Are Vampires Healing?

I think vampires are finally scary again...

Thumbnail by Skyla

Once upon a time, vampires were all the rage in horror. Perhaps that all stemmed from the iconic Dracula—the lord of all vampires—who was given to us by the brilliant Bram Stoker. From there, we were given the likes of Nosferatu, The Lost Boys, From Dusk till Dawn, and whatever other tale you want to add.

Part of the popularity came from the flexibility. Vampires could be put into any story, with any aesthetic, it was just a matter of making sure they stayed true to their core traits.

Disguised as any other human, vampires represent the most depraved flaws of us all. They’re bloodthirsty animals who will do anything for their next meal, slaughtering innocents for their own benefit.

Yet… vampires have become “less scary” in recent years. Why? Because of the strange romanticization that came. Now, don’t get it twisted: there was always a sexual element with vampires. I mean, they literally go straight for the neck. Which… I guess dogs do that too when they’re trying to kill each other, but that’s not the point.

The issue is that vampires were turned into humans with fangs. I can see that anywhere. People can get fang dental implants now. That doesn’t make them a vampire.

The Twilight Effect

Of course, the first franchise that comes to mind when speaking on this subject is Twilight. No, I’m not the biggest fan of this series, but I’m not going to relentlessly bash it either. At one point, Twilight was the only thing a lot of teenage girls had, and while those girls are grown now, there’s still a connection for many. So, while I may not like what the series did to vampires, I can’t deny it had cultural significance for a lot of people.

Promo image for Twilight, featuring the main cast.

However, its cultural impact also affected the way vampires were written for years to come. Twilight offered a much more toned down idea of what vampires were meant to be. From the sparkling skin to the romantic ideals, the Twilight vampires weren’t really vampires, but rather given the name for lack of a better title.

This humanized concept only trickled down to other media, invading not only vampires but other horror creatures as well. The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Warm Bodies, Teen Wolf (2011)… That’s not to say that any of these mentioned are necessarily bad. I actually quite enjoy Warm Bodies, and I appreciate there being a different take on the monsters we grew so accustomed to.

But can we actually blame Twilight for the “downfall” of vampires and other classic monsters? I wouldn’t say so. Instead, I believe Twilight has become the scapegoat for many horror enthusiasts. While there’s no denying that Twilight definitely had an impact and therefore had copycats all over the place, it would be silly to blame everything on the franchise.

Moreso, the fall of the vampire should be attributed to society as a whole. Think of it this way: monsters, and thus vampires, were created by humans as a means to put our abstract fears into something more tangible. Therefore, these creatures evolve as society does, reflecting our fears at that current moment. This is what Mackenzie Phelps argues in her theses:

“The basic model of the vampire is recycled and built upon throughout various eras to emulate the things labeled as threats to that current society.”

Vampires once thrived because they represented what older populations were scared of, and let’s be honest, that was mostly everything. Of course, that was because education wasn’t as widespread, nor did we know as much as we do now about the world, and therefore left populations in a constant state of fear. We can’t forget that, once upon a time, people were labelled as witches simply for being left handed.

So, it’s no surprise that vampires thrived in elder years. In modern day, people are struggling with finances, making choices between food or rent, and working up to four jobs just to survive in a highly inflated market. People are much too stressed to be worrying about silly things like vampires stalking the night. Our fears have shifted, making it harder for vampire stories to continue to be “scary.”

It wasn’t Twilight, it’s just that people have a higher tolerance of what scares them now. Vampires are nothing compared to debt and ongoing wars, after all.

Yet, I can’t deny that many series after Twilight began to place vampires in a much more favorable light. Yes, the romanticization of these monsters were already in pop culture with series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Twilight became the figurehead with its wild popularity. For awhile after its release, people tried to recreate its success and left horror enthusiasts begging for “real” vampires again.

Are They… Evil Again?

I’m sure you’ve noticed the sudden rise in vampire movies again. Not just any vampire movies, but horror vampire movies.

The Invitation, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, and most recently, Abigail.

Abigail is what I want to focus on specifically.

Mostly because it highlights what seems to be a turning point with vampire films.

For those of you unaware, here’s a quick synopsis of Abigail:

A group of would-be criminals kidnaps the 12-year-old daughter of a powerful underworld figure. Holding her for ransom in an isolated mansion, their plan starts to unravel when they discover their young captive is actually a bloodthirsty vampire.

Essentially, Abigail’s character takes all the classic traits of what once made a vampire terrifying. She’s bloodthirsty, menacing, and uncaring of who she kills. She also treats her victims as toys, playing with them until she viciously murders them.

When I say vicious, I mean she literally decapitates a dude. She’s twelve, by the way.

The plus with Abigail is that the film also showcases other classical traits, such as levitation, burning in the sun, and mind control. She also sports a full mouth of razor sharp teeth instead of the two fangs, all 30 Days of Night style.

What’s better? The movie’s actually pretty good. While there are comedic bits here and there, the film focuses on making Abigail scary. The cast of characters faced with surviving her wrath actually fear her.

She isn’t made to be just another child vampire with a lonely and unfortunate backstory, she’s actually the villain. There’s no bait and switch here, even if there are certain aspects of the story that may make you feel sympathetic. At the end of it all, Abigail just wants human flesh and control, just like any other blood sucker.

To piggyback off this, the Nosferatu remake is also in the works. Bill Skarsgard takes the lead as Count Orlok, and although we don’t have any trailers yet, the film seems promising. The teaser images that have been released so far have looked incredible, and truly, it feels as if the vampire genre is finally becoming one with horror again.

Promotional image released for Nosferatu (2024)

This isn’t even counting the many vampire movies that have been released on streaming or in foreign markets. In truth, more vampires movies have recently leaned back into the tried-and-true tale of slaughter. And, man, is that exciting.

Here’s to more vampires in the future. 🥂