With Valentine’s Day upon us again, Alex and Andrea examine the mates of classic monsters. What is their role? How big is their ring? And will it last past the wedding night?
REQUIRED READING
The Bride of Frankenstein. Dir. James Whale. 1935. [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
The Brides of Dracula. Dir. Terence Fisher. 1960 [Blu-Ray & DVD Combo]
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If we discuss the patriarchy – which I understand at times we must – do we not have to at least mention the Matriarchy? Either by way of negation or by example as in Myth? In any event surely there is a philosophical discussion to be had about a new way of looking at things in light of…. well, ladies like yourselves.
It’s worth mentioning that Bram Stoker never refers to the vampire women as “brides” (perhaps Hammer is to blame for that). Instead the phrase Jonathan Harker uses is “weird sisters” a la Hamlet. I think the most sensible interpretation is that the most prominent of them, who resembles the Count the least, was his actual wife in life, while the other two are the daughters they had together. So when the Count rebukes them about how they should be aware of his capacity for love, that would then be a reference to when they were a relatively functional family unit prior to him becoming a vampire.