Why Do You Think People Love Vampires So Much?

Over the past few years I have interviewed many wonderful authors and I absolutely love it. Since talking about their book and nothing else is a little boring, I like to throw in a few other vampire related questions to makes things more interesting and one of my favorite questions to ask is – “Given the current vampire craze, people feel especially attracted to vampires, why do you think that is?” I love asking this because I get such a wide variety of answers, no two authors have given me the same answer. I love hearing people’s opinions on what makes vampire so desirable (not just sexually, but as a whole) and that is why I am bringing this question to you, my beloved readers, I’m curious about your answers as well. So…

Given the current vampire craze, people feel especially attracted to vampires, why do you think that is?

Let me know in a comment below!

Here’s what a few others have said in the past:

“The same reason people are so interested in religion – the possibility of them gives us the notion that we might be more than we are. Mankind has been kicking against its nature since the dawn of the first Neanderthals. We don’t want to be meaningless evolutionary quirks. We want to matter, to be central to the universe, to have the potential to be awesome. One way in which we try to reassure ourselves that we’re not insignificant flecks is by embracing the light of religion. Another way is by embracing the darkness of vampires and other mythical monsters. Great evil can be just as alluring as great good, if it gives us the promise of greatness within our reach. Vampires are probably the most believable and credible of monsters, which is why I think they’ve enjoyed such growing success over the last century or so.” – Darren Shan, author of multiple bestselling series

“…People have been and always will be attracted to vampires because they personify the supernatural realm. People tend to identify more with heroes or villains who are preternaturally strong and are not perfect, that can be hurt or even destroyed. Ironically, more than the bloodlust and super strength, speed, and other fantastical abilities, people identify more with the humanity and sensuality of the vampire. Vampires often do what many people wish they could, save drinking another’s blood.” – Kane, author of Aleron

“I think ultimately because vampires have such a broad and rich history that they can be quite flexible in the roles they play.  They can be anything from heroes to love interests.  I think that’s reached a straining point, to where some vampires are indistinguishable from say superheroes.” – David Doub, creator of the graphic novel Dusk

“I think the romance novels have crafted the vampire as this attainable, dark, seductive creature that will slink into your life on a shadow and seduce you to take his bite that will offer you glamour, adoration and everlasting life.  How can you not be attracted to that? What attracts me is the potential history the vampire could be carrying with him.  I go for the older guys, at least a few centuries old.  How cool would it be to have a conversation with a man who has walked through history?” – Michele Hauf, author of multiple fangtastic novels

“For the average wage earner, life can get pretty boring sometimes. What better way to add some spice to your life than the supernatural. Vampires represent the extremes of human life. Who hasn’t daydreamed of living forever? And yet to do so, would probably be the saddest thing that could happen to a human being.” – Bob Frey, author of The Bashful Vampire Murder

Now it’s your turn! Why do you think people are so attracted to vampires? What is it about them that inspires people? Why do people love reading vampire novels and watching vampire films?

– Moonlight

By Moonlight

Moonlight (aka Amanda) loves to write about, read about and learn about everything pertaining to vampires. You will most likely find her huddled over a book of vampire folklore with coffee in hand. Touch her coffee and she may bite you (and not in the fun way).

16 comments

  1. Pingback: vampires
  2. I think ppl just want to escape from reality, wat a better way to do it thn mythical, sexy being tht can transform their whole lives?

  3. The appeal of vampires is their carnal nature. They represent the unleashing of our darkest fantasies. Once stripped of its soul, the vampire is no longer concerned about societal norms, and pursues its lusts without reservations. That innate sexuality and tendency for violence strikes a subliminal chord within us. Whether we fear that we could become like the undead, or secretly wish that we could discard our own inhibitions just as easily, we recognize that the evil which comprises a vampire lurks below the surface of each of us.

