#the fiancee of dracula

[weirdlookindog]

Brigitte Lahaie and Sandrine Thoquet in La fiancée de Dracula (1999)

[vickyvicarious]

It also seems that so far Jonathan mentions Mina every day. Day 1. Get recipes for her. Day 2. If I am to be a Dark Souls environmental storytelling corpse, whoever finds this journal, tell her I said goodbye. Day 3. No imposter syndrome for me because Mina would Dislike That 💗

Fun fact: If you unfocus your eyes and tilt your head just right, you can actually see the message "💖I love Mina so very much💖" hidden on every single page he writes...

Yeah, I especially love the imposter syndrome moment so much. It's possibly the scariest moment for him from yesterday, just stuck waiting alone on the doorstep of a crumbling castle in the middle of the night after the most harrowing drive ever with nowhere to go and no one to help him... And midway through going "is this normal? this can't be normal, right???" he has to redirect because he dared to still think of himself as a mere clerk and Mina is Proud Of Him for being a full-blown solicitor now. She won't have anyone looking down on her man, certainly not the man himself. It's adorable.

[uspiria]

Dracula’s Fiancée (2002) dir. Jean Rollin

[giftheplanet]

Céline Mauge

La Fiancée de Dracula (2002)

Dir. Jean Rollin

[the-crooked-library]

On Horror, Queerness, Mirrors, and Dracula

Your wish is my command (you may or may not regret this). 

Here’s the thing - I love horror, and I love patterns, and I think the best horror is always in some sense symmetrical.  It might not be obvious, but what’s the point of staring into an abyss if you can’t see your own face reflected back?  The symmetry itself comes in any number of different twists, whether it is familial, communal, erotic, or individual, and most of these apply to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 

The centre of our novel rests on the Harkers.  So, starting with Jonathan - his experience in Transylvania is a twisted version of his life back home.  Dracula is reserved but eloquent, seemingly caring and occasionally affectionate, he reads train schedules and they spend hours upon hours in conversation; which is a dark mirror to Jonathan’s train schedule-loving, passionate but serious Mina.  It may even be said that the Count is re-enacting a caricature of traditional heteronormative domesticity - he maintains the household, waits on his guest himself, and blows him kisses from the stairs.  His possessiveness of Jonathan is the only way a vampire like Dracula is capable of understanding the bond Jonathan shares with Mina.  The Count states that he, too, feels love; but he is written by a closeted gay man in the late 19th century, so his imitation of married life is both a lie and a tragedy.  He is a shorthand for forbidden, wrong, and corrupting desires. 

At the same time, Mina herself also has a same-sex connection in the beginning of the story, and her relationship with Lucy mirrors the relationship between Jonathan and Dracula.  They cling to each other, in a sense; despite being excited about the prospect of their impending marriages, there is some trepidation associated with this new stage in life.  A common part of a dowry used to be a shroud, simply due to the frequency at which Victorian wives died in childbirth soon after the wedding; and even provided a survival, the transition to married life was still a loss of innocence.  As such, Lucy’s affection for Mina is the last expression of her girlhood, and she herself is the personification of Mina’s.  Lucy is, therefore, the direct antithesis of the Count; her death and subsequent rising change Mina the same way that Dracula does Jonathan, establishing a firm duality between the Harkers and their respective vampires. 

The other characters are reflections of each other, as well; the suitors defend while the brides terrify, Van Helsing wants to preserve life while Renfield wishes to consume it - and even further, the old Hungarian lady cares enough about  a stranger to give Jonathan a cross for protection, while Lucy’s own mother lets Dracula into the house herself, selfishly ignorant of her daughter’s needs and the doctor’s orders.  Another parallel is drawn again between Jonathan and Renfield, who represents directly what he could have been, had he not escaped from Dracula’s grasp; which makes Renfield’s vehement, last-ditch attempt to protect Mina perhaps all the more poignant.  In him, she sees the resilience of Jonathan’s humanity; while he gets to see exactly what she could become after her turning  - in Dracula himself.  These dualities are integral to the story’s thematic structure, and therefore inextricable from each character’s development. 

