Kiss Of The Vampire

Question 1

Which production company produced KOTV?

Answer 1

Hammer films

Question 2

Who was KOTV distributed by?

Answer 2

Universal and J. Arthur Rank / Rank Organisation

Question 3

What is KOTV a sequel to?

Answer 3

Dracula in 1958

Question 4

When was KOTV released?

Answer 4

1963

Question 5

What are some historical contexts of the 1960s that could link to KOTV?

Answer 5

Doctor who, Marvel comics, Women’s Liberation movement and contraceptive pill on NHS (1961)

Question 6

Name 3 comparative study texts that link to KOTV, and say when they were released:

Answer 6

The curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Dracula (1958)
The Mummy (1959)

Question 7

How can Claudi Levi-Strauss’ structuralism theory (binary oppositions) be linked to KOTV?

Answer 7

Binary oppositions= romantic connotations of “kiss” opposed to stereotypical “vampire”

Question 8

In terms of codes and conventions, what don’t is used on the KOTV advertisement and what impact does this have?

Answer 8

Serif - capitalised, wooden = vampire genre connotations of coffin and stake

Question 9

What does the colour palette of the KOTV advert imply?

Answer 9

Greys, blacks and brown reinforce the films dark and scary conventions
Red draws attention to attacking bats and vampires link to blood

Question 10

How can Roland Barthes hermeneutic code theory link to the KOTV advertisement?

Answer 10

Suspense is created through enigmas to with relationships between female and male vampires
- “kiss”in the title and the fate of the victims

Question 11

What is an example of semantic codes in the KOTV advertisement?

Answer 11

Conventional association of bats with vampirism and horror

Question 12

How are symbolic codes of horror, darkness and fear reinforced in this advert?

Answer 12

The moon as a common signifier for the genre and gesture codes of the victims

Question 13

What are the stereotypes of the advert?

Answer 13

Older ideas that women are passive victims of men

Question 14

What are the dress codes in the advert?

Answer 14

Women’s pale dresses of light materials highlight curves of bodies and reveal flesh (chest) = vulnerability and sexualisation

Question 15

What is interesting about the gesture codes in this advert?

Answer 15

Both men and women are shown as dominant individuals

Question 16

How can Stuart Halls theory of representation be linked to this advert?

Answer 16

Generic iconography of horror is expected to be decoded by the audience, such as the images of the castle, bats etc

Question 17

What does iconography mean?

Answer 17

The visual images and symbols used in a work of art

Question 18

How could David Gauntlett’s theory of identity be linked to the KOTV advert?

Answer 18

Idea that the female vampire acts as a role model for women struggling against oppression

Question 19

What can the male victims gesture code be described as?

Answer 19

A ‘submissive sacrifice’ gesture code

Question 20

Name 3 key aims of the Women’s Liberation in the 1960s?

Answer 20

Equal pay
End to sexual harassment
Equality within society in general

Question 21

How’s does the gesture code of the female victim emphasis Male power?

Answer 21

Her passive victim gesture code highlights the male vampires power by the fact that he’s holding her with one arm

Question 22

How are the female vampires gesture codes unconventional?

Answer 22

She’s appears aggressive because she is bearing her teeth and has her arm raised with a fist (bc she’s being bitten by a bat)

Question 23

How is the female vampire represented in 3 words?

Answer 23

Non-stereotypically dominant way

Question 24

How do the males gesture codes represent him as uncharacteristically fearful?

Answer 24

His arm is thrown across his body in a defensive gesture, perhaps protecting himself from the female vampire