Today, there are over a hundred counts of vampire literature (only including recent works) and add to that the growing number of movies, TV shows and get this, even magazines dedicated to the world of the undead. Its a crazy whirlwind of obsession surrounding this fantastical topic, and teens are at the very centre of it, feeding it, fuelling it, driving it. It has become a whole new culture in itself and I can't recall very many trends that have caught on to this magnitude. I turn on the television and on a number of channels I see vampire related shows; True Blood, Vampire Diaries, Moonlight, and before these, Kindred:The embraced, Buffy, Angel, Dark Shadows and more. Not to mention shows which frequently feature the immortal bloodsuckers; Charmed, Smallville, The Wizards of Waverly Place and Supernatural (one of my favourite series of all time). I walk into my favourite bookstore and it seems like there are more and more books being published about vampires; I'm losing count of them all. Its just crazy! And I can't escape it.

I cannot disregard that some of these works are actually really good. I have read a number of vampire books and watched a few great shows. This is not about whether they are good or not. There is just such an overload of it and the beast is still growing. I wonder, at what point can this become a danger to obsessed, infatuated youths?

Firstly, how did this obsession come about? Its not like vampires are a new and uncommon idea. They have been around and evident in literature since the 1700's, in mythology for even longer than this and since the beginning of the film industry, many movies have been made featuring these supernatural creatures. But why has the extreme obsession come about now? I have a few opinions on this.
Mostly I believe it is due to the new look which modern vampires have taken on that gets girls (and guys) blood boiling and their hearts aflutter. Instead of the dark monstrous creatures they used to be, they are now brooding, toned, gorgeous hunks. Any females dream apparently. Take Edward Cullen of the Twilight books. I mean the guy sparkles! What bloodsucking immortal sparkles so much they belong in a rap video? Its the same with the guys from the Vampire Diaries. The two main guys are ridiculously good looking and have hardly a frightening quality about them. Not much like the vampires I would imagine. Where vamps used to represent a sullen, goth look, separating them from humanity, more and more they are turning into preppy guys who play sports, and music, and go to prom. This everlasting youth and beauty seems even more of a fascination in this day and age, where appearance and vanity play such a huge part in modern society.

Even parents of vampire obsessed teens are following in their children's footsteps. I have seen it in my own home! My younger sister and I had started watching the Vampire Diaries a little while before it was aired here in New Zealand. I haven't read the books but the show is pretty good in terms of the storyline and some of the characters are intriguing. My sister immediately took to it and when the show aired here she was determined to watch the entire season all over again. A couple of weeks after it started I was at home watching TV when my mum comes bounding into the room. "Kirst its eight thirty", she tells me tapping her foot. I look at her puzzling over her excitement. "Yeh...so?" I ask her. "Vampire Diaries is on", she squeals. I nearly fell off the couch at that. My mum...my mother who likes soaps and the news and cooking shows was kicking me out of the lounge to watch a show about vampires in high school! I was completely mind blown, and it made me consider how and why this happened. Not that this is such a bad thing (yet...). But I just wanted to find out more about this attraction. It can't just be the hot guys, seeing as there is an assortment of them on TV alone to ogle at.

I also believe that the obsession has a lot to do with us as human beings in general; our desire for danger and the unknown. Vampires are generally seen as mysterious and also dangerous in most cases. They are apart from normal society. Combine this with the physical appeal of these mythical creatures and they become extremely desirable to hormonal teens. This also ties in with the escapism theme which I have found recurring in articles I have read pertaining to this obsession teenagers have with vampires. Its something that resonates with angsty adolescents. Many of them feel separate from their surroundings, misunderstood and different. Obviously the image of vampires set in these books, movies and TV shows is an attraction to youths; a perfect way to escape the realities they may face. On top of this the danger and rebelliousness displayed by these characters reflects the behaviour of many teenagers. In this sense its not much of a stretch to see why teens may latch on to the fantasy, wanting their lives to be more like what they read or see in movies.




But this is where I struggle with the idea. I like to escape into a good story as much as the next person. Anyone who knows me knows that I always have my nose stuck in a book; a great deal of the books I read are fantasy. I definitely find themes in books which I can relate to, but I have yet to become so infatuated with an idea. Can it be a danger that teens, even adults have become so consumed with this attraction? What does it actually mean for young girls or boys who fantasise so deeply about the world of vampires? I read a Christian response based on the obsession the writer witnessed amongst youth in his church, with the Twilight novels and movies. As a Christian myself I think that he makes some good points, but I believe they could relate not just to the Twilight phenomenon and Christian teens, but to the general vampire obsession which many teenagers are preoccupied by; the breaking down of friendships because of differing opinions on books and characters, the masses of movie posters and pictures plastered to every inch of bedroom walls, the constant fantasising about romances and lusting after fictional characters (I have seen this with many young adults I know). What is this doing to their perception of reality and fantasy? Is it blurring the line? I read a disturbing news article about a British teenager who murdered an elderly woman in her home, cut out her heart, ate it, and drank her blood believing that it would make him a vampire, make him immortal. The first thing that came to my mind was that this boy had to be mentally unstable, but the interesting thing is that the court did not rule insanity on the part of the boy and many witness accounts claimed that he was a normal teenager. How can that be? This really made me think about how impressionable teenagers can be, changing trends with each new outfit. But this trend does not seem to be fading, only growing. It seems almost unhealthy that youths can so easily be consumed by something that is completely unreal, and that a lot of parents are happy to let them do so, even following pursuit. The fantasy world of vampires is being pumped out of every facet of the media, adhering to the demands of fans and also generating more demand. When will the cravings for more subside?

References
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