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Let the right one in- 2008

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I don’t know about you but I haven’t been able to escape the vampire madness that was sparked last year by the infamous Twilight saga, now southern accented vampires, sparkly day walkers and even high school fanged cuties have helped the genre become a pop-culture phenomena.  I have to admit sexy vampires with charming personalities can make anyone swoon, yes even wolves are stepping-up their game but I also wonder, why is it that this vampire phenomena has become now so popular? In the horror genre many critics believe that specific monster trends emerge during socio-economic hardships.  For example, the German movie Nosferatu was popular after Germany’s defeat in WWI, Dracula (Count Orlok) was  portrayed as a repulsive and vile being with rat teeth that would spread vicious diseases to harm humans. Nosferatu can be used as a metaphor to portray the fears and horrors of war during the 1920′s.  However, how can something that has been originally evil and obscure become an object of lust and desire? (thanks Anne Rice)  I ‘m not going to run a history lesson here but in reality many of us deal with the problems of everyday life, we worry about our jobs, family, relationships, you name it. The vampire on the other hand does not have to deal with the complicated issues of our daily routine,  a vampire is immortal, eternally beautiful and although our current fanged friends now deal with feelings, they can easily run-away from these emotions. I believe these are some of the many reasons why we are so attracted to this fictional being because we can live our fantasies through this character.   As I researched more into this vampire trend, I noticed there are three main factors that can explain our current obsession with these mythical beings:

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1- Socio-economic downturn

As many people get laid off and feel powerless, some feel there has to be an enemy that has caused this disaster, terrorists? the government? aliens?

A period of turnmoil creates an environment of uncertainty, many people turn to novels and fantasy themes to forget their problems, many find in these themes a common enemy that has brought about chaos to it’s victims. “Periods of war, economic downturns and cultural turmoil all give rise to the production of vampire and fantasy fiction,” Thomas Garza (NY Times: A trend with teeth). According to Garza, in literary works and film we can all identify a clear enemy but in the real world, our “enemy” is not one monster but a complex evil being made of multiple factors that has brought upon us our despair. In addition, many of us have cut down on our expenditures giving way to other cheap thrills such as books and movies which have now become the most popular form of entertainment amongst young adults and teenagers.

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2- Escapism

Unlike humans, vampires are immortal and many do not need to worry about working, supporting a family or dying from falling off a building. In this aspect we are drawn to the vampire as a being that can do all we wished we could, as I mentioned above we live our fantasy through the mythical character. There is also one element that has helped the vampire theme thrive, our the current fanged trend has taken a romantic and more human approach, making the vampire more relatable.  For instance in Twilight and the Vampire Diaries we see vampires that have the same internal moral battles as humans but unlike them we cannot destroy an enemy and still live, we cannot be mysterious and live without a care in the world.  According to Mark Mclaughlin, a renowned vampire writer “Escapist cinema has always been the hallmark of a depressed economy,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “More horror movies were made during the Depression than any other period. It’s like the worse life is, people turn to forms of fear they can control, that the good guys will win”. (source) In our current movie adaptations and literary culture, the vampire is a being that is both good and evil as humans but as we see them battle other creatures, defend their loved ones and kill their enemies. “In general, a lot of people tend to feel powerless, and a vampire is a powerful character,” Mike Romkey a popular fiction author said. “Whether we’re reading the ‘Odyssey’ or ‘Interview With a Vampire,’ we tend to identify with the protagonist, and live through the protagonist. When they have all these powers, it says something about the culture. “(Source)  The vampire evokes in us a sense of control, that we can also posses magical powers and through our favorite characters we can also live a fantasy or a safe reality for a few minutes where we can forget about our troubles and defeat the forces of evil, all from the comfort of our homes.

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3. Mystique

Rick Owens- SS 2010, Bram Stoker’s Dracula 1992

Many of us remember seeing the goth kids in high school or having a phase of wearing dark clothes and black eyeliner, maybe you still like to run around in a cape with dark clothing and sheltering your pale skin from the sun, hey there’s nothing wrong with that! However, the gothic fashions have been around for centuries just as the vampire itself.  The vampire lore has existed for hundreds of years in Europe and in Native American mythology, the Aztecs also feared and respected this mysterious being.  The fanged monster who lives from drinking human blood has it’s roots in many ancient cultures, as a result the vampire has existed through out all our history. The vampire is embedded in our culture and can be reflected in our current fashion, films and literature.  In reality, the rise and popularity of the vampire depends on the state of being of the individuals within a society, the bogeyman has always existed to scare us but currently the blood sucking monster has turned into something else, a semi-hero that willingly saves us from the evil doers and ourselves.

So before you run to catch the upcoming New Moon film this weekend or if you’re wondering why in the world you are spending more of your spare time watching True Blood or the Vampire Diaries, remember that at the end of the day we all share common fears and passions, including our delight in Vampiric escapism and fantasy.

How about you lovelies, do you have a favorite vampire novel or film?