The Portrayal of Vampires in Cult Television - Essay Example

?FINAL DISSERTATION Portrayal of Vampires in Cult Television “Of the moonless nights they are kings, darkness is their kingdom. Carrying death and sowing terror the dark Vampires fly, with great suede wings, ready not only to do evil... but to do even worse.” Les Vampires (1915) An Introduction Vampires have haunted the pages of history since times immemorial; in most cultures around the world, there has been a confluence of these creatures and people have created a sense of fear and associated these mythical wonders with a sense of peril. But what are they? Vampires have been described as “blood sucking ghosts or souls of dead people superstitiously believed to come from the grave and wander about by night, sucking the blood of those that sleep and thus, causing their untimely death.” (Easton, Karyn) Many people correlate vampires with bats; they say that during the day bats hang asleep and at night time, they come alive in the form of these blood sucking creatures. People have instilled in themselves a sense of dread and terror because of the idea of a vampire. They have believed that these creatures should not be allowed to live. Most legends suggest killings of vampires to eradicate them from the face of the planet, because they ‘do not belong’. However, in the 21st century, today, people have come to terms with the fact that vampires do not exist (Sklar, Rachel). Most people do not believe in the supernatural and idea of immortality in this day and age of fast communication, information and technology. Even then, the idea of maybe having such creatures around and existing excites a vast amount of the population of the world. As seen with time, the most form of popular entertainment has usually been in the form of fiction or letting people think about what ‘might’ exist. Thus, much the same way, vampires have been popularized today through television, books and movies. This is because people crave for an understanding of things that have not yet been explained by scientists or do not have reason. Staying alive eternally, having super powers to carry out tasks etc are things that human beings get thrilled with because they are not able to do so. It is because of an endless thirst of curiosity that people want to know more and more and try and delve into the unknown. It is because of the same reason that today, people are eager to know about vampires and whether or not they do exist in real life. People often wonder, ‘what if there is a vampire amongst me and all the people I do interact with?’ Scary and exciting as it may be, all this has led to the creation of very popular vampire cult television; series that depict forms of vampires, interacting with normal human beings on a daily basis, doing everything they do - and a little more. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, these immortal beings have been reflected over the years with dramatic changes in their characteristics and surroundings. In television most of the current “Vampire Series” have achieved a “cult” status. The word “cult” depicts a religious group that is devoted to, or even obsessive about what they believe in. The term “Cult Television” is somewhat close to this. It is a term gained for a show that has an obsessive or even extreme following; a show that might not have been appreciated when it was first broadcast and is a step away from the mainstream. “There is no single quality that characterizes a cult text; rather, cult texts are defined through a process in which shows are positioned in opposition to the mainstream” (Jancovich, Hunt 2004). Since 2008 there has been a different type of vampire on our screens, this is evident through the emergence of television series such as True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Being Human etc. Many of the shows have a “cult” following or are of “cult” status. In this dissertation I will be considering why vampires have received an increase in popularity with audiences and whether or not this contributes to the change that has been brought about in their image towards the general public. Reference to (religion/enlightenment/folklore/medieval) post modernity return to old beliefs-new age re-circulation of post modernity/old cultural artefact Look at definition parody/pastiche/irony As mentioned the original concept of vampires was penned down by Bram Stoker, in his book, Dracula and it is mostly because of his brainchild that today, we have a reincarnation of sorts of the entire image of what a vampire actually is. In this classic novel, the Dracula is the main antagonist, known as the most dangerous predator on earth. His survival depends on the blood of human beings. Thus, the concept of vampires became popular and they were seen as blood thirsty predators and creatures of the night. Stoker depicted them as the living dead, who had the power to control human minds and also the ability to shape-shift. Their weaknesses included the fear of the cross and the inability to withstand the sun. Since then, the concept of vampires has become popular in the media and has changed to a significant level. (Davison, Carol, Simpson-Housely Paul) The present day representation of vampires is very unique and different as compared to the concept that was introduced by Bram Stoker. The elements of romanticism and humanism have shaped the concept of vampires and they are now depicted as immortals, living in isolation and seclusion. In contemporary media, vampires are seen as soulless individuals, struggling for their survival based on different perspectives. Case study analysis has been selected as the research methodology, which would concentrate on reviewing and analyzing the concepts of modern vampires in five different Cult TV series related to vampires. Feminism has never really been mentioned in vampire culture in the early times, however, with time, as these creatures began to be depicted on television, it