Halloween photo: Is this classic silent film vampire conscious or not? Can he pass the mirror test of animal intelligence? Or does he fail the test because he cannot see himself in a mirror and therefore lacks consciousness? 🙂
We originally did this as a series of Halloween (and mirror) themed photos on our IG feed. However, thanks to True Blue, Vampire Diaries, Interview with a Vampire, and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, vamps are so chic these days this is practically evergreen content.
This is actor Max Schreck from the 1922 silent horror movie Nosferatu, said to be a then-popular German knock-off of the US Dracula silent film. (The plot was in fact based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula book, with a different name for the vampire.) Since Nosferatu is a fictional vamp, he lacks a soul, and cannot recognize or see himself in a mirror. So, continuing on our theme these last few photos, perhaps this means Nosferatu is not self-aware or conscious?
But what about a real vamp? Can a real vampire see himself in the mirror? Is there even such a thing as a real vampire? Stay tuned, we’ll answer in our next photo.
(A shorter version of this article originally appeared as part of a series of Halloween-themed photos on our IG feed.)
Photo credit: 1920s publicity photo/public domain in the U.S.