The First Vampire in Cinema
Bela Lugosi was the first vampire most audiences saw on screen, but he was not the first vampire on film — or even the first Dracula. Cinephiles know that other vampires beat Bela onto the screen, but determining the first vampire in cinema has been harder to stake down.
A Russian short film from 1912 called “Secret of Manor Number 5” may be a contender, but it’s hard to say whether it was truly a vampire film — it’s been lost to time. There’s also a rumored 1920 Russian “Drakula” that has also seemingly vanished, if it indeed ever existed (although a few James O’Keefe-level tricksters have tried to pass off contemporary reimaginings as being the real thing, as this clip shows:)
As fakes go, it’s pretty good, but you can tell it’s a fake because things pop too much; and not enough movement or shake. Also it’s quite even and most authentic pieces are very slightly uneven; you might have to get close to tell. I think I’m still talking about film and not breast implants?
Then there’s a 1921 Austro-Hungarian film, “Dracula’s Death” or “Drakula Halala”, also lost (get used to it) but that film is not really based on the book Dracula, so far as scholars have been able to piece together. It may not even have a vampire in it, but rather a madman who believed himself to be a vampire.
But we may need not debate these 20th Century films. Because even earlier, in 1896, there was a short film by the giant of early cinema, Georges Méliès. It supposedly featured a vampire-like character. But that film — see if you notice a pattern emerging — was also lost to time.
That is, until 1988 when a copy was found in New Zealand.
In “Le Manoir du Diable” (or “The Manor of the Devil”, “The Haunted Castle”, “The Devil’s House”, “The Phantom Menace”, etc) Méliès plays the sorta-vamp-like character himself; because who else had the stones?
Is the end of this movie cut off? It seems abrupt, but that wasn’t unusual for films at this period. I like to think there was a post-credit sequence teasing Méliès’ later and more famous film “A Trip To The Moon”.
Students of the genre now look on Le Manoir du Diable as the first horror film. I mean, obviously it’s not all that scary, but it employs the right imagery and character types, so it counts. Kind of like how “Coach” was technically a comedy because it had a laugh track.
Is Le Manoir du Diable truly a vampire film? Or is it simply a film with a polymorphing wizard? Or do we take Méliès at his title and interpret his character as a devil rather than a vampire? A devil who just happens to turn into a bat…?
Until someone uncovers a dusty reel of film from an Easter European garage sale that can solve the riddles of the lost 20th Century Dracula films, it may be all we have to go on.
Let me know what you think!
Toothpickings is a blog that you can read. It is generally about vampires.
Thanks for skipping to the end of the inaugural entry into this series.
Image credits: George Méliès, anonymous, ABC
