Deconstructing the Myth of the Romantic Vampire
Herzog’s Dracula is the most repulsive vampire since the original Nosferatu. Indeed, Klaus Kinski bears a remarkably similar appearance to that of Max Schrek from the original. Among the other things which F.W. Murnau’s vampire movie failed to transform into canonic aspects of the cinematic world of vampires is the ugly and alienating appearance of Dracula. That would come a few years later when Bela Lugosi arrived in Hollywood and the disturbing lack of romance which marks the vampire in the original Nosferatu seemed to be gone forever until Herzog came along. His Dracula is no smooth-talking European aristocrat; he is as ratlike as the many actual rates which also populate the film. The romance of the vampire myth was not completely destroyed by Herzog and Kinski, but it was the first great chip in the solid foundation.
Eternal Life Is Actually Worse Than an Early Death
Part of the romance of the vampire which built up over the release of too many films to count was the idea of living forever. Trapped for eternity at the age in which one joined the living dead, the idea was always what could be better than living forever while you still looked as good as you ever did. The reality, of course, (within the conceptualization of the myth) is that eternal life is a fate everyone eventually realizes is a drag. You outlive every you love and it just becomes a simple matter of time before the psychological downside outweighs the physical upside. Herzog’s vampire encapsulates this theme quite directly:
“Death is not the worst. There are things more horrible than death.”
Being a Vampire Is an Ugly Business
The vampire asserts that “the absence of love is the most abject pain.” But let’s say you find a way to get over the emotional toll of always watching the ones you live die. If that were possible, surely eternal life even as a vampire wouldn’t be worse than not living at all right? Herzog’s Dracula has a ready answer to that hypothesis:
“Can you imagine enduring centuries, experiencing each day the same futilities.”
Ever get into a rut for a few days to the point where you just want to scream and would literally do almost anything to break the drudgery and routine? Now imagine that rut lasts not days, not months, not years…but centuries. When the vampire complains that it is a terrible thing to literally be unable to grow old, it is clear he means it, man! But if he can’t grow old, then why does he look so gruesome? Did he look that way on the day he transformed into a vampire? Maybe so. Seems rather doubtful, however. So while maybe vampires don’t experience wrinkles, gray hair and loss of bladder control, it would seem from this particular bloodsucking freak that something happens over those long centuries of eternal life. And it doesn’t inspire romance and confidence.
