Based on a 19th century Gothic novella by Aleksey Tolstoy, The Vourdalak is the debut feature film from French writer-director Adrien Beau. It tells of the Marquis d'Urfé (Kacey Mottet Klein), an emissary of the King of France who seeks shelter with a family when he becomes lost travelling through Eastern Europe. The family are anxiously awaiting the return of their patriarch, Gorcha, who has gone to capture an outlaw. Before leaving, he forewarned his family that if he does not return within six days, he has been killed and, if he reappears, they must refuse him entry to the house as he has become a vourdalak; a walking corpse returned from the grave seeking the blood of its loved ones...
Prior to the rise of the literary vampire, beginning with Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, and John Polidori's The Vampyre, Eastern...
Prior to the rise of the literary vampire, beginning with Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, and John Polidori's The Vampyre, Eastern...
- 9/2/2023
- by James Gracey
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
John William Polidori was in the room with Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley when they issued the storytelling challenge that resulted in Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein. Polidori’s contribution to this challenge was the short story The Vampyre, published in 1819 – and Deadline reports that Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) has signed on to star in an adaptation of The Vampyre that’s called The Vampyre: Blood & Ink.
First-time writer Rosanna Hamlin is working with playwright Trisha Ward on the screenplay. The story begins with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers. Deadline notes that...
First-time writer Rosanna Hamlin is working with playwright Trisha Ward on the screenplay. The story begins with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers. Deadline notes that...
- 6/16/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
John William Polidori’s classic 1819 tale of The Vampyre is coming to the screen with upcoming movie The Vampyre: Blood & Ink, Deadline reports this week.
Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) will star in the film, which comes courtesy of Milky Way Media.
Frances Barber (Dreamland), Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) also star.
Rosanna Hamlin and Trisha Ward are writing the screenplay.
Deadline details, “The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure...
Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) will star in the film, which comes courtesy of Milky Way Media.
Frances Barber (Dreamland), Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) also star.
Rosanna Hamlin and Trisha Ward are writing the screenplay.
Deadline details, “The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure...
- 6/16/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: A feature adaptation of John William Polidori’s classic 19th-century gothic novel The Vampyre, one of the first English language novels to feature blood-sucking creatures, is in the works at Milky Way Media and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) and Derek Jacobi (Murder on the Orient Express) are attached to lead.
We understand production on the pic, titled The Vampyre: Blood & Ink, is set to begin later this year across the UK and Northern Italy. Director is currently under wraps, but the screenplay is by debut writer Rosanna Hamlin, and playwright and director, Trisha Ward (Nightshriek/The Two Wolves), who will both work with producers John Ward, John Dodds, and associate producer Jamie Bulman (The Two Wolves).
Frances Barber, Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) are also attached to the pic.
Written in 1819, Polidori’s The Vampyre precedes Bram Stoker’s Dracula by nearly a hundred years and holds wide significance within the gothic genre. The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers.
The film will also explore how Polidori is confronted with his own inner demons and forbidden desires by telling the story of how he becomes obsessed with his real-life contemporary, Lord George Byron, who becomes an allegory for the character he has created – Lord Ruthven. When these obsessions are revealed, Polidori descends into madness as his mind slowly merges with the fictional character of Aubrey.
“Polidori’s novel was the source material for many for of the vampire stories that we now know and love and that are so pivotal to centuries of gothic storytelling,” said Ward, Producer, and Co-Founder of Milky Way Media. “This is the origin story that preceded Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula – and it is time this original version was brought to the big screen. We’re eager to breathe new life into this iconic tale, with an incredible cast and the extraordinary writing talents of Rosie and Trisha.”
Hamlin added: “John Polidori is the father of vampiric literature as we know it and we have him to thank, for everything from Dracula to The Vampire Diaries. To date, he has been an overlooked pioneer of Gothic fiction, so it has been a pleasure to revisit this unparalleled novel and rediscover the timeless allure of the vampire mythos. This story is based around the balance of desire and darkness, love and horror, and the complexity of the mind.”...
