Beginning in England in 1816, the thought of a vampire was enough to make someone shiver. In books, the vampire was portrayed as the bad guy, turning humans into vampires with a nip in the neck.
Books portrayed vampires as blood sucking villains that populated nightmares far and wide. The format remained the same until Ann Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles” appeared in 1975, changing the way people perceived vampires.
“Vampire folklore is amusing,” senior Alexis Isaac said. “Almost every culture has a folklore that relates to vampires being the ‘beasts of the night’ that are known to drain humans of energy and blood. I think as people we find it intriguing because there is something mysterious about it.”
Dracula is the most famous vampire of all time, having many stories, plays and dramas written about him. As society evolved, the thoughts of vampires changed. The new “Dracula” show, on NBC, shows a handsome young lad luring his victims into corners, not an old wrinkly fellow searching in the dusk for a midnight snack.
Along with Dracula, other vampires have made a name for themselves such as the vampire Nosferatu. Nosferatu is an older vampire, which is why he is known as the “grandfather vampire.” The movie, “Nosferatu,” made its way to theatres in 1922, and the main character, Nosferatu made a show of kidnapping victims, making them die a long drawn out death. The gory nature of his character proves that old time vampires are much different than modern day ones.
Authors began to describe vampires as beings with incredible self control, dignity and caring personalities. Over time, the image of an old vampire disappeared as did the garlic strips that people layered around their neck in order to keep the vampires. The new and improved vampire image took over.
Playing one of the key roles in Stephenie Meyer’s four book saga, “Twilight,” vampire Edward Cullen proves to dazzle and sparkle; literally. Considered a teen hearthrob, Cullen and other vampires won the hearts of young adults, promising them a thrill ride in movies, books, or perhaps even in real life.
Another TV show with a spin to the vampire world is “Vampire Diaries,” appearing on the CW network. With just more than 100 episodes, the TV show displays a teenage girl’s love triangle between two vampire brothers, who are neither old nor gross.
“My favorite thing about the show is the character development,” Isaac said. “I would definitely recommend the show, but it is a commitment, because once you start watching it, you cannot stop.”
A new movie being added to the list, “Vampire Academy,” will be released Feb. 14. The movie is about a “good” vampire, promising to protect humans against the bad vampires. In the past the thought of a ‘good’ vampire never occurred.
The older men with red-stained teeth have begun to disappear, making way for the seemingly younger men. With new movie releases and television shows ahead, the year promises to be a good one for vampire lovers.