Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror
by W. Scott Poole
Poole’s Vampira: Dark Goddess of Horror is more of a
social analysis of the times than a strict biography of the mysterious and
enigmatic Maila Nurmi, who created the often copied character of Vampira. Poole
presents some important biographical facts about Nurmi’s life and times, and
the kind of unfair deal she received with Vampira. I was not aware that this
character was only on television for a few episodes. I initially knew about her
from the Misfits song and Plan 9 from Outer Space. Reading this book helped me
learn more about the character, but also about the time period in which Nurmi
developed her. For Poole, Vampira is kind of like a challenge to many of the
institutions of 1950s America. She’s not only wicked but also subversive and
seeks to question many of the ideals that people pursued during that time. I
was not aware of her connection to James Dean and how she reflected the early
counter-culture movements like the Beats. Poole maybe goes a little far out in
his analysis, sometimes stretching the ideas a little thin, but overall, I
appreciated his willingness to take risks and think about the cultural context
that helped to create this memorable character who has evolved over time.
Furthermore, it was interesting to see how influential this character was to
later characters and artists. I really enjoy Poole’s writing, and in this book,
he is able to do a great amount with some limited source information and
develop some unique analyses of the life and times of Maila Nurmi.
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