RobertScorpio
Pariah
she's actually quite good at it. Claims to have her own method!! (though, I will not let her practice on me...no way)
Rob
Scorpio
Vampires - Anyone Else Not Get the Sex Appeal?
- Thread starter Lapis Exilis
- Start date
she's actually quite good at it. Claims to have her own method!! (though, I will not let her practice on me...no way)
Rob
Scorpio
I've never found the whole vampire thing to be particularly sexy, but there are elements that have proven...uhm...(coughs)...interesting...in...very specific aspects of...my own...uhm...life...
Isn't the collective noun for a group of vampires "vogue?"
It's true that vampires have always symbolically manifested illicit sexuality. Hence, Polidori and LeFanu's vampires. It is important to note that this is a recurrent theme but its actual presentation depends upon what is regarded by the author of book or film as deliciously illicit. Polidori thought it was Byron (in real life too?) and LeFanu thought it was lesbians. But Hammer Films generally simple heterosexual fornication was sufficient. Anne Rice thought homosexuality qualified.
And there is also the puritanical equation sex=death, which which brings in hints of necrophilia. The recent Swedish vampire film Let the Right One in hit that key hard (as well as hinting at pedophilia.) Claudia in Interview with the Vampire also expemplified this aspect. Dracula's Daughter had a pretty obvious lesbian rape. The Son of Dracula (I think, the one where Lon Chaney Jr. was Count "Alucard,") undeath as an escape from death reads as escape from real sexuality to a fantasy, safe sexuality.
The hurt and comfort scenario for the poor victim of perverse sexual urges informs not just some vampire stories but some werewolf stories, although werewolves are more specifically symbolic of rape. The appeal of Dark Shadows' Barnabas leaned heavily on this. But remember the competing popularity of David Selby's Quentin!
But the only vampire really popular for a long time was Dracula. Bram Stoker had serious syphilis issues (in real life apparently.) This is why the Coppola atrocity had Van Helsing ranting about syphilis. The obtuseness in stating symbols in plain words is hard to get past, so that movie was a flop. The scene where Jonathan decides to join Mina in undeath if they fail to save her was an emotional climax in the book. Movies usually fail to get this, because the syphilis angle is hard to get past. In fact, they usually deal with the adultery angle by mimimizing the Jonathan Harker character, sometimes even blending or substituting Renfield. And they do this despite the fact that the plot of Dracula makes no sense without realizing that Harker's special knowledge of Dracula is the only reason they have a chance. That shows I think how deep the feelings can run, even if masked in symbolic form. Or should that be because? The subtext of syphilis gave Dracula an added oomph the others lacked.
Which brings me back to the vogue of vampires that we have seen in the last thirty some years. Briefly, the impetus is AIDS. Vampirism in the modern form feeds variously on the old traditional symbolic weight as illicit sexuality. But the vampire blood now is also a magical victory over death by infection. The overall thrust for sexualization of girls at younger and younger ages can be shamelessly pursued by vampires as well, because they are not "really" sexual.
PS One of the most overlooked vampires, Vamp, with Chris Makepeace, Grace Jones, Sandy Baron and Robert Russo, had a very amusing scene when two vampire women were sitting a twosided vanity. The twosided mirror in the middle was gone: The two women were doing each other's makeup!
It's true that vampires have always symbolically manifested illicit sexuality. Hence, Polidori and LeFanu's vampires. It is important to note that this is a recurrent theme but its actual presentation depends upon what is regarded by the author of book or film as deliciously illicit. Polidori thought it was Byron (in real life too?) and LeFanu thought it was lesbians. But Hammer Films generally simple heterosexual fornication was sufficient. Anne Rice thought homosexuality qualified.
And there is also the puritanical equation sex=death, which which brings in hints of necrophilia. The recent Swedish vampire film Let the Right One in hit that key hard (as well as hinting at pedophilia.) Claudia in Interview with the Vampire also expemplified this aspect. Dracula's Daughter had a pretty obvious lesbian rape. The Son of Dracula (I think, the one where Lon Chaney Jr. was Count "Alucard,") undeath as an escape from death reads as escape from real sexuality to a fantasy, safe sexuality.
The hurt and comfort scenario for the poor victim of perverse sexual urges informs not just some vampire stories but some werewolf stories, although werewolves are more specifically symbolic of rape. The appeal of Dark Shadows' Barnabas leaned heavily on this. But remember the competing popularity of David Selby's Quentin!
But the only vampire really popular for a long time was Dracula. Bram Stoker had serious syphilis issues (in real life apparently.) This is why the Coppola atrocity had Van Helsing ranting about syphilis. The obtuseness in stating symbols in plain words is hard to get past, so that movie was a flop. The scene where Jonathan decides to join Mina in undeath if they fail to save her was an emotional climax in the book. Movies usually fail to get this, because the syphilis angle is hard to get past. In fact, they usually deal with the adultery angle by mimimizing the Jonathan Harker character, sometimes even blending or substituting Renfield. And they do this despite the fact that the plot of Dracula makes no sense without realizing that Harker's special knowledge of Dracula is the only reason they have a chance. That shows I think how deep the feelings can run, even if masked in symbolic form. Or should that be because? The subtext of syphilis gave Dracula an added oomph the others lacked.
Which brings me back to the vogue of vampires that we have seen in the last thirty some years. Briefly, the impetus is AIDS. Vampirism in the modern form feeds variously on the old traditional symbolic weight as illicit sexuality. But the vampire blood now is also a magical victory over death by infection. The overall thrust for sexualization of girls at younger and younger ages can be shamelessly pursued by vampires as well, because they are not "really" sexual.
