What Caused Vampires To Become So Popular?
I’m writing an essay for school on vampires and stuff and was wondering if anyone had an idea for why vampires are really popular right now. I know that they’ve been popular for a while now, starting with Dracula, but why is it now all of a sudden popular again, any one have any answers besides twilight?
January 30th, 2010 at 4:44 am
The bogeymen that a society is most terrified by are the ones who are subconsciously identified with something that the society has a real reason to fear: horrorstories are a way for a society to deal with the things it dare not name directly.
In the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” the Wicked Witch of the West is so utterly terrifying because cinema audiences understood that at some level she was a cipher for Adolf Hitler. The Good Witch of the North was so reassuring because audiences were able to think of her as the spirit of the US.
Vampires carry a blood-borne disease which does not immediately kill but transforms its victims into living carriers. Vampires have multiple health issues (photosensitivity, sleeplessness (from a human point of view), an aversion to food in general (but especially garlic)). Vampirism is also obliquely connected with sexual activity and is a disease primarily of the young and attractive.
Once AIDS became a major killer it was inevitable that a Vampire craze would follow. The original Vampire craze of the 1810’s closely mirrored an explosive growth of european syphilis around that period. Vampires are a natural metaphor for STI’s.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:27 am
I agree with the answer above, but they are not only charming rebels; they are also what many wish they could be. They have these superhuman abilities, never age, immortality. However, they also have depth in that it can all be a curse to them. Vampires are the ultimate character- perfect and yet oh so very imperfect. Also, vampires tend to be an embodiment of carnal passion and lust. The neck bite, the transfer of blood, the beauty, the charm, the animal instincts, all of it. Likewise, most humans are passionate and lustful beings (not all- most). Vampires are what many humans are but cannot show. They are the “hidden self”. Hope I helped!
Also, some people obsess over vampires because their life may not be very exciting. These vampires, and even becoming one of them, brings excitement!
January 30th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Actually, the roots of vampire popularity go back to Lord Byron and his vampire character Lord Ruthven. This was the first time vampires were romanticized as good looking, charming, and sexy rather than grotesque corpses. As for today’s popularity, everything is cyclical. They were very popular in the late eighties and early nineties and now there making a comeback.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Immortality has been searched for for many centuries. Because vampires are immortal, people want to be them. They submerge themselves into the stories because being surrounded by it makes it seem somewhat real to the person. Somewhat like when people who are unpopular (dorks and nerds) submerge themselves in fantasy like wow or d&d. Btw, i am a dork and a nerd so don’t take offense to it.
The popularity surge in vampires recently might have to do with so many people thinking that 2012 is the end of the world (which the mayans never said it would be). I’m not completely sure about that, but that is my theory. I’ve been interested in vampires my whole life, so i really had no sudden interest in it like so many other people.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Bram Stoker started it all. Since then there have been many spinoff TV series, movies, etc. and of course the latest offering.
I don’t know why people are so taken in by vampires. You can only go out after dark and you can only feed on blood. Doesn’t sound like much of a life to me.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Twilight. That’s the only reason why they are so popular right now. Twililight has a cult of preteen girls, who are bringing vampires back into the spotlight.
January 30th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
they are rebelious, they are charming
and they are everything that society is against.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:23 am
The allure of the deep, dark creature mixed with sexuality and fear appeals to the masses.
January 31st, 2010 at 4:24 am
Twilight the movie.