Medias Fascination with Vampires 1

Running head: Medias Fascination with Vampires

Medias Fascination with Vampire Kayla B. Mudd University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Spring 2014

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Medias intense fascination with vampires (Introduction) A vampire is a non-dead and non-alive chimerical creature, which, according to various folklores and popular superstitions, feeds on blood of the living to draw vital force (Castel 2013). The popularity and fascination with mythological creatures, especially vampires, has increased significantly over the years. There are many books, movies and television series centered on the idea of vampires. However, they are not feared and looked down upon as they used to be. Instead they are widely publicized and exemplified. There are many different elements to consider when it comes to vampires. Romance is of course the main central idea for most vampire-related things in the media today. The three core elements of popular romance are the meeting between the hero and heroine, attraction for each other and the barrier them (Leavenworth 2013). Central romances are pitted against societies which either do not acknowledge or do not accept the characters emotions. Their journeys toward happiness represent ways in which societal attitudes are either altered or conquered (Leavenworth 2013). The conventions of vampiric transgression is somewhat different compared to other novels or films. The turning process involves physical intimacy rendered in ways which conflate desires of various kinds. Vampire bites targets vital and sexually charged areas, like the neck or the chest. Victims bedrooms are usually the settings for nocturnal invasions (Leavenworth 2013). Because romance is the main theme of vampirism in todays media we are more attracted or fascinated by the ideas of vampires.

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Literature Review: The History and Modern Day Media Fascination with Vampires History of vampires Vampire legends have come a long way since they first originated. The once feared and loathed creature is now loved and popularized in media today. Ancient stories about vampires were never publicized in a positive way. Instead of being about romance, these legends usually focused more on the victims of vampires. People would take precautionary methods to ward off vampires. Like, the use of garlic, holy water, silver, and placing mustard seeds outside the entrance of ones home (Atwater 2000). Some people would go to great lengths to prevent the possibility of anyone coming back from the dead as a vampire. The concept of death is emphasized throughout the history of vampires. Some believe vampires do not have the view that they are undead. They are neither living nor dead, but rather in limbo, existing in the mortal realm for eternity (Atwater 2000). This raises some religious questions as well. There are some religions that believe in a state of limbo that someone experiences once they have passed over to the other side. However, that concept does not really compare to the state of limbo a vampire is in. In the past there were many superstitions about whether or not vampirism is fact or fiction. Advancements in modern technology and medicine has eliminated the possibility of the existence of vampires. Therefore, I feel that is why their image has change to what it is today. Even though they are still somewhat feared, due to the fact that they can blend in easier than compared to previous depictions of them, the way they are looked at now is a lot better compared to how they use to be negatively publicized in media.

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Modern day vampire The modern day depiction of vampires is a lot different compared to folkloric legends. Today we view vampires as mysterious and sexy. There is something about them that excites and entices us. Most films or books about vampires are centered on the idea of romantic love where two people have to overcome obstacles in order to consummate their attraction (Clapp 2010). In todays media, most vampire stories consist of the same ideas. It usually starts off with a human girl who falls in love with a vampire and they both have to overcome any challenges that could potentially end the relationship. You could also look at these romantic vampire stories as a metaphor for losing ones innocence because in most cases the human girls could be seen as innocent and pure and the vampires as dangerous and corrupt. Despite the fact that vampires are potentially dangerous, they can be tamed and their urges to feed on humans can be controlled. Although the legend of vampires are popular and very much talked about, people used to not have this obsession with vampires as they do today. These legends about vampires finds its origins in ancient mythological traditions and are told in various cultures throughout the world (Castel 2013). Back then vampires were feared instead of popularized like how they are in todays media. Media fascination with vampirism It is no secret that vampires have become increasingly popular over the years. Peoples fascination in the mythical creature has developed a vampire-loving-frenzy in todays media. The fascination of vampires is probably due to the fact that we are obsessed with what we cannot possess. In a way we become envious of them because they have succeeded in acquiring immortality. Which is what we secretly wish to attain. Vampires are like a projection of ones dreams, a mirror of the self that cannot exist within the constraints of time (Atwater 2000). One