We understand production on the pic, titled The Vampyre: Blood & Ink, is set to begin later this year across the UK and Northern Italy. Director is currently under wraps, but the screenplay is by debut writer Rosanna Hamlin, and playwright and director, Trisha Ward (Nightshriek/The Two Wolves), who will both work with producers John Ward, John Dodds, and associate producer Jamie Bulman (The Two Wolves).
Frances Barber, Amelia Gething, Amelia Clarkson, and Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso) are also attached to the pic.
Written in 1819, Polidori’s The Vampyre precedes Bram Stoker’s Dracula by nearly a hundred years and holds wide significance within the gothic genre. The Vampyre: Blood & Ink will depict Polidori’s dark account of the famed and mythical creatures. Pic will begin with Lord Ruthven, a mysterious and magnetic nobleman who captivates London society with his charismatic charm. Aubrey, a young Englishman, becomes infatuated with Ruthven and is drawn into a world of secrets and supernatural horror. As Aubrey uncovers the truth about Ruthven’s sinister nature, he finds himself trapped in a perilous battle against the allure of the vampire’s deadly powers.
The film will also explore how Polidori is confronted with his own inner demons and forbidden desires by telling the story of how he becomes obsessed with his real-life contemporary, Lord George Byron, who becomes an allegory for the character he has created – Lord Ruthven. When these obsessions are revealed, Polidori descends into madness as his mind slowly merges with the fictional character of Aubrey.
“Polidori’s novel was the source material for many for of the vampire stories that we now know and love and that are so pivotal to centuries of gothic storytelling,” said Ward, Producer, and Co-Founder of Milky Way Media. “This is the origin story that preceded Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula – and it is time this original version was brought to the big screen. We’re eager to breathe new life into this iconic tale, with an incredible cast and the extraordinary writing talents of Rosie and Trisha.”
Hamlin added: “John Polidori is the father of vampiric literature as we know it and we have him to thank, for everything from Dracula to The Vampire Diaries. To date, he has been an overlooked pioneer of Gothic fiction, so it has been a pleasure to revisit this unparalleled novel and rediscover the timeless allure of the vampire mythos. This story is based around the balance of desire and darkness, love and horror, and the complexity of the mind.”...
- 6/16/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Have you ever had a vacation so iconic that people are still talking about it over two centuries later? Mary Shelley sure did, with her infamous getaway alongside Percy Shelley, John Polidori, Claire Clairmont and their host Lord Byron resulting in some of the most influential genre fiction of all time. And while Byron’s Darkness and Polidori’s The Vampyre have their merits, it’s pretty clear that Frankenstein remains the most enduring product of that fateful literary holiday.
That’s why it’s no surprise that we’re still seeing fresh adaptations of The Modern Prometheus well into 2023, with Yorgo Lanthimos’ Frankenstein inspired Poor Things proving that there are still new ways of exploring the tragic horror of Shelley’s immortal yarn. And with so many great adaptations to choose from, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the best modern Frankenstein retellings for your viewing pleasure.
That’s why it’s no surprise that we’re still seeing fresh adaptations of The Modern Prometheus well into 2023, with Yorgo Lanthimos’ Frankenstein inspired Poor Things proving that there are still new ways of exploring the tragic horror of Shelley’s immortal yarn. And with so many great adaptations to choose from, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the best modern Frankenstein retellings for your viewing pleasure.
- 6/9/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
More than two centuries after the publication of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley's powerful prose still resonates with readers and helped lay the foundation for science fiction as we know it, making her the perfect subject for one of the five historical fiction biographies being released digitally in English for the first time from Comixology Originals and Italian publisher Becco Giallo.
Titled Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream, the graphic novel is written by Alessandro Di Virgilio and features artwork by Manuela Santoni, and ahead of its March 28th release, we've been provided with exclusive preview pages to share with Daily Dead readers!
Below, you can check out our exclusive preview from Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream, as well as the official press release with additional details on all five historical fiction biographies coming out digitally as part of Amazon's Comixology Originals. To learn more about Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream,...
Titled Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream, the graphic novel is written by Alessandro Di Virgilio and features artwork by Manuela Santoni, and ahead of its March 28th release, we've been provided with exclusive preview pages to share with Daily Dead readers!
