I kind of think the modern zombies represent our common fear of contagion--just look at how the whole world loses their shit over the H1N1. They also represent our fear of losing ourselves: the longer the average lifespan gets, the more likely it is that we will all reach an age where we will start to lose control of our faculties.
Frankenstein is actually part of a whole suite of stories that were written by various authors as a result of the (at that time very common) fear of dissection and grave-robbing. Also included: Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," Stevenson's "The Body-Snatcher."
Dracula, meanwhile, showcases the Victorian fear/exotification of foreigners. Dracula is not sexy: he's gross and his ways are strange, his command of the English language often tenuous. His greatest desire is to come to England, where he will accumulate wealth and steal your wife. I think a modern parallel of Dracula would be the movie Gremlins.
The new vampire is definitely a completely different sort of thing--they are sexy and sensitive and there is always the possibility that you might be able to 'fix' them.
I'm pulling for mummies as the next Big Scary Thing, but somehow I don't think anyone is going to make that happen. ;)
Did I mention my thesis was on horror fiction?
I kind of think the modern zombies represent our common fear of contagion--just look at how the whole world loses their shit over the H1N1. They also represent our fear of losing ourselves: the longer the average lifespan gets, the more likely it is that we will all reach an age where we will start to lose control of our faculties.
Frankenstein is actually part of a whole suite of stories that were written by various authors as a result of the (at that time very common) fear of dissection and grave-robbing. Also included: Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," Stevenson's "The Body-Snatcher."
Dracula, meanwhile, showcases the Victorian fear/exotification of foreigners. Dracula is not sexy: he's gross and his ways are strange, his command of the English language often tenuous. His greatest desire is to come to England, where he will accumulate wealth and steal your wife. I think a modern parallel of Dracula would be the movie Gremlins.
The new vampire is definitely a completely different sort of thing--they are sexy and sensitive and there is always the possibility that you might be able to 'fix' them.
I'm pulling for mummies as the next Big Scary Thing, but somehow I don't think anyone is going to make that happen. ;)