was found that in order to make them better know, it was essential to introduce a new spin to them in the form of feminism. Earlier, women were only known as the victims of the vampires however now, in books like Twilight and TV series like Vampire Diaries, there are female vampires that are just as deadly. Such power has been given to women because in today’s day and age, women are nowhere behind. Also, the main reason behind this is these depictions are from female authors and screen writers and so power has been given to forms of female domination as well. (Brown, Caitlin) Vampire parodies have also become quite common these days because of unpopularity among the genre. Many people hate the concept of having these creatures around and have coined terms deeming them useless. People suggest things like since they are supposed to be cold blooded, how do they feel any emotion at all or live within society as human beings do? Many people have even turned this image of vampires around as they state that vampires cannot engage in sexual activities with others because they will not be able to feel the rush of blood within themselves or be able to carry out the sexual act of love. (Smart Smiley, Jess) Most people are also concerned with the term pastiche which means imitation of art with an intention of satire or sarcasm. This also has fallen under the category of the creation of parodies based on cult vampire television series and movies. These are quite renowned among people who hate the concept of vampires, for example a remake of Twilight as ‘Vampires Suck’. Classical Concept of Vampires “Early literary renditions of vampires did not necessarily present the creature in an actual human form, for example they would have conspicuous pointed teeth, pointed ears or grotesquely hairy hands” (Bartlet&Idriceanu, 2006, 105). As the concept of vampires grew in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, vampires emerged as evil creatures, looking like human beings that were depicted as having a very charming and attractive outer persona, making it convenient for them to attack their victims. In the film Nosferatu (meaning undead), which was released in the year 1922, the vampire looked like a ferocious and inhuman monster, with sharp talons (Bartlet&Idriceanu, 2006, 111). In Hollywood, Dracula was seen as a charming and handsome vampire, dressed in suits and capes. In order to study the modern concept of vampires, it is essential to understand the primary classical concepts as well. Classical vampires have been portrayed in several movies and television. For example, one of the classical vampires can be seen in the film “Interview with a Vampire” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” (Bartlet&Idriceanu, 2006, 125). In the classical phase, vampires have been represented as those extraordinary beings, who have a pale, scrawny and pallid appearance. Gordon (2004, 89) asserts that “it was once believed a Classical had to drink blood, not only for nourishment but to replenish his blood supply, which he did not have because he was believed to be dead”. The concept of classical vampires has been derived from the historical Carpathian texts, which talk about VladTepes as well as the research and analysis of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Jennings, 2004, 295). The perception of classical vampires did exist before Bram Stoker penned his original masterpiece, however, Dracula, is the most popular and well known classical vampire of all times. It should be noted that the characteristics of classical vampires have been derived from those of Dracula. A classical vampire is considered to be weak and gaunt in appearance. Once it feeds on the victim, it gains its human form. However, as the blood dissipates, it again returns to its former state. These vampires also have the ability to change into animals. True classical can only become vampires after becoming the victim. This indicates that the victim loses his or her blood and dies. The infected victim revives as the un-dead. Literature also reveals that newly born un-dead need to feed on blood as soon as they awake and cannot withstand sun. Bram Stoker’s Dracula lived in an isolated, dark castle, which was found in the deep forest (Jennings, 2004, 299). Furthermore, they need to sleep in a coffin in order to restore and revive their strength. Literature also suggests that classical vampires are predators and it is in their nature to kill human beings. They see human beings as food, which provides them the nourishment to survive. Feeding on blood is necessary for their survival (Summers, 2009, 115). Modern Representation of Vampires in Media: History There is no doubt that the classical concept of vampires has been changed by the contemporary media. The new, modern vampires have been romanticized. As mentioned earlier, the concept of vampires gained immense popularity after the publication of Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula. The success of this novel led to the development of vampires and thus, it gained the attention of the media. Since the introduction of Dracula, people from all over the world have become interested on the subject of vampires. The film Nosferatu, a German film, which was based on Dracula, is the first ever film as “it was the first time anyone could truly witness the rising of the un-dead from its coffin” (Bartlet&Idriceanu, 2006, 205). In the thirties, Todd Browning brought Dracula to life in Hollywood. Unlike its German counterpart, Browning’s Dracula was charming and attractive and as sinister as the vampire depicted in Nosferatu. The only difference was that Hollywood’s Dracula was good-looking and attractive. Thus, Browning laid down the foundations for the concept of vampire in the American media. From here, the concept of modern vampires emerged; the creatures of the night, who were painstakingly beautiful and attractive yet they had a monster inside them. During the seventies, the