Below, you can check out our exclusive preview from Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream, as well as the official press release with additional details on all five historical fiction biographies coming out digitally as part of Amazon's Comixology Originals. To learn more about Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The Frog Brothers’ street cred echoes way uptown as Netflix offers up its after-hours, after-school Halloween special treat: Vampires vs. The Bronx. Think of it as Get Out for tweens as the real bloodsuckers in this Bronx tale are the real estate developers looking to gentrify the Concourse. They even dress like landed gentry. “The Murnau guys are chewing up the neighborhood,” street proud Miguel (Jaden Michael) warns his crew. The Murnau real estate firm doesn’t even try to hide it, they have a Vlad the Impaler face on their logo.
Miguel is known as Lil Mayor in the reluctantly transitional neighborhood. He is on a mission to save Tony’s bodega, where he basically grew up. He is the de facto leader of a gang which consists of his two best friends. Bobby (Gerald W. Jones III) just got kicked out of school for fighting, and the local...
Miguel is known as Lil Mayor in the reluctantly transitional neighborhood. He is on a mission to save Tony’s bodega, where he basically grew up. He is the de facto leader of a gang which consists of his two best friends. Bobby (Gerald W. Jones III) just got kicked out of school for fighting, and the local...
- 10/2/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Review by Peter Belsito
A teenage woman is trapped by the restrictions of her position in a male dominated society. The torrid true-life tale of how a passionate love affair fueled the creation of trailblazing writer Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterwork, Frankenstein.
Elle Fanning stars as Mary Shelley.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).
Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin. The film passes through the following — mostly traumatic episodes — of her busy, short life.
Elle Fanning is superb. It focuses on the relationship with Shelley and the visit to the peculiar home of Lord Byron.
Her life is worth knowing a bit. After her mother’s death — the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft — less than a month after her daughter Mary was born, Mary was raised by Godwin,...
A teenage woman is trapped by the restrictions of her position in a male dominated society. The torrid true-life tale of how a passionate love affair fueled the creation of trailblazing writer Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterwork, Frankenstein.
Elle Fanning stars as Mary Shelley.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818).
Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin. The film passes through the following — mostly traumatic episodes — of her busy, short life.
Elle Fanning is superb. It focuses on the relationship with Shelley and the visit to the peculiar home of Lord Byron.
Her life is worth knowing a bit. After her mother’s death — the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft — less than a month after her daughter Mary was born, Mary was raised by Godwin,...
- 5/6/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Mary Shelly's classic novel Frankenstein has fascinated people for years. It's amazing to see all of the stories and films that her novel has inspired over the years. It's a legendary tale that people will always have an interest in. Mary Shelly created something incredible that will live on forever, and now there's a movie that will tell her story.
The film is called Mary Shelly, and Elle Fanning takes on the title role. I've always thought that Fanning is a very talented actress, but this first trailer that has been released for the film fell a little flat for me. It seems like a dry film but I'm still curious about checking it out. Here's the synopsis:
Mary Wollstonecraft’s family disapproves when she and poet Percy Shelley announce their love for each other. The family is horrified when it finds that the couple has eloped, accompanied by Mary’s half-sister,...
The film is called Mary Shelly, and Elle Fanning takes on the title role. I've always thought that Fanning is a very talented actress, but this first trailer that has been released for the film fell a little flat for me. It seems like a dry film but I'm still curious about checking it out. Here's the synopsis:
Mary Wollstonecraft’s family disapproves when she and poet Percy Shelley announce their love for each other. The family is horrified when it finds that the couple has eloped, accompanied by Mary’s half-sister,...
- 4/13/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Matthew Byrd Oct 24, 2018
The making of Castlevania is the story of a game 90 years in the making.
We don't know what the weather was like in the U.K. on May 26, 1897. A romantic individual, however, might say that all throughout the nation, it was a dark and stormy night. This was the day a man named Bram Stoker, a business manager for the popular Lyceum Theater, finally published the book that would turn him into a horror legend.
On May 1, 1987, almost 90 years to the day of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Konami released Castlevania in North America. The developer's timing was as deliberate as the game design. After all, Castlevania was meant to pay homage to Dracula and the popular horror universe the book had cultivated since its initial release.
