Sarah E.

Ray

Commented [JP1]: I really like your introduction, the

f irst line was a perfect example of a good hook for your
audience. The connection between the desire for
Prince Charming and the desire for a vampire makes
the reader question why it is that so many people are
more interested in vampires these days then your
ty pical Prince Charming. Really strong into, I loved the
details you put in about your own life and how you feel
about the rising love for vampire characters. I like the
way y ou made your structure almost like a timeline ...

UWRT 1101-088

October, 2014

Horror turned Romantic:

The Strategic M ove of Adding Glitter to Vampires

Introduction

Imagine meeting Prince Charming face-to-face. M e, personally, I would lose the ability to speak.
Now Imagine meeting Prince Charming, but he has the burning desire of drinking all your blood.
Vampires and Prince Charmings are at very different ends of the Hot Guy spectrum, but a
vampire is suppose to be the worlds greatest predator there is and whats better than an attractive
guy who has charm? This is becoming a reoccurring trend in the vampire world today.

People have been obsessed with vampirism since 1816 when The Vampyre was published as the
first story in the English language. Even before that different cultures have folklore on
vampirism. However, pop culture today have shifted vampirism into a romantic fantasy rather
than the horror it was intended to cause. Today, on TV, vampires struggle between their natural
blood thirst that tends to rule their lives, and their humanity they still try to hold on to. We also
cant forget pretty much the grandfather of Vampire movies; Bram Stokers Dracula.

I entered the Vampire culture when I was about 13. It was 7th grade and we were assigned
accelerated reading points in middle school. I absolutely hated reading and dreaded getting those

Commented [JP2]: I really liked you introduction, I

think it was very catchy and It made me want to
continue reading your paper. I also like how in the
introduction you included some Vampire history for the
reader to refer to. I personally dont know alot about the
subject so it was interesting and helpful to gain insight
on v ampires.
Commented [JP3]: The f irst three sentences of your
Introduction got me hooked to your paper, even though
the third one was a little creepy, well for me it was. This
paragraph was brief but it was enough for me to want
to continue to read your paper. The only suggestion I
can make is to extend this paragraph a little more, and
the second paragraph too.
Commented [JP4]: Like I mentioned before, add a little
more to the second paragraph. You could add a little
more about vampirism and The Vampyre story since
the description for these two are small. All I know about
it is that people became obsessed with vampirism
since 1816 and that The Vampyre story was published
as the first english language story. Maybe you could ...
Commented [JP5]: You could talk about what The
Vampyre was more in depth. If it was the first vampire
story published in english, it is probably somewhat
significant and should be discussed. Also, add the
author, just for good measure.
Commented [JP6]: In many folklore vampires are
made out to be demons that are made in the human
image, sent from the devil and those stories tell people
of that culture to steer clear of them This sentence
was really confusing to me. I think you can reword it to
make it more clear what you are trying to say. Maybe
break it up into two sentences to shorten it.
Commented [JP7]: I like the way you compared
v ampires in old horror films like Dracula, to newer ideas
of vampires such as Twilight. The reader can really see
that older movies set the tone of vampires to be more
horrifying and scary, whereas today we see them as
my sterious, desirable creatures in shows like The
Vampire Diaries. Great job including the fact that
...
Commented [JP8]: I like your personal relationship
part in y our introduction section. I also like how wrote
y our history with vampire culture, such as how you got
into it in the first place. The part that caught my
attention in this paragraph was when you talked about
how y our mom would make fun of of you for idolizing
glittery vampires. Ive never heard of glittery vampires ...

points. That is until I heard of a book called Twilight. Twilight is what introduced me to all
things Vampire. I obsessed over those books and around the same time I started reading those
books a show called The Vampire Diaries began on the CW. I was immediately enticed after
watching the first episode. M y mother, however would make fun of me how I idolized glittery
vampires. She would tell me about how vampires are suppose to be scary and people fear them,
not fall in love with them. The different views of vampires from generation to generations really
grabbed my attention and made me want to research more on how and why the culture made a
sudden 360 turn from what it is suppose to be.

