The Mormon as Vampire: A Comparative Study of Winifred Graham's The Love Story of a Mormon, the Film Trapped by the Mormons, and Bram Stoker's Dracula

Authors

James V. D'Arc

Keywords

Mormon studies, cinema, comparative study, Mormon film

Abstract

Between 1911 and 1926, novels and films fueled anti-Mormon sentiment in Great Britain. Winifred Graham's novel The Love Story of a Mormon portrayed a mesmerizing polygamist deceiving and enslaving girls. Later, Graham's book was made into the film Trapped by the Mormons. Both the novel and the movie drew images from vampire lore made popular by Bram Stoker's Dracula. The Mormon villain in Trapped by the Mormons has come from a faraway land, promises the possibility of eternal life, and can mesmerize victims, like Count Dracula. Though sensationalistic, the film colored British audience's perceptions of Mormon missionaries as vampire-like predators. Today, such films provide cultural insights into the anti-Mormon movement of the time.

Recommended Citation

D'Arc, James V. (2007) "The Mormon as Vampire: A Comparative Study of Winifred Graham's The Love Story of a Mormon, the Film Trapped by the Mormons, and Bram Stoker's Dracula," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 46: Iss. 2, Article 8.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol46/iss2/8