concept of vampires in media changed to a significant level. Before the seventies, vampires in media were seen as physically attractive and charismatic individuals, who were the most dangerous predators on earth. The main focus was primarily on their external attributes. Their internal characteristics and personalities were unknown. They were only seen as creatures of the night, the un-dead, who fed on human blood (Summers, 2009, 119). Beginning in the seventies, the concept of vampires changed as the internal characteristics and personality were being explored. During the eighties, the concept of vampires changed in accordance to the culture of Hollywood (Bartlet&Idriceanu, 2006, 225). The vampires of the eighties adopted a gothic lifestyle and resembled like rock stars. These vampires were dangerous and deadly and cool. The eighties witnessed a whole new concept of vampires. In the nineties, the concept of vampires in media became romanticized. The movie, “Interview with a Vampire”, completely changed the concept of vampires (Gordon, 2004, 125). The nineties witnessed a new and improved concept of vampires in the media (Gordon, 2004, 147). They were now viewed as the creatures of the night, whose aim is to survive in the human society, facing various obstacles and hurdles. They are now viewed as immortals, who watch as the human society grows. The concept of vampires further changes with the emergence of Television series such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, the Vampire Diaries, etc(Summers, 2009, 121). In these television series, there were two types of vampires; the good ones and the evil ones (Wolf, 2007, 258). The good vampires worked collaboratively with their human alias to combat against the evil and sinister vampires. The nineties media also gave rise the possibility of love between a vampire and a human being; for instance, the love relationship between Buffy and Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the love relationship between Stefan and Elena in the Vampire Diaries(Summers, 2009, 138). The possibility of a love relationship between a human and a vampire has also been discussed in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. All of these new concepts have romanticized the concept of vampires in media and they are no longer seen as the creatures to be feared. However, it must be noted that the main reason why such concepts have been brought in is also because of gaining more attention. Most authors and screen writers feel that people will read and watch what they want to; thus, a new perception entirely of being forever in a relationship with someone so perfect who can protect one from all the harm that could possibly exist gives human beings a chance to fantasize about mystical creatures that could have been a part of their life. The media has tried, through such television series, to increase the love for vampires among people by portraying some of them as harmless people looking for love and emotions the same way most humans do. This helps people to relate more with these creatures and gives them hope of having perfect relationships in real life as well. (Brox, Ali) The reason why vampires have gone through such stark changes and why they are viewed as being part of a cult today can also be explained as a need for a certain community of people to find a sense of belonging. Earlier, it was probably a few people here and there that were depressed with life or with their own selves and began associating themselves with these cold creatures, bloodless and roaming around on earth aimlessly because they felt a certain connection with them and felt that they were just like them. According to such people, (mostly Goths) this feeling was something they required in order to have an attachment to the world and be able to survive. They felt that being associated with vampires would probably help to bring about their ticket to reality. (McKinney, Larhonda) As we notice drastic changes in the characteristics of vampires over the years as described above, and witness the kind of people following that they have gathered because of television series, we can notice easily the fact that most vampires have been given a portrayal that would befit society and help them get accepted within the norms of the same. From the early 90s to the late 90s and finally the 21st century, vampires have changed from soulless to beautiful creatures. This has taken place because of television script writers trying to make a bridge between normalcy and extraordinary beings. Today, it is mostly young teenage girls and people in their twenties that love vampires and fantasize about them day and night because most male vampires in different television series have been viewed as having the perfect physical attributes, abilities as well as charm and manners to please women and be their perfect partner. Television creators know that there is big money behind making people believe what they actually want to believe in even though it might not exist in real life, and people fall for the same because they feel that getting even an hour long escape, away from reality into the television series of something supernatural might help them to push their minds towards thinking of the impossible and help them thus get away from their routinely lives. (Serjeant, Bill) The modern vampire as portrayed in the Cult TV shows between 1997 and the present day is nothing in the likeness of what Bram Stoker conjured up back in 1897. This means that vampirism as a romance and phenomena of fiction has been tainted considerably by the influence of popular or low culture (Gregory,2004). We no longer see a vampire as a despicable, greedy and soulless creature but a rather sympathetically depicted immortal that has lost a chance at redemption and has been marginalized from the society (Stacey,2010). So it is possible to see from popular series like Twilight, Buffy the Vampire slayer and Angel that the vampire has evolved within Cult TV as a loner, essentially a misunderstood individual struggling to be accepted by the alive and fighting for survival amongst the un-dead. Thus the Cult approach to the same has now become based on the moral dilemmas of inclusion of a rejected half of the society (McNally et al,1994). Some people have gone as far as to comment that these shows try to present vampires in a sympathetic light like we insist on treating the HIV/AIDS victims in our society. