'Twilight' vs. 'Dracula': Political Parallels and Vampire Films

Two of my passions are politics and the horror industry. What is funny is that similarities can be found between the two if you look closely enough. With all of the passion that has come out for and against the "Twilight" series, I find that vampire fans resemble the political spectrum. On one side, you have the liberal vampire fans who wait for movies like "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." On the other side, you have conservatives who would rather watch the original "Dracula."

Team Bela

Quote: "Listen to them. The children of the night. What music they make."

On one side of the vampire movie spectrum, we have the die-hard conservatives. They believe that vampires should come from foreign lands and speak with exotic, irreproducible accents. They are likely to sit back and enjoy the older vampire movies, such as "Dracula" or "The Satanic Rites of Dracula." They believe that vampires are dark and melodramatic monsters.

Team Severen

Quote: "Vampires can only kill you once, but they can terrify you forever."

Remember Bill Paxton's character from "Near Dark"? Less conservative vampire movie fans would fall into this category. They would argue that it is OK to replace the vampire cape with a leather jacket as long as the creature is still focused on taking down prey and having fun while doing it. Humans are toys to be played with. Vampires are at the top of the food chain, and that should always be remembered. Toss in "The Lost Boys," and you have an evening of fun viewing.

Team Brujah

Quote: "There are many types of vampires that make up our World of Darkness."

I named the slightly liberal vampire movie fans after one of the clans of vampires from the game Vampire: The Masquerade. They believe that we should keep an open mind about new types of vampires. These would be the people, though, who would argue that vampires are still deadly and dark creatures. They need to satiate themselves, and that should be their main concern, but the capacity for love may be there.

Team Edward

Quote: "I tried watching 'Nosferatu' once but I don't like old movies."

The most fervent fans of the "Twilight" series want everyone else to embrace the "new age" of vampires. Instead of being stuffy ancient bags of bones, vampires should be passionate creatures that are as interested in love as in hunting for food. Vampires should be portrayed as prefect and beautiful creatures. The old ways are just that: the old ways. Vampires need to come into the modern age to gain a stronger following. They would argue that love is the most important aspect of the universe, and vampires simply follow suit.

Moderates

Quote: "I love vampire movies!"

This is where most horror movie fans fall when it comes to the type of vampire they want to see onscreen. They do not get a team name since they are an eclectic mix of people who have not decided on a set standard for what a vampire should be like. These are the ones who help each side of the spectrum continue on.

Why All Are Needed

Just like in politics, extreme thinking on both sides is needed to satiate and placate the more moderate viewers. Both sides give the middle on opportunity for diversity and help drive Hollywood from time to time in one direction or the other. While the market is liberal today, it may be more conservative in a few years. Either way, the fans will keep coming back for more.

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