Students and faculty gathered in Mortola Library in Pleasantville on Oct. 29 for Professor Kevin Czerwinski’s “Vampires from Print to Screen” event.

Czerwinski introduced the presentation with a brief history on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula. The discussion focused on the transition from the classic and terrifying look at the vampire from the book, specifically the traditional Dracula, to modern day depictions, which utilize more typical physical characteristics and traits.

Students and faculty members voiced their personal favorites, such as the television series, Dark Shadows, which aired in the 1960s. More recent favorites were the FX series The Strain and HBO’s True Blood.

The legendary monster has appeared in over 80 films. However, after observing the evolution of the vampire through the decades, and having read the novel, Czerwinski is not enthusiastic about modern depictions of the monster.

“When you read the book,” Czerwinski said, “there is no room for interpretation, I think.”

Many students and faculty agreed with Czerwinski’s outlook. Pace student Jonathan Alvarez appreciates the classics and is fond of older versions of the films, however, he enjoys the newer adaptations that present a new, creative perspective while still maintaining classic, mysterious and haunting qualities.

“Obviously many adaptations were intentionally made to appeal to wider audiences, which explains the whole romance aspect,” Alvarez said. “But, I feel people are getting tired of the typical vampire love story, so I hope the media will get more innovative.”

Czerwinski grew an interest for horror films at a young age. Having no cable television as a child, Czerwinski explains that he simply watched the old films that aired at random hours of the day. He was fascinated with the sets, along with the concept of the stories, and enjoyed the scare.

Today, he teaches multiple writing courses, including Writing for Print Media, as well as a course in Horror Studies.

“I wanted to teach this course because I wanted to share something with the students,” Czerwinski said. “This is kind of outside of the box for me. I get to watch a bunch of movies that I love and then talk about them. Sometimes the kids even enjoy them.”

Czerwinski notices a growing appreciation for the classics among his students. Although he finds that some are uninterested in the works shown, he is surprised to notice that many of his students enjoy the films along with the original books.

“If 40 or 50 years from now when I am long gone, a former student can sit down and read Dracula or watch Frankenstein with their kid of grandkid and explain it, then I have done a good job,” he said.