Dracula is probably one of the most well known classics of all time. The original Vampire tale, it does not take much searching to see how it has influenced our culture today. If you’ve ever read a vampire book or seen a movie about vampires and they refer to the legends, this is the legend they are talking about. From this one character has come forth countless others all with their own TV shows, books, and movies. In this essay we will explore all the things Dracula has contributed to our culture today.
This one story has inspired hundreds of authors to write similar fictional tales. These tales can range from vampires being considered evil (as in I Am Legend) to vampires that are just misunderstood (Cirque du Freak) to vampires that are actually very friendly and are the good guys (Twilight) because they don’t actually drink human blood Ever since the Twilight series came out, more stories have been written involving friendly vampires. Even though vampires are usually thought of as mindless monsters, (and still are in some books) Twilight has set a trend for being more sympathetic towards vampires.
Vampire movies are the one medium that hasn’t been influenced by Twilight vampires. Except for the Twilight movie itself, vampire movies have always been, and will probably continue to be, horror films. I’m not trying to suggest a vampire as a good guy is a new idea. Marvel did it with Blade. (Of course he’s only half-vampire) Darren Shan did it with his Cirque du Freak series. It is, however, the first time vampires have been marketed to teenage girls.. But as I said, the movies haven’t changed too much. Vampires are still evil, and will continue to be.
One of Dracula’s biggest influences in fictional tales today is the three-act horror tale. Almost every horror story today (including, but not limited to From Dusk till Dawn, The Mist, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead, and countless other horror movies and books) contain the three act pattern. Act One: A mysterious threat is revealed. (i.e. people start dying mysteriously) Act Two: The mysterious force is revealed and the survivors group together and start figuring out how to fight it. Act Three: The survivors (which could range to as many as five or as few as one) meet up with the deadly force or forces, (which can range from zombies to vampires to serial killers) for an epic showdown. This is the one thing that ties every horror movie together. There are not many variations on this plot device, however, it is very widely used. The only large variation on this is how long each individual act is. For example, sometimes the first act can be one hour long and the last twenty minutes are the second and third acts, or sometimes the first act can be fifteen minutes long, and an hour and a half is spent on the second act while the third act is only five minutes.
It is amazing, looking back today, that this one book has had such a vast influence in entertainment today. Thanks to this one book, countless people have been inspired to write similar tales. Even Mary Shelly’s Frankenstien is not nearly as well known and influential as this horrific story.
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