Since the inception of film, filmmakers have exploited the creatures of the night for entertainment. Movies like "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dracula" came to define standards of horror and literally haunted the dreams of moviegoers.
However, as we look at the evolution of the creatures portrayed in such films, we see an almost comedic decline of their actual horror. In today’s films, vampires specifically have practically become mere parodies of the creatures that they were when they debuted in film (thanks, "Twilight").
Let’s take a stroll through cinematic history, shall we? For those of you who think that Count Dracula was the first vampire ever on the big screen — you’re wrong. His name was Count Orlok and he was one ugly dude. "Nosferatu," was created by a fellow named Henrik Galeen and Count Orlok made his first appearance as the main character in 1922. He was bald and white as a sheet, he was dressed in a black cloak — that may or may not have been a curtain — he had sharp, two inch long fingernails/claws, razor-sharp fangs that made his severe overbite seem even worse and he caught fire pretty damn quick when exposed to the sun.
From there they progressed into equally-as-creepy, yet more believable among human society. Let’s be honest, if somebody saw a guy looking like Count Orlok coming their way they'll be booking it in the opposite direction. Bela Lugosi was the most infamous portrayal of Count Dracula, although that character has been played by well over 10 actors since. Bram Stoker was the author of "Dracula" and portrayed him as hauntingly enticing. He was friendly and hospitable despite his questionable choice in wardrobe. He was awfully friendly to John Harker, the protagonist of "Dracula," who probably needed rigorous therapy for the remainder of his life after his experience with the count. When Dracula wasn’t being super nice he was crawling along walls like a spider, eating children and messing around with his three vampire brides who nearly suck Harker dry. He was a fun time, that Dracula.
Then Stephen King came along and wrote "Salem's Lot" which was about vampires basically running rampant in a rural town and pretty much massacring the population. However, reading that book was the last time that vampires struck fear into my heart, aside from "30 Days of Night," which was a disgustingly violent movie adapted from a cult graphic novel. That wasn’t really fear though, mostly just nausea. From there, the decline of the terror associated with vampires happened pretty quickly.
All of the sudden, vampires became romanticized more than they were feared. Brad Pitt was sexy as hell in "Interview With The Vampire," although he was still a bloodsucking demon from hell. Book series like Richelle Mead’s "Vampire Academy" and L.J. Smith’s "The Vampire Diaries" now sold vampires as not murderous, demonic predators, but as sensitive creatures with pure souls that were simply dealt a crappy hand in life. Kind of a big jump from the original representation of the creatures in "Nosferatu."
The predecessor to these book series is the embarrassingly famous "Twilight" saga, authored by Stephenie Meyer. Although Meyer managed to (kinda) capture the predatory nature of vampires, she took away so many of the creatures’ iconic characteristics. Meyer’s vampires didn’t have fangs, like at all, and not only did sunlight not burn them, it made them sparkle. How enchanting. The "Twilight" saga revamped the presence of vampires, but not the correct image of the creatures. Unfortunately, other young-adult authors quickly followed suit.
Suddenly, every teenage girl wanted a vampiric boyfriend. But they also had to be drop dead gorgeous, brooding yet protective and have some strange infatuation with humans and their fragility. These characteristics completely diminished the image of the terrifying beasts that vampires once were. Although I’m pro-literary evolution, straying too far from the beaten path is annoying. At this point, vampires are way far away from the beaten path.
Regrettably, vampires haven't been able to make a decent recovery from the "Twilight" era that plagued my high school years. So for anybody who is thinking of bringing vampires back into the picture with a bang and bite, please just give them fangs. And if they don’t roast in the sunlight, consider yourself unsuccessful.