Our Bloody Obsession

What’s so interesting about blood-sucking monsters that the world spends millions of dollars watching–and billions of dollars producing–blockbuster hits around vampires?

The common element I see is the ‘bad boy factor’. The hot young rebel stereotype of the moment (male or female), slouches onto the page or screen, flipping off society’s rules. An outsider who has chosen to skip the whole ‘fit in’ scene, they inevitably drag some poor conformist out of their happy zone into the wildness of the night, turning them into a free spirit and fun companion. Said companion, at some point in the series, as inevitably becomes a vampire themselves. And don’t forget the sappy love scenes: we all want to believe that bloodsucking, five hundred year old monsters just need true love to become better people.

My favorite writers not only twist that basic progression, they destroy it. Tanya Huff pulls vampires off brilliantly in her Victoria Nelson and Tony Foster series, making fun of the stereotypes even as she uses them. Dave Duncan pops in some magnificent curves on the basic concept in his “King’s Blades” series. Terry Pratchett, of course, is a master at turning things inside out: “Carpe Jugulum” is terrific mockery.

I know there are dozens of other good books and movies out there, many “undiscovered” by the mainstream world. So here’s a question for you: what are your favorite underappreciated vampire authors/movies? Names most of the world wouldn’t have ever heard of, but who ought to be placed on the shelves next to (or, better yet, covering) the commercial hits such as “Twilight”?

Let’s go for blood . . . .