The Euro-Vampire

This chapter surveys European vampire films made between 1957 and 1979. It presents an overview of key films of this period, recognizing the dominance of female vampires as embodiments of the conflicting attitudes about changing gender roles occurring during this time. It also investigates the crossover between representations of the female vampire and the witch and the influence of folktales from Eastern Europe. The chapter explores how this focus on female representation leads to more explicit explorations of female sexuality and lesbian romance. The chapter also considers adaptations of Dracula and the influence of Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922), exploring how these texts are used as vehicles to examine the effects of recent historical events and the rapid process of modernization and post-War capitalism.