BU Intstudy 110 - Gender and Horror - Spring 2020

Netflix Dracula Series: Episode 1  Difference Between the book and movie In 1897, the novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker while in 2020 they released a Netflix series of Dracula shown at a different point of view. Dracula is a classic Gothic horror novel written by an Irish author.  The novel is written in a series of letters and diary entries from the characters within the book. The novel tells a story of Dracula going to England so that he can find new blood and spread a curse, with a battle between Dracula and a small group of individuals which is lead by Van Helsing. Throughout the book you get journal entries from Johnathan Harker as well as individuals, throughout the whole novel we get the point of view from Johnathan's perspective. Learning the perspectives of the characters that write letters you learn more information about others and what is happening around the others while Johnathan is stuck in the Castle (prison without looks). Difference Between Book ...

Penny Dreadful  is a British-American horror drama that is inspired by many classical thrillers in literature:  The Picture of Dorian Gray, Frankenstein, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,  but most importantly and most prevalently is Bram Stoker’s  Dracula.  The show takes place in 19 th  Century London but does occasionally change settings depending on the need per episode. The show still represents some of the key elements from the novel such as: toxic masculinity, female empowerments, and feminine destruction, while simultaneously progressing and expanding past heteronormativity. The three characters that parallel, yet also transcend past their original characters are Dracula, Ethan Chandler, and Vanessa Ives. image 1 While the show is introduced to characters that parallel the original novel’s, it isn’t until season 3 that we are introduced to the old vampire himself, Count Dracula, or as he’s known in the show, Dr. Sweets. Now Dr. S...

Dracula E 01 S01 "The Rules of the Beast" The series, "Dracula", created by Mark Gatiss, and Steven Moffat (2020). The first episode of the Netflix mini series, Dracula, starts the same way as the book. We see Johnathan Harker, a very familiar character to the viewer. We get the same story line for the beginning of this episode-- Harker is confronted by a woman telling him he will need a crucifix. We also see the scene where Dracula is driving Harker, however, Harker doesn't know he is the one that drove. We also get to know more about the process of WHY Dracula does what he does, we see that him drinking others' blood, and taking their souls allows him to appear younger. From the first episode, I did see, the creators did use a lot of Bram Stoker's story outlines, and ideas in this adaptation. He keeps some essential characters, such as, Mina Murray, and Johnathan Harker. But, one new addition the creators did to Stoker's character list...

Dracula on Netflix, Episode 1 Netflix vs. Stoker  By: Katie Bryson The series Dracula on Netflix follows the story line that was created by Bram Stoker, but it does have many add ons that puts a different perspective on the story. First, the Netflix series began the plot of the story with Jonathan Harker in a nun sanctuary where he looks very sick and/or unstable. It is portrayed to make it seem like Jonathan has gone out of his mind. The story continues with the nuns asking Jonathan about the journal entries he had written while he was "at Count's Castle." The nuns proceed to ask Jonathan if he had any encounters with Dracula, sexual or not. The Netflix series proceeds to Jonathan having flashbacks of when he was staying at Castle Dracula. Older Dracula (beginning of episode) In the Netflix series, it portrays the story as if what Jonathan went through was in the past. Compared to the book, it is primarily the writings from Jonathan Harker's jour...

                       Van Helsing (2004)                             Gender Roles Regarding Van Helsings Female Characters.                                                                       By: Nerymar Cruz R.               Overview of Van Helsing (2004)                                                                                             The main objectives in both Dracula by Bram Stoker...

Nosferatu the Vampyre Dracula by Bram Stoker is an unshakable and profound text. Count Dracula is constantly revisited with unending character depictions. Through copious amounts of adaptations, the character of Count Dracula differs (and can remain oddly stationary) from adaptation to adaptation. I personally have the ability to attest to one adaptation, in particular. I hope y'all are ready for one truly interesting depiction of Count Dracula! Figure #1: The promotional theatre poster for Nosferatu the Vampyre . https://www.amazon.com/Nosferatu- Vampyre-27-Movie-Poster/dp/B004AMWFNO Released on January 17th, 1979, Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre  accomplishes two distinct tasks: 1.) adapt Bram Stoker's iconic Dracula text, and 2.) remake F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu  film - which does not follow the Dracula storyline remotely. In this film, Jonathan and Lucy are the immediate couple; Mina is a one-dimensional character in the film, however she is marr...

