Is True Blood Making Us Vampire Obsessed?

Many people in the 90s spent time trying to figure out why others were dressing up as vampires, or believed themselves to be one. Goths as they are usually called would walk around with their long leather trench coats and take themselves so seriously that you wanted to shake them and say "you are not undead." Times have quickly changed and it seems that though we don't dress in long leather trench coats, we too are obsessed with vampires. Celebrities like Dita Von Teese, Nicole Kidman and Madonna have worn items to help the obsessed. Up and coming actresses are carrying on the tradition such as Rumor Willis and Kristen Stewart. There is a market now for anything that looks goth, from high end items down to the black nail polish. Even Lindsay Lohan has posted pictures of herself wearing fangs on Twitter. The fashion industry isn't the only ones banking on the vampire craze. Authors are doing the same. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series spent 143 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The first film made a superstar out of Robert Pattinson. There is even talk that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is being remade as a big-bucks Hollywood movie. And just this past season a new television series was introduced by the series of the same name, The Vampire Diaries. The show premiered with 4.8 million viewers. Yet some will agree that all the previously mentioned books, movies and TV shows are geared towards teenagers and their mothers. There is one TV show that is not and it is claimed to be the hottest one yet. True Blood just finished up it's second season on HBO. It's an incredibly sexy vampire series steeped in Southern gothic and created by Alan Ball, previously of Six Feet Under. The series is based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Series books. Why is anything to do with vampires these days so important? You can't get more escapist than a vampire. What people want when they feel their lives have taken a nose drive, along with the global economy, is exactly that. Vampires aren't looked at as superheroes, but as loners. They operate outside of society's rules and that is such an appeal to people, especially teenagers who want to break out of their shell. People also love the idea that they "live among us" and that even in your small neck of the woods, there would be in fact vampires. Yet the number one reason we seem to love vampires is the new breed is extremely sexy - toned, young flesh. The idea of soft flesh, sinking teeth, blood and possession, served up with a big dose of glamor, is a perfect idea with our pansexual 21st-century taste. Add romance to sex and you have the perfect package. Just think about it. Sure Tom Cruise wasn't bad for a vampire in Interview With A Vampire, but I think Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard both do a much better. True Blood begins in the UK on October 7 while it takes a break from viewing in the States. Let's see if more people fall in love with True Blood. SOURCE:  TimesOnline Photo credit:  HBO Inc.

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