That same romantic individual from earlier might tell you that the release of Castlevania symbolized the passing of a torch.
The making of Castlevania is the story of a game 90 years in the making.
We don't know what the weather was like in the U.K. on May 26, 1897. A romantic individual, however, might say that all throughout the nation, it was a dark and stormy night. This was the day a man named Bram Stoker, a business manager for the popular Lyceum Theater, finally published the book that would turn him into a horror legend.
On May 1, 1987, almost 90 years to the day of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Konami released Castlevania in North America. The developer's timing was as deliberate as the game design. After all, Castlevania was meant to pay homage to Dracula and the popular horror universe the book had cultivated since its initial release.
That same romantic individual from earlier might tell you that the release of Castlevania symbolized the passing of a torch.
- 9/22/2016
- Den of Geek
Matthew Byrd Sep 26, 2018
The making of Castlevania is the story of a game 90 years in the making.
We don't know what the weather was like in the U.K. on May 26, 1897. A romantic individual, however, might say that all throughout the nation, it was a dark and stormy night. This was the day a man named Bram Stoker, a business manager for the popular Lyceum Theater, finally published the book that would turn him into a horror legend.
On May 1, 1987, almost 90 years to the day of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Konami released Castlevania in North America. The developer's timing was as deliberate as the game design. After all, Castlevania was meant to pay homage to Dracula and the popular horror universe the book had cultivated since its initial release.
That same romantic individual from earlier might tell you that the release of Castlevania symbolized the passing of a torch.
The making of Castlevania is the story of a game 90 years in the making.
We don't know what the weather was like in the U.K. on May 26, 1897. A romantic individual, however, might say that all throughout the nation, it was a dark and stormy night. This was the day a man named Bram Stoker, a business manager for the popular Lyceum Theater, finally published the book that would turn him into a horror legend.
On May 1, 1987, almost 90 years to the day of the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Konami released Castlevania in North America. The developer's timing was as deliberate as the game design. After all, Castlevania was meant to pay homage to Dracula and the popular horror universe the book had cultivated since its initial release.
That same romantic individual from earlier might tell you that the release of Castlevania symbolized the passing of a torch.
- 9/22/2016
- Den of Geek
The legend goes that back in the 1800’s, author Mary Shelley was traveling with her future husband, Percy Shelley, in Europe; and they, along with fellow writers Lord Byron and John Polidori, decided to have a competition to see who… Continue Reading →
The post Celebrate the Dream that Sparked Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 200 Years Ago appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Celebrate the Dream that Sparked Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 200 Years Ago appeared first on Dread Central.
- 6/16/2016
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
The Frankenstein Monster is arguably the greatest monster in all fiction. There have been a few genuinely excellent films made about him, but all too many of them are pretty bad. While the latest attempt in Victor Frankenstein falls flat, Cinelinx looks at the film history of Frankenstein to see which of them worked and which of them didn’t.
The Frankenstein Monster was the invention of 18 year old Mary Shelly (wife of poet Percy Shelly) who was vacationing in Switzerland with her husband, their close friend Lord Byron and John Polidori. Incessant rain left them housebound and reading ghost stories to each other. This led to a challenge from Byron, daring them all to create the scariest story ever told. Mary Shelly seemed outclassed by her literary companions until she heard legends of a crazy scientist named Conrad Dipple who performed illegal experiments using parts of dead bodies and electricity.
The Frankenstein Monster was the invention of 18 year old Mary Shelly (wife of poet Percy Shelly) who was vacationing in Switzerland with her husband, their close friend Lord Byron and John Polidori. Incessant rain left them housebound and reading ghost stories to each other. This led to a challenge from Byron, daring them all to create the scariest story ever told. Mary Shelly seemed outclassed by her literary companions until she heard legends of a crazy scientist named Conrad Dipple who performed illegal experiments using parts of dead bodies and electricity.
- 11/28/2015
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Rob Young)
- Cinelinx
From thrillers to sci-fi to horror, here's our pick of 20 films from 1986 that surely deserve a bit more love...
