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I recently watched the two New Moon spoilers, which debuted at Comic-Con on Thursday. Chances are, you know to what I’m referring. But in case you’ve been living under a rock, New Moon is the second installment in the Twilight Series… four fictional young-adult novels written by a suburban mom named Stephanie Meyer who was inspired to write them based on a dream she had. It’s also a national obsession which defies both age and gender. So popular in fact that they are being made into major motion pictures courtesy of Summit Entertainment, LLC.
The first movie, Twilight, was released on November 21, 2008. The next day, MTV.com stated that "Twilight is currently on track to become the highest-grossing film ever made by a female director, the highest-grossing vampire film of all time, and is also threatening several other records.” And “the film is currently projected to make more than $60 million this weekend, which would put it on track for the $150 million box-office haul that director Catherine Hardwicke has said would automatically green-light sequels.” Looks like they were right. The second installment, New Moon, will be released a year later, on November 20, 2009.
I was first bitten about a year ago. And I was surprised by how quickly I was sucked in. (Puns absolutely intended.) At the time, I resided in an area of Arizona which was heavily populated by Mormons. You may know them as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Stephanie Meyer is Mormon and from Arizona, so I just dismissed the hype as local support… although I did find it odd that devout Christians were so excited about vampire books. But then my non-Mormon friends started reading them too… obsessively.
When the husbands got into the act, I gave in and borrowed a friend’s copy. I remember the day I finished Twilight. I could not wait to start New Moon. It was summer in Arizona, a time when one tries not to go outdoors during the day. In a frenzy only understood by other Twilighters, I strapped my one-year-old daughter in her car seat and drove right over to my friend’s house to borrow New Moon… and Eclipse, just in case. She completely understood my anxiety and helped me locate a copy of the final installment, Breaking Dawn, to borrow since she had already loaned out her copy to someone else. I think I read all four books in a matter of three weeks. And then I mourned that there weren’t any more.
I should state, for the record that is the internet, that I have never been a vampire fan. Quite the contrary, they have always freaked me out considerably. So I reflected on why I was now dreaming of Edward Cullen…
Well, that’s probably most of it… Edward Cullen, the series hero, is the perfect male partner in every way. Normally, I would warn how this sets unrealistic standards for young girls. But he’s a vampire. And any sane girl knows vampires do not exist and therefore you cannot date or marry them. So it’s okay to be mesmerized by him… and daydream about what it would be like to be his girl. It’s better than thinking about the bad economy, right?
The real explanation for the current fascination with the world of blood suckers? A desire, or even a need, for fantastic escape. Times are tough. Everyone is struggling. It’s all I hear, every day. Is it any wonder we flock to our televisions (or those of our friends and family members who can still afford HBO) on Sunday nights, in eager anticipation of HBO’s hit series True Blood? Coincidently, the series is also inspired by a series of vampire novels, this time by Charlaine Harris.
And true to its HBO status, the vampires of Bon Temps, Louisiana are not rated PG-13. Entertainment Weekly called True Blood “violent, sexy and debaucherous” and went on to describe the fictional small town as “struggling to find the normal in paranormal after vampires “come out of the coffin” to live, party and hump among them.” To be blunt, these vampires are highly sexed. It is the perfect ending to a summer weekend. Must be, since Sunday’s 9 p.m. airings average 3.7 million viewers and the audience rises to 5.2 million when you factor in the 11 p.m. repeat.
A recent article on newsweek.com entitled “Bite Me! Why We Love Vampires” weighed in on the vampire obsession. It asked “is it the bad economy” or a “secret desire for domination?” Donovan Gwinner, assistant professor of English at Aurora University summized that “in times of economic contraction, fear of job loss, and war, the vampire myth really speaks to people. What's so bad about being powerful, almost immortal, always in control, and incredibly desirable?” Sounds pretty sweet to me. Katherine Ramsland, professor of psychology at DeSales University spent several years researching the rabid vampire fan, those folks who actually act out the Dracula fantasy. Many are professionals, some are simply lost. But what struck Ramsland as rather odd was that "there were so many women who wanted to lose control.”
Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: I know where I’ll be on November 20, 2009!
