kiss of the vampire

• the 1960s audience will be familiar with the style of the posters codes and conventions of a ‘monster/vampire‘ movie
• symbolic code - barthes

  • the codes of horror are shown through the moon, and the submissive sacrificed characters (gesture codes)
• levi strauss - structuralism


  binary oppositions of ‘kiss‘ and ‘vampire‘ aswell as the male victim vs the male vampire and also the female victim vs the female vampire
• the 1960s


  this was the beginning of women’s sexual liberation, eg the contraceptive pill and the beginning of working women. the equal pay act was passed in 1963 in america
• women costumes


  they are both wearing pale dresses of a light material, exposing skin. their dress codes reinforce their sexualisation; appealing to the male gaze audience
• gesture codes (victim women)

  • she is shown conforming to the passive victim stereotype. her vulnerability is furthered as the male is holding up
• gesture codes (vampire women)


  she is shown as strong and subverting stereotypes. she is baring her teeth and her face represents anger
• gesture codes (vampire male)


  he is presented as strong as he is holding his victim up with just one arm. but we could argue his body language is shown to be scared of the women on the right, as his arm is raised in a way he seems to be protecting himself
• gesture codes (victim male)


  he is seen as vulnerable and weak, he is knelt on the floor and posed submissively. his head and throat are exposed
• the title


  capitalised serif font adds to the codes of a vampire film. the ‘wooden style’ may connote coffins, where these victims will soon end up
• painted main image

  • conventional of the genres of the time (linking to christopher lees dracula film)
• coloured poster

  • shows that it is a more modern telling of a story
• gloomy colour palette 


  the grey, brown and black colour scheme helps reinforce the genre, whilst the red ‘sticks out’ and draws attention to the vampire, the bats and the blood. all three of those are main characteristics of a vampire movie
• credit block


  they are ordered in fame, and majority male. possibly ignoring the role of women in the movie
• semiotics roland barthes


  suspense is created through the enigma of the possible relationship between the genders. we can assume there is some sort of relation due to the conventions of the word ‘kiss’
• hermeneutic code barthes 


  we are drawn to question what the fate of the victims are
• stuart hall representation


  conceptual road map -> the castle, bats, vampire dress and blood form the meaning to the story of the poster. the audience is encouraged to decode the generic iconography
• identity gauntlett


  the female vampire can act as a role model for women struggling against male oppression, she could symbolise the act of fighting for equality
• van zoonen feminism


  the female vampire is shown in a non conventional way. she could be contributing to social change - BUT the victim female subverts this