The Role of Sexuality in the British Vampire Films by Hammer E-Book

Roman Büttner

• Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2008

Beschreibung

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,6, University of Marburg (Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Blood, Lust, and (Un)death: Vampires in American and British Cultures, language: English, abstract: Terence Fisher's masterpiece was his 1958 movie version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. With the huge success of that film, Fisher and Hammer Films started a whole new era of horror movies. Other Dracula films were to follow. Vampirism has traditionally been associated with lust and sexuality, which becomes clear in various modern vampire movies. But this is rather an exception because the film history of blood suckers demonstrates that, when times were different, vampires were depicted differently, too. In Fisher's films, sexuality began to play a bigger role in the genre than ever before and became the key to success of each and every vampire film made by Hammer. Using two of the early Hammer movies, Dracula (1958) and its sequel Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), this paper will not only present the necessary historical background that made it all possible but will also analyze these movies with regard to the role of sexuality in them.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Film-Industry in Post-War Britain

3. Sexual Awakening: A Process of Transformation

3.1 Changing the Looks

3.2 Changing the Behavior

4. Sexuality and some of its Varieties

4.1 Incest

4.2 Homosexuality

4.3 Pedophilia

5. Dealing with Sexuality

6. Conclusion

7. Appendix: Cast and Crew Information and Pictures

8. Works Cited

1. Introduction

Terence Fisher is considered one of the most influential British film-directors of the 20th century. It was he who made the British vampire film both popular and recognized throughout the world. His masterwork was his 1958-movie-version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. With the huge success of that film, Hammer, the production company Fisher worked for, started a whole new era of horror movies and other Dracula films were to follow. According to Fisher, his “greatest contribution to the Dracula myth was to bring out the underlying sexual element in the story” (Hunter: 18).

Vampirism has traditionally been associated with lust and sexuality, which becomes clear in various modern vampire movies. But this is rather an exception because the film-history of blood-suckers demonstrates that, when times were different, vampires were depicted differently, too. Early screen-adaptations of Dracula, Carmilla or whatever else the treasure-chest of gothic horror may contain, tended to neglect those erotic issues. This changed with Fisher’s Dracula. Sexuality and lust began to play a bigger role in the genre and were consumed by the audience who wanted more. In fact, sexuality in all its varieties became the key to success of each and every vampire film that Hammer made.

In this paper, I would like to take a closer look at this very leitmotiv of Hammer Films, using two of the earlier films, namely Dracula (1958) and its sequel Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), both starring Christopher Lee as the Count. I will briefly give an insight into the historical background that made the addressed change in the genre possible. Then – based upon my own observations – I will examine the influence of vampirism on its victims and how their characters change in the movies. In addition to that, one part of this term paper will deal with sexual varieties which are also prominent features in Hammer films. In the end I will present the effects that sexuality has on the enemies of vampirism, i.e. how it eventually influences their way of treating it. The subject of my investigations will mainly be limited to the women in those films, since the scope of this paper would otherwise be too large.

Due to the fact that I will work closely with the above named movies, quotes will include the approximate running time of the scenes cited, so that they can be found more easily on the DVDs.

2. The Film-Industry in Post-War Britain

In order to understand why the classic-horror genre underwent a sudden change after World War II, we have to take a look at the British society of that time. This may also explain why a relatively young and non-profitable British movie company like Hammer could soon find itself among the best-known companies on earth.

The majority of people in Great Britain had suffered seriously during the war. Hunger, diseases, and the loss of many British soldiers fighting against Nazi-Germany had determined their daily life. The only thing that had stayed the same all through the war, was the common conviction, that the British society might change in its structure. After the war, things changed indeed but not as expected. The class society – the upper and the working class being divided – remained intact and was just as conservative as before. At the same time, the number of immigrants in England increased rapidly which led to social tensions and a fear of “the other”. On the other hand, the traditional British family seemed to break apart: women who had just worked as hard as men during the war claimed their right to have a job apart from their households, so more women began to earn their own money. The youth created their own sub-culture in the ‘50s and ‘60s, evading their parents and other authorities in order to become more independent. Elvis Presley, Marlon Brando, the hippie-movement, the mini-skirt – they all became symbols of a new generation, not only in Britain but in the whole western world (cf. Street 61-62).