The Ongoing Cycle of Modern Vampires Portrayed as Either Monstrously Scary or Incredibly Sexy

Dr. Emily Zarkaof thePBSseriesMonstrum looks at the ongoing cycle of how vampires are either portrayed as monstrously scary or incredibly sexy.

Vampires keep changing. One moment they're monstrous and terrifying, and the next they're attractive and brooding. And just when they settle into one form, they shift again. Sexy, scary. Sexy and scary. The cycle has played out for centuries, but why? Why can't we decide if vampires should be scary or sexy?

In 1819, John Polidori wrote the short story The Vampyre" which portrayed the titular character, Lord Ruthven as a sexy, wealthy, and very charming playboy. Ruthven is the origin of the sexy vampire.

His story established the aristocratic, seductive vampire archetype. The main vampire in the story, Lord Ruthven,is influential and eerily charming. He's a cold, calculating seducer who preys on young women by emotionally destroying them. He's a part of elite society, using charm and manipulation rather than brute force.

In 1897, Bram Stoker wrote his iconic novel Dracula. Stoker's vampire, Count Dracula", was terrifying, with shapeshifting powers and superhuman strength. The origin of the terrifying vampire.

This is how Stoker describes Count Dracula in his novel. His face was strong, his eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own perfusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy mustache, was fixed and rather cruel looking with peculiarly sharp white teeth".

Zarka feels that the specific environment determines the look and personality of vampires. How the audience sees itself determines where the cycle pauses.

I think right now we are in a scary era again. ...We are increasingly questioning our knowledge of the body itself, and how we can fight against nature by trying to live as long as possible, or be young-looking forever. The body of the undead forces us to confront the passage of time and the monstrous changes bodies can endure.