Theda Bara – Hollywood’s First Female Vampire.

When the first literary vampire appeared during the 18th century, the trope of the sophisticated, seductive vampire immediately captured the public’s imagination. This new monster was romantic, sultry, as though the remnants of physical humanity had made him somehow relatable.

In early incarnations, the male archetype of the typical vampire sat solidly at the forefront, with women taking on the role of “victim” or members of the MMC’s harem. Fast forward to modern times where we are spoiled by the archetype of the strong female vampire, like Selene in the Underworld series (2003) and Nadja from What We Do in the Shadows (2019). 

Such a massive shift had to start somewhere, and the evolution of the female vamp beganwith this month’s featured artist: Theda Bara.

In 1915, A Fool There Was was released to American audiences with Theda in the starring role as a “femme fatale who first fascinates then exhausts her victims.” For the first time ever in celluloid, the public saw the roles reversed as men were turned into fools, taken from their families, and drained of their lifeblood by the female succubus.  

I’M ASSUMING A PICTURE IS GOING HERE?

“Look what she has done to me… Look what she’s doing to you!”

– A Fool There Was

Theda’s bio at the time stated that she was born in Egypt in 1885 to a French actress and an Italian sculptor, a history that gave her instant prestige as a “mysterious actress with an exotic background,” but truthfully, Theda had never set foot in Egypt. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to a Polish tailor and a Swiss stay-at-home mother. 
Little is known about her early life before the big screen, but from these roots Theda would go on to become Fox Studios shining star of the silent era, making over forty films between 1914 and 1926.

With her heavily-lined large eyes and Cleopatra-esque style Theda earned herself the nickname “The Vamp” long after A Fool There Was premiered. Her unique looks were accentuated by her propensity for wearing revealing costumes—at a time when this was sure to raise more than a few eyebrows. 

Fox Studios leaned heavily into marketing her fictitious persona as “interested in the occult,” further cementing the public’s idea of this mystifying, otherworldly actress. All of Theda’s filmography consisted purely of silent film, lending even more credence to her mystery. 

Unfortunately, most of Theda’s films were lost during a Fox Studios fire in 1937, but the legacy she left throughout these works remains. A Fool There Was can still be found online, and it’s definitely worth sinking your teeth into it. It’s fascinating to see just how far the strong female vamp archetype has come and how Theda’s influence started a small revolution. 

Clearly, the saying is true . . . vampires always do leave a mark.