Kiss of the Vampire analysis

We see a man we can infer as a vampire (due to the mise-en scene) holding a woman. The position of the woman he’s holding almost looks as if she’s exposing her neck on purpose in order to be bitten. If this is the case, then it breaks the conventional code of monsters that hammer films have created thus far and now romanticizes them as denoted in this picture. The font, production studio and word “Vampire” obviously encodes that this is a monster movie however the word “Kiss” may suggest love from the vampire rather than the bite of one further implying that this is not your typical horror movie  

Levi Strauss theory of binary oppositions can be denoted here, as the woman held by the vampire (who seems to possibly be the princess in Propp’s seven character types) seems to be the damsel in distress with eyes closed and chest out with the vampire obviously being the more dominant figure despite the fact that he looks vulnerable as well. However next to them is another woman holding a man who seems to be in the same position as the damsel in distress looking just as vulnerable compared to the woman who in this case is the dominant figure. Obviously, the clear binary opposition is the reversal of gender. 

A feminist perspective may suggest that there could be many meanings encoded within the poster. In terms of feminist philosophy, the male gaze is a strictly male heterosexual point of view shown commonly in motion pictures that depicts/suggests that women are objects of men. This point of view is arguably visible in the poster with one of the women kneeling in a seductive position looking vulnerable. This is due to the stereotype of Women being seen as weaker than Men back in the 60’s when this movie was released. However, the poster shows contradicting messages because there is another woman in the poster whose dress code and gesture code implies she is strong and not a product of the male gaze.

Back in 1963, the idea of romanticizing a monster like a vampire or making it vulnerable would seem foreign to a general audience. So advertising a poster that suggests so would use the hermeneutic code to grab audience’s attention.

 Prior to this, the “Vampire” genre was predominantly consisting of Bram Stokers works in either the 1931 “Dracula” or the 1958 “Horror of Dracula” both presenting a vampire as a ruthless predator. However, the “Kiss of the vampire” breaks the repetitive idea that both vampire and monsters are ruthless predators and now features a monster that looks almost fearful and vulnerable in this poster. This corresponds with Steve Neales Genre theory as the vampire Genre is changing and developing as shown with this poster. Uses and Gratification theory suggests people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs or for pleasure, Steve Neale argues that pleasure is derived from “repetition and difference” and that there would be no pleasure without difference. An audience from 1963 may derive pleasure from observing how the “Kiss of the vampire” poster manipulates conventions of the genre, taking it in bold new directions and shifting their expectations.