Kiss of the Vampire Flashcards
PRODUCT CONTEXT
- Produced by Hammer Film Productions and
distributed by J. Arthur Rank and Universal, Kiss
of the Vampire was intended to be the second
sequel to 1958’s Dracula, although the film’s
script actually makes no reference to Stoker’s
character. This is perhaps to distance itself
from unfavourable comparisons to the superior
Christopher Lee who starred in the original film. - In addition to Dracula, Hammer had, by
1963, success with other ‘monster movie’
franchises such as The Mummy and
Frankenstein. Distributers Universal also
saw early success with films in this genre. - Historically, 1963 saw the early stages of
‘Beatlemania’ and the so-called ‘swinging
sixties’, the assassination of JFK and the Soviet
Union launching the first woman into space.
Cultural context:
The 1960s audience for this advert could be
assumed to be familiar with the codes and
conventions of ‘monster movie’ film posters – such
as its composition, fonts and representations of
‘the monster’ and its (usually female) victims.
Consider codes and conventions, and how
media language influences meaning:
- The capitalised, serif font of the title
creates connotations linked to the vampire
film genre with its ‘wooden’ styling
(referencing the vampire’s coffin or the
stake needed to kill him perhaps) and the
blood dripping from the letter V’s ‘fang.’ - The use of a ‘painted’ main image is highly
conventional of films of the period and links
to the poster for Christopher Lee’s Dracula,
but the fact that it’s in colour (anchored by
the text “In Eastman Color”) connotes that
this is a modern telling of an older story. - The gloomy grey, black and brown colour
palette reinforces the film’s dark, scary
conventions while the red highlight colour draws
attention to the attacking bats, the vampire and
the blood – all key visual signifiers for the genre. - Conventionally, the stars are listed with the
more highly paid male actors first and in order
of fame, Clifford Evans having starred in
Hammer’s 1961 hit Curse of the Werewolf.
Consider theoretical perspectives
Semiotics – Roland Barthes
- Suspense is created through the enigmas
surrounding the connoted relationship between
the male and female vampires (emphasised
by the “kiss” of the title) and the fate of their
two victims (Barthes’ Hermeneutic Code). - Barthes’ Semantic Code could be applied
to images of the bats and their conventional
association with vampirism and horror in general. - The Symbolic Codes (Barthes) of horror,
darkness and fear are more widely reinforced
through signifiers such as the moon and the male
victim’s ‘submissive sacrifice’ gesture code.
Structuralism – Claude Lévi-Strauss
- The idea that texts are constructed through
the use of binary oppositions could be
applied to the opposing representations of the
vampires and their victims, and the romantic
connotations of “kiss” opposed in the film’s
title to the stereotypical “vampire” monster.
Political and social contexts:
The 1960s is often seen as the start of women’s
sexual liberation, aided by events such as the
introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1960. More
women than ever were entering the paid workforce
and sixties feminists were campaigning for equal
pay, an end to sexual harassment and more equality
between men and women in wider society. In
America, equal pay legislation was passed in 1963.
‘Older’ stereotypes of women as passive
victims of men and more modern ‘male fears’
of women challenging male dominance could
both be seen to be encoded in this film poster
Consider how representations are constructed
through processes of selection and combination:
- Both women wear pale dresses made of light
materials and these dress codes serve to
reinforce their femininity by highlighting the
curves of their bodies and revealing the flesh
of their upper chests and arms. - The gesture code of the woman on the left is
that of the stereotypical passive victim of
the ‘monster’, his power highlighted by the
fact that he’s holding her by just one arm. - Baring her teeth and with her arm
raisedalmost fist-like as she’s being bitten by
the bat, the second woman’s gesture codes
are more aggressive, and the submissive
pose of her male ‘victim’ (including being
on his knees with his head back and throat
exposed) represent her in a nonstereotypically dominant way - The vampire himself seems uncharacteristically
fearful in his gesture codes with his arm thrown
across his body in a defensive gesture, perhaps
protecting himself from the female vampire.
Stuart Hall’s theory of representation –
the images of a castle, bats, the vampire’s
cape and dripping blood form part of the
“shared conceptual road map” that give
meaning to the “world” of the poster. The
audience is actively encouraged to decode
this familiar generic iconography.
David Gauntlett’s theory of identity –
perhaps
the female vampire acts as a role model for
women struggling against male oppression
or desperate to be seen as the equals of men,
whatever the narrative or environment.
Liesbet Van Zoonen’s feminist theory
by assuming this ‘co-antagonist’ role, the
female vampire is perhaps contributing to
social change by representing women in nontraditional roles (Van Zoonen, 1989) though
the passive female victim does reinforce these
