the show a hit. You can see an extensive history of the character at CollinWiki. A new feature film based on Dark Shadows is in development, in which Johnny Depp will play Barnabas Collins.
Count Chocula showed up in cereal aisles in 1971. He took the vampire back to what Halloween is really all about -sugar overload! The character craved chocolate instead of blood. Count Chocula, along with Frankenberry, were the first of General Mills’ series of monster-themed cold cereals. Count Chocula has had some fame outside of the breakfast table, including a press conference related at The Onion.
Blacula was the lead character in two “blaxploitation” films, Blacula in 1972 and Scream, Blacula, Scream in 1973. Mamuwalde, played by William Marshall, was an African prince bitten by Dracula and doomed to be a vampire (it was Count Dracula who named him Blacula). The movies are now cult classics and available on DVD.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark was a character played by Cassandra Peterson. She gained fame as the host of the weekly Movie Macabre on KHJ-TV in Los Angeles in the 1980s, a job turned down by Maila Nurmi. Elvira went on to guest star on TV shows, appeared in several movies, hosted a video series, and was the celebrity Halloween spokesperson for Coors beer.
Sesame Street’s Count von Count taught Gen X how to count, with a weird vampire laugh thrown in with every success. He doesn’t suck blood or stay inside all day, but like other vampires he isn’t reflected in a mirror. He lives in a castle and counts bats, as well as anything else he encounters. Ah-ha-ha-ha!
Lestat de Lioncourt is the main character in Anne Rice’s series of novels called The Vampire Chronicles. Tom Cruise played the part in the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire. Stuart Townsend played Lestat in the 2002 film The Queen of the Damned.
Vampire Bats are the only real vampires here. There are a thousand species of bats, but only the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) drinks the blood of other mammals to live. They are native to Latin America, only about four inches long, and feed mostly from livestock. If a vampire bat doesn’t find food one night, it may ask a close relative or friend for some regurgutated blood to survive!
Vampire fans and movie buffs will also want to check out the list of The Top 70 Vampire Movies of all Time. Which vampire is your favorite?
Comments (25)
Comment
Martin, from George Romero’s movie of the same name.
Or maybe Klaus Kinski’s take on Nosferatu in Werner Herzog’s hypnotic remake.
Hmm, tough choice…
posted by jabsonik on 10-23-2007 at 4:42 am
I loved Gary Oldman as Dracula, but then again, I love Oldman in anything. :-)
posted by Meagan on 10-23-2007 at 6:48 am
Me too Meagan. Mmmm…Gary Oldman. He made the undead gorgeous. ;)
posted by Amy on 10-23-2007 at 6:52 am
I dearly LOVED Barnabas Collins when I was a kid…I have the Dark Shadows board game and wore the fangs…I ate Count Chocula like it was going out of style (it tastes nasty now a days)…
I saw Blacula at the theatre with my friends back in the day when you could go to the theatre w/ kids and not need parents to accompany you…
Vampires are zexy!
posted by donner on 10-23-2007 at 7:07 am
You can buy a subscription, as well as some of the Mental Floss books and gifts (ie board game) on Ebay!
posted by Jessica on 10-23-2007 at 7:09 am
Oops! I left the above comment on the wrong post!
I enjoyed your vampire feature - I am reading The Historian right now, which is a novel about a professor searching for the truth about the Dracula vampire legend. Great stuff! Bram Stoker’s original novel is still my favorite version of the story though.
posted by Jessica on 10-23-2007 at 7:13 am
Where is Christopher Lee? How could a recount of film Draculas be complete without his mention?
posted by Sid Morrison on 10-23-2007 at 7:33 am
I was really hoping for a Brad Pitt-as-vampire picture instead of the Tom Cruise one from Interview with a Vampire.
I saw that movie a million times over as a teenager. I thought vampires were dreamy then…..
*le sigh*
posted by Sweet Pea on 10-23-2007 at 7:34 am
ooops. I see he was mentioned, but in more of an “also ran” way. An imposing figure like he is worthy of a photo, too :->=
posted by Sid Morrison on 10-23-2007 at 7:35 am
Sid, I concentrated on listing the characters instead of the actors, because otherwise this post would run extremely long… which is why I linked to the vampire movie list, for further reading. In high school and college, I would not miss an opportunity to watch a Christopher Lee film!
posted by Miss Cellania on 10-23-2007 at 7:38 am
They weren’t mentioned here, but the characters Spike and Angel from the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” are my two favorite vampires.
posted by Emilee on 10-23-2007 at 7:55 am
What? No mention of the IRS?
posted by Sheldon Siegel on 10-23-2007 at 8:06 am
Dark Shadows Rocks!!! I loved this when I was a kid watching it in syndication on some local channel. Does anyone know if you can get it on DVD? I also thought I was a vampire from about 2-4th grade!
posted by aTribe on 10-23-2007 at 8:11 am
What about The Lost Boys?! Only the sexiest vampires with mullets ever!!
posted by Lisa on 10-23-2007 at 9:34 am
I laughed my way through ‘Interview with the Vampire’ because every shot with Pitt made me laugh. Why did they cast him in the role and then give him a makeup so he looks like John Travolta?
Anyway, I like Mel Brooks version best.
posted by Janne on 10-23-2007 at 10:35 am
Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows is my favorite guy Vampire and Vampira has always been my favorite female Vampire. I watched her on tv as a little girl and she was kind of scary(I was 5)but I was always fascinated by her.
posted by Melinda on 10-23-2007 at 10:48 am
Thank you, Emilee. I thought for a minute that I would be the only Buffy buff here. Not only are they great characters, they’re also kinda hot ;)
posted by Iris on 10-23-2007 at 2:06 pm
I also thought I was going to be the only Buffy fan. Good to see I’m not alone.
posted by Rioux on 10-23-2007 at 2:44 pm
Angel and Spike and all the vampires of the Buffyverse…
posted by Laura on 10-23-2007 at 2:46 pm
They aren’t in film or TV (yet) but all the vampires from Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series. Especially Jean-Claude and Damian.
posted by Sarah on 10-23-2007 at 4:33 pm
has anyone else ever noticed that Franz Kafka looks sort of like Nosferatu? I got a book a couple of days ago and the resemblance was a little weird.
posted by Kitty on 10-23-2007 at 4:39 pm
Don’t anyone forget “Blood Ties” on Lifetime…
I’m such a college kid.
posted by Amy on 10-23-2007 at 10:02 pm
You totally forgot Count Duckula!
posted by Sir Michael L. Foley on 10-25-2007 at 8:04 am
It is my understanding that Morticia addams is based off of Vampira and not the other way around. Can you verify your facts and dates?
posted by Allison on 1-15-2008 at 11:16 am
According to the account I linked, Nurmi first wore the costume in 1953. Charles Addams’ cartoons featuring the family in The New Yorker gained popularity in the 1930s, although he had drawn characters like them even earlier.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Addams_Family#Morticia
posted by Miss Cellania on 1-15-2008 at 11:40 am