A fascinating year for film, 1986. It was a time when a glossy, expensive movie about handsome men in planes could dominate the box-office, sure (that would be Top Gun). But it was also a year when Oliver Stone went off with just $6m and came back with Platoon, one of the biggest hits of the year both financially and in terms of accolades. It was also a period when the British movie industry was briefly back on its feet, resulting in a new golden age of great films - one or two of them are even on this list.
As ever, there were certain films that, despite their entertainment value or genuine brilliance in terms of movie making, somehow managed to slip through the net. So to redress the balance a little,...
A fascinating year for film, 1986. It was a time when a glossy, expensive movie about handsome men in planes could dominate the box-office, sure (that would be Top Gun). But it was also a year when Oliver Stone went off with just $6m and came back with Platoon, one of the biggest hits of the year both financially and in terms of accolades. It was also a period when the British movie industry was briefly back on its feet, resulting in a new golden age of great films - one or two of them are even on this list.
As ever, there were certain films that, despite their entertainment value or genuine brilliance in terms of movie making, somehow managed to slip through the net. So to redress the balance a little,...
- 8/26/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
On Monday's (July 21) Television Critics Association press tour panel for "The Strain," Guillermo del Toro was asked about Bleak House, the supplementary residence he purchased to serve as a museum of sorts for his vast collection of toys, props, books and memorabilia mostly relating to his beloved horror, fantasy and sci-fi genres. "Well, I have the same restraint collecting that I have eating," del Toro cracked. The "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Blade II" director has always enjoyed joking about his appetites, which extend beyond eating and collecting into intellectual and conversational realms as well. If, for example, you want to talk fairy tales with del Toro, you have to be prepared to discuss varied international histories for certain stories, while bringing in Bruno Bettelheim as well. Last week, I posted a brief-ish report from a day on the set of del Toro's "Crimson Peak," just a sampling from the nearly two...
- 7/23/2014
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
As Penny Dreadful's superb first season reaches its close, Becky traces the literary origins of its monsters...
Feature
In the final episode of John Logan’s exceptional Penny Dreadful, Frankenstein’s Creature, here named Caliban, declares that ‘the monster is not in my face, but in my soul’. The concept of the monster is a key theme across the show’s narrative as each character not only wrestles with vampiric monstrosities, but also their own personal demons. In doing so, the show skilfully combines the concerns of the nineteenth century literature from which it draws its inspiration, but also the fascination with monsters of its twenty-first century audience.
One of the most interesting aspects of Penny Dreadful is how it has used various themes from the literature on which it is based to plumb the depths of its characters, both those from the novels and those invented for the show.
Feature
In the final episode of John Logan’s exceptional Penny Dreadful, Frankenstein’s Creature, here named Caliban, declares that ‘the monster is not in my face, but in my soul’. The concept of the monster is a key theme across the show’s narrative as each character not only wrestles with vampiric monstrosities, but also their own personal demons. In doing so, the show skilfully combines the concerns of the nineteenth century literature from which it draws its inspiration, but also the fascination with monsters of its twenty-first century audience.
One of the most interesting aspects of Penny Dreadful is how it has used various themes from the literature on which it is based to plumb the depths of its characters, both those from the novels and those invented for the show.
- 7/10/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Gothic
Written by Stephen Volk
Directed by Ken Russell
UK, 1986
Natasha Richardson (in her leading role debut) plays Mary Godwin, later Mary Shelley, in Ken Russell’s fictionalised take on the inception of both her classic novel Frankenstein and John Polidori’s The Vampyre. It is based on the Shelleys’ visit with Lord Byron at Villa Diodati, on the shores of Lake Geneva, where there was a famous challenge among the collected guests to write a horror story; this event was notably portrayed on film in the opening of James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein. Befitting of his stylistic trademarks, Russell’s version of events is a demented concoction of sex, hysteria, fear and hallucinatory dreamscapes.
One summer evening in 1816, Percy Shelley (Julian Sands) and Mary arrive by boat at the lakeside estate of Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), with Mary’s cousin Claire (Miriam Cyr) in tow, who is...
