This OG Vampire Scared the Dickens Out of Readers 200 Years before Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu

'Tis the season to be ... bloodsucking. Reviews already suggest that director Robert Eggers’ upcoming remake of Nosferatu is terrifying and on par with his previous three acclaimed films. In homage to all things vampire, fans should give credit where its due to the original fanged menace. And no, it’s not Bram Stoker’s Dracula or even the lesser known Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. It’s actually Lord Ruthven from John William Polidori’s 1819 novella, The Vampyre (which may have been written in equal parts tribute and spite to Lord Byron). Ruthven can be considered the archetype of the vampire figure that has frightened book and cinema fans for two centuries. The curious and fright-fanatic alike should take a deep dive into this obscure book of the horror canon. All the classic tropes that have defined the vampire genre can be found in it. In anticipation of Eggers' entry into this niche, it might be worth exploring the source material to prepare for the frights he has in store. Bringing cloves of garlic with you would be advised.

The Vampyre was Published in 1819 and Ushered in Two Centuries of Monsters

John William Polidori worked for Lord Byron and kept company with other gothic writers such as Mary Godwin Shelley. In fact, the inspiration for his Vampyre stemmed from a story Lord Byron apparently told at a contest that Shelley ended up winning. She took the prize with a book some folks may have heard of: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Even though it took almost 80 more years for the vampire to break into popular imagination with Bram Stoker's Dracula, Polidori introduced vampires to the English-speaking world. His story is the first known to have filtered centuries of folklore that depicted beastly vampiric monsters into the elegant, mysterious characters they characteristically are in film and television.

In the novella, Lord Ruthven is introduced as a mysterious aristocrat whose physical appearance distinguishes him. He is described as having a "dead grey eye" and "deadly hue of his face." These traits operate as the foundation of nearly all vampires. In F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, Count Orlok's (Max Schreck) unsettling appearance draws attention to his unnatural paleness, accentuated by the black and white cinematography. A decade later, Bela Lugosi made Dracula famous in American cinema with his portrayal of the vampire in Tod Browning's Dracula. His appearance is both aristocratic and deathly. Similarly, in Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stroker's Dracula, Dracula's ghostly complexion is saturated to draw viewers' attention. And, of course, no modern vampire comparison is complete without mentioning ... Twilight. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), too, is characterized by an unnatural paleness. All four movies base the vampire's appearance on the descriptions found in Polidori's novella.

The Vampyre's Plot Laid the Foundation for Future Vampire Stories

Polidori's novella follows a young man named Aubrey who is at first smitten by Lord Ruthven's haughty, aloof personality. As the plot develops, he gradually begins to perceive Ruthven for the true villain he is. Aubrey, in many ways, is the archetype for a character often seen in vampire movies: the naive witness to the latent terror beneath the vampire's superficial grace. In the original Nosferatu, Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) meets Count Orlok at his manor in Transylvania. He quickly suspects Orlok of villainy but is powerless to combat him. In fact, Hutter does not defeat Orlok; it's his wife, Ellen, who saves the day. Hutter can only bear witness to the terror Orlok spreads. Similarly, in Browning's Dracula, Renfield (Dwight Frye) is a naive witness to Dracula's treachery. He arrives at the castle and is initially charmed by Dracula's eccentric personality. However, he is eventually bitten by Dracula and becomes a slave to him. These characters bear the imprint of Aubrey, though they differ in their development.

In addition to being charming and eccentric, Lord Ruthven also prays on women who fall for his suave mystique. In The Vampyre, Aubrey learns that respectable women have a tendency to fall into vice and treachery once they've attracted Ruthven's attention and fanged ... uh, sorry ... feigned affection. As if it's fated, Aubrey's sister ultimately falls victim to Ruthven's charm and fatally sates his vampiric thirst. This pattern is seen in nearly all vampire movies, including the original Nosferatu and many cinematic iterations of Dracula. The fate of all feminine victims succumbing to the vampire's charm can be traced all the way back to Polidori's novella.

Each interpretation of the vampire is different, as they all bear the mark of the director and the actors involved. Some for better, others for worse. Considering Eggers' impressive resume, it's safe to say that the classic vampire archetype established with Ruthven will be redefined once more this Christmas.

Nosferatu opens in theaters Christmas Day in the U.S.

Buy Tickets Now