Vampires are a all the rage crowd in our literary and cinematic fiction. Vampires capture our imagination, draw us in, and let us believe in beings outside of our normal existence. The vampire has morphed from a once maligned, often hated and feared, always undesirable creature into a romantic being that embodies eternal life and superhuman power.

Throughout the middle ages, vampires were often apparitions. They were the embodiment of a soul that was not at rest. Usually a vampire would haunt or attack its previous family members. In order to stop these attacks, villagers would dig up the vampire body, hammer a stake into the heart, and cut off the head. Oftentimes the corpse was also burned. By staking the corpse it was believed a vampire would be pinned to its coffin and it would rise no more. Decapitation was a method to separate the brain from the body. In severe cases, fire was used to totally destroy a vampire corpse.

Vampires were spotted only after dark, so it was naturally assumed that they could not exist in the sun. Additionally, darkness represents things evil whereas light, and the sun, represent things that are good. Vampires were never seen attacking their previous family members in daylight so the belief of aversion to sunlight was born.

In 1897 Bram Stoker released Dracula, the now timeless, iconic, and revered vampire tale. Bram Stoker redefined what a vampire was. The creature took on charisma, personality, and charm. Vampires were no longer mechanical ghosts bent on annihilating their former loved ones. Vampires represented eternal life and power. Bram Stoker planted the seeds that would grow into a fascination with everything vampire.

Today there are innumerable books about vampires. Vampire television series such as Forever Knight, The Hunger, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel found widespread success. Proving that vampire television shows aren't dead, new shows like HBO's True Blood continue to attract new audiences.

Vampire movies are also frequent productions by Hollywood. In recent years we've seen the release of the Evolution trilogy, 30 Days of Night, Twilight, I Am Legend, and many more. Vampire groupies, fans, fanatics just can't get enough of vampire cinema and Hollywood is more than willing to produce several new vampire films every year.

We love vampires. Until the creature is permanently redefined once more, it is doubtful that vampire popularity will fade. We cannot help but love the idea of power, immortality, strength, and eternal life. Vampires embody these attributes. Vampires will forever be a trendy form of fiction.