Written by Stephen Volk
Directed by Ken Russell
UK, 1986
Natasha Richardson (in her leading role debut) plays Mary Godwin, later Mary Shelley, in Ken Russell’s fictionalised take on the inception of both her classic novel Frankenstein and John Polidori’s The Vampyre. It is based on the Shelleys’ visit with Lord Byron at Villa Diodati, on the shores of Lake Geneva, where there was a famous challenge among the collected guests to write a horror story; this event was notably portrayed on film in the opening of James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein. Befitting of his stylistic trademarks, Russell’s version of events is a demented concoction of sex, hysteria, fear and hallucinatory dreamscapes.
One summer evening in 1816, Percy Shelley (Julian Sands) and Mary arrive by boat at the lakeside estate of Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), with Mary’s cousin Claire (Miriam Cyr) in tow, who is...
- 10/5/2012
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
The Sydney Morning Herald has a rather fascinating story about the exact type of rather dysfunctional hero that Edward Cullen really is. The author that the article is written about sees Edward as a type of “Byronic hero”, a type that both exactly fits him, and yet doesn’t quite fit right him either. Interestingly enough, one of the very first vampire stories was based on the real Lord Byron – where we get the term “Byronic hero”. Keep an open mind and check out the article below:
The collective name for these literary bad boys is “Byronic heroes”. Named after Lord Byron, they are, in the famous words of one of his lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, “mad, bad and dangerous to know”. The real Lord Byron, it turns out, was the inspiration for one of the first vampires to appear in English literature. One of Byron’s acquaintances, John Polidori, based Lord Ruthven, the main character in his 1819 short story The Vampyre, on Byron.
Viewed in this light, Edward is about as close to the original Byronic hero as you can get. Natalie Wilson, author of Seduced by Twilight: The Allure and Contradictory Messages of the Popular Saga, agrees, up to a point. Edward, she says, differs from the traditional Byronic hero in a number of important respects.
“Many Byronic heroes revel in being bad. Edward hates himself for his ‘badness’ and the danger he poses to Bella,” she says. “He has a lot more angst than a typical Byronic hero and he genuinely tries to protect Bella-something Byronic heroes don’t normally do for their leading ladies. Granted, his ‘protection’ results in him controlling Bella but his domination comes from the desire to protect her, not harm her.”
Wilson continues: “And, significantly, he wants to protect her humanity and particularly her virginity. Traditional Byronic heroes were not so chaste but actively tried to turn their leading ladies into ‘fallen women’. ”
Stories featuring Byronic heroes usually end in tragedy but although Edward is good-looking and dangerous and disregards social norms, Edward and Bella’s story ends in wedded bliss. Judged against that standard, Edward starts to look like the best of a rotten bunch. Sure, he may be a homicidal blood-sucking bad boy but at least he’s a self-aware homicidal blood-sucking bad boy
Read the full, very interesting article at The Sydney Morning Herald here.
“Sure, he may be a homicidal blood-sucking bad boy but at least he’s a self-aware homicidal blood-sucking bad boy.” I’m laughing so hard at this, like darn near rolling on the floor laughing! That’s one of those quotable quotes that could live forever. So sure, you could get all angry about this view of Edward, but unlike common haters, this person has done their homework.
What do you think of this view of Edward? It does sound a little bit like Jacob really, doesn’t it?
hanks Noor!)...
The collective name for these literary bad boys is “Byronic heroes”. Named after Lord Byron, they are, in the famous words of one of his lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, “mad, bad and dangerous to know”. The real Lord Byron, it turns out, was the inspiration for one of the first vampires to appear in English literature. One of Byron’s acquaintances, John Polidori, based Lord Ruthven, the main character in his 1819 short story The Vampyre, on Byron.
Viewed in this light, Edward is about as close to the original Byronic hero as you can get. Natalie Wilson, author of Seduced by Twilight: The Allure and Contradictory Messages of the Popular Saga, agrees, up to a point. Edward, she says, differs from the traditional Byronic hero in a number of important respects.