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY For this research, the research methodology selected is the case study approach, in which I will review the most popular Cult television series in order to answer the questions addressed in this paper as well as its main objectives. Each of these series selected needs to be discussed extensively and in terms of characters and their popularity. The overall goal of my case study analysis is to analyze the modern portrayal of vampires in media. The series selected are as follows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, Being Human and the Vampire Diaries. Following are the aims and objectives of the study: To find out the similarities and differences between the classic and modern concepts of vampire. To study the relationship between popular culture and the present day representation of vampires. To study their inter-textual relationships between vampires in Hollywood movies and to the ones found in Television series. To study the reason behind why modern vampires are seen as isolated, humane individuals, fighting for their survival in their own community, in order to capture and captivate the target audiences? To study their shift from antagonist to protagonist / post modern playing with inter textual relationships./irony To study whether the soft image has been used to charm the audience in order to cater emotional drama? To study the relationship between the vampire and a human character of the series. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS Buffy the Vampire Slayer The first Cult TV series, which will be discussed, is Buffy the Vampire Slayer which was run between the years 1997 to 2003. During this time, the concept of a vampire slayer was only catching up recognition as portrayed in the move Blade. This American vampire movie depicted Wesley Snipes as a stylish vampire killer. Suddenly when Buffy hit our screens we had a new type of slayer - a teenage girl who could slay vampires with style. This helped to build a completely new audience within the public and gave them something extraordinary to watch on their television sets. It helped to break down norms and traditional view points within society with regard to women not having enough power to be supernatural. In the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the creator Joss Whedon has explored the possibility that the vampire can have a soul; like the soul found in the vampire Angel, who has conscious and wide ranging emotions, which makes him a good vampire. Thus, Joss Whedon has explored the fact that vampires can have a soul and therefore, they can have a conscious. Furthermore, the creator also explored the possibility of the love relationship between Buffy, the vampire slayer, and Angel, the vampire with soul. Here we see the vampire and the human protagonist sharing human feelings, which was otherwise earlier portrayed as something completely confusing and impossible as between a human and a bloodthirsty nocturnal predator (Callander,2001) Even though, they were completely in love with one another, their relationship was forced to come to an end as Buffy realized that Angel was able to give her nothing but darkness. (Dundes, 2008, 98). Their relationship represents the agony and angst of star crossed lovers and can be related inter-textually to that of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The concept of vampires in Buffy was relatively new and it gave the possibility that vampires can be good. Similarities can also be found between the classical vampires and the concept of vampires created by Joss Whedon (Summers, 2009, 145). Just like classical vampires, evil vampires feed on blood. They are afraid of sunlight as it can kill them. They are killed by stakes. However, as these modern vampires live among human beings and during the day, hide in their underground hiding place. The series had made a very significant impact on other television shows and it has been successful in capturing wide ranging audience from all over the world. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed the whole world, and an entire sprawling industry, that writing monsters and demons and end-of-the world is not hack-work, it can challenge the best. Joss Whedon raised the bar for every writer—not just genre/niche writers, but every single one of us” (Jennings, 2004, 298). Angel The “Angel” series which was run between (1999-2004) is just as popular amongstthe vampire cult following within the TV audiences and was essentially noted as a spin off from Buffy (Stacey,2005) The main protagonist is a male vampire who is trying to seek redemption from his dark and evil life by helping lost souls. The series was also created by Joss Whedon. In this show, Angel is the vampire, who has a soul, contrary to popular belief that vampires are soulless (Wolf, 2007, 258). He had been given back his soul after he had killed one of the gypsies and therefore, he had spent more than a century to get over the guilt of killing so many innocents. The show starts off with Angel working as a private detective. He and his associates work collaboratively to help those people, who have lost their way in order to save their souls. Furthermore, they fight with demons. The concept of vampires in this television series is that a vampire is working to help others, thus trying to remove it from the mindset of people that vampires are scary (Jennings, 2004, 299). The nature of the vampire depicted is soft, which