Annotated Bibliography
Blair, E. (n.d.). Dark S hadows: The Birth of the Modern TV Vampire. Retrieved May 10,
2013
Vampires have had a steady appearance on the small screen for many decades. M ark
Dawidziak, an author and professor at Kent State University on their appearances in film and
TV, says because vampires have been able to evolve with the times is why they have been able
to stay so popular throughout the decades. Through the decades there have been different types
of vampire shows like The M unsters, appearances on Sesame Street, and in dramas like True
Blood. The ultimate grandfather of all of these shows that featured vampires is a little known
show talked Dark Shadows. The gothic themed soap opera initially didnt have vampires you
could see but as the ratings dropped the producers need to do something radical to turn things
around.

Commented [JP9]: The placement of your annotated

bibliography after the introduction is very random and
separates the introduction from the body of your work.
By the time readers get into your body paragraphs they
are going to forget all of the information they read in
y our introduction, and the topic of your paper. I would
suggest moving the annotated bibliography to the end
of your work to make the paper flow better and it would
be a more appropriate placement.
Commented [JP10]: In y our final draft make sure your
sources are at the end of your paper and not in the
middle. Im sure Ashlyn would take points off for the
order of the paper. If you need to see what it should
look like, I would refer to Ashlyns example.
Commented [JP11]: Im sure youre aware of this and
ev eryone in this group has pointed this out with their
f eedback comments but make sure you write a
Literature Review in your paper. I see that you put your
annotated bibliography in the part where your Lit review
should. Like I said, make sure you add your literature
rev iew before the due date for our revised Assignment
Two submission and if you need help, look at Ashlyns
example.

Adler, M. (n.d.). For the Love of Do-Good Vampires: A Bloody Book List. Retrieved
February 18, 2010.
In the 80s there was a very similar wave of interest in vampires. Today there is a new wave but
with very different vampires because the new generation has a correlation because sexy and love
with vampires all because of Bill Compton in HBOs True Blood, Stefan Salvator in the CWs
television series The Vampire Diaries, and most of all Edward Cullen in Stephenie M eyers
Twilight books. Vampires have been in folklore around the world and from various cultures but
our modern notion of the vampire came from a particular cultural moment in 1816. M ary
Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Polodori all attended a literary exercise in Switzerland, and what
came out of the exercise is Frankenstein and Vampyre, which is the first vampire story in the
English language.

Accomando, B. (n.d.). S exting Up the PG-13 Vampire.But Not Too Much. Retrieved
November 18, 2009.

Some fans of the Twilight Saga would say with its sexy-but-chaste leads this teen series may be
sending its target audience of teen and tween girls a mixed message. In the 70s and 80s
Hollywood preached a clear message to teens through horror movies: have sex and die ; stay a
virgin and live. Some might say that twilight promotes conflicting values because Edward comes
into Bellas room and watches her sleep in her underwear. However, part of the appeal for
female fans is that Edward makes caring for Bella more important than getting into her pants.

Buckwalter, I. (n.d.). Blood Will Tell: In Byzantium, A Gothic Vampire Diary. June 27,
2013.

Neil Jordan is very aware that audiences may be having mixed emotions about vampires. He
decided to take the genre as a whole and throw it back to its less sparkly days. In this
particular example the vampire is just nothing more than a label that the main characters try to
find familiarity and normalcy. However they have the characteristics of a typical vampire like
the immortality, and the drinking of human blood, but like The Vampire Diaries or Twilight
these vampires are able to walk in daylight as well.

Alder, M. (n.d.). Vampire S tories: Two New Twist On An Old Nemesis: June 7, 2010.

M argot Adler has read 100 vampire books this year and she says it is safe to say the vampire
arent going anywhere anytime soon. The Passage, which is not really a traditional vampire
novel, but it is categorized as the blood and horror genre and is even compared the Stephen
Kings The Stand. In this book vampirism are betrayed as terrible Disease that quickly ravage's
the Earth and its population. M uch different from the hot, steamy, and pretty boys that are
twisted inside because they want to be moral.

