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Where Vampires Fear to Tread

Killer Bats and Vampireless Vampire Films

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The Palgrave Handbook of the Vampire

Abstract

Looking at the concept of the vampireless vampire film, and using texts primarily from early cinema through to just after World War II, this chapter examines their place within the wider vampire megatext. Starting with vamps, the chapter shows how often the vampire (in name or belief) is associated with immorality and, more often, crime. It further examines how the accusation of being a vampire is used to scapegoat and other individuals. Finally, it looks at the way Bela Lugosi became so associated with his Dracula character that his presence associated him with vampires, even when his films did not contain vampires.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Scholar, Blackpool, UK

    Andrew M. Boylan

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  1. Andrew M. Boylan
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  1. Poznań, Poland

    Simon Bacon

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Boylan, A.M. (2023). Where Vampires Fear to Tread. In: Bacon, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the Vampire. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82301-6_18-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82301-6_18-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82301-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82301-6

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