Buffy Summers portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar Buffy vs. Dracula In this day and age, there are more movies and T.V. shows are showing a lot more females as the protagonist or the leading character in their own movie/T.V. show. However, we're not talking about what's happening now in 2020. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was ahead of its time, as it premiered in 1997 on The WB as a show with a female lead slaying monsters that creep in the night. Normally in movies, T.V. shows, and including literature that we read, it's usually a man or a group of men that fight the monsters or antagonists. But, that's not the only reason why the show is different. Not only Buffy is a female, but she is a 16 year old girl trying to live her life as normally as she can, as she tries to balance the life of being a high school student and a vampire slayer. Before I get more in dept, I do want to write about the similarities and differences between Bran Stoker's Dracula and ...

Dracula and Gender: Netflix vs. Stoker The Netflix Dracula (2020) The Show Vs. The Book In 2020, Netflix released a three-episode series based on the Bram Stoker novel, "Dracula," that shares the same name. When I was given this assignment, I was thrilled to compare this adaptation to the book. There are several similarities and amazingly beautiful differences that I am both pleased and concerned with. While they use the same character names and personalities, there are some apparent differences.  In the third episode, we see some of the original characters from the book return. The new Jack Seward, a young junior doctor, Lucy, the party girl, and Dracula, the vampire. However, some characters were a bit different from Stoker's adaptation. Dr. Van Helsing is portrayed as two female characters, Agatha, a nun, and Zoe, a scientist who wishes to study Dracula. Both are related by blood. Then there's Renfield. In the book, Renfield was a madman locked on Dr. Se...

Dracula on Netflix Episode 1 By: Rylee Simpson Over time Bram Stoker's novel Dracula has become a piece of literature known by people across the globe. With multiple adaptations in the form of books, television series, and movies, Dracula seems to be a classic story and character that never dies. When searching through an extensive adaptation line-up, there's classic Dracula movies and stories meant for both horror movie lovers and a Disney Dracula starring Mickey Mouse for younger audiences it seems there's a Dracula for people of all ages and tolerance to horror. But one adaptation of such a classic story that is more readily available to today's audiences is the Netflix series Dracula . Before watching the first episode of Dracula , I had no idea how different these versions of such a classic story could be so different.  By the time I was finished with the first episode, it had become evident how differently creators could add their touch to the...

                Dracula Sexuality In Original Book VS Netflix Series  Getting blood from someone else is seemed to be sexual activity in both the book and the show. This is why in the book Dracula seemed to take blood from females. The readers never got any hints or evidence of Dracula bitting any male characters. So it was hard to question his sexuality because the author made sure there weren't signs of homosexuality. The closest thing we got of Dracula stealing blood from a male was from the transfusion Lucy got but he got it through a female character still. In the Netflix series, a character goes and pops that question as soon as the first episode starts. Making the viewers think about it the whole time. Cause the first Victim of Draculas was Jonathan which is a male character. What made Dracula look gayer is how he was interacting with Jonathan. He would be too close to him and touch him intimately and passionately as we...

Stocker's Lucy VS Netflix's Lucy By Maura Sullivan Netflix Series: Dracula; Episode Three. Lucy Westerna.    When the club scene appeared on screen with a young female who looked like she was living life, I knew instantly that the young female was going to represent Lucy. Lydia West plays Lucy Westerna on Netflix's Original Series of Dracula. Right from the start you can tell the similarities of the two characters from each story even though they took place in completely different eras. Men seemed to adore them both, only difference is, the Lucy played by Lydia West, only cared about the mans money. In the book you can conclude that Lucy is carefree and would rather be doing what she wants than following the norm. In the episode, they clearly call out the slut shaming they did in the book towards Lucy when her and her friend are having a smoke. Lucy claims that she is young and she should be able to do whatever she wants.  Although in the book the Lucy's wer...

Buffy vs. Dracula           Buffy the Vampire Slayer  has challenged gender roles and stereotypes in its 7 seasons of being aired. In this particular episode: "Buffy vs. Dracula," one of the first scenes that is shown, depicts Buffy, the main character, playing football with her boyfriend, Riley. Riley says to Buffy, "You throw like a girl." to this comment, Buffy responds by throwing the football so hard, it knocks Riley onto the ground. This is a comment on gender stereotypes and how not all women are weak and frail. Later in the episode, you see Buffy fighting vampires in a graveyard, as she usually does. When Dracula appears, Buffy isn't the least bit winded from her tough battle, which proves that, to Buffy, the battle actually was not tough at all. As we see Buffy staking the vampires, it gives her dominance over the men she is killing. Through her penetration, she portrays herself as the "boss," which in other shows of the late 90's, ear...