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of the main reasons people are so drawn to vampires are because they are powerful and sexy. We all strive to be that way so thats why some are so fascinated by them. In a way you could say that in some way fans watch these movies and shows so much because they feel they are vicariously live through them. There have been many films and books based on vampires. However, in media today vampire stories are usually focused on romance rather than feared like how they were in folkloric legends. For example, The Vampire Diaries, which is the television series that I observed, is focused on romance. The main character Elena develops a love interest with Stefan who is a vampire, which later turns into a love triangle once his brother Damon comes into the picture. Personally, I am a fan of the show because even though it is fiction I can still relate to the people or certain situations happening in the show. The actors on the show are attractive as well, so it makes it even more appealing to watch. Although the shows main focus is on romance, it also has action, suspense and of course it has its scary moments. There is this the fear factor for people, combining with the bold defiance of possible death, to create excitement (Levitin 2011).

Entering the Conversation: Bringing something new to the vampire world The increasing fascination with vampires has produced a lot of media publicity. I would go so far as to say that it is more of an obsession rather than simple fascination. We are so drawn to the idea of vampires that no matter how much we watch or read them we still crave more. We long for what we cannot have. Therefore, the mysteriousness is alluring because we cannot attain it. Also sex appeal has been added to the concept of vampires. Contrary to the never ending amount of vampire fiction, each one tries to bring something new and different to the vampire world.

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In my line of inquiry I want to try to incorporate a new idea to the vampire franchise. Most conventions about vampires are very similar because these rules have been passed down from generation to generation. This is usually the case with most mythological legends. Directors and authors want to try and keep some of the original rules about these creatures to give it more of an authentic feel. However, they still want to bring something new to the field in order to capture the audiences attention. Different ideas about vampires attract different types of audiences. In Stephanie Meyers Twilight Saga, one of the most popular of the vampire franchise is usually more popular with teens and young adults. Meyers tries to bring some new aspects to vampires though. Like, for example having vampires skin sparkle in sunlight, rather than the usual rule of them burning to death when they come into contact with the sun. She also incorporated other new ideas like; vampires with red eyes as opposed to others who have golden eyes. If vampires feed on human blood then their eye color turns red, but if they feed on the blood of animals then it turns more of a golden color. Also each vampire has some specific power that they acquire, like the ability to read people minds or predict the future. Although these ideas may seem small, it still helps to add something new to the franchise. In the popular television series The Vampire Diaries, which is the show that I observed in assignment one, brings some new ideas as well. There are original vampires, hybrids, doppelgangers, and important artifacts that come up periodically throughout the series. While making my observations I noticed different conventions and concepts about vampires in this show compared to vampires in other movies or shows. An important concept of these movies, shows, or books about vampires are conflicts that the characters face. Most of the conflicts presented in these vampire films represent some type of metaphor to help us better understand ways to overcome these challenges in our own lives. These metaphors dramatize potential threats

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that are relevant to the choices we make today. The metaphor is used to clarify present problems and eventually to encourage the reader to help produce a better society (Levitin 2011). In the article Vampires Among Us, Rodney Clapp compares the idea of vampires to terrorists. He brings up the point that we fear them because we of the uncertainty of how dangerous they are. Knowing that we are not invulnerable from whatever horrendous attacks that may occur, we worry that terrorists may dwell and move among us, their monstrosity concealed under a veil of normality like that of vampires (Clapp 2010). There are so many different ways one could incorporate a new idea to bring to the vampire franchise. Personally, if I were to bring something new to the vampire world I would want the outlook on vampires to be different than the recent romanticized version. I would focus more on the horror aspect of vampires and humans fear of them. I think the idea of zombie vampires would bring something new instead of being centered on romance. Although I know this aspect has been used before in other films and books, it still would not be exactly the same as the others. There are little ideas that I could add to change the conventions of the zombie vampires. Zombies, like vampires, are becoming more popular in media as well. It's not easy to put your finger on what's appealing about zombies. Vampires you can understand. They're goodlooking, well dressed, and sophisticated. They're immortal. Some of them have castles. You can imagine wanting to be a vampire or at least wanting to sleep with one. Nobody wants to sleep with zombies. They're hideous and mindless. They don't have superpowers. Their only assets are their infectiousness, single-minded perseverance and the fact that they are very difficult to kill (Grossman 2009). I feel that combining the two conventions of vampires and zombies would attract both audiences of the spectrum as well as adding something new to the vampire franchise.

