Movies
500 Years of Blood: The History of Vampires in Legend and Film
The idea of vampires, these undead creatures subsisting off of the life force of others, has been around for centuries. Though the image of the bloodsucking creature of the night has changed considerably over the years and continues to change, for horror’s sake, that change may be for the better.
The Legend of Vampires
Dating from the probable first historical example of a vampire to the advent of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the truth may be scarier than fiction.
History’s First Vampire
The person believed to be the first historical reference of a vampire is Jure Grando Alilović in the late 1500’s/early 1600s in Croatia.
For the 16 years following his death, he is rumored to have terrorized the village where he used to live. At night, his ghoulish form would wander the town streets, knocking on doors as he walked. Apparently, those who had their door knocked upon meant that death was soon to come for them.
The story goes that the wife also suffered horribly, as she claimed her husband’s decaying, ghoulish figure would force himself into her room at night to torment her. Referred to by villagers as Strigon (fans of FX’s The Strain will recognize this as an ancient term for vampire), after sixteen years of terror, the mayor reportedly ordered a group of young men to the grave of Jure Grando. He was exhumed and allegedly beheaded.
Though the story is horrifying, there is little evidence to back it up. Moreover, the Middle Ages were notorious for jumping to conclusions.
The Madness of the Medieval Times
Just as the Salem Witch Trials notoriously saw people being unfairly accused as witches, the Middle Ages and beyond saw that same ignorance-fueled paranoia led to people being called vampires.
In this period where diseases ran rampant, those afflicted were often believed to be vampires, thus explaining the cause of disease being spread. Moreover, the blood disorder porphyria (skin that blisters when in contact with sunlight) is believed to be the origin of vampires’ aversion to sunlight.
Since medical advances were nowhere near what they are now, people didn’t understand that illness spread through germs, so when close contact would spread disease, they assumed it must have been because of ill intent. Though this was the reality of the Middle Ages, the most recent infamous example occurred in Rhode Island in the 1800s.
The Tale of Mercy Brown
When tuberculosis was raging through the population, there was a rumor swirling. The story indicated that if all of the members of the same family began to die of consumption, it was because one of the previously deceased family members was siphoning the family’s life force from beyond the grave. A family with the surname Brown is a legendary example of this.
The mother was the first to die of tuberculosis. Then came the death of the oldest daughter. Another daughter, Mercy Brown, and son followed behind not long later. Then the father became ill as well.
The town, fueled by the rumor, exhumed the bodies of the dead family to find the life-sucking culprit. Three bodies were exhumed, the mother, Mercy, and her sister. While her family members were dug from their graves as skeletons, Mercy was perfectly preserved. While she had not been dead as long as her familial counterparts, that did not matter to the town: they found their vampire. They burned Mercy’s heart and liver and fed the ashes to the father to cure him. Spoiler alert: it did not cure him, and he joined the rest of his family in death not long later.
While a lack of knowledge fueled rumors that would become vampire legends back then, this still happens today, but differently than before.
The Myths Circulating Dracula
As an article in Time magazine extensively covered, Bram Stoker allegedly sought inspiration from true stories when writing Dracula. Of course, those familiar with Vlad Dracul, also known as Vlad the Impaler, tend to correlate his existence with the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. After all, Vlad Dracul was renowned for the violent, impaling way he killed and is even rumored to have dipped bread in the blood of his enemies, devouring it. That, coupled with the Dracul surname, surely must refer to Dracula. However, some Stoker experts urge that this was not the case whatsoever.
While the history behind the Vlad the Impaler inspiration remains muddled, according to research conducted by Dacre Stoker (the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker) and his writing partner J.D. Barker original copies of the Dracula manuscript allegedly urged that everything within the pages was true.
According to Time Magazine, caskets filled with earth were brought aground, with a mysterious black dog who immediately ran to a nearby cemetery. Over one hundred pages were cut from Dracula, heavily believed to be the text portion where Bram Stoker insisted that what followed were actual events.
While the previous makes for fantastic story-telling, it would not be the first or last time rumors about the novel were created. In fact, new stories are still appearing today.
Vampire Bats and Other Blood Suckers
According to Tumblr legend, the connection between vampires and bats comes from Vlad the Impaler’s war history. Legend says that during battle, Vlad led the enemy into a valley where facing Vlad’s army meant staring directly into the setting sun. Then, Vlad’s men released rabid bats, which fled the sunlight and attacked the unsuspecting enemy. The loss of a visual on the men plus the bat attack caused the attacked to believe that Vlad and his men had turned into bats.
The true story, however, is not as glamorous. The truth is that bats of that caliber are not native to Romania and were frankly impossible. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the first-time vampires were associated with bats, and experts believe he was inspired by the nocturnal nature of the winged mammals and the blood-drinking vampire bat.
