October 2009

          HOT BLOODED:
Vampires fascinate because of their contradictions, Kutztown University professor says

A new generation falls in love with vampires, the popular, gruesome and sexy children of the night.

By Greta Cuyler - Reading Eagle

They're old and cold. They're also young and hot.

From movies to television to teen novels, vampires are out in the daylight and more popular than ever.


So why are these mythical, blood sucking creatures so popular?

"It's their contradictions," said Kutztown University vampire scholar Curt W. Herr, an associate professor in the English Department. "They're both male and female, both alive and dead, both incredibly attractive and horrifying, sexy and disgusting, romantic and murderer."

Now vampires are overwhelmingly popular among teenagers devouring Twilight novels, glued to the "Vampire Diaries" and swooning to the romance of "True Blood."

There is no typical vampire, Herr said, because they change depending on era, political climate and author.

Some vampires don't mind sunlight, others shun it. Some vampires are low class, others hail from the highest social strata. Some vampires kill indiscriminately, others will feed only from murderers and serial killers.

Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula" is widely acknowledged as the first vampire book, but Herr has spent years studying a character who emerged 50 years before Stoker's.

"Varney the Vampire" was written by James Malcolm Rymer in what was known as penny-dreadful format, sold in chapters on the streets of London. Everyone read Varney, including Bram Stoker, Herr said.

"Varney was more famous to the Victorians than Bart Simpson is to us," said Herr, who admits he's addicted to the 1960's vampire soap opera "Dark Shadows" and loves the grittiness of the "True Blood" television series.

When he started teaching "Dracula" at KU more than a decade ago, Herr was stunned by its effect on students.

"They were expecting it to be somewhat silly and trite and they were unprepared for how socially relevant the novel is," he said. "The book became the richest treasure chest of Victorian morality, ethics, politics, sexuality, pop culture, fears and nightmares."

The modern vampire has shifted to the romantic, dark haired, loner vampire, reminiscent of Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights."

When it comes to vampires, there's something for everyone, Herr said.

"They are constantly shifting shape and identity and when you get right down to it, they're not ugly monsters, they're generally very good looking," Herr said. "When they murder, it's not a horrifying ripping apart kind of event like a zombie. Instead, it's this kiss on the neck and whoever is getting bitten has a look on their face of pure ecstasy."

And people like that?

"Oh yeah," Herr said without hesitation.