PS One of the most overlooked vampires, Vamp, with Chris Makepeace, Grace Jones, Sandy Baron and Robert Russo, had a very amusing scene when two vampire women were sitting a twosided vanity. The twosided mirror in the middle was gone: The two women were doing each other's makeup!
Presumably a corpse that is being supernaturally reanimated would not rot, and would therefore not have a smell. Granted, they probably wouldn't be above the ambient temperature.
A better question:
Do vampires fart?
RobertScorpio
Pariah
Good, stj. I guess you could argue that today vampirism is a metaphor for (among other things) unsafe sex. I mean, it's all about exchanging bodily fluids with reckless abandon.
And, yeah, VAMP is underrated. Although I still think NEAR DARK is far and away the best vampire movie of the eighties.
And, yeah, VAMP is underrated. Although I still think NEAR DARK is far and away the best vampire movie of the eighties.
RobertScorpio
Pariah
Be aware that VAMP starts out like a dopey ANIMAL HOUSE comedy about horny fratboys but gets darker as it goes on. Grace Jones plays the title role, btw.
NEAR DARK is definitely the better of the two, though. IMHO. It's also an ALIENS reunion in that three of the vampires are played by Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Jenette Goldstein!
Near Dark is a great vampire movie. For the 80's at least.
I can see vampires as fascinating and interesting but I've never really found the sex appeal in them. While I have no fear of the sight of blood (my own or anyone else's) I don't get any kind of emotional jolt or stimulation from it either let alone aroused.
Maybe it's just because I saw too many gory movies as a kid and associated blood with violence. Unlike some of the psuedo research out there, I don't find sex and violence closely related or tied together. I always associated vampires with violence too. Even the "tamer" vampire depictions have them biting into your neck hard enough to hurt.
I can see vampires as fascinating and interesting but I've never really found the sex appeal in them. While I have no fear of the sight of blood (my own or anyone else's) I don't get any kind of emotional jolt or stimulation from it either let alone aroused.
Maybe it's just because I saw too many gory movies as a kid and associated blood with violence. Unlike some of the psuedo research out there, I don't find sex and violence closely related or tied together. I always associated vampires with violence too. Even the "tamer" vampire depictions have them biting into your neck hard enough to hurt.
Near Dark is better than Vamp. But Near Dark has its fans, whereas I thought I was the only one that remembered Vamp. Near Dark's also probes at the sensitivities about death, sex, sexlessness and perversion with its child vampire.
Fright Night was very much about normal (safe) sex vs. abnormal aka exciting (and unsafe) sex. The sequel follows up and also amps up the sexual ambiguity and the charnel house aspect. But like Lost Boys, the normal, familial love type sex also wins out in the end. The scene in Lost Boys where Jason Patric is lusting after Corey Haim's blood (in the polite reading) while he acts prepubescent in the bath tub brings out the mingled fear and desire in the vampire symbolism.
Buffy screwing the vampires instead of slaying them seems very much like the kind of extravagant self rewriting nonsense you get with serialized television. Or the show never paid attention to vampire subtext in the first place?
Polanski in Fearless Vampire Killers sent up the whole concept by having male vampire try to bite a male (a slap in the face to the fastidiously hetero Hammer films.) Yes, that vampire was swishy. Also, the vampires win, which again is a slap in the face for normative sexuality.
Fright Night was very much about normal (safe) sex vs. abnormal aka exciting (and unsafe) sex. The sequel follows up and also amps up the sexual ambiguity and the charnel house aspect. But like Lost Boys, the normal, familial love type sex also wins out in the end. The scene in Lost Boys where Jason Patric is lusting after Corey Haim's blood (in the polite reading) while he acts prepubescent in the bath tub brings out the mingled fear and desire in the vampire symbolism.
Buffy screwing the vampires instead of slaying them seems very much like the kind of extravagant self rewriting nonsense you get with serialized television. Or the show never paid attention to vampire subtext in the first place?
Polanski in Fearless Vampire Killers sent up the whole concept by having male vampire try to bite a male (a slap in the face to the fastidiously hetero Hammer films.) Yes, that vampire was swishy. Also, the vampires win, which again is a slap in the face for normative sexuality.
Last edited:
NEAR DARK is a great, gritty, nasty vampire flick.
But if I have to pick a favorite 80's vampire move it would have to be FRIGHT NIGHT.
But if I have to pick a favorite 80's vampire move it would have to be FRIGHT NIGHT.
You beat me to it. I was about to say, "Ingrid Pitt disagrees!"
Haven't seen Vampire Lovers, so I couldn't remember it. I have a vague notion of Ingrid Pitt as Countess Dracula in what was really a Carmilla movie. But as I say, the book has made Drac the Big Gun in vampire movies too. But I stand corrected: Hammer branched out into lesbian chic.
In my defense, lesbian chic may be unfastidious, but it's still pretty hetero!
Another defense for forgetting Ingrid Pitt is that I saw The Hunger. Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve chased Ingrid Pitt ad from my memory.
And, one last forgotten vampire flick, The Addiction, with Lilli Fini Taylor (as she was then known,) and Christopher Walken. Vampire as crack ho?
PS Vampire's Kiss with Nicholas Cage isn't a vampire movie but still explores some of the psychosexuality of the mythos.
In my defense, lesbian chic may be unfastidious, but it's still pretty hetero!
Another defense for forgetting Ingrid Pitt is that I saw The Hunger. Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve chased Ingrid Pitt ad from my memory.
And, one last forgotten vampire flick, The Addiction, with Lilli Fini Taylor (as she was then known,) and Christopher Walken. Vampire as crack ho?
PS Vampire's Kiss with Nicholas Cage isn't a vampire movie but still explores some of the psychosexuality of the mythos.
