Exploring Vampires in Science Fiction
For the most part there are fairy-like fantasy monsters and alien-like sci-fi monsters, but at least one horror icon seems to comfortably occupy both. What makes vampires so easily integrated into the past, future, home world, and the depths of space?
Most horror fans know the origin of vampires. 18th-century superstitions mingle with the semi-true stories of Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad III to give way to groundbreaking fiction.Sheridan Le Fanus Carmilla is generally considered to be the first recorded work, but Bram Stoker’s Dracula It defines the genre. From those humble beginnings, the concept has grown into unimaginable diversity.
These early examples of vampire fiction are strictly fantastical. Very little science to speak of. Dracula is magical in nature, and his powers and weaknesses have been handcrafted by the Christian gods as a form of punishment. There seems to be no fictional world in which vampires do not appear. The rules are loose, and most fictional vampires choose from a list of traits established in early works. It’s fair to say that vampire fiction is a genre in its own right that isn’t constrained by the need to consistently appear in a particular kind of story. With that in mind, there are some interesting themes that emerge when vampires crossover into the sci-fi world.
It didn’t take long for vampires to reach outer space.The general proposition of real-life vampires appeared in the early 1700s, and early stories of cosmic vampires appeared in the early 1900s.Perhaps the most important story about vampires in space is that of Gustave Le Rouge in 1908. Mars vampire released. Its bizarre tale follows classic sci-fi tropes, mixing planetary romance with cosmic horror, where a team of brave space heroes meet a planet of vampires. A native of Mars, a humanoid monster with wings and deadly fangs. This notion of an alien species that happens to fit closely with depictions of human vampires is common in science fiction stories.
Most space-hopping fiction has at least one or two planets, inhabited by alien creatures that share some or all traits with vampires. Doctor Who, For example, intertwined with some versions of vampires. In its long-running series lore, vampires are a type of parasite that descends from more powerful species, and all intelligent species deal with the vampire stage. movie. life force It featured the invasion of a group of deadly space vampires who threatened to consume Earth’s living souls. Mario Baba’s thrilling giallo film vampire planet We see a space expedition crew crash-land on a hostile planet and watch their corpses rise and attack. It works mostly as an excuse.
Many, if not perhaps most, vampire stories are hostile in nature. The problem is that in a fair fight, humans cannot reliably defeat vampires. equipping it with weapons.This is the spirit of the work blade, UV, When underworldThese works tie in with another sci-fi vampire trend, a scientific explanation of the unique condition of the vampire. Sometimes it is the result of unusual experiments, sometimes it is a rare blood condition, and some works have been described as plague. These are examples of reaching familiar conclusions through new routes. It tells the classic story of humans defeating monsters with the benefit of scientific enlightenment.
It mixes sci-fi and vampires nicely, easily transferring the genre’s tropes into classic sci-fi settings. There are several reasons why this concept works. The concept of something that looks like a normal human but behaves like an unrepentant monster is a common and relevant fictional fodder. represents the theme of These themes are as relevant today as they were when they appeared, and most of his science fiction writers consider them relevant to the future. Cyberpunk dystopias, nightmarish future endings, and the ongoing cyclical nature of progression and regression are all as common in his sci-fi as in everyday life. With all that in mind, vampires serve as the mindless monster of the week and an entry into the ongoing mythology defined hundreds of years ago.
The truth about vampires in fiction is that they work where they are needed. Vampires may be a genre of fiction in their own right, but the crossover between that genre and his sci-fi makes him one of the most interesting things in the medium.
