Bitten...

It appears to me that there is a connection between the type of bite a vampire leaves and the perception of that author’s class of vampires. That is to say, I feel that there is a strong correlation between violence and character image in un-dead fiction. 


Take for example, Lestat. For those of you who haven’t read the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, Lestat is the devilish hero torn between good and evil. He is suave and charming, handsome to a fault, and the reason many teens have turned wholeheartedly to occult fiction. He is not seen as the disgusting creature of early vampire lore, instead he becomes the bench mark for later vampire heroes. When Lestat drinks from his victims, it is an erotic event, two sharp fangs piercing the flesh without spilling a drop, while locked in his embrace. Yes, there are times where he is cruel and vicious, but these are always countered either by his later repentance or egotism. 


But in other instances, like Nosferatu and 30 Days of Night, the damage is far greater. Sometimes we see throats ripped out, blood left gushing all over the scene and the vampires themselves are seen as truly savage beasts, only fit for extinction. Many of the earlier vampire fiction and films contained these ideas, but today we lean more towards vampires such as Lestat and Edward Cullen…our vampiric heartthrobs. 


Personally, I believe it is an asset to occult literature to be able to portray them in either light. The dual nature leaves much more scope for inspiration, and besides, its nice to have a little scare now and again.