The Popularity Of Vampire Movies

The Twilight Saga has made a huge profit at the box office, but in truth it is not much of a surprise as the world has actually always enjoyed vampire movies. Unbelievably one of the first ever films made, over a century ago, revolved around vampires, and since then there have been thousands that have followed in its footsteps. Before Edward Cullen became the world's most popular vampire, there was of course Dracula, the infamous Transylvanian Count. His story has been resurrected a number of times, many following Bram Stoker's novel, but other stories have also been created around the character to make other vampire movies. Of all those that stayed true to the story, perhaps Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation in 1992 is the truest. Starring the brilliant Gary Oldman as Dracula and Anthony Hopkins as his arch nemesis Van Helsing, it also starred Keanu Reeves and Wynona Ryder. The character of Dracula or Nosferatu, has been popular since he first appeared on screen in 1922, played by German actor Max Schreck. Since then the character, in many forms and guises, and even with a slightly different name, has shown up in no less than two hundred and fifty titles. In an ironic twist of fate, another German actor, Thomas Kretschmann, will play the role in 2012's Dracula 3D, exactly ninety years after Max Schreck first did it. Perhaps Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee are the two actors most famous for playing the role. Lugosi starred in the 1931 version, and his image on the poster remains one of cinema's most iconic images. British actor Christopher Lee, played the role in twelve different films, and has since gone on to star in more recent classic like the new Star Wars and of course in Lord of the Rings. He was obviously born to play Dracula, having been born in 1922, the first year the character appeared on screen. Old Dracula has also appeared in a number of comedies, like when George Hamilton appeared as the sex-mad Count in Love at First Bite, while Leslie Nielsen, of Naked Gun fame, took on the role in Dracula: Dead and Loving It. In 2012 comedian Adam Sandler will star as the Count in the eagerly anticipated Hotel Transylvania. It is not only the novels of Bram Stoker though that has inspired these tales. The Twilight Saga is of course also based on a series of books, written by novelist Stephanie Meyer. The books have been translated into many different languages, and she has sold way over one hundred million copies in just a few years, making her the biggest selling author worldwide in recent times. Another author who has inspired vampire movies, is Anne Rice. She has has also almost reached the one hundred million mark in book sales, and has written a number of series including the Vampire Chronicles. Two books from that series have been made into movies, The Queen of the Damned starring the late Aaliyah, and of course Interview with the Vampire, starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas. When it comes to vampires, if you are a fan, then movies will continue to please you. It does not matter if you prefer the romantic vampirism stories, the horrors, action or comedies, the characters are loved so much, there will always be films to keep you happy.

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