There is really too much to say about each individual dynamic to fit into one rant, but for the current purposes, I can forgo the details.  They all converge as it is on Jonathan and Mina, and thus, the central theme of this story is devotion.  If Jonathan had truly broken, like Renfield, Mina would have stayed by his side; and if she had fully turned, like Dracula, he would have adored whatever shred of her still remained.  In madness and in death, in happiness and sorrow, in sickness and in health - until the echoes start to sound like wedding vows. 

@stripedshirtgay​

@bluberimufim​

[v-thinks-on]

The impulse to do a crossover of all the Victorian horror novels is a strong one, and I got to wondering how they might intersect...

[thegoatsongs]

“When your master, employer, what you will, engaged that someone should come on his behalf, it was understood that my needs only were to be consulted. I have not stinted. Is it not so?”

What could I do but bow acceptance? It was Mr. Hawkins’s interest, not mine, and I had to think of him, not myself.

That part always gets me... because he's really just an employer (without a family, or a home of his own) who has to put his boss' needs above his own.

It shows also when he's all but dying at the hospital and he tells Mr. Hawkins that he got the job done and that he apologizes for the delay.

[milesbennell56]

Dracula's Fiancee 2002

[burekstation]

Dracula: This is great no one will see me feed on this girl and when she's found sleeping here tomorrow it'll be explained away as sleepwalking

Dracula: Like how no one suspects anything about all those sailors, I have left no trail behind

Dracula: Or how I will never stumble upon anyone who may care about my pet solicitor's fate

Jonathan's fiancee: *naruto running towards him at 2am*

[captainsparklefingers]

One of the things I'm taking away from the second go round of Dracula Daily (and particularly from David Ault's excellent performance in Re: Dracula) is how much I like Lord Arthur Godalming.

Like. On the surface and the first time round he stands out the least of Lucy's suitors, and given how much time we hear from Jack, he can come off the most developed. Quincy, of course, gives us a heck of a lot of personality with relatively little (again, compared to how much we get from Jack). Arthur, though, doesn't have the same volume of words to develop, nor the instantly clear personality. He's just Lucy's fiancee, Jack and Quincy's friend, the heroes of light's wealthy benefactor.

But God, this poor man. He's suffered several immense losses in a very short period, been forced to see the woman he loved as a monster, and then had to put her down so she could rest in peace. Beyond the emotional burdens of such losses, he has to deal with the legal matters and the settling of affairs for three different people, probably doing whatever one needs to do to take his father's place in the House of Lords (something I know absolutely nothing about but I assume there's things to do there), AND the earth shattering revelation the supernatural is real, monsters do exist, and the one who killed Lucy is still out there.

And all of that while having to abide by the Victorian standards of manhood. Stalwart, strong, showing no emotions that could make him seem weak.

I think the scene in September 30th, where Mina comforts him and finally he has the chance to let go of all of these burdens he's felt he must carry alone, all of the grief and sorrow he's been forced to carry, he can for at least a moment put aside the mask of manliness society insist he wear and just let himself be a man who has lost his father and his fiancee within days of each other, who is dealing with situations beyond belief.

Obviously we've seen him cry and grieve before but it always felt like he was stifling it to a degree because, well. He only has his male friends to lean on now and the stupid proprieties of society mean he can only lean so much. But now he's had a chance to finally let go, made a connection with Lucy's dearest friend and a new sister of choice. He has his friends, he's finally been allowed to mourn in the way he's truly feeling...and now he's ready to help in whatever way possible to avenge Lucy.

Arthur comes off to me as a very strong character, a man driven by great love, who's emotions, as constrained as they may be, are one of his greatest strengths (and, of course, every good monster hunting group needs a financial benefactor). He's not a flat character at all, he's not forgettable character. Lucy loved him for a reason and, I think, in the moment his grief finally breaks, we get a glimpse at that.

I think that one of the good things of Dracula Daily has been making people realize how good of a character Jonathan Harker is, how pop culture has done damage to the true character of Lucy and Mina…I think we should add that its done a good job of making one care for a character as Arthur, who at first glance seems flat and boring.

Or at least it's made me appreciate him more. And I still want to know how he and Jack and Quincy became friends and what sort of shenanigans they got up to before the events of the book.

[thebibi]

One of things I still find so interesting about the original outline of Dracula is the inclusion of the Count into upper class society, particularly related to Jack.

