ABSTRACT
Just as The Munsters in the 1960s attempted to embrace difference through the intersection of the classic monsters and the American family, so too does the Hotel Transylvania franchise in the 2010s. The series of films – produced by staunch Republican supporter Adam Sandler – tells of Dracula and his daughter Mavis and how traditional American family values can unite monsters and humans. However, in true Trump-era fashion, it actually shows completely the opposite. Mavis marries a human and so “Drac” – who spends most of the film trying to manipulate and control his daughter – is forced to interact with normal people. The narrative then flip-flops between monsters being humane whilst humans are monstrous but ultimately suggests that difference is only tolerable if Dracula (the head of the family) accepts you. Further, as the film climaxes it declares its racist, anti-Semitic colours by representing the “real” monsters of the tale as being Jewish. Alongside this is the coming of age of Drac’s grandson Dennis and whether his “fangs” (coded as his manhood) will appear. Dracula goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure that this happens so that his human- (read effeminate) looking grandson will be accepted as “normal.” Consequently, the film utilises much of the original signification of the monster (ethnicity, misogyny, homophobia, etc.) but in a way that simultaneously both denies and reinforces it through the vehicle of the great, all-inclusive, American family.
