The evolution of Vampires

History of vampires A vampire originates from folklore, its

frequently described as a being that survives by feeding on the blood of the living. In European folklore, vampires were undead that often visited loved ones and caused trouble or deaths in the neighbourhoods they once lived in when they were alive. 

Mid-20th century Made in 1922 Nosferatu was one the first forms

of vampires presented in films. He was portrayed as a traditional vampire, from the region of Transylvania. He lived in a large castle alone and was said to have been created by a demon. His physical appearance is extremely frightening, he is tall, with long pointy fingers and teeth, large black eyes and a slight hunch back. This was a common theme during this time in literature as well as films.

Late 20th century The physical appearance of vampires dramatically

changed in film at this point, they were no longer portrayed as revolting monsters, they no looked human with a minor differences. At this point vampires began to be seen as mysterious and sexy, only coming out at night. For example, the film embrace with a vampire (1995) the story of a young woman who is seduced by a vampire. This was the beginning of the trend of moral women falling for the sexually charismatic vampires, sometimes in full knowledge of their monstrous traits.

21st century The portrayal of vampires in the 21st century

is almost completely different from how they were shown in the times of Nosferatu, some of the only common characteristics is the fact that they are un-dead and feed off human blood. Twilight (2008) was one of the first films to portray vampires in an almost entirely human and extremely romantic way, the film is about a 17 year old girl and a 108 year old vampire fall in love. The film portrays many vampires as gentle and kind, as the main family feed on animal blood instead of human, the vampires also sparkle in the sun instead of traditionally burning.