Since Arthur doesn't exist in the outline, Jack is the one engaged to Lucy. And there's a part before she gets bitten, where she feels uncomfortable about the creepy house next to the asylum, and Jack tells her he would need permission to check it out. Later on she still gets bitten, but Jack in the meanwhile invites his new neighbor, Dracula for his dinner party. These two moments strongly imply how Jack is in many ways Dracula's true accomplice in the story. Jack welcomes him as as an equal, even though his fiancee suffers and later dies by Dracula's hand.

Of course we don't know what the whole story would have looked like. For one, it makes Lucy's death more tragic: if only Jack listened to Lucy, then maybe everything else would be different. However, Jack still tries to save her after getting bitten, and later after her death he and the Professor vow to find out the truth. But I can't help but wonder how different the book would have been if this subplot had remained in the final novel.

[beauty-and-passion]

TMA - Chapters 81-90: Worst is the new cool

I bet you thought I forgot about TMA, o ye of little faith.

Well, I didn’t. I just wanted to deal with smaller projects before returning to the big one. Also, real life happened and that delayed TMA even more. But now it’s here, I’m back and and I’m ready for act three.

I checked all previous comments, to remember what happened until now, so no need to waste any more time: let’s start.

<< Main Masterlist <- Previous post 

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MAG080.4 - Season 3 Trailer

Aaaah yes, cryptic as always.

At least, we can deduce a few things:

Daisy is working on this case and she probably wants to interrogate everyone to find out where Jon is, so she can throw him in jail

Jon escaped and is hiding somewhere

Elias is still an ass

The calliope will play a role in this series - and maybe the murderous dolls too

Well, can’t wait to find out more about the new “mini-boss” of this season and the fight that will ensue. And maybe we will learn more stuff in the meantime too :D

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MAG 81 - A Guest For Mister Spider

Let’s recap:

The dark entities also known as “supernatural shits” have the wonderful tendency of “claiming” humans. And the Eye claimed Jon. Geee, I wonder why: maybe it’s because he kept feeding it by recording statements all day?

The Spider’s actual name is the Web! Cool, love it.

The Web tried to claim Jon when he was a child and he escaped, only thanks to a bully who was tormenting him. Moral of the story: keep your bullies around and, as soon as you get the chance, feed them to some supernatural shit. Good lesson, I would’ve probably done the same. 

Will we ever find out the bully’s name? Was he the umpteenth Michael? In my mind, yes. He’s just another Michael.

I feel I can relate a bit with Jon’s grandma, picking up books without questioning what was age-appropriate or not. I did the same, when I was a child: I was too young to buy books by myself, and my parents didn’t have enough money to buy me all the books I wanted. So when I didn’t want to re-read the same books for the 200th time, I searched something else to read all around the house. And that’s how I ended up reading:

Harmony novels with a ton of sex and duels

The Late Mattia Pascal (still one of my favorites books)

L.A. Confidential

Edgar Allan Poe’s anthology

Dracula

The complete collection of Andersen’s tales

The Old Man and the Sea (still don’t like it)

Were they age-appropriate for a child? Probably not. But if a book is truly good, even a child can understand it. And I understood it. That’s why some of them are still in my library today, while all the teen books I read back then have been sold years ago.

Oh, who’s Georgie now? Jon’s sister? Friend? Fiancee? Bestie? Or did she introduce herself before and I forgot it?

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MAG 82 - The Eyewitnesses

There are a few things to say about this statement:

First: Martin is in love with Jon - at least a tiny bit. I mean:

Come on, Martin, tell us: you write in your diary J+M inside a heart all the time, don’t you?

Second: Tim is 200% done and all I want for my poor boy is to find a way to leave this place on his legs. But considering everyone leaves this place dead, I’m very scared for Tim.

Third (and I can’t believe I’m saying it): Elias is cool. He’s still the biggest motherfucker in the universe, but… the way he threatened Daisy. The way he used his Eye-powers. The way he goes “Sure, I know where Jon is, but I won’t tell you, because I have more than enough to make your life a living hell”.

He’s a madman and I should hate him, but he’s. So. Fucking. Cool.

I think I stan him - just a little bit. I still hate him for killing Leitner, but he’s an insane bitch and I stan insane bitches.

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MAG 83 - Drawing a Blank

Elias, you insane fucker: it was you who put this statement into Jon’s letterbox, wasn’t it?

