A Look Back at Dignified Vampires

Modern vampiric worries: Bad hair and love issues
I know everyone blames Twilight for the annoying sparky makeover that vampires have received. Alright, so to a large extent they are right. But, Twilight indicates a general trend in the depiction of vampires which can be seen from the strangely emo vampires from True Blood. Generally, it is a conscious effort in creating a new vampire, one that is a far cry from the fang boys we old foggies loved and adored. Let's go through the various vampires and how changed over time, shall we?

Even his shadow was scary!

Count Orlok from Nosferatu (1922)

Count Orlok may have been ratty-looking where he came across more as the ancestor of Batman than anything else but at least the man could strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. He could skulk, he could sneak up on people and let's face it, exploring the darker side of humanity was more his game. None of this fighting outside a bar for the affection of a ditzy woman nonsense. 

Eh? Love? Madam, you are not even the main course

Dracula (1931)

Alright, so the story has been around for a long time now. But, in this case, I am pointing to the truly original fangboy himself – Bela Lugosi. He knew how to maintain the right balance between looking suave and downright creepy. And let's face it, the man had a flair for the freaky psycho glare. He could pull off the 'prince of darkness' move, at least without crumbling into a heap on the floor while sobbing about unresolved issues with his 'maker'.

Could easily be a Bond villian

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1960s)

Lugosi may have fleshed out the father of all vampires but it was Christopher Lee who added that extra oomph to evil vampires. Think about it: a nasty old vampiric Lord with more than his share of minions, drafty mansions, hypnotized damsels and of course, amazing mind-control powers. Let's not forget, Lee certainly cut a dashing figure as the prince of darkness where everyone started to think of the evil vampire as a rather sexy character.

Before the JLo dress became famous ...

Countess Dracula (1971)

Admittedly, this character was a bit annoying. Basically, it was a woman who drained other women's blood so as to retain her youth. Having said that, I'd say that she still had a stronger sense of identity than some of the modern female vampires (think that really annoying redhead in True Blood). And at least, keeping true to older vampiric lore, she was not wishy-washy about getting what she wanted. None of this to-do or not-to-do melodrama about a sex life. 

Men with Mullets: New Vampire Breed

The Lost Boys (1980s)

So, say you are fed up of the cape-wearing castle-hopping vampire. In fact, you point out that the modern ones are a sign of the times, the way folks adapt to a new era. Well, I still think they could have done it better especially when you check out the next few examples. First up, there are the vampires from The Lost Boys. Vampires who look like teenagers, donning mullets, tons of leather and going for the bad boy motorcycle look … that's a pretty good adaptation right there. Then again, what helped these guys retain street cred in the vampire world was the tactful avoidance of anything that made them look a bit weepy and clingy.

Nothing emo about these two

The Hunger (1980s)

Speaking of changes, no other movie embraced the quirky 80s look like The Hunger. I prefer to think of it as a slightly modern version of the Countess Dracula, where a conniving creature converts folks into vampires who will then become her playthings. As you guessed, these guys went far left of the weird and creepy theme. Then again, it was a fascinating new take on being a vampire in the new decade.

Blade has no time for sob stories

Blade (1990s)

Well, vampires don't wear capes and lurks in castles but they certainly got a good makeover for this franchise. And I didn't think the first movie was that bad. In fact, this particular character added a new angle to the whole vampire-human relations, namely the concept of a daywalker. This is a vampire-human hybrid of sorts where you have the awesome powers of the bloodsuckers and yet maintain enough of your human tendencies so as not to crumble into a pile of dust in the morning. Don't forget, he also had his very own Q, Whistler, the man who conjured up weird and wonderful gadgets for him. 

 He hated karaoke night

Almost every vampire in FDTD (1990s)

In case you are wondering, that stands for From Dusk Till Dawn. I mean Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez team up to bring a vampire flick. The possibilities were endless. So you end up with the story of a bunch of folk unknowingly walking into a vampire bar and then getting ambushed by them. These fanged folk were street-smart, sneaky and willing to go the extra mile for a bit of blood.

 Cut it out, vampires don't mope

Interview with the Vampire (1990s)

Whether you loved the movie or hated it for its Tom Cruise factor, you have to admit one thing – almost all the vampires in this meant business. These guys, with their longing looks at each other and bitter rivalry, was the new face of vampirism. Or at least a new adaptation that most of us could be comfortable with. Be it Lestat or Louis, you always came away with a renewed respect for the fanged creatures.

Stop singing the Love Actually song!

Underworld (2000s)

Come on, there was a certain dignity amongst vampires in this one. To some extent, you could catch glimpses of the emo vampires creeping in during this phase. However, Bill Nighy as Viktor did a great job portraying the head vampire. He was cruel, introspective and, least we forget, he also had funky eyes.