Vampire month: Vampire Sensationalism

In literature today vampires are everywhere.  They're also in movies and TV shows.  What is our fixation on vampires about?

What started it all?  Was it Anne Rice with all her Vampire Chronicles?  It is far more likely that it was Bram Stoker and his classic novel Dracula.

What started the frenzy of modern times?  Was it Stephanie Meyer's Twilight?  Sure there were others before her and after her, but was the sensational success of Twilight the reason we are so enthralled with vampires right now?

Some people say that vampires are "out," but I say that there are people out there who will remain fans for the rest of their lives. These fans will forever seek out the next vampire story that they crave so much.

So what is it about vampires that we can't get enough of? Is it the fact that they represent the ultimate danger? Or is it just the allure of the unknown?

For me, vampires are the pinnacle of Bad Boys. I am a sucker (no pun intended) for Bad Boys.

Now, there are a few types of vampire out there. Personally, I'm a fan of all of them.

There is the true vampire or traditional vampire. The ones who burn in the sun and are harmed with crosses and don't have reflections. These are in the middle of the Troublesome to Terror scale. They can be sexy or scary or both. A good example of these are the vampires of the original and the re-make of Fright Night. Dracula and Anne Rice's vampires would also be good examples. These vampires know what they are and don't care. They embrace the lifestyle.

Next we have the modern vampire. The vampire that thinks he's a monster and is constantly trying to cling to their humanity. They don't want to drink human blood or be killers. Of course there are modern vampires who embrace the lifestyle, but those vampires are usually not the center of the stories.

Lastly, the vampires of horror.  These vampires are true monsters who have left all traces of humanity behind.  You can find these types of vampires in the past and present.  These are the monsters that give you nightmares. A good example of these are the vampires of 30 Days of Night and the vampiric beings of I Am Ledgend (one of my most hated movies).

There are vampires that fall between these lines, of course, and there are those that don't fit into any of these categories. That's the beauty of it. We can read or watch all sorts of vampires til we can't take them any more.