I 100% believe it’s him, it can only be him. He’s trying to warn Jon. About what? Well, considering we’re starting a new season and we already had a small anticipation about clown dolls in the trailer, I suppose that the final boss of this season will be the murderous clown doll and its friends.

And yes, I know it’s insane that Jon is still recording statements, but I’m quite sure that’s the Eye messing with him and “forcing” him to read these things. Also, they’re the only way he can find out more about the Stranger and this whole thing - and you know, I’m very curious about this Stranger. Will it be the final boss of season 5?

(My bad, so Breekon & Hope deliveries are not evil shadowy things, but they’re probably evil clowny dolls. Or maybe they’re just two supernatural shits that love to work with these other fuckers.)

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MAG 84 - Possessive

Oh, Martin’s voice! Now what, is he getting trained to become the new Head Archivist? And who did it? I doubt it was Elias, since the motherfucker believes Jon will come back - and he will probably find a way to make it happen.

Speaking of the statement itself, it’s weird and creepy, but I’m not sure which specific supernatural shit is it about. I thought it was the meat for a second, then that it was about the Hive. But then, the mention of insects… idk, maybe it was just a random supernatural shit?

Since we’re talking about these statements, I love how the people involved always see the creepiest shit and then keep going with their plans. Adrian literally saw a cardboard mask of his friend’s face buried in the ground and, instead of running away and disappearing forever, he kept going.

And what he saw was… the only way I can describe it, is the same way I imagined it, so: “weird spa session with cardboard, insects and fluids”. Here, that’s it.

Melanie is back from India! And she got shot, but she’s still alive, thankfully.

And then… fucking Elias appears.

He introduces himself to Melanie, by saying that “he runs the Institute”. We all know it’s not true, Elias: you sat on your lazy ass for two entire seasons and only now you’re actually doing something.

So, what does he do, to prove he’s actually working? He hires Melanie. Just like that. And just because she had a YouTube channel about the supernatural.

Elias is the best boss ever: he picks the first rando he sees around who has a minimum of knowledge about the supernatural and hires them on the spot. But, as he said to Martin:

Which can also be translated as: "Don’t worry, Martin, I know you lied on your CV because I am a supernatural shit. Also, yes, I know Jon will come back. Have I made it clear enough I am a supernatural shit?"

Elias aside, I cannot believe my naive hope was fulfilled. I mean, I asked for Melanie and Jon to have a mentor/protegè kind of relationship. But I also clarified that I didn’t want her to be in danger! Melanie does not deserve any shit, so I really, really hope she will be alright.

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MAG 85 - Upon the Stair

Oooh, another trippy statement! Those are my favorites, hands down. I love the constant switch between being/not being, walking up the stairs and not walking but moving faster. The man who doesn’t exist, but exists. And the part about the parents asking their own son where he is, his father walking up the stairs and dying on his chair, the mother with the bloodied napkin, how they both get up and leave… that’s so insane, I love it!

But instead of just sitting back and appreciating the nonsense like me, Jon is trying to understand. Is this statement about Michael? The Spiral idea seems to work, but I thought Michael was more expert in corridors, rather than stairs. And yes, the “Nowhere Man” isn’t a Michael thing. It reminds me of the book Leitner used to hide himself, A Disappearance: maybe this is another supernatural shit.

LISTEN I WAS JUST GUESSING, WHY ARE MY GUESSES BECOMING REAL.

So I was right, when I said that these supernatural shit are searching for hosts and replacing the humans - a bit like the Dark tried to do with the child on MAG 73.

When the supernatural entities become the host, the humans change. This proves even more that Elias is the Eye’s host, because he went from stoner to baddest bitch of all the land.

I was right about Jon too, when I said he was connecting too much with the Eye and was too obsessed with these statements.

Now that I think about the Eye and remember MAG 73… if Elias is the Eye, then why is the Eye connecting with Jon too? Just to make him a minion? Or to replace Elias? But why replace Elias, when he’s clearly showing he’s the boss of all bitches? Mmmmh, maybe the Eye just needs an additional pair of eyes and it likes Jon’s very much.

Okay, so Georgie isn’t Jon’s fiancee, nor his sister, but a friend. And she knows Melanie! I’m pretty sure Melanie will tell her about the new job she got randomly and how weird her co-workers are, from the big guy who is longing for his old boss, to the hot one who is 200% done with everything, to the head of the place who is a huge bitch.