“Many Byronic heroes revel in being bad. Edward hates himself for his ‘badness’ and the danger he poses to Bella,” she says. “He has a lot more angst than a typical Byronic hero and he genuinely tries to protect Bella-something Byronic heroes don’t normally do for their leading ladies. Granted, his ‘protection’ results in him controlling Bella but his domination comes from the desire to protect her, not harm her.”
Wilson continues: “And, significantly, he wants to protect her humanity and particularly her virginity. Traditional Byronic heroes were not so chaste but actively tried to turn their leading ladies into ‘fallen women’. ”
Stories featuring Byronic heroes usually end in tragedy but although Edward is good-looking and dangerous and disregards social norms, Edward and Bella’s story ends in wedded bliss. Judged against that standard, Edward starts to look like the best of a rotten bunch. Sure, he may be a homicidal blood-sucking bad boy but at least he’s a self-aware homicidal blood-sucking bad boy
Read the full, very interesting article at The Sydney Morning Herald here.
“Sure, he may be a homicidal blood-sucking bad boy but at least he’s a self-aware homicidal blood-sucking bad boy.” I’m laughing so hard at this, like darn near rolling on the floor laughing! That’s one of those quotable quotes that could live forever. So sure, you could get all angry about this view of Edward, but unlike common haters, this person has done their homework.
What do you think of this view of Edward? It does sound a little bit like Jacob really, doesn’t it?
hanks Noor!)...
- 10/10/2011
- by Evie
- twilightersanonymous.com
There are various Frankenstein movies currently at some stage of development (one by Guillermo Del Toro; one at Lakeshore; one at Sony; one at Slasher Films...) but there's always room for one more, especially when it's based on an excellent novel by Peter Ackroyd. Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert's Ghost House Pictures have snatched The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein, with a screenplay by Proof writer David Auburn.The central conceit of Ackroyd's book is that young Frankenstein attended University College, Oxford with a certain Percy Bysshe Shelley. Sharing an interest with the poet in the "new science" and its implications regarding religion, God and the existence of the soul, Frankenstein begins experimenting with human reanimation, with a certain amount of Burke-and-Hare-like bodysnatching necessary until the perfect specimen arrives, floating down the Thames in a rowing boat...It's a witty philosophical / historical / horror story that also involves the resurrectionist Doomsday Men,...
- 5/24/2011
- EmpireOnline
Hollywood has repeatedly peddled the apocalyptic threat from aliens, machines, comets, viruses and zombies, but who was watching the vampires?
Never exactly absent from the entertainment scene, those eternal bloodsuckers lately have infiltrated everything from big screens and little screens to bookstore shelves, clothing racks, download services, video games and video, record and jewelry stores.
Just this week, the Fox/New Regency "Twilight" parody "Vampires Suck" grossed $20 million, and 5 million regular viewers are rabidly following HBO's newest hit, "True Blood," as it swoops toward its season 3 finale Sept. 12. Meanwhile, Justin Cronin's "The Passage," Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn" and Charlaine Harris' "Dead and Gone" hover on best-seller lists.
These charming, deadly immortals are everywhere. And as a result, they're spilling as much green as red -- about $7 billion since the "Twilight" film franchise bowed less than two years ago, according to THR estimates.
What started with some ancient,...
Never exactly absent from the entertainment scene, those eternal bloodsuckers lately have infiltrated everything from big screens and little screens to bookstore shelves, clothing racks, download services, video games and video, record and jewelry stores.
Just this week, the Fox/New Regency "Twilight" parody "Vampires Suck" grossed $20 million, and 5 million regular viewers are rabidly following HBO's newest hit, "True Blood," as it swoops toward its season 3 finale Sept. 12. Meanwhile, Justin Cronin's "The Passage," Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn" and Charlaine Harris' "Dead and Gone" hover on best-seller lists.
These charming, deadly immortals are everywhere. And as a result, they're spilling as much green as red -- about $7 billion since the "Twilight" film franchise bowed less than two years ago, according to THR estimates.
What started with some ancient,...
- 8/25/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez and Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stephen Volk has written for television and film for over twenty years. His debut script formed the basis of Gothic, a typically outré work from Ken Russell and based upon the infamous night at the Villa Diodati where Byron, John Polidori, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley entertained each other with ghost stories. In 1989, Volk went off to Hollywood and worked with William Friedkin on The Guardian.
