Hollywood Gothic

History of the vampire myth, 12 Jun 2004

This is probably the best book on the topic of Dracula ever written from the view of cinema culture.

I was surprised by the depth of investigation Skal has committed himself to; the book is crammed full of movie posters of the various incarnations of Dracula from Lugosi, to Murnau (Nosferatu), to Christopher Lee. There is even a section from Stoker’s original composition of The Undead and an interesting exposition of why we find ourselves uncontrolably drawn to the sexual and satanic charms of The Count. Each chapter describes how the culture of the time, mostly from film or plays, although also through 19th century books and poems, has modified the popular myth of vampirism.

Skal has put together a vivid and riveting account of Dracula’s persona, a fascinating read and essential for anyone who wants to understand the evolution of the vampire myth.

Perhaps it’s only drawback is that vampires are continually being reinvented (Buffy, Blade etc.) and so this book is only valid up to 1991 unless Skal revises this edition – still worth a buy if you can get your hands on a rare masterpiece!

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