Zmory, które straszą na jawie. Motyw dziecka w amerykańskim horrorze lat 80.

• Authors: Michał Wolski

Title variants

EN

INNOCENT MONSTERS. THE THEME OF IMMATURE VAMPIRES IN FILM

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

In modern culture ― especially in movies ― we can observe plenty of texts using the theme of a child, as well as the theme of a vampire. Popularity of the latter may be considered as temporary, but its effect on overall vampire myth is unquestionable. Vampires represent fear of death, they are incarnations of sin and guilt, unstoppable lust and eternal damnation. Children ― on the other side ― are largely considered as innocent, naïve, brilliant but unwise, they are also symbols of new beginning. Contamination of these two themes may bring an interesting effect, suprisingly ― as they may be considered as opposites ― immature vampires in film are not as common as they could be. There are only about 20 movies which use this theme and that is only a small percent of the overall number of movies about children or vampires. Immature vampires in film can be categorised in three groups. The first group contains children who actually became vampires, their childhood had been reshaped into eternal struggle as blood-drinking monsters. They also often struggle to change their vampiric condition or at least make it less monstrous. The second group contains vampires who are trapped in the bodies of children. They often suffer great pain and unrest, but also use their appearance to prey on human. Finally, the third group contains teenagers, people who are becoming vampires in order to manifest their rebel attitude before entering the adulthood. Many of them often turn back and become human again. The overall idea of immature vampire, however, is ― as Carl Gustav Jung said ― to constructively merge opposites.

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wroclawskiego
• Journal: Studia Filmoznawcze
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 33
• Pages: 71-86

Contributors

author

Michał Wolski