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Whether or not you believe is beside the point.
More than ever right now, it cannot be disputed–vampires exist. At night, we invite them willingly into our homes through the pages of our books and the flicker of our televisions. Seduced, we bring them to bed with us. Left alone in the daylight, we eat their effigies in milk…
In the words of Abraham Van Helsing (via Bram Stoker), vampires “are known everywhere that men have been.” Almost every civilization that has walked this earth at one time or another has told stories of vampyric creatures that feed on the blood of the living. 
The vampire we know today is most similar to that of Eastern European folklore: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, borrowed in part from Romanian legend, has strongly influenced our perception of who–or what–the vampire is. Published in 1897, “Dracula” has never once been out of print in its 102-year existence; the immortal vampire endures.
The world’s fascination with vampires is at a record high, yet the vampires that exist in our current consciousness are not those of folklore or gothic literature. Over time vampires have evolved from soulless monsters into soulful lovers, action heroes and teenage heartthrobs. 
They have emigrated from the Carpathian Mountains to high schools and cities around the globe (recent U.S. sightings in California, Louisiana, Alaska).
The vampire has existed for me since childhood, summoned by a mischievous aunt who showed me vampire films in an effort to toughen me up. There was a time, many years ago, when vivid nightmares would wake me at night, and I would open my eyes to find vampires hovering over me. Raised in a secular home, I constructed crucifixes from popsicle sticks and slept in turtlenecks in an effort to ward them off.
No longer a victim of my own imagination, I count Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” as a favorite of classic literature. I am not ashamed to admit that I have watched every episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as well as an endless list of vampire movies–most recently the David Lynch produced post modern “Nadja” and Guy Maddin’s mesmerizing silent film/ballet, “Dracula: From the Pages of a Virgin’s Diary.” As for recent books, I haven’t read any Stephenie Meyer (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but I quite enjoyed “The Historian.”
Yet I realize, now, as I speak of the vampire in these terms, that popular culture has all but deprived the vampire of its most primordial quality–its power to evoke fear in humans. I would venture that most adults–and quite a few teenage girls–are more likely to react to meeting a vampire with a coy smile 
or a strong handshake than a blood-curdling scream. (For that, we thank you, Sookie Stackhouse.)
In the fog of vampire fanaticism, we have forgotten what vampires force us to confront: our fear of death. We have forgotten to be afraid… Something’s got to change.
Photos: nosferatuscoffin, sugarslam, fanpop
Rebecca Taylor
Rebecca Taylor was born and raised in the Virginia woods. Now she lives and writes in New York City. Her fiction and poetry has appeared in Columbia University’s Quarto, Cambridge University’s The Hill, Johns Hopkins University’s J Magazine, ...
Read more about Rebecca Taylor ->
More on these topics:
Anna Paquin, Brad Pitt, Bram Stoker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, David Lynch, Dracula, Guy Maddin, Interview with a Vampire, Max Scheck, Nadja, Nosferatu, Robert Pattinson, Sookie Stackhouse, Stephenie Meyer, The Historian, True Blood, Twilight, vampires
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carol bloom says:
I want more, as I lick my chops.
Diane says:
Rebecca Taylor's Vampires! What a fun (and scholarly) article. The eclectic references to pop culture, literature, international sightings...great links.
Q: The Sarah Palin ad. Was it purely coincidental that it appeared by an article featuring vampires? Love it!
Thanks, Faster Times. Can't wait for Taylor's next article.
Betty says:
Hell yea! Will this column always be about vampires? If so, I've bookmarked this page!!!!!!
William Kozy says:
Two movies from my youth cpatured my fascination with vampires. A Roman Polanski film "The Fearless Vampire Killers" one of the most evocatively photographed movies I ever still ever seen in my life. And an ABC-TV movie starring the late great Darren McGavin, "The Night Stalker". Modern day Las Vegas is ravaged by an actual vampire, not just some crazed serial killer nicknamed "The Night Stalker". It was a take on the vampire movie that we hadn't seen before. Not a Gothic faraway land with period costumes, but right here and now in an urban modern setting...all with a realistic perspective on what would happen, no seriously guys, how would the police react? The newspapers? What would happen?
I've been hooked ever since! Thanks for a great article! Oh oh oh, and I forgot to mention..I worked on the film, Nadja! I was the on location sound recordist. Peter Fonda was in the movie and he was a trip. Real nice guy. I have a funny story to tell about him and a good-natured prank that he tried to pull on me while we were making that film! LOL. I say "tried" because I was on to him. Nice try Peter!
Best wishes,
William Kozy
Lisa says:
As someone who has loved everything about vampires before loving everything about vampires became "cool", I really enjoyed this article. I think Rebecca should have a regular column!
editor says:
Editor's Note: This is a regular column. Stay tuned for much more.
Ann Hay says:
I am currently reading Let the Right One In. I strongly recommend it if you have not read it already!
Charles says:
Fear of Death is a big one-Also fear of losing control to needing the blood of other humans to survive... FEAR of BEING DOMINATED
Great Article
Burton says:
Had to laugh at Taylor's line "we eat their effigies in milk". Even kiddies love their vampires. Count Chocula, all the essential vitamins plus iron...
Kristen says:
Superbly written. Both enlightening and tounge-in-cheek, giggle-inducing! More Taylor articles, please!
Lukas says:
I hard time reading this because the hot link to vampires in Louisiana was so engaging, I had to watch that a few times. Thanks for bringing me up to speed on the what, whys and whens about all the vampires I keep encountering.
Ed says:
Fangs for the memories!
Moxie the Maven says:
Indeed, it seems that fear of vampires has morphed overnight into full-on fangbanging fetish. I certainly subscribe - if you could be cast as a vamp on True Blood, congratulations, you are my type! I'm also interested in what vampires have represented over the years - many have compared HBO's vampires to the gay population, and Alan Ball certainly gives plenty of nods in that direction. Thoughts?
Rebecca Taylor says:
William: How cool that you worked on Nadja! Thanks so much for the tip about the Polanski film--just added it to my netflix queue.
Rebecca Taylor says:
Moxie the Maven: I'm also very interested in this--the idea that vampires represent a disenfranchised population is a reoccurring one. Some have suggested that Bram Stoker's "Dracula" has homoerotic undertones and/or that it represents British discrimination against Eastern Europeans. The fact that there is not a lot of information about Bram Stoker's life has led to a number of theories--there have been rumblings about the nature of his friendship with Oscar Wilde. As far as True Blood is concerned, the "God Hates Fangs" sign in the opening credits definitely alludes to the vampires representing the gay population.
Sophia Claire Anderson says:
Great stuff! I'm just a kid, but I can't wait to hear more about vampires from Rebecca Taylor.