Dracula would love to call his gothic boarding house a five-star destination, but the reviews
for Hotel Transylvania suggested the place didn't offer much to scream about — at least
not for adults. However, there are still plenty of jokes, themes, and references specifically
for the grown-ups in the room.
Hotel Transylvania brims with endearing and inventive fantasy takes on the little details
of parenting. Any adult who has ever changed a diaper would envy Dracula's ability to telekinetically
suspend a dirty diaper in the air rather than having to touch it. And for disposal purposes,
Dracula has a little diaper coffin, which opens with a foot pedal.
With his ability to turn into a bat and his use of this power to surveil his daughter,
Dracula also gives new meaning to the term "helicopter parent." He even attempts to influence
his daughter Mavis' interest in romance and the type of boy she should pursue.
"Sweetheart, there, there are so many eligible monsters out there."
In an amusing but bittersweet exchange, Wayne Werewolf asks his children to track down Johnny
the human, but the hyperactive pups have trouble focusing and obeying his request. Dracula
solves the problem by inquiring which of the werewolf's children still respects him. The
poor guy is painfully aware that parental respect wanes like the moon as children grow
up. Fortunately, Wayne knows exactly which one of his kids is young enough to still listen
to him and want to help out.
During the construction of the hotel, audiences might notice that all the construction workers
are zombies, who, when you think about it, would make ideal workers. Or maybe it's the
other way around, and the pursuit of being the perfect worker can turn a person into
a zombie. Either way, many adults relate to the struggle of punching a clock and mindlessly
toiling day in and day out, even past the point of exhaustion.
With zombies, though, there is no point of exhaustion. The undead don't need sleep or
eat, so they would never require a lunch break or a vacation day. Though in Hotel Transylvania,
they aren't portrayed as the completely inexhaustible labor source they would potentially provide
in other fictional scenarios.
Exploring the extremes of zombies' possible utility is fascinating nonetheless. If bosses
ever needed to expand the staff, they could just send the zombies out to infect "new recruits."
And there would be no worker's comp claims and no need for the employer to take out workplace
insurance, because the undead can't feel pain.
Toilet humor may be another culprit in the case of Hotel Transylvania's less-than-stellar
critical reception. There are a number of silly moments that would typically be considered
seriously low-brow. This shouldn't necessarily detract from the film: It does need to appeal
to kids, after all, and it's not like the childish humor pretends to be anything more
sophisticated than it is.
One gag, which literally makes characters gag, is Frankie framing Murray the mummy for
passing gas.
"You're kidding me, right? In my lobby?"
"Drac, I swear, man. I - I don't run like that."
But this joke actually has some level of science behind it. Mummification, is a seventy-day
process meant to purify the body, including the removal of the intestines, stomach, and
other internal organs, which are placed in jars, and entombed along with the body. Since
Murray has clearly left his resting place, it's safe to assume that the organs that would
facilitate his breaking of the wind aren't anywhere close by. So unless an embalmer really
messed up, he's right: He really doesn't "run like that."
Throughout the movie, Frankie voices an intense fear of fire, imploring others to avoid situations
that might expose them to it. He even has a plane phobia because engines can catch fire
at any moment.
"Yeah, yeah, fire bad! We know."
The hotel might seem like a safe place since it doesn't seem to rely on electricity, however,
it employs candelabras and torches instead, which doesn't seem to bother Frankie as much
as it should.
What only adults, and possibly high school English students, would notice is that this
fear is actually canon. In Frankenstein, the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, the creature is
afraid of fire as well. He discovers that fire is truly deceptive: its illuminating
power brings discovery and enlightenment, but it also has the capacity to harm and devastate.
The literally enlightening nature of fire parallels venturing into the real world, which
Mavis desires to do. As you become an adult, you'll see so many new things, but you'll
also take greater risks and face greater challenges and dangers. Sunlight is the bane of all vampires,
and fire is also what killed Mavis' mother. This is part of the reason Dracula tries so
hard to keep her in the dark. But on the other hand, the beauty of a glowing sunrise, which
Johnny helps her see for the first time, is what inspires her to give humans a chance.
Throughout the film, all the monsters keep a close eye on human affairs in order to remain
apprised of emerging threats, which are always looming larger — literally. One of the most
alarming developments is the fact that humans are becoming heavier. While humans view obesity
as a threat to their own wellbeing, Dracula sees it as a menace to his kind. The bigger
people are, the more easy it is for them to overpower monsters. Plus, it makes their blood
much less healthy.
"Human blood is so fatty and you never know where it's been."
Some adults lament that kids these days are shirking modesty and wearing less clothing.
But rather than being symbolic of a societal decline, as some members of older generations
of humans see it, in the eyes of monsters, this behavior actually makes people more powerful.
It allows them greater freedom of movement to strangle monsters, or cut their heads open
to put candy in, which they can then eat to grow to even more intimidating sizes.
"What? Look at me, I'm getting goosebumps I'm so scared."
