<H1>Is There A True "American Vampire" Myth?
Is There A True "American Vampire" Myth?
The European settlers and African slaves brought the vampire mythology
of their homelands to the New World. In some cases these myths became
intertwined as settlers from many backgrounds melded into a single
nation. While Native American mythology has some very fascinating
monsters, some of them being flesh-eaters, others being shape-changers,
none are true bloodsuckers. Yet, there is a true "American vampire," one
born of this young nation, one found only here in America. This vampire
is much more than a meld of the beliefs of the Native Americans and
those of our forefathers.
The true "American Vampire" would have to be that of Hollywood.
Let me explain:
The vampire has been portrayed in Hollywood, since the original filming
of Dracula (Tod Browning) to the recent filming of Dracula (Francis Ford
Coppola) as a creature of the night who is suave, debonair, quite
beautiful and hypnotically seductive. This vampire is a desirable
creature, one that many mortals would become, yet in the ancient myths
of other cultures, the vampire is an ugly, vile, evil creature, one that
no mortal would choose to become. While it is true that an Irishman
wrote the novel that began it all, the story gave birth to two distinct
interpretations of the vampire Dracula.
F.W. Murnau (a German) created the first surviving film adaptation of
the novel. In his "Nosferatu -- Eine Symphonie des Garuens" the Count
was not suave, handsome, or even desirable. Count Orlock was ugly, with
pointy ears, a bald head, and large pointy incisors. The vampire held
true to the European myths, at least in physical appearance.
Tod Browning brought a new image to the vampire with his filming of
Dracula. Bela Lugosi portrayed the Count as a handsome creature of the
night. He was very suave and debonaire, speaking in his Hungarian
accent, hypnotizing women with his stare, and moving in a slow, yet
smooth manner. Women all over America fell in love with this Count
Dracula, men all over America desired to be this Count Dracula. The
Hollywood Vampire was born, a creature of myths from the old world
blended with the American dream of beauty, sexual irresistibility, and
immortality.
Rarely has Hollywood portrayed the vampire as a despicable and ugly
revenant. We have seen them become hideous creatures when exposed to
sunlight or when hit with a bit of holy water. The body of the immortal
is perfect and the behavior seductive. However, you will be hard pressed
to find any legend, regardless of origin, that paints this picture of
the vampire. In a few cases, such as the Dearg-Due of Ireland, the
vampire is a beautiful female that uses her beauty to seduce her
victims. In most cases though the vampire is a walking corpse. It is
not beautiful. It has no intelligence. He is no more than a re
animated corpse that feeds on the blood of the living to sustain his re
animated form.
The vampire we all know and love today has been created and refined over
the years by Hollywood. Movies such as Dracula, The Lost Boys, The
Hunger, and Dance of the Damned have continually fed the legend of the
vampire as a desirable, beautiful creature of the night.
Hollywood (as well as America's fiction writers) has, in fact, created a
true American Vampire by combining the old myths (yes, staking the
vampire, garlic, crosses, sunlight, native soil, and the like are found
in the old myths) and the American dream of power, beauty, sexual
irresistibility, and immortality. That vampire has become the "True
American Vampire."
copyright 1994 - Andy Rose
permission to reprint is granted freely
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