However it was 1992’s television drama, Ghostwatch, which cemented his reputation and entered history as one of the legendary moments of British television. The BBC drama was presented as a live broadcast and featured several high profile t.v. presenters including Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene. Based on the famous case of the Enfield Poltergeist, the public reaction was vitriolic (to say the least), with many believing the show to be real and that presenter Sarah Greene had really been attacked and locked in...
However it was 1992’s television drama, Ghostwatch, which cemented his reputation and entered history as one of the legendary moments of British television. The BBC drama was presented as a live broadcast and featured several high profile t.v. presenters including Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene. Based on the famous case of the Enfield Poltergeist, the public reaction was vitriolic (to say the least), with many believing the show to be real and that presenter Sarah Greene had really been attacked and locked in...
- 5/24/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
A Gothic Weekend of Hallucinations
Last night, I was circling a local used video store for some long forgotten haunts when I happened upon Gothic . I remembered seeing this cover on the store shelves when I was young and my mom not letting me rent it because the cover art featured what looked like a naked midget squatting over a half-naked chick. She was determined it was some lurid, disturbing sex fest. So, now well into my 20’s, I grabbed it a truly teen-angsty way and headed home to enjoy my forbidden fruit. My mom’s assessment of the film was not that far off.
I knew little about this film aside from the fact that it was supposed to be a “version” of how Mary Shelley came to write the epic horror story Frankenstein. For those of you who feel asleep in high school English class, Mary Shelley, her husband /poet Percy Shelley,...
Last night, I was circling a local used video store for some long forgotten haunts when I happened upon Gothic . I remembered seeing this cover on the store shelves when I was young and my mom not letting me rent it because the cover art featured what looked like a naked midget squatting over a half-naked chick. She was determined it was some lurid, disturbing sex fest. So, now well into my 20’s, I grabbed it a truly teen-angsty way and headed home to enjoy my forbidden fruit. My mom’s assessment of the film was not that far off.
I knew little about this film aside from the fact that it was supposed to be a “version” of how Mary Shelley came to write the epic horror story Frankenstein. For those of you who feel asleep in high school English class, Mary Shelley, her husband /poet Percy Shelley,...
- 12/11/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Rebekah McKendry)
- Fangoria
The vampire has been a key figure in folklore, literature, television and cinema. Its popularity, at present, has never been so high. It is easy to see the appeal: immortality and sex. Since death is the fate that awaits us all, a creature that we invent and imbue with an indeterminate lifespan, captivates the collective imagination like no other. Due to sexual liberalism and relaxed censorship of the 1960s, the erotic sensibilities inherent in the mythology were allowed to fruition in cinema. What once was implied, could now be shown in all its sexy glory (see the films of Jean Rollin). Gothic horror and romanticism may be the classic home of the vampire, but in cinema, they have found a new place to spread wider-reaching nightmares.
In recent times, the everlasting monster has been tamed. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga saw them turn into something akin to vegetarians and teen heart-throbs,...
In recent times, the everlasting monster has been tamed. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga saw them turn into something akin to vegetarians and teen heart-throbs,...
- 11/11/2009
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
It's not a myth. They are among us -- in book stores, on movie screens, TV sets and billboards, in graphic novels and video games all across the land. The vampire genre has been with us since Dr. John Polidori's 1819 The Vampyre, followed by Bram Stoker's 1897 neck-biter, through the silent screen's Nosferatu (1922), the Bela Lugosi movies from the 1930s and '40s, Hammer Horror films ('50s and '60s,) TV's Dark Shadows (1966-1971), Anne Rice's best seller Interview with a Vampire (1976), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer series (1997-2001). While each had singular popularity, vampires' fictional presence has never been greater than it is today. Stephanie Meyer is the current queen of vamp-lit with a reported 70 million copies of the Twilight series sold, followed by the super-hit Twilight movie. Tanya Huff, Charlie Huston, Rosemary Laurey and Drew Silver...
- 9/10/2009
- by Tom Alderman
- Huffington Post
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