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Conclusion: Could zombie-vampires be as popular as other vampire and zombie franchises? Taking into consideration medias fascination about vampires and also zombies, I feel that the idea of combining the two as one would attract a large variety of audiences. Due to previous popular vampire and zombie movies, television series, etc. marketing a new vampirezombie franchise into one film would be an interesting aspect. Especially if it were to become as popular as the Twilight Saga or The Walking Dead. Vampires cannot reproduce by copulation, only through bite. Thus someone could look at it and see if it is similar to a contagious disease. Therefore, relating it to zombification. The norm for zombies are to feed on humans. However, it is the same for vampires. They must feed in order to live and zombies the same way. The only thing is that zombies are feral beast, slowly moving creatures. Vampires are quite the opposite though in those ways. In media, vampires are good-looking, seductive and mysterious. However, they both are immortal and difficult to kill making them fearsome to mortals. With this new concept of zombie vampires I want to incorporate both the conventions of the two. Out at night hunting and looking for people to feed on and hidden during the day, to stay away from the sun at all costs. One of the downfalls of this new idea of vampires is that they do not physically look appealing. Therefore, these vampires will resemble zombies more than the modern day idea of how vampires should look. By doing this it adds a new idea to the vampire world. Nevertheless, I feel that the growing fascination of mythical creatures, like vampires and zombies, will only get more intense as the years go by. Also adding new elements will help the audience not to get bored with what is going on. However, I do not think some people will ever

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get bored with these mysterious folkloric legends. With the help of these popular films and books, I feel that marketing this idea would be a success. Even though it has been done before, it was never a huge public success. If it were to be publicized as much as Twilight or The Walking Dead then I feel like it would be a success.

References Atwater, C. (2000), Living in Death: The Evolution of Modern Vampirism. Anthropology of Consciousness, 11: 7077 Castel, O. (2013), Bacteria and vampirism in cinema. Medecine et Maladies Infectieuses, 43: 363-367 Giblin, J. (2001), Vampires and History. African Studies Association, 44: 83-87 Levitin, S. (2011), Why Vampires. Library Journals. McAllister, L. (2009). Werewolves/Vampires. School Library Journal, 12: 146 Grossman, L. (2009). Zombies Are the New Vampires. Time, 15: 61 Leavenworth, M. (2013), Fanged Fan Fiction: Variations on Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries. McFarland & Company, Inc. Clapp, R. (2010), American Soundings Vampires among us. The Christian Century Vampires Is It Real? (2012). Films Media Group Mudd, K. (2014) Assignment One Observations.

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(Note: I wanted to add visual images of movies and television shows about vampires showing both the modern day and past depiction of vampires)

The Vampire Diaries developed by Kevin Williamson and Julia Plec, based on the book written by L. J. Smith (2010-2014)

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Twilight based on the book written by Stephanie Meyers (2008)

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Fig. 3. Posters of films Bram Stokers Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola (1992), and Dracula by Bill Eagles (2006).

Fig. 4. Posters of films The Last Man on Earth by Ubaldo Ragona (1964), The Omega Man by Boris Sagal (1971), and I am a Legend by Francis Lawrence (2007).