Draculas, Vampires, and Other Undead Forms: Essays on Gender, Race and Culture

by John Edgar Browning, Caroline Joan S. Picart

Since the publication of Dracula in 1897, Bram Stoker's original creation has been a source of inspiration for artists, writers, and filmmakers. From Universal's early black-and-white films and Hammer's Technicolor representations that followed, iterations of Dracula have been cemented in mainstream cinema. This anthology investigates and explores the far larger body of work coming from sources beyond mainstream cinema reinventing Dracula.

Draculas, Vampires and Other Undead Forms assembles provocative essays that examine Dracula films and their movement across borders of nationality, sexuality, ethnicity, gender, and genre since the 1920s. The essays analyze the complexity Dracula embodies outside the conventional landscape of films with which the vampire is typically associated. Focusing on Dracula and Dracula-type characters in film, anime, and literature from predominantly non-Anglo markets, this anthology offers unique perspectives that seek to ground depictions and experiences of Dracula within a larger political, historical, and cultural framework.

Genres: Nonfiction, Vampires, Horror, Cultural

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

A recognized international authority on the horror genre, vampires, and Monster Theory, John Edgar Browning (Ph.D., SUNY-Buffalo) has appeared as an expert guest on documentary TV and radio programs like National Geographic's Taboo USA (2013), Discovery Channel's William Shatner's Weird or What? (2010), AMC Visionaries: Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018), Ripley's Believe It or Notcast (2019), BBC Radio, and History Channel's The UnXplained (2020) hosted by William Shatner. A university educator for the last 15 years, he is now Professor of Liberal Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta campus).

Browning has contracted or published seventeen academic and popular trade books and over 80 articles, chapters, and reviews on subjects that cluster around Cultural Studies, critical media literacy, Dracula, vampires, zombies, horror, monstrosity, Bram Stoker, and the Gothic. His research and scholarship have earned him international respect from his peers, as well as media coverage from over 150 news outlets in over 40 countries, including venues like the BBC and BBC Radio, The Washington Post, El Huffington Post (Spain), TIME, Variety, VICE (Broadly), Hack Circus, Discover Magazine’s “It's Only Science” podcast, New York Daily News, The Guardian (US Edition), Fusion, ABC News (Australia), The Daily Telegraph (Australia), Smithsonian.com, The Indian Express, Medical Daily, The Express Tribune (Pakistan), Louisiana Cultural Vistas (Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities), VT. (Viral Thread), Live Science, Bloody Disgusting, and many others.

Reviews

[Kayleigh Marie Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of essays that deal with a range of topics that discuss the 'other'. Very useful if you're writing an essay or paper on this subject, and an interesting read.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una excelente compilación de ensayos traídos a nosotros por J.E. Browning. El protagonista de estos textos, El Vampiro, visto desde la perspectiva histórica, geográfica y cultural.
Una compilación de textos idónea para aquellos fascinados por la historia del vampiro y su (re)presentación y (re)uso a lo largo de las épocas, los países y los medios.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

More interesting than not. There were still a few essays that while perhaps not "boring" were still over my head I think. Overall I enjoyed most of the essays a lot.