Speaking of bloodsuckers, did you know that it was a long-held belief that the smell of garlic repels mosquitos? This form of mosquito repellent is strongly believed to be the reason that vampires would also be deterred by garlic. Essentially, what’s bad for one bloodsucker is bad for the gander. (Though, according to this study, garlic turns out not to repel even the tiniest of bloodsuckers.)
Notwithstanding the rumors, the fate of Bram Stoker’s novel was sealed and would see a resurgence of popularity in the following century.
Twentieth Century Vampires
Armed with Bram Stoker’s legendary novel for inspiration, the film Nosferatu brought the horrific creature to audiences of the 1920s. The 1930s saw the Universal Monster treatment of the classic Dracula emerge in 1931, with Bela Lugosi acting in the titular role. Lugosi would star in other vampire films, such as Mark of the Vampire in 1935, followed by House of Dracula and The Devil Bat in the 1940s.
From there, the characteristic image of the vampire was set. The words vampire and Dracula became synonymous with one another. The pale-faced, intricately dressed undead creature who bites the neck of his victims was revamped (pun intended) with hundreds of Dracula-inspired productions, spanning the entire 20thcentury
It was not just horror films that saw the presentation of Dracula. Numerous comedies (such as the 1990s Dracula: Dead and Loving It) and children’s cartoons such as Pink Panther in 1975’s “Pink Plasma” and Looney Tunes’ 1963 short “Transylvania 6-5000” would go on to depict the legendary vampire. This dilution of the once repulsive creature picked up steam into the 21st century, creating a much different depiction than the monster who haunted the dreams of generations before.
Modern Vampires
The modern treatment of vampires is typically wealthy, attractive-looking creatures with fangs. Whether its True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Underworld, Twilight, Daybreakers, Queen of the Damned, American Horror Story: Hotel, Night Teeth, What We Do in the Shadows, etc., the modern look of vampires is tirelessly overdone. While the decades before lent a hand in creating this version of vampires, dating back to Bela Lugosi, the era after 2000 ran this trend into the ground.
Although the vampire image tends to be bastardized into the personification of tween fantasy (which, for the record is perfectly fine in small doses), I know that horror is not done with these undead creatures of the night just yet. Morbius was at least bestial, and with films like Salem’s Lot on the horizon, there is still hope that the upcoming generation will view vampires as the nightmarish ghouls they were from the beginning.
Netflix did not give me a lot to work with this month. I may have also zoomed through many of my favorite things on the platform these last few months. So, many of these are titles I have been meaning to check out, and I hope they are worth the wait. However, I cannot promise the carnage, chaos, and confusion I normally provide for this column. This means you’ll have to forgive me for having less razzle dazzle and a little more uncertainty while I list some stuff off the less beaten path. Gather around, and I’ll tell you what I am trying to get into this March!
Archive (2020)
In 20238, George Almore’s newest AI prototype is nearly complete. However, this humanesque machine is also hiding one of George’s secrets that must remain hidden. While I love some British sci-fi and believe we should watch as many of the 2020 movies that slid under our quarantined radar, I’m pulling up for another reason. I want to see Theo James in something that isn’t The Monkey. Literally. I didn’t enjoy that movie, and I seem to be the last person I know who was unfamiliar with James before that. So, I’m trying to rectify that and see what he can do in anything else. Hopefully, after catching this on Netflix, I will have a new movie that comes to mind when he is mentioned. Fingers crossed, friends!
Green Room (2016)
A punk rock band gets trapped in a venue where skinheads want to kill them. So many people have told me this movie is worth my time, but because it’s always too soon for violent racists in this decade, I keep putting it off. However, I am so curious to see what Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, and the late Anton Yelchin are doing in this movie. Green Room is also one of the few A24 horror movies that I have not seen, which makes it even more intriguing. While I doubt 2026 will calm down enough for this not feel too real, I think it’s time for me to be brave and cross this movie off my list already. So, I might have to grab a drink, a weighted blanket, and remote so I can open Netflix.
M3GAN 2.0 (2025)
Two years after M3GAN’s murder spree, she is rebuilt by her creator to take down a military-grade weapon made from her stolen tech. Is this movie as good as the original written by Akela Cooper? Obviously not. No one can do what Cooper does and we shouldn’t hold people to that very high bar. Is this movie way too damn long? Also, yes. However, was there still a lot of fun to be had along the way? I thought so. While M3GAN 2.0 isn’t the sequel we wanted, I’m happy to rewatch it for free at home. We lose a lot of the threads I loved in the first one, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t the new Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day anyway. In a perfect world, Akela Cooper will reopen the computer (after receiving a very large check from Blumhouse) and give us a third installment to bring our dancing diva back into the horror fold.
