We Just Love Vampires
Vampires are a trendy crowd in our cinematic and literary fiction. Vampires capture our imagination, draw us in, and make us believe in creatures outside of our normal existence. The vampire has changed from an often hated and feared, always maligned, always undesirable creature into a loved being that represents eternal life and superhuman power.
During the middle ages, vampires were oftentimes apparitions. They were the embodiment of a soul not at peace. Most of the time a vampire would attack or haunt its previous family members. In order to stop these haunting, townspeople would dig up the vampire corpse, hammer a stake into the heart, and decapitate it. Sometimes the corpse was also incinerated. By staking the corpse it was believed a vampire would be pinned to its coffin and it couldn’t rise again. Cutting off the head was a means to separate the body from the brain. In severe cases, fire was used to annihilate a vampire corpse.
Vampires were spotted only after sunset, so it was naturally assumed that vampires couldn’t stand the sun. Additionally, darkness is equated with evil things whereas light, and the sun, represent things that are good. Vampires were never observed haunting their former family members in daylight so the belief of sunlight aversion was born.
In 1897 Bram Stoker released Dracula, the now timeless, revered, and iconic vampire tale. Stoker redefined what a vampire was. The vampire took on charisma, personality, and charm. Vampires were no longer senseless spirits bent on annihilating their former families. Vampires represented power and eternal life. Stoker planted the seeds that would grow into an attraction with all things vampire.
Today there are an untold number of books about vampires. Vampire TV shows such as Forever Knight, The Hunger, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel found widespread success. Proving that vampire television shows aren't dead, new shows like HBO's True Blood are finding new audiences.
Vampire movies are also common productions by Hollywood. In the last few years we've seen the release of the Evolution trilogy, 30 Days of Night, Twilight, I Am Legend, and many more. Vampire groupies, fans, fanatics just can’t get enough of vampire cinema and Hollywood is more than willing to produce several new vampire films every year.
We love vampires. Until the creature is endearingly redefined once more, it is doubtful that vampire popularity will decrease. We cannot help but become enthralled with idea of strength, immortality, power, and eternal life. Vampires represent these characteristics. Vampires will always be an all the rage form of fiction.
About the Author:
CT Thompson is the creator of Vampire Rave, a online community for those who love the vampire. His hobbies include science fiction, flying, motorcycling, and skiing.
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