Episode 17: De-fanged – Scary vampires are SO last century
In this year’s Halloween episode, we are joined again by our friend Fred as we look look at the perennial horror trope, the vampire. Flip throws out the claim that modern vampires are no longer scary, leading to them being ‘de-fanged’.
We discuss the history of fanged fiction, from Polidori’s novel The Vampypre, through to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and into cinema depictions including Max Shrek and Bela Lugosi. In the late 20th century, there was a vampire resurgence, and vampires moved from antagonists to protagonists, removing the horror in the process. We discuss how this change in perspective impacted vampire stories, look at current stories beyond paranormal romances, and speculate on what the future of vampire stories might be.
Do you agree, have vampires been de-fanged?
You can listen to this episode on our website, or you can subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Introduction
0:44 – Have vampires been de-fanged?
4:48 – Vampires are no longer a horror trope
18:01 – The Gen-X 90s Horror Resurgence
29:42 – Vampires in plain sight
36:38 – Why did vampires become protagonists?
54:07 – Vampires with bite
59:56 – Where are vampires headed in the future?
1:15:46 – Final thoughts
1:18:08 – Wrap up & Outro
Books we discuss:
de la Cruz, Melissa. Blue Bloods series.
Hamilton, Laurel K. Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter
Harris, Charlaine. Midnight Texas series
Harris, Charlaine. Southern Vampire Chronicles (known as True Blood Series)
Blue Bloods novels (NYC)
Le Fanu, Sheridan. Carmilla
Meyers, Stephanie. Twilight series
Newman, Kim. Anno Dracula
Polidori, John. The Vampyre
Pratchett, Terry. Carpe Jugulum
Prest, Thomas Pecket and James Malcolm Rymer (attrib). Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood
Rice, Anne. Interview with a Vampire
Rice, Anne. The Vampire Lestat
Simmons, Dan. Carrion Comfort
Simmons, Dan. Children of the Night
Smith, LJ. The Vampire Diaries
Stoker, Bram. Dracula
Movies & TV shows we discuss:
American Horror Story: Hotel
Angel
Being Human
Blade series
BloodRayne
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (movie)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv show)
Castlevania
Dante’s Cove
Dark Shadows (tv)
Daybrakers
Day Shift
Dracula
Forever Knight
From Dusk till Dawn
Hammer Dracula series (9 films)
Hemlock Grove (mixed paranormal)
The Hunger
Interview with a Vampire
Kindred: The Embrace
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Lost Boys
Midnight Mass
Midnight Texas
Moonlight
Morbius
Mr Vampire
Night Watch / Day Watch (Russian films)
The Munsters
Van Helsing
Nosferatu
Sleepwalkers (Stephen King movie)
True Blood
Twilight Saga (5 movies)
Ultraviolet (BBC)
Underworld
Vampirella
The Vampire Diaries (LJ Smith)
The Vampire Academy
What we do in the shadows
Games we discuss:
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
BloodRayne series
Castlevania series
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion – Vampire Prince storyline
Ravenloft RPG
V Rising
Vampire the Masquerade (Bloodlines etc) CRPG
Vampire: The Masquerade RPG
Vampire: The Requiem
Other resources:
Frederick, Brittany. ‘Ultraviolet, 20 years later, is the greatest vampire story never known’, in Fansided.com
In Our Time Podcast. Polidori’s The Vampyre. May 5 2022, BBC Production.
Malas, Rhianna. ‘Interview with a Vampires shows the horror of being a child vampire’ – in Collider.com
Spooner, Catherine (2013). Open Graves, Open Minds: Representations of Vampires and the Undead. Manchester University Press