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MAG 86 - Tucked In

“Tim Stoker. Archival assistant... Archival prisoner at the Magnus Institute.”

I’ve never seen a man more done than Tim. He literally can’t take it anymore. I’m scared to see the moment when he will finally snap and either kill everyone and/or himself.

My poor Melanie, of course thinks her co-workers are weird: she doesn’t know all the shit they went through.

The statement itself is fine. Again, I am not really sure what supernatural shit is it about, but I suppose it’s an “appendix” of the Dark or similar. Anyway, I really like how it plays on the universally known idea that hiding under your blanket means the monsters can’t touch you. Just like planned, the monster cannot touch Benjamin either, he’s safe. And then, the twist: “The blanket never did anything.”. The monster was just playing with him. Super creepy, super scary, loved it.

My dear Melanie, I love how lost she is. She’s literally this, all the time:

She just got hired and her coworkers are done, there is creepy shit everywhere, she’s left recording statements by herself and doesn’t know where to start. She needs to be protected at all costs <3

A Melanie-Jon cooperation! Yes! He will tell her everything! And she will help him! I’m very hyped about this, can’t wait to see what it will lead to!

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MAG 87 - The Uncanny Valley

Considering this is another statement centered around puppets (in this case, puppets cutting human heads - to take out the faces, I suppose), it seems like puppets are not just the mini-boss of this season, but a kinda important piece of the Unknowing.

I was right when I said the Unknowing is an event! Not!Sasha talked about it as if it was another name for the Stranger but no, it’s really an event that should happen and the Stranger is involved! And, according to Gertrude, there’s not just them, but also creepy puppets dancing while wearing human faces. Lovely.

Speaking of Gertrude, how can she know that Jude Perry, Agnes and all the Fire Gang are members of The Lightless Flame, if Jon made up that name?

It’s because of time shenanigans Attack on Titan style

TMA’s author made a teeny tiny mistake

I missed something or misunderstood it

If it’s the time shenanigans, I’m gonna scream.

Still about Gertrude, there is this sentence I’m trying to better understand:

“It interests me that Jude Perry would be involved. I was unaware that The Lightless Flame had had any contact with the Stranger’s ilk, but I suppose it makes sense that it would be a possible ally to the Devastation, especially since their own plans have so recently, erm, gone up in flames.”

So… who is the Devastation? Is it the Lightless Flame? Are they the same thing? If that’s so, then I suppose that the Stranger’s gang includes:

Creepy puppets/clowns

The Dark and its Not-Things

The Devastation and its Lightless Flame cult

Orsinov and the Circus of the Other

Also, there’s the weird mention about skin. What does Jon mean? I thought Orsinov/puppets and everyone else were searching for human skin to wear. Did I get it wrong? Did Gertrude mean something else?

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MAG 88 - Dig

Hello, umpteenth Leitner book. Of what kind of supernatural shit are you the essence? The Dig?

I really like how we can follow the escalation of the book’s influence on Mr. MacMillan:

First, we see him reading four pages. Not the entire book, just four. And yet, they were enough for him to take the book and become obsessed with digging. And we know it, thanks to two small details:

when the police arrive, he already dug the body

when he leaves he thinks the police are angry at him, because he “had robbed them of their opportunity to dig.”

That’s GREAT show don’t tell, loved it so so much.

And the more the statement progresses, the more we see how this need grows (i.e. the weird dreams about digging) and how unhinged it becomes. Until we reach that small gem that is:

“A bookseller I asked about it pointed me towards you and yours, before I dug into him, and so here I came.”

I ADORE when creepy shit is thrown like that, almost without care. It’s more effective than a big preparation, it takes you by surprise and it’s a lot more chilling. Love it.

My boy Martin. The passive-aggressiveness is strong in this man. I mean:

when Basira asks him about Daisy, he protests because everyone sees him as the doorman of the Institute

when Basira makes a teeny tiny compliment to Jon, he immediately panics and fears she loves him

when she explains that no, she doesn’t love him, she just thinks he’s nice and funny, Martin replies that oh don’t worry, Daisy will find him and you will have your chance to hear all of these jokes he makes that I can’t hear… oh, sorry, I forgot you’re not working with the police anymore. Bitch.

