|
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
The Story Behind Each Horror Character
Dracula
- A terrifying corpse that comes to life at night to drink people's blood
while they sleep.
The Irish writer Bram (Abraham) Stoker, made up the horrifying character for his novel, Dracula, over a hundred years ago. In the story, Dracula is tall and thin with piercing red eyes, pale skin and pointed fangs of an animal. As a vampire he can change shape. He may arrive at his victim's bedroom as a bat or a wolf. He can disappear under the door in an evil mist.
The character of Count Dracula may be based on a cruel prince who actually ruled in Transylvania 500 years ago. Vlad Dracula was known for killing his enemies by driving a sharp stake through their bodies. In those days, people from Transylvania were afraid of vampires. They believed that a corpse would become a vampire if a cat jumped over it before it was buried. They also thought you would become a vampire if you were born with teeth! Dracula's castle may also be based on a real castle - Bran Castle in Transylvania. Today, many people go to Bran Castle and bravely imagine they are visiting Count Dracula.
Note: In Central and South America there are real vampire bats, with teeth as sharp as blades. They drink the blood of horses, cattle and other animals.
Frankenstein
- The story of Frankenstein was written in 1818. The English writer,
Mary Shelly, thought it up for a ghost story competition. Little
did she know that, more than 100 years later, the tale would be made into
horror movies. In her story Dr. Victor Frankenstein becomes fascinated
with the workings of the human body and what is it that makes a person
live? To find the answer was his goal.
Working day and night, Victor Frankenstein painstakingly builds a "person" using dead body parts taken from graveyards. He finally succeeds in building a "man". He brings the monster to life using a spark of electricity from a flash of lightning. Dr. Frankenstein looked upon his creation with horror and disgust after he created it.
When Mary Shelly's novel was written in the early 1800's, scientists sometimes stole bodies from graves in order to dissect them (cut them up for their studies).
Mary Shelly hoped her story would warn of the dangers of science and experiments, and that it would teach people not to treat others badly just because of their appearance. If the monster had been shown more kindness he might not have become a murderer.
Many films about Frankenstein and his monster have been made. One of the most famous, Frankenstein (1931), starred the actor Boris Karloff as the monster. It was one of the first horror movies ever made. Our idea of what the Frankenstein monster looks like comes from this portrayal, copied by later movies.
The Mummy - When archaeologists opened ancient
Egyptian tombs, many people thought that the
mummies would be angry. The tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun, lay
undisturbed in the Valley of the Kings for over 3200 years. English
archaeologist Howard Carter, and his friend, Lord Caenarfon, discovered
the tomb, complete with its treasures in 1922. The mummy's face
was covered by a mask of solid gold and semi precious stones. Following
the discovery of King Tutankhaumun's tomb, it was said that the dead pharaoh
had cursed those who had entered it. Written in the tomb: "Death shall
come on swift wings to whoever touches the tomb of the Pharaoh."
This story spread when Lord Caernarfon died only four months after discovering
the tomb.
All of the above was the perfect ingredients for a horror movie. The Mummy (1932) again starring Boris Karloff as The Mummy was inspired by the curse in Tutankhamun's tomb.
Note: In ancient Egypt the dead bodies of pharaohs (kings) and other important people were mummified, or preserved, before burial. Their bodies were then placed in tombs and surrounded by reassures that were though to be needed in the "afterlife". Many of these tombs, such as those in the ancient Egyptian pyramids, were discovered in the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the mummies were unwrapped to reveal the well-preserved bodies of pharaohs.
To mummify a body, the Egyptians took out al the organs except the heart. The body was then dried with salt, which took about 40 days. Afterwards it was treated with spices, salts, wine and resin (a sticky substance found in trees). Finally the body was stuffed with linen and sand, and wrapped in bandages. The organs were preserved separately in jars, ready for use again (it was believed) in the afterlife. The heart was left in the body for a special ceremony in the presence of the gods.
The Egyptians believed that a mummy's heart was weighed by the gods before the person could gain eternal life. The heart was weighed against a feather, the Egyptian symbol of truth. If the heart balanced with it, the mummy could pass safely into the afterlife. If the heart was too heavy, the mummy was not so lucky and its heart was thrown away to be eaten by a monster.
Many objects and decorations were left in a mummy's tomb to help it on its journey to the afterlife. For example, scenes from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead were often painted on the mummy case or tomb walls. Other items were placed in the tomb for use in the afterlife, such as a fan, jewellery, clothes, food and furniture.
Witch
- There are many stories and myths about witches - people have always
been fascinated by them. On April 30th Germans celebrate Walpurgis
Night, when witches are said to ride to meet their master, the Devil.
The night of October 31st is, of course, Halloween, or All
Hallows Eve, the day before All Hallows or All Saints' Day. It is
the traditional time for witches to be at the height of their powers.
Nowadays, children dress up as witches at Halloween.
Three of the most famous witches appear in Macbeth, a play by Shakespeare. These ugly, withered creatures with wild-looking hair and flowing, dark cloaks can foretell the future. As they cast spells they add nasty ingredients to a magical potion:
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Eye of newt, toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing.
Not all witches in fairy stories are wicked. There are tales about some witches who try to use their powers to help people rather than harm them. Instead of poisonous potions, they make medicines out of healing herbs.
From the 1400s to the 1700s, some people in real life were accused of being witches. To "prove" whether someone was a witch, she was ducked under water. If she floated she was called a witch. If she drowned she was innocent - either way the unfortunate woman died. Many innocent people were cruelly treated because of people's fear of witchcraft. The last person to be executed in Europe for being a witch was Anna Goddi. She was hanged in Switzerland in 1782.
Werewolf
- The werewolf legend may have arisen out of a rare disease called porphyria.
The symptoms included excessive hair growth, a pulling back of the face
muscles to reveal more of the teeth, and sensitivity to sunlight.
Real wolves do not usually attack human beings, although there are tales of mysterious wolf-like beasts that have done so. Mythical werewolves, or manwolves, are meant to have magical powers as well as the ability to transform themselves into wolves. They are evil creatures that live off the flesh of human beings!
How does a man become a werewolf? There are lots of stories that give different answers to this question. Some say that if you drink water from a puddle in a wolf's footprint you will become a werewolf. Others say that a magic potion is needed, or if you are bitten by another werewolf you, too, will become one. A man may also be born a werewolf.
The Alien - The mystery of alien life has been around for thousands of years. Even the ancient Greeks and Romans recorded having seen peculiar, unexplained objects in the sky. Today we call these sightings UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). Some people believe that UFOs are alien spacecraft. There have even been reports of people being kidnapped by aliens and taken back to their craft ("alien abductions").
A reported encounter with aliens took place in England in 1980. A security policeman and an airman at an American air base in the area saw a light over a wood. Creeping quietly through the trees, the two men reached a clearing where they witnessed an incredible sight: a giant, "flying saucer" standing on three legs. As they approached it, the craft suddenly took off and disappeared. Afterwards, damaged trees and deep holes in the ground were found at the site.
There had been many similar reports of different types of spacecraft in previous years. In fact, there were so many in the 1960s, the US Air Force paid scientists to carry out a special study. More than 12,000 reports on UFOs were investigated. But no evidence was found to show that the sightings were alien craft. Although some could not be explained, the vast majority of sightings were found to be natural phenomena, such as meteors, planets or stars. Some turned out to be ordinary aircraft, but, because they were viewed in unusual atmospheric conditions, their shape was altered or strange lights were produced.