Works Cited

Arpe, Malene. “His vampires aren’t pretty; It started as a TV pitch. But the director stuck with nasty characters and put them in a novel.” The Toronto Star. (June 13, 2009 Saturday ): 878 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia. In the Forests of the Night. Random House Children’s Books, 2000. Print. 

Bailie, Helen T. “Blood Ties: The Vampire Lover In The Popular Romance.” Journal Of American Culture 34.2 (2011): 141-148. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Beck, Bernard. “Fearless Vampire Kissers: Bloodsuckers We Love In Twilight, True Blood And Others.” Multicultural Perspectives 13.2 (2011): 90-92. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

Campbell, Sarah, and Lindsey C. Dunn. “Marketing Teen Read Week.” Young Adult Library Services 6.4 (2008): 24-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

Clapp, Rodney. “Vampires Among Us.” Christian Century 127.3 (2010): 45. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.

Dark Shadows. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer. Warner Bros. Pictures. 2012. DVD.

“Giving some bite to the outsider dwelling in us all.” The Daily Telegraph (Australia). (March 19, 2012 Monday): 467 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.

“Hollywood’s Vampire Craze With Frank Elaridi.” YouTube. 6 Oct. 2011. mtchalln. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.

“Lover Awakened.” Photograph. Barnes and Noble. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lover-awakened-j-r-ward/1100173197?ean=9780451219367> 

McCormick, Patrick. “It’s In The Blood.” U.S. Catholic 75.12 (2010): 40-41. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.

“Memorable Quotes for Underworld.” IMDB. 2012. IMDB.com, Inc. Web 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0320691/quotes>

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2005. Print.

“Priest.” Photograph. EW. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/16/priest-vampires-summer-movie-body-count/>

“Teen Vampire Fascination.” YouTube. 23 Nov. 2009. awakememphis. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OwPQXvhNaU&feature=related>

“Teens’ Top Ten.”  YALSA. American Library Association. 2 March 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.

<http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teens-top-ten>

Twilight. Dir. Catherine Hardwick. Perf. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart. Summit, 2009. DVD.

“Twilight fans pack movie theaters for finale.” YouTube. 15 Nov. 2012. kmbctv. Web. 22 Nov. 2012.

“Twilight Movie Poster.” Photograph. Stephenie Meyer. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_movie.html>

“Underworld.” Photograph. FanPop. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.  <http://www.fanpop.com/spots/underworld/images/5287248/title/underworld-photo?ir=true>

“Vampire.” Box Office Mojo. 10 Nov. 2012. IMDB.com, Inc. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=vampire.htm> 

“Vampire Craze. Mov.” YouTube. 14 Sep. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCiRz7p1azo> 

 

“Vampire Diaries extra DVD #2 “When Vampires Don’t Suck” parte1, The.” YouTube. 16 Nov. 2011. TheFurymuser. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. 

“Vampire Diaries extra DVD #2 “When Vampires Don’t Suck” parte2, The.” YouTube. 16 Nov. 2011. TheFurymuser. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.

Vampire Diaries: The Third Season, The. Writ. Nick Wauters, Julie Plec, Carolin Dries. Dir. J. Miller Tobin. Warner Bros., 2012. DVD.

“Vampires! The Psychology, Science, and Impact of a Literary Monster.” YouTube.  22 Oct 2010. washingtonstateuniv. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. 

“Vampires in Pop Culture.” YouTube. 24 August 2009. CBS. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMZQkBjyknk>

“Vampires taking big bite out of box office.” Hobart Mercury (Australia). (October 27, 2009 Tuesday): 792 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 8 Nov. 2012

Conclusion

Vampires from the past decade are more like humans than ever before, in both appearance and character. They possess everything we desire and lust after while at the same time embodying some of our deepest insecurities. Vampires have become complex characters, with individual personalities and problems, and are no longer terrifying monsters. Redefining every aspect of the vampire myth has made vampires relatable and sympathetic.

Different people interpret the meaning behind vampires in popular media in different way. Although I sometimes think that people read too much into the characters and stories, I can see where each theory that I've come across has some point of validity. At the end of the day, whether or not a story resonates with the audience comes down to the type of connections an audience member can form with the characters and the story being told. There's no definitive answer to what vampires symbolize because for each person it's different and potentially multi-faceted. Where one person sees an outsider longing for acceptance, another might see parallels with terrorists and their ability to blend into society seamlessly. It all depends on each person's viewpoint. 

When Vampires Don't Suck

I was rewatching The Vampire Diaries Season 1 on DVD, when I came across this featurette in the special features.