The supernatural world offers a lot of opportunities to joke about growing up that holds special
meanings for those who have actually gone through it. The turning point of adulthood
for immortal vampires comes at 118 years of age, instead of 18. Of course, in terms of
eternity, this doesn't make much sense: 18 is about a quarter of the average human lifespan,
and although a quarter of infinity isn't technically possible to determine, it would probably be
greater than 118.
Not to mention, the idea of immortality revolves around not aging at all. But non-aging would
undermine the entire theme of the movie, so we don't worry about that. The joke is that
there is a coming-of-age point for vampires that presents similar challenges to those
of adolescent humans and their parents.
There are also a lot of one-liners in Hotel Transylvania that reference various recognizable
points along the human path to adulthood. Mavis protests that she deserves independence
because she's old enough to drive a hearse. Another comment references Mavis being barely
out of training fangs, which could allude to anything from training bras to training
wheels to braces. And in another plea for autonomy, she points out that she's not 83
anymore.
Still, even though she's 118 years old, it doesn't prevent Mavis from pulling a childhood
trick that always helps to change her father's mind.
"Come on. No, no, don't do that. Don't give me the pouty bat face."
By the time she turns 118, Mavis has prepared for a showdown with her father regarding her
right to explore the world as an adult, which is why she is incredulous when she doesn't
even get the chance to launch into her argument before her father agrees to her wishes. This
seeming reversal surprises the audience, too, as Dracula has explicitly stated that he constructed
the hotel in order to keep his daughter safe at home forever without any reasons to leave.
Of course, we find out that when he recommends a nearby human village to visit, it's actually
because he had it constructed specifically for her. Basically, the entire village is
a ruse: Dracula has enlisted a gaggle of zombies to pose as humans and play out every terror
he warned Mavis about, hoping to scare away her desire to explore the rest of the world.
"The zombies dressed up as the townspeople."
Luckily for Dracula, it works. Mavis flies away, frightened and disappointed. As she
takes to the sky, it appears that the clock in the town square reads midnight. However,
we don't hear any bells, which would align with the fact that the village is just a facade.
Midnight is a significant hour in the world of monsters, but it also signifies the transition
to a new day, prompting an association with a new chapter of adulthood. The passage of
one day to the next highlights the fact that time moves relentlessly onward, no matter
how hard someone, especially a parent, wants to cling to the way things are.
Although they call themselves monsters, the subjects of this film unsurprisingly define
this term much differently then the way humans do. In fact, in their minds, the roles are
reversed. They see humans as terrifying and dangerous savages, but most of the monsters'
habits and behaviors have clear analogues in the human world. The monsters have a clear
sense of morality that most humans would recognize: They harbor no desire to hurt others, and
place a strong emphasis on family ties, social connections, and loyalty. All in all, the
monsters are pretty similar to most of the humans they so desperately fear.
In fact, Dracula has adopted his own brand of veganism, even if this was only written
for the sake of a one-liner. It references his use of blood alternatives in place of
killing and draining humans.
"Dracula doesn't drink blood?"
"No, I use a blood substitute. Either Near Blood or Blood Beaters. You can't tell the
difference."
Children who don't spend much time in the beverage or dairy aisles of grocery stores
probably won't get that joke, which riffs on non-alcoholic Near Beer and a healthier
egg substitute called Egg Beaters.
Still, that's just one of the film's many quick puns and gags that will fly over the
heads of younger viewers but give parents something to chuckle about...
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm a...I'm a little lost. Yes, I know it's your honeymoon. I apologize.
Go back to doing what you were doing."
After Johnny the human is disguised by Dracula, he claims to be Frankie's cousin from his
right arm's side of the family.
In Shelley's novel, Victor Frankenstein discovered a way to bring life to dead matter, but rather
than simply raise the dead, he wants to animate the ideal humanoid. As a result, he seeks
out the most beautiful version of each body part. The most appealing face might not come
from the same body as the ideal arm, leg, or hand, which is why each part sewn into
the creature's form comes from a different person.
Obviously, each of these people has a different backstory and has left their own family behind,
meaning that Frankenstein probably has a dozen or more sets of relatives. Shelley's creature
never sought out his "ancestors," but it's a concept that Hotel Transylvania humorously
explores. However, it would probably be a little overwhelming for Frankie to sit back
and really ponder the past lives of his body parts.
"That was trippy."
For many adults, it's tough to hear the title Hotel Transylvania and not think of the Eagles'
1976 hit song "Hotel California." It's been a staple of classic rock radio and cover bands
for decades. One of the track's most iconic lines states that "you can check out any time
you like, but you can never leave."
Similarly, vampires, mummies, ghosts, and zombies have "checked out" of the world of
the living, but they can never leave their immortal life.
Mavis wants to go where her parents met in Hawaii: a place called Paradise, which also
alludes to the home of the eternal afterlife — if you're lucky. But "you can never leave"
is also how Dracula feels about Mavis growing up and leaving home — to visit Paradise
or anywhere else.
While there's plenty of music in Hotel Transylvania, the Eagles never get a shout-out. However,
another band, who most kids have probably never heard of, gets a quick mention.
"I have so many places I want to see. I've got tickets to six Dave Matthews Band concerts."
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