Introduction
The modern world has seen an increase in access to media and literary sources about monsters. A monstrous film, art, or narrative is one that portrays cultural constructions that fail to fit normal communities and explain that people subconsciously fear what they love or have. Multiple films have been produced with monster characters that are good or bad. People tend to love monsters that are good and consider them heroes despite their sinful nature. Some monster characters resemble mythical and historical monstrous figures, while others resemble actual monsters. The essay aims to analyze Dark Shadows’, a 2012 film, monster characters, their significance and popularity, and a comparison with the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunted.
Dark Shadows
The film Dark Shadows of 2012 is an American comedy and horror movie based on a gothic television series bearing the same name. The film is based on Barnabas Collins, who is an imprisoned vampire who is accidentally set free. The vampire is a good person who saves his family from another female vampire despite killing people to quench its thirst for blood. The Collins family, who was his father, had moved to America from England and established Collinsport town. Barnabas had been buried alive for about 196 when construction workers accidentally set him free. Barnabas returns to his home and finds a new generation, which he blends in despite the difference between the two ages. Barnabas had been turned into an immortal vampire by Angelique, a girl working at their castle who had fallen in love with him. Angelique had even killed Barnabas father, mother, and girlfriend before having him buried alive after continuing to reject her. Barnabas manages to use supernatural powers to defeat Angelique with help from his dead family members’ ghosts. He finally settles down with a girl she loves but is forced to turn her into a vampire to help her survive.
Monsters in Dark Shadows
Most major characters in the film Dark Shadows are monstrous in nature. One of the major characters, Barnabas, is a vampire. Barnabas had been buried alive in a coffin for almost two hundred years but is set free by construction workers unknowingly. Despite all that time, he is still alive since he is an immortal vampire. Upon his release from the coffin, Barnabas is forced to apologetically kill the workers to quench his long-standing thirst for blood. On one occasion, Barnabas rescues David, a young child in his family generation, from being hit by a falling disco ball using supernatural speed and abilities. Barnabas turns his new fiancée, Victoria, into a vampire to save her from crushing to death when she jumps off the Widow’s Cliff (Svitavsky, 2022). In so doing, no matter how hard or fatal Victoria hit the ground, she would not die since vampires are immortal.
Angelique, who is Barnabas’ nemesis in the film, is portrayed as a stronger vampire. The vampire inherited her powers from her mother, who was a witch. She used the power to kill Barnabas’ parents in what seemed like an accident. She then causes his lover, Josetta, to throw herself to death at the Widow’s Cliff (Svitavsky, 2022). Barnabas is even forced to turn his new lover into a vampire to prevent her from committing murder on the cliff. Angelique curses Barnabas, who turns from a normal person to an immortal vampire while also ensuring that everything she loves will die. She is portrayed as an evil vampire that Barnabas has to take down to save the town of Collinsport. David’s mother’s ghost hurls Angelique using a chandelier to use supernatural power to turn her into a mortal being. As she dies, she quickly turns into dust as she admits to killing Barnabas’ family and Josetta.
Lastly, Carolyn, a member of the Collins family, and David’s mother are also monstrous characters. Throughout the film, she is portrayed as a normal human being. However, as the fight between Angelique and Barnabas intensifies, she is forced to help the latter. Consequently, she turns into a werewolf to help in the fight. However, Angelique is much stronger and manages to subdue her. Carolyn is portrayed as a good monster. The main reason is that she does not reveal her monstrous nature or use it for bad and evil acts. She only unleashes the monster in her when in times of dire need to defeat evil monsters. David’s mother is also a monster, as she appears as a ghost despite her death. The mother even manages to subdue Angelique and mortally wound her. In doing so, she kills Angelique, a powerful evil monster that would easily defeat and conquer Barnabas, who is the good monster.
The monsters in the film Dark Shadows are real monsters that are not mythic, iconic, or historical. The characters are purely fictional, although the film is derived from a famous TV series of the 1960s bearing the same name (Svitavsky, 2022). Barnabas and Angelique are vampires who are not linked to any mythical or historical stories. On the other hand, Carolyn is a werewolf that is not featured anywhere apart from the TV series on which the film is based. The originality of the monstrous characters in the RV series and subsequent movie production makes it an ideal fantasy, horror, and comedy film.
Comparison with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, produced in 2012, is also an American horror movie that features monstrous characters. The main character, Ab, Abraham Lincoln, is fictionally portrayed to have had secret monster characters of a vampire. The film is based on the American Civil War when people kept slaves. Lincoln learns he is a vampire and trains to become a vampire hunter despite his condition. He hated vampires in America who were mainly doing sinful and evil acts for personal interests (Natsir & Ariani, 2022). Lincoln even kills Adams, who is a powerful vampire and slave owner who turns them into vampires to prevent their deaths.
The two films have various similarities. In both occasions, the major monstrous characters are vampires. Angelique and Barnabas in Dark Shadows and Lincoln and Adam in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter are all vampires. Secondly, in both films, there are monsters that are deemed good persons as characterized by their actions and deeds. Barnabas saves the town of Collinsport and his family from a powerful female witch and vampire. On the other hand, Lincoln stopped Adams from changing most Americans into vampires during the American Civil War. However, by adopting the monstrous culture, good monsters also do bad actions (Donovan, n.d.). For instance, Barnabas is forced to kill the construction workers to quench his thirst for human blood. Similarly, Lincoln must drink human blood to enhance his strength as a vampire.
One major striking difference between the two films is the ability of monsters to time travel. In Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter the vampires do not possess immortal powers and can be killed with ease by a trained vampire hunter. However, the film Dark Shadows portrays the vampires as immortal people who are almost impossible to die. Barnabas is kept locked in a coffin for almost two hundred years before being accidentally released. He still finds Angelique, who had fallen in love with him as children. To kill Angelique, supernatural powers and intervention from a dead monster are required. Lastly, Dark Shadows also have monsters who can communicate with living ghosts after their death. The ghosts are even capable of appearing and taking part in activities, as seen in the fight between Angelique and Barnabas when David’s mother’s ghost kills the former.
Significance
The use of monster culture by media has a great significance in modern culture. People identify more with monsters that do well despite their sinful nature. In so doing, people also believe that bad people in the community can also do good deeds and turn into important members of society. In other words, people accept that bad individuals can also positively change. The film does not include famous characters but has ensured success in media and sales, making it quite popular in America.
Conclusion
The essay analyzes Dark Shadows’, a 2012 film, monster characters, their significance and popularity, and a comparison with the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunted. A monstrous film, art, or narrative is one that portrays cultural constructions that fail to fit normal communities and explain that people subconsciously fear what they love or have. Multiple films have been produced with monster characters that are good or bad. People tend to love monsters that are good and consider them heroes despite their sinful nature. The modern world has seen an increase in access to media and literary sources about monsters.
References
Donovan, P. (n.d.). Monster Culture. Www.buffalo.edu. https://www.buffalo.edu/home/feature_story/monster-culture.html
Natsir, N., M., & Ariani, S. (2022). MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF HUMAN NEEDS OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER FILM (2012). https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/411093-maslows-hierarchy-of-human-needs-of-the-d57c7497.pdf
Svitavsky, W. L. (2022). Dark Shadows: Monster Culture on Daytime Television. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 50(3), 130–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/01956051.2022.2086526
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