    Scott M. Baker, author of The Vampire Hunters trilogy

  4. I think we love Vampires so much, because. A. they do things we would NEVER dream of doing, and dont care what people think. as much as people like to say they dont care what someone else thinks…we do its just our nature. I for one would be in utter shock and joy if vampires were seriously there and I met one, i mean i would love to talk to someone who had lived the history that we can all just imagine. It would be fantastic to live forever, but yes it would be sad after awhile,watching everyone you care for dying and not being able to do a damn thing about it? it might be appealing to have no soul for awhile. but it would tire after awhile.

  5. What attracts me to vampires is just all the myths, lengends, and different histories about them. There’s always been the classical; burning in the sun, hate garlic, crosses, holy water. Then in this age you get them hating vervain, or sparkling (still dont know how that was even imagined). They’ve been portrayed as killers, saviours, human, or demonic. They’ve also walked through time. Seeing things with their own eyes we could only wish for, meeting people who are long since dead. And of course there is being beings we only wish we could be, they can run faster, jump higher, they’re almost impervious to any attack. And the allore is not just with vampires, its also closely associated with werewolves. Now a days, and even in the classic book Dracula, vampires have always been associated with wolves. Usually they are fighting against each other, have vendetta’s, etc. but they are almost always there where ever you find vampires.

  6. Methinks it all goes back to how we’ve isolated ourselves from many of the processes of life and death. The popularity of the ‘romantic vampire’ dates back to the rise of the big city with the Industrial Revolution, when we no longer killed or at least saw killed our own food. We lost touch with primal truths. No longer personally experienced them. So we sought out that experience in our dreams, the mythology of the individual. Behold a creature whose life cannot but be intertwined with death and cannot forget that fact. As time went on, we deepened that image, wound it up with everything else primal that seems missing somehow–sexual desire fulfilled, guilt for genuine sin, violent rage, submission and domination, the place where pain and pleasure blend…

  7. I can’t tell why people love vampires, but I can tell why I do…Well, I became interested in vampires ever since I’ve read the Twilight saga…Vampires, having uncommon and inhuman beauty, being perfect and attractive, anyone is likely to love ’em…and if you consider their strength n supernatural abilities, they’re like any other superheroes… People love mysteries and that’s probably one of the reasons for vampire craze…:)

    Well, I’d love to be a vampire and bear the pain of living forever and drinking blood…only if I find someone as attractive as Edward…;)

  8. I know for me it has always been about they way vampires have been portrayed as these sexy and dangerous creatures with extraordinary powers and gifts but paying a huge price for it. It’s the same conflict that drives any story, be it in the movies, books, or on TV.

    I think we get pulled in because we want to be like them in some ways, and we feel for them in others.

    All I know is, I hope the craze continues since I love to write vampire stories. I suppose I could write other things if I had to, but I’ve always loved vamps.

  9. I think people were so drawn to vampires back in the days of Dracula because of the terror of it all. it was something to entertain them. Now a days, we have all these movies, like The Twilight Saga and shows, like True Blood and (my personal favorite) The Vampire Diaries, that use sexy men and women to portray vampires. It’s become more of a sexual attraction than anything. However, this new attraction not only makes men and women, typically teenagers like myself, believe in vampires but also makes us want to actually BE vampires.

  10. I agree with some of the earlier posts that the idea of the vampire has always been scary and varies depending on the setting. I like the Twilight vampires because they do not sleep. I think that concept is phenomenal, to not sleep for 118 years ;), is just an example of nature in its most raw form; especially, in the embodiment of a man. The vampire is evolution to the most practical degree due to the human mind’s limitless potential. To judge situations without ill-notions of right and wrong, while understanding human beings’ need for superiority, creates the person that we all have the potential to be.
    P.S. Akasha was awake for 1000s of years on her throne while allowing Marius to drink from her. ;)

  11. Vampire myth have been around as long as we’ve had words to tell the tales. Representing a darkness which looms over all our souls showing us at our most primal form and often done while maintaining a certain amount of sophistication.
    And with mystery still around them we can change them to represent each individual

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