is used to gather the attention of the audience. The concept of vampires in this show is relatively new and talked about a very different side of them. Similarities can also be found between the classical vampires and the concept of vampires created by Joss Whedon. However, these modern vampires live among human beings and during the day, hide in their underground hiding place. The series had made significant impact on other television shows and it has been successful in capturing wide ranging audience from all over the world. True Blood True blood is another American television series, which is based on vampires. In this series, vampires have gained citizens rights and they are living with humans. The series also explores the relationship between Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, a vampire (Summers, 2009, 296). In this series, the vampires do not feed on human blood and thus, they are seen as citizens, who have the same rights as humans. Like other modern versions of vampires, the series concentrates on the possibility of a relationship between a human and a vampire. True Blood has a very postmodern way of presenting the vampire. They have their own brand of drink “Trublood” which is like their beer and they even have their own Vampire clubs. These vampires even have phones and can text and blue tooth. True Blood has also been criticised by some for presenting us with vivid and extremely violent scenes of sex. All this gives a very stark image of vampires mingling with human beings and many people have feared the same because of the brutality with which scenes have been explicitly shot in the series. This is for a slightly adult and more mature age group as the series struggles to reflect how vampires are recognised in society, in the open. Being Human The British series Being Human that has been on Air since 2008 and has been seen as the UK equivalent of True Blood while being aired and produced by the BBC. The theme here also pertains to the struggle for integration of the three vampires back into the human society as they struggle to blend in with the normal human life. Vampire Diaries The concept of vampire in Vampire Diaries revolves around the relationship between Stefan, a vampire and Elena, a human. Stefan is a good vampire and only feeds on animal blood, whereas his brother, Damon is vicious and preys on human blood. The concept of vampires in this show is relatively new and it gave the possibility that vampires can be good (Summers, 2009, 302). Just like classical vampires, evil vampires feed on blood. They are afraid of sunlight as it can kill them. They are killed by stakes (Dundes, 2008, 114). However, these modern vampires live among human beings. At the same time, they can withstand sun rays by wearing a ring or an amulet, which protects them from sunlight. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION There are common themes that can be drawn from the case study analysis, the first being Postmodernism. All of the series discussed are developing this new vampire with a soul, living amongst humans. The writers have seen the need for change from the classical Vampire and recognized it would be profitable. Although the Buffy series gave us “Angel” the most notable vampire with a soul came from The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. The two share an inter-textual relationship between the representation of teenage feeling, anxieties, sexual tension and alienation. Inter-textual relationships are a common theme throughout the mentioned series. There is no doubt that the classical concept of vampires has been changed by the contemporary media. The new, modern vampires have been romanticized and portrayed as beautiful creatures with more than just feelings or a heart. As mentioned earlier, the concept of vampires gained immense popularity after the publication of Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula. The nineties witnessed a new and improved concept of vampires in the media. They were now viewed as the creatures of the night, whose aim is to survive in the human society, facing various obstacles and hurdles. They are now viewed as immortals, who watch as the human society grows. The concept of vampires further changes with the emergence of Television series such as Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, the Vampire Diaries, etc. In these television series, there were two types of vampires; the good ones and the evil ones. Furthermore, the possibilities of a love relationship between a vampire and a human, makes a vampire more humane, having a consciousness. Therefore, from the above case analysis, it can be concluded that the soft image of vampires have been depicted in order to captivate the audience. Vampires represent a minority group in the discussed programmes, it is about them struggling to fit in to society because of what and who they are. Does this raise questions about our own society, is this how we treat people who are different, who are the minority? I believe it can be connoted to the way we treat people with HIV/aids. Not just for the obvious blood relationship between the two but because of the stigma the disease has in society compared to Vampirisim in the societies in the programmes mentioned. Also the abstinence effect it has between a HIV sufferer and a non sufferer. This is also displayed between the vampire and human relationships for example Sookie and Bill in True blood. BIBLIOGRAPHY Easton, Karyn. 2009. Vampires. Web. Retrieved from http://www.paranormality.com/vampires.shtml Sklar, Rachel. March 2007, Conclusive Proof: Vampires Do Not Exist. The Huffington Post Bartlett, W. &Idriceanu, F. 2006, Legends of Blood: The Vampire in History and Myth, Praeger Publishers, Westport, Connecticut. Davison, Carol, Simpson-Housely Paul. 1997, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Sucking Through The Century. Dundurn Press Ltd. 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