Life After Beth (2014)
A man discovers his dead girlfriend is back, and that might be for the worst. I never watched this horror comedy, but I’m sad and hoping Aubrey Plaza can change that. After all, if she can’t wake us up after a long winter, then who can? I also imagine Plaza as a zombie is kind of great. Along for the ride is Molly Shannon, so between the two of them, I expect some chuckles and guffaws. Maybe the powers that be at Netflix knew we could all use a laugh, and that’s why this is waiting for us on the other side of February. Or possibly they wanted to apologize for that last season of Stranger Things. Or maybe it’s just a wacky coincidence, and I’m looking for meaning where there is none. Either way, I have a date with this movie, and you might want to check it out too.
Teen Wolf (2011-2017)
Getting bitten by a werewolf turns life upside down for a high school student and his best friend. Hear me out! I doubt there is a world where I will watch all six seasons of this. Hell, I doubt I’ll even finish the first season. However, I skipped this MTV moment when it originally aired. Which is why I didn’t know who Dylan O’Brien was when Send Help was announced. So, I’m using this Netflix account to see where he started now that I have seen him in something. You can join me in this or mark your time as safe and watch something else. I don’t blame you either way, and I hope you’ll respect my privacy during this adventure.
That’s what I’m doing with my Netflix account this month. Here is hoping April gives us more scary movies because some of us deserve it. Most importantly, I deserve it.
Shudder is still that girl even in March. Our beloved streamer is adding classics like The Fog and Messiah of Evil. They are also adding a couple of films that are precious to my generation, like May. The app always has an eclectic lineup, but this month is an embarrassment of riches. At least if you are like me, and looking at a list of movies you have had on your watch list forever. That is why it took me a hot minute to figure out which five titles should be this month’s priority. However, I cracked the code and think I have something old, something new, and definitely at least a couple of things that will turn blue. Check out what I am trying to see on Shudder this month. Also, be sure to let me know if you are as geeked about these titles as I am.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
The Last Horror Film (1982)
A New York taxi driver stalks an actress during the Cannes Film Festival. I love 80s slashers and have been on a quest to watch them all. This one has eluded me for a couple of years, and I am so happy Shudder is finally letting me cross it off my list. I am not expecting this to break my top 1980s slashers. I’m not even counting on it to be one of the best movies about a stalked actress of that era. However, I’m excited to finally see it for myself with an adult beverage in hand.
You can watch The Last Horror Film on March 1st.
Fade to Black (1980)
A film fanatic begins murdering people who betray him while stalking his idol. I finally caught this on Shudder in the last couple of years and will be using its return as an excuse to rewatch it. Very few movies cater to the slasher kids and film nerds as well as this one. Fade to Black is the kind of psychological horror comedy that is the reason 1980s horror remains unmatched. The costumes, the obsession, and the kills are the most fun you can possibly have on a Shudder Saturday. Do yourself a favor and hit play immediately.
You can watch Fade to Black on March 9th.
Hostile Dimensions (2023)
Two filmmakers travel through alternate dimensions seeking out the truth about a missing graffiti artist. This found footage film has been on my list for years, and I am so grateful that Shudder is finally letting me see it. I have heard so many great things, and the FOMO was killing me. Hopefully, Hostile Dimensions lives up to the hype. Otherwise, I have to ask my nearest and dearest to explain themselves and then stop accepting recommendations from them. Will it scratch the found footage itch I have this month? There is only one way to find out, and that is why I will be sat the day this drops on the app.
You can watch Hostile Dimensions on March 9th.
1000 Women in Horror (2025)
Women have been an integral part of the genre since Mary Shelley started thinking about Frankenstein. However, we do not always get the credit and respect we deserve. Which is why I am thrilled 1000 Women in Horror is celebrating the badasses who revolutionized horror films. Not only is the documentary opening the libraries for us, but it’s also bringing current faves along for the ride. Akela Cooper, Toby Poser, and Jenn Wexler are just some of the names I know who are about to inspire so many women to get serious about making their movies. I cannot stress enough how happy I am that Shudder is adding this to its lineup.
You can watch 1000 Women in Horror on March 20th.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
College friends backpacking through Britain are attacked by a werewolf. As a werewolf film enthusiast, I know they are not all made equally. That is one of the many reasons why this is easily one of the best werewolf movies the genre has. The transformation alone is worth the price of a Shudder subscription. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that this is one of the five titles I’m most excited to see this month. Hell, it’s probably in everyone’s top five to be completely honest. I cannot think of a better way to close this month out than with a top-tier werewolf flick.
You can watch An American Werewolf in London on March 31st.
I told you, Shudder is that girl. Whether you’re on spring break, taking a mental health day, or just dissociating, this app has got you covered. Make sure you dig into some of this sick, twisted, and cool cinema. As for me, I will see you next month with more recommendations.
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