Damn, we need more posts here. I wonder if the problem is our lack of recurring segments like “Top Ten Thursdays” (Rest in peace) or “Classic Album Tuesday” (Current status unknown) anyhow, here’s my rant about a subject that’s not necessarily new but a matter that I’m finally just fed up with and ready to vent some of my primal rage.
Vampires! What’s with everyone’s current obsession with these undead bloodsuckers? It seems like I can’t read a single magazine or surf the web without hearing about Twilight or HBO’s current hit True Blood, only followed by a whole slew of other shows like CW’s Vampire Diaries and what have you… And though I can’t say I’ve actually seen any of these I’m just fed up hearing about them.
So what was the final straw here? I went to take my lunch break yesterday when I came across the latest Entertainment Weekly. Of course it had Robert Pattinson from Twilight on the cover, along with the male lead from True Blood with a caption reading “Top 20 Greatest Vampires” underneath. So I figure “That’s a no brainer it’s got to be Count Dracula and who’s performance is more iconic than that of the late great Bela Lugosi?” Was he number one? No, he wasn’t even number two and was only one spot ahead of who else but Mr. Twilight himself. Instead the list opted for Lestat from Anne Rice’s vampire chronicle novels stating that “Without Lestat there would be no Edward Cullen in Twilight.” Oh yeah you can thank Lestat for spawning some of the most emoesque vampires but not Bela Lugosi for essentially making the vampire character famous in the first place. How often have you seen a vampire in any medium speaking with a thick Hungarian accent? Charming and sinister, with black slicked hair and a long dark cape? That was all him baby and people need to recognize that.
Now sure this was just one article, probably written by somebody who didn’t care to delve deeply into the subject but I’m starting to think that this modern vampire craze has forever tarnished the legacy of these dark creatures. Vampires can still be sensitive and charming but they should still have that monstrous edge and I just don’t see that any more. I’ve seen clips from some of these movies and shows where the vampires walk around in broad daylight for god’s sake! I’ve always felt that was one of the most compelling elements of vampires but it’s like people don’t even care anymore, I guess it’s too hard to write a story that only takes place at night. So with no need for coffins I assume that garlic isn’t an issue either, do they even turn into bats? What’s next werewolves that turn into werewolves just whenever they feel like it? Unless the ones in Twilight already do that too.
I’m saying all this not because I’m a die-hard fan of vampires or anything. Really the only the vampire movies I like are the some of the old Universal films and a few of the weirder flicks like Fright Night or Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark. I see this whole thing more as straight up disrespect for the folklore and people like Bram Stoker and Bela Lugosi who made these creatures popular in the first place.
I can only pray that this current vampire fad will die off after these movies and shows run their course but where will vampires stand for future generations? Will people still appreciate the classic characters? Or will they see vampires as emos with superhuman abilities? Right now it appears that the latter is most likely and that I must say is a real pain in the neck.