Yes, he probably thought “Bitch” too. Let’s not forget this is the guy who found a way to kill worms with a corkscrew. He’s like the meme:

Also: what does Martin mean, when he says “I don’t actually think he...”? He what? Is he implying Jon is gay? Oh my gosh, these two will end up together. And if they won’t, they will have the weirdest, strongest sexual tension ever. I can feel it.

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MAG 89 - Twice as Bright

We can easily rename this episode: “Jon gets dissed by Jude and it burns. Pun intended”.

Just like every woman in this series, Jude also woke up and chose violence. In this case, her violence means “Let’s set stuff on fire”. In the span of one episode, she:

repeatedly tells Jon he’s an idiot

repeatedly threatens Jon to burn him

in the end, she manages to burn him because she’s offended she told him her story

dissed the Eye, by saying “It does nothing aside from knowing stuff, like any introvert who loves to read” So basically like me

disses the Eye’s choice, by saying Jon has been a shitty one

Speaking of the Eye, when Jude told Jon it “watches and knows, sitting bulbous and comfortable in the ignorance of infinite knowledge”, it made me think of Azathoth blaspheming and bubbling on its “throne at the center of all infinity”. Maybe it’s because they both have eyes, maybe it’s because they’re both eldritch creatures, maybe because they’re both gods. No idea, but the vibes are immaculate.

So, while the Eye simply likes to watch, the Desolation burns everything. Basically a peeping Tom and a pyromaniac. Great.

Jude is keeping Jon alive, just to do a favor to Elias? See, see that this man is involved with the Eye? See that I’m right, when I say that he’s the Eye or whatever? People involved with other gods know him, that’s just another proof he’s a servant (if not part) of the Eye.

Also consider: Jude said the Eye does nothing, just sits on its godly, eldritch ass. And who else sits on his own bitchy, killer ass 24/7?

Jude tells us something very interesting about the different levels of “connection” with the god:

You can work for it and still be human, while doing job that will please it

You can “complete your transformation” aka kill yourself and become a monster - but also closer to your god

And since she chose the second route, she suggests Jon to do the same. “Feed it, fearlessly and without hesitation, or it will feed on you.”: Great piece of advice, I’m not scared for Jon’s life now, nope nope.

He doesn’t know how to feed it? Listen Jon, I’m not an expert in supernatural shits either, but I suggest to keep doing what you did until now: if Mr. Eye likes knowing stuff, give it more stuff. if you keep feeding it statements, that should keep it quiet, right? Right?

Jude gave us another Michael! Of course! We didn’t have enough Michaels!

Oh my bad, this one is a Michael we already got: Michael Crew. The Vast or whatever! And he hangs out with the Fairchilds! Make sense: if Simon Fairchild is the Grandfather of the Vast, of course he hangs out with his grandson.

Does that mean we will see him again? This weird old guy who loves to wake up and choose violence? And will we meet Michael the 2nd? I hope we will see them soon.

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MAG 90 - Body Builder

We can rename this statement too and we can rename it “Tim is trying really really hard to get fired”.

He literally took a flight and went to Malaysia. He listened to me and ran away. For once, someone in a series listen to me and run. And yet, Tim got so sick, he had to come back.

Fuck you, Elias, I know it’s your fault.

But hey: Elias might be a bitch, but he’s also a kind, understanding boss. And he accepts that a worker takes a goddamn flight to run away and came back only because he was sick. It happens every time, right? “Idiosyncrasies”, he calls them.

… look, just kill Tim and end his suffering. He cannot leave, hates the place, hates everyone, is very depressed. Let him rest, please. He doesn’t deserve all of this.

And while Tim grows a flashing sign on his forehead that says “DEAD”, Martin keeps being ignored. Poor Martin, at least when Jon treated him like shit, he acknowledged his existence. Now everyone ignores him.

Speaking of the statement, Jared is back again! This time, he’s running a gym, in which he can… turn people into the bodies they want, with a little “cut and sew”? After all, why have a head, when you can have a big smile on your torso?

Lovely place, seems fun, sorry if I can’t come but I left a pot on the stove and must go.

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In conclusion

Phew, a lot of things happened here! Jon is doing his own research among the supernatural shits, Elias is doing something for once in his life and he’s showing all the coolness (and the bitchness) he hid until now, Martin is the Institute’s new doorman, Melanie still has no idea of how deep the shit she’s in is and Tim is trying his best to get fired or die in the process.

