We have never made a secret of the fact that our main interest is in "real" vampires (as opposed to "fictional" ones). Having said that, I will be the first to admit that it can be quite entertaining to watch a good vampire film. And thanks to video and DVD it has become possible to watch an evergrowing number of classic vampire films at home. Nevertheless, I fear that our section on film books will be rather short.
Richard Bojarski :
"The Films of Bela Lugosi" [1980]
The Citadel Press, Secaucus, New Jersey, USA, 1980 - pp.256
ISBN: 0 8065 0716 0
The title says it all.
Arianna Conti & Franco Pezzini :
"Le Vampire - Crimini e Misfatti delle Succhiasangue da Carmilla a Van Helsing" [2005]
Alberto Castelvecchi Editore, Roma, Italy, 2005, pp.410
ISBN: 88 7615 023 4
One of the most interesting and intelligent books about vampire films that I have seen in years. If you do read Italian, make sure that you get your copy. If you don't, all you can do is hope and pray for an edition in your own language.
Allen Eyles, Robert Adkinson & Nicholas Fry :
"The House of Horror - The Complete Story of Hammer Films" [1973]
Lorrimer Publishing, London, UK, 1984 - pp.144
ISBN: 0 930621 01 8
I don't mind admitting that I much prefer those silly old Hammer films to most of the expensive mega productions of today.
Jean-Philippe Guerand :
"La Nuit des Morts Vivants - Apparitions et histoires de Revenants au Cinéma"
in: "La Mort et l'Immortalité - Encyclopédie des Savoirs et des Croyances"
Bayard, Paris, France, 2004 - pp.1686
ISBN 2 7028 9909 9
Leslie Halliwell :
"The Dead that Walk" [1986]
Grafton Books, London, UK, 1986 - pp.262
ISBN: 0 246 12834 8
Book on horror films which features it's own chapter on Dracula.
Stephen Jones :
"The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide" [1993]
Titan Books, London, UK, 1993 - pp.144
ISBN: 1 85286 449 4
This is not a bad book at all. And very nicely illustrated.
Christopher Lee :
"Tall, Dark and Gruesome" [1978]
Mayflower Books, London, UK, 1978 - pp.286
ISBN: 0 583 12853 X
Rose London :
"Zombie - The Living Dead" [1976]
Lorrimer Publishing, London, UK, 1976 - pp.112
ISBN: 0 85647 111 9
Pascal Martinet :
"Mario Bava" [1984]
Edilig, Paris, France, 1984 - pp.128
ISBN: 2 85601 051 2
French book about the work of Italian film-director Mario Bava.
J. Gordon Melton :
"The Vampire Gallery - Who's Who of the Undead" [1998]
Visible Ink Press, Detroit, USA, 1998 - pp.500
ISBN: 1 57859 053 1
"Videohound's Vampires on Video" [1997]
Visible Ink Press, Detroit, USA, 1997 - pp.336
ISBN: 1 57859 002 7
Scott Nance :
"Bloodsuckers - Vampires at the Movies" [1992]
Pioneer Books, Las Vegas, USA, 1992 - pp.150
ISBN: 1 55698 317 4
Barrie Pattison :
"The Seal of Dracula" [1975]
Bounty Books, New York, USA, no date, pp.136
ISBN: 0 517 52152 0
Franco Pezzini and Angelica Tintori :
"The Dark Screen - Il Mito di Dracula sul Grande e Piccolo Schermo" [2008]
Gargoyle Books, Roma, Italy, 2008 - pp.704
ISBN: 978 88 89541 28 9
This is a massive, informative, intelligent, serious and comprehensive study about the many ways in which Bram Stoker's DRACULA has been used, reused and abused in film and television productions. The authors have done a most commendable job, and must have spent weeks, months, years, watching and analyzing all those movies. I checked the book against some of the rarest and weirdest films from my personal collection. And I found that all of them were listed there. If you happen to be interested into Dracula films, or into vampire films in general, and you do read Italian, then do yourself a favor and make sure that you get yourself a copy of this outstanding publication. It is a brilliant and very nicely produced hardbound book which for reasons that are way beyond my comprehension appears to be selling at an incredibly sympathetic price.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !
David Pirie :
"The Vampire Cinema" [1977]
Hamlyn Books, Feltham, UK, 1977 - pp.176
ISBN: 0 600 39157 4
Karsten Prüssmann :
"Die Dracula-Filme - von Friederich Wilhelm Murnay bis Francis Ford Coppola" [1993]
Wilhelm Heyne, München, 1993 - pp.288
ISBN: 3 453 06702 9
Alain Silver & James Ursini :
"The Vampire Film" [1975]
A.S. Barnes & Co., Cranbury, NJ, USA, 1975 - pp.238
ISBN: 0 904208 40 0
Not a bad book at all, for those who are into vampire films.
David J. Skal :
"Hollywood Gothic" [1990]
W.W. Norton & Co, New York & London, 1990 - pp.242
ISBN: 0 393 02904 2
Vampire film fans, if you still haven't got it yet, this happens to be a real nice book. So buy it !
Jalal Toufic :
"( Vampires ) - an uneasy Essay on the Undead in Film" [1993]
Station Hill, New York, USA, 1993 - pp.236
ISBN: 0 88268 146 X
Yes, I agree, rather uneasy reading indeed as far as I'm concerned. But somehow - despite the fact that the book has nothing to offer on the subject of traditional vampires - it seemed worth the effort. We can not deny that Jalal Toufic's approach to the subject is quite original.
Kathleen Tracy :
"The Girl's got Bite - the unofficial guide to Buffy's World" [1998]
Renaissance Books, Los Angeles, USA, 1998 - pp.246
ISBN: 1 58063 035 9
I suppose that the title is a bit of a giveaway. Indeed, as you may have guessed, this then (albeit "unofficially") is a guide to the world of vampire slaying "Buffy". And before you think that I am a miserable old jerk who doesn't like Buffy, I will be happy to confess that I have seen and enjoyed every episode and that I do have the whole lot on DVD.
Aylin Ünal :
"Giovanni Scognamillo / Ask ve Korku" [2009]
Hayalet Yayinlari, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009 - pp.272
I have no problem admitting that Turkish is one of the many languages that I have never learned to speak or read. But this book is exceptional enough for me to create a special page for Turkish books. For a start, the book is about my old friend Giovanni Scognamillo, who happens to be the greatest expert on Turkish cinema, as well as an expert on vampires. And last, but not least, the book has been written by another friend of mine, Aylin Ünal, who is an extremely talented young woman. If you do read Turkish, make sure to get yourself a copy.
Gregory A. Waller :
"The Living and the Undead" [1985]
University of Illinois Press, Chicago, USA, 1985 - pp.376
ISBN: 0 252 1208 9
© 2009 by Rob Brautigam - NL - Last update 28 November 2009
photo © 2005 by Rob Brautigam
