Random Thoughts: The Evolution of the Vampire Genre From Scary to Sexy

Earlier today while browsing my recommend reading lists I noticed something disturbing, almost every single Vampire novel recommended to me was similar to Twilight. Girl likes boy, boy struggles against wanting girl yadda, yadda. I found it odd I was recommended these type of stories when I so clearly favored my Vampires dark, broody and deadly. When did Vampires turn from scary (as seen below)
30 Days Of Night

To something that resembles this:
Aidan- Being Human US

You thought I'd put a picture of Edward up, admit it. While it certainly would be easy blaming Twilight for this shift from scary to sexy the trend started way before those books were ever conceived from the mind of Ms. Meyer. So why the switch? The answer is quite simple really. Society demands it. Where Vampires used to be something to fear, in today's society we'd like to understand and humanize them. No longer villains today's vampires are tortured souls in need of redemption (Buffy/Angel), Moral beings with strong family commitments (Twilight) or even just a source of incredibly hot sex (True Blood).

One could even go so far as to blame the Women's Rights Movement for the shift. No longer do women cower in fear, defenseless. Bram Stoker's females were sweet, gentle, modest and most important virgins. Of course his ladies existed in Victorian society and gender roles were rigidly defined back then. Today's ladies defy gender roles. No longer the weaker sex they can be sexually promiscuous, independent, bold, they decide who they want to be with. The gender roles in some ways have become reversed with the male Vampires being stand offish to the females who actively are pursuing them. Does this have to do with more Women picking up the genre? Quite possibly but that's just my opinion.

In conclusion, vampires have evolved quite a bit since their creation during the Victorian era and no doubt will continue to evolve in the future. As long as they don't all start looking like something out of a Tim Burton film *cough Dark Shadows* I can live with practically anything thrown at me.

Spare some time? Answer these questions in the comment section below!

Which type of Vampires do you prefer?
If Sexy, Whose your favorite from books or film?
If Scary, same question.
What was the first Vampire book you read?
What was the first Vampire movie you watched?
Recommend a Vampire series or Book, I'd love something new in the Genre to read!

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Comments

  1. I would recommend the Penton legacy series by susannah sandlin! you get all kind of vampire in it good and bad sexy and not sexy first book Redemptuion and book 2 absolution are out and book 3 ( last of teh trilogy) is scheduled for 5 february
    i did a post on this series today if you want to read more about it:
    http://lectureaventure.blogspot.be/2013/01/the-penton-legacy-series-by-susannah.html

    even better amazon has a great discount on teh paperbacks^^


    and i don't watch film with vampires^^;

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sweet, I'll have to look into that series. Thanks for the recommend!

      Delete
  2. Oh, gosh. I have no clue. I'll play Switzerland here. Honestly, I think that the vampires in Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter (scary) create just as interesting a story as the vampires in the Vampire Academy (sexy). I think that both of their roles are important in literature. Defending the sexy vamps, they show us that vampires are still humans that just have been forced to live off of an unorthodox, instead of mindless killers. Defending the scary vamps, they open us up to the darkest recesses of our nightmares with their silent and predatory lifestyle.
    And if you haven't read The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, I suggest you do because it was a pretty awesome book that includes both sexy and scary books.
    Cheers! Great discussion!

    Millie @ Millie D's Words

    ReplyDelete

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