Also, the Eye is apparently just a chill god that likes to watch stuff, while the Stranger and its acolytes are getting ready for the Unknowing. Will the Stranger be the final boss of the series? Or will we just get rid of its creepy puppets and call it a day? No idea, but I’m thrilled to find out what will happen.

For now, a conversation with Michael Crew has been promised, so I can’t wait to read that and find out more. So… let’s see each other very soon, I suppose <3

-> Next post

(How about a coffee? ☕)

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[uspiria]

Dracula’s Fiancée (2002) dir. Jean Rollin

[see-arcane]

Dracula: "Worry not my good friend Jonathan. I shall promptly send your letter to your boss (which I read) that tells him to speak to your fiancee! (the coded letter to whom I just burned)"

Rage and hate unending :)))))))))

Doubly so because I have to wonder whether the Hawkins letter was sent at all. The coded letter--WITH MINA'S WHOLE ADDRESS ON IT, NEW NIGHTMARE UNLOCKED--was burned in front of Jonathan as a power play. The Hawkins letter was kept intact and resealed to keep the threadbare 'performance' going. Dracula takes that letter out of the room, locking Jonathan in for his Misbehaving Gothic Damsel Timeout...

...and then (minor spoilers) we never hear of the Hawkins letter again. Not from Hawkins himself or from Mina.

Implying that this letter was also destroyed while Jonathan couldn't see it happen. Just to be safe.

I wonder if Jonathan found more ashes waiting in his room. A neat letter-sized pile with his own wax seal left resting on top. And he just opted not to bother mentioning it. Because what would be the point?

Despair has its own calms...

[annabelle--cane]

finally got around to finishing dracula 1931. thoughts: I was honestly a bit underwhelmed, usually when I go to watch an old classic black and white movie it blows my tits clean off, but my tits remained firmly on my body for this one. it felt a bit undertempo, both in terms of the actual pacing and more metaphorically across the board. I did like how they did vampirised mina, her creepiness made a good contrast with her previous hollywood starlet vibes and I liked that they visibly had her bloodlusting after her fiancee.

[immediatebreakfast]

Gotta love how the locals ALL react to Jonathan. They see him head to the wolf's jaws, one who is known for his taste for youth and go "oh that's a baby... I must give up my OWN good luck charm for this kid!"

Jonathan's whole beginning is such innocence facing its first big experience. Very first step out of the hearth.

It also juxtaposes with Jack, Quincey and Arthur, who are experienced men who have had many adventures overseas already!

Jonathan being a child in the eyes of the locals is something that has been discussed a lot, but I still feel for them. Because in a way, Jonathan is still a child, he is away from home, fresh from exams and with a fiancee, to have his first job in the field.

So the locals see this young man who doesn't even speak their language, but is polite, and has the kind of freshness that only inexperienced young people have in his eyes. They don't think much of it until he tells them (in broken german) where exactly he is going. Then, after Jonathan's revelation what the locals only see is a walking corpse, or worse another young soul trapped for eternity.

What the inkeepeer's wife sees is a lonely mother in a candle lit home, waiting and waiting for any kind of news of her son, looking at the window for hours so she doesn't miss the arrival of that young man she raised, and sent to a foreing land.

What the locals see is another victim. It seems that horrible being lost the fascination for the taste of their young (or has already devoured so many), and now he is bringing more innocent young people to his cursed tomb of a castle.

So they try, and try to keep that young man away, but he is a stubborn english man (it's his first job he can't mess it up).

They see the determination of his eyes (or desesperation and confusion), and let him go.

Maybe if they give him some protections he can put the clues together, and survive (it's impossible). Maybe if the coachman goes faster than that devil he can make the young man wait for tomorrow.

Compare Jonathan to these charming men, older than him, who had already seen so much more. The three of them have the kind of "mindset" that Jonathan lacks when it comes to danger. However, I think that even with all of their experience, none of them would have survived what Jonathan has been through in the course of these days.

I know it sounds unbelievable, or even cruel. Still, based on their characters, and the kind of masculine archetype that each of them represent, would Arthur, Quincey and Jack see through Dracula? Absolutely they aren't fools. Would they survive the kind of game that Dracula has been playing with Jonathan? I don't think so.