Well, he was undead!  And German Expressionism certainly was more about
dread than sexuality. Werner Herzog's 1979 remake also portrayed the vampire
as an ugly, demonic creature (as played by Klaus Kinski).
However, the Victorians already equated the supernatural and horror with
repressed
sexuality--all those dungeons, succubi and incubi, etc.,-- for example
Sheridan LeFanu's story "Carmilla."  There are many, many books on
vampires, vampire mythology, symbolism, etc, including just those on
vampire movies. I believe Videohound has a guide to vampire movies.
By the way, Buffy rocks!
 
Sharon Knolle
[log in to unmask]
Entertainment and Technology Writing
http://www.projectionmag.com/projection/sknolle.htm
 
 
 
>Why did Murnau portray Count Dracula as a sinister, ugly character in 1922?
>Dracula, in the original novel as well as in contemporary versions, is
>usually a sexy guy who seduces his prey and then springs his deadly fangs.
>
>For a class I was showing the final sequence in "Nosferatu" and comparing it
>to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."  This was just before Halloween and I
>couldn't resist comparing the two heroines and their different slaying
>techniques.  The students caught me on the above question.  Any theories or
>notes from Murnau to explain his interpretation?
>
>Kalynn Huffman Brower
>(812) 855-9935
>Radio-TV Center, Room 309
>Department of Telecommunications
>Indiana University
>Bloomington, IN 47405
>http://www.indiana.edu/~telecom
>
>----
>Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
>University of Alabama.
 
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
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