S chaub, M. (n.d.). Hide Me: Not Your Typical Teen Vampire Tale. March 22, 2012.
Schaub states that these days, young peoples impressions of vampires are colored more by the
Twilight series of books and movies depicting the creatures as pretty emo kids whose primary
habits are moping and loitering in trees. In Schaubs opinion Hide M e Among the Graves is for
people who still believe in great literature, basically dissing the Twilight series and The Vampire
Diaries where the vampires struggle between what they really are and their own humanity.
Schaub clearly does not agree with the way Pop Culture has shifted Vampirism.

Holmes, L. (n.d.). Twilight: Edward The Vampire S ulker And His Beloved: Does This
S tory Work? March 24, 2010.

According to Linda the equal balance of power and powerlessness in Twilight very classic for
instance making Bellas needy and vulnerable having to be saved from a van that was going to
crush her, but on the contrary he tells her that he can ready everyones mind but hers making this
very strong creature suddenly powerless. Linda also says that this kind of attraction is just
initially and as the relationship grows it becomes more boring, but because this idea of a vampire
was radical at the time pop culture absorbed it and owned it. There is just something about being
possibly the most clumsy girl in the world and having one of the most strongest creatures to be
there to save you when you are falling.

Commented [JP12]: You are going to have to go back

and write the literature review section. Ashlyn said not
to copy and paste, but to write a cohesive
paragraph(s). You have all of the information, now just
go put it all together and you will have a solid paper.

Johnson, J. (2010). Women and Vampires: Nightmare or Utopia?. Vol. 15, No. 1. JS TOR.

Johnson basically ask what does society dream about when women write about vampires? Does
the eternal woman feel as she is viewing vampire movies or ready vampire books? She says its
the lyrical and contemplative new vampire view that has women viewing vampirism as
compassionate, erotic, and above all a fair exchange rather than a predatory act.

Ray, S . (2014) The Vampire Diaries. Assignment One.

Assignment one of my research contains actors, artifacts, communities of practice, a domain,

practices of a community, literacy practices, background information on the figured world, and
the initial observations of Episode 1 of Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries. In the observations,
there is an almost minute by minute detailed account of what is happening in the episode.
Assignment one introduces the main characters and plants the seed for the plot of the show.

Commented [JP13]: In y our Enter the Conversation

section, I like that you used Twilight movie as an
example of how the audience are growing more
attracted to the vampire culture and that others are
f ollowing Stephanie Meyers footsteps that would
ev entually lead to the television show The Vampire
Diaries. I also like that you included the box office
number in this because I do remember Twilight being
so popular among the younger audience and how it
was such a big hit, even though, in my opinion, it
annoy ed me most of the time.
Commented [JP14]: You might want to address why
y ou think this shift has occurred. Why are original
v ampire fans not buying the new idea of the redefined
v ampire? Why do you think this new market was so
successful?

Entering the conversation

M y sources make note of the obvious culture shift in vampires and how their characteristics have
been alter, but none go into depth as to why this shift has occurred. In many folklore vampires
are made out to be demons that are made in the human image, sent from the devil and those
stories tell people of that culture to steer clear of them. Even in the 1930s when the first version

Commented [JP15]: In y our Entering the

Conv ersation I would have liked to see you connect
Stephan with Edward and the characters from true
blood better. These paragraphs talks a lot about
Stephan,but dont really give examples of others shows
that share the same ideas. May be here you could
elaborate on all three shows and show connections
between them, instead of only talking about the one
show and at the end throwing the statement that they
are all connected in there. Let the reader see how they
are connected instead of telling them.
Commented [JP16]: Your entering the conversation is
v ery good. There are slight grammatical errors here
and there, but the ideas you are putting forward are
exceptional. Great job to this point.

of Dracula came to the