Famous vampires of television and film

'Dracula'

(1931)

Dracula as a psychosexual metaphor - his power to seduce women - is first hinted at in F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1922) and again in "Dracula" from 1931, starring Bela Lugosi, in which the count cast a hypnotic spell over both Mina and her friend Lucy. By the time of John Badham's overwrought "Dracula" in 1979, starring a dashing Frank Langella as the ultimate lady-killer, the erotic implications of the vampire have been dialed up to near orgiastic proportions. But instead of fainting over the specter of a vampire, Lucy (Kate Nelligan) has become a strong and assertive woman who's a willing participant in her seduction. Even by 1943's "Son of Dracula," the female protagonist, Kay Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), actively seeks out the count (Lon Chaney) to free herself from death. After her father is killed by Dracula, she dumps her former lover and marries the vampire in order to achieve immortality.
—Christopher Wallenberg, Globe Correspondent

Pictured from left: Bela Lugosi and Frances Dade.

(Universal Studios)
'Dracula' (1931) Dracula as a psychosexual metaphor - his power to seduce women - is first hinted at in F.W. Murnau's 'Nosferatu' (1922) and again in 'Dracula' from 1931, starring Bela Lugosi, in which the count cast a hypnotic spell over both Mina and her friend Lucy. By the time of John Badham's overwrought 'Dracula' in 1979, starring a dashing Frank Langella as the ultimate lady-killer, the erotic implications of the vampire have been dialed up to near orgiastic proportions. But instead of fainting over the specter of a vampire, Lucy (Kate Nelligan) has become a strong and assertive woman who's a willing participant in her seduction. Even by 1943's 'Son of Dracula,' the female protagonist, Kay Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), actively seeks out the count (Lon Chaney) to free herself from death. After her father is killed by Dracula, she dumps her former lover and marries the vampire in order to achieve immortality. — Christopher Wallenberg, Globe Correspondent Pictured from left: Bela Lugosi and Frances Dade.