So it appears we are amongst a vampire craze over the last couple years. All these new books and tv series and movies and incorporating into them the famous vampire. Vampires have existed in literature and cinemea for decades, but it's almost like over night they appear on shelves everywhere. What brought on this new addiction and what do we love most about vampires?
We know our traditional vampire, the strong sexy, hide in the shadows vampire. We all are familiar with vampire Lestat. Anne Rice made the traditional vampire famous in books like "Interview with the Vampire". Your traditional vampire cannot be near holy water, sunlight or garlic. Of course the traditional stake to the heart is an instant kill also. Yet even though these night creatures keep in the dark feeding and scaring, they draw us in and we beg for more with an instant bite.
Now we have your new vampires...these ones where garlic doesn't bother them so much, they can walk in daylight, holy water doesn't make sense to them. Is this our new evolved vampire? Is this the vampire of the 21st century and did we allow the vampire to evolve among us? Are we ok knowing that a vampire can now lurk and follow us in the daylight where we thought we were safe...only problem is, these new evolved species of the damned must require a special ring to walk among us in the light (reference from Vampire Diaries series) or they prefer gloomy dark cities in Oregon or Washington State because when sunlight hits their skin they twinkle like a thousand diamonds (reference from Twilight series.)
For me the new vampire doesn't inflict the terror of the traditional vampire. This new evolved species lives among as if they were human and have found different ways to feed. So for me they don't have the same allure or sexy appeal of the original vampire. Don't get me wrong, the new vampire is fun and totally appealing to the new younger crowd and I am reading and watching and following the new vampire myself. I just can't help but thnk back to the vampire I grew up with and loved. How can we forget the greats like "Lost Boys" or "Queen of the Damned"...good classic vampire movies. I give props to the True Blood series, although modern and incorporating vampires into our society by introducing a new synthetic blood to sustain them, they are still pretty much the traditional vampire. The one that can only roam at night and needs to sleep in the earth or a coffin kind of thing. So we have our traditional vampire with a modern twist. :)
For me I think the main appeal of the vampire is the idea that they are damned for eternity, with this so-called "curse" that they have to live with, yet they create their lives around them and give off the dangerous sexy vibe that us ladies love. They are so powerful, yet so vulnerable. Once daylight arrives, it's all over and they must go into hiding and try to continue their conquest till the next day. I love that the vampire over centuries barely evolves, they stay strong and luring and draw us in.
I'm going to keep following the new vampire also, see how things go for them, but I have to stick with the oringal vampire as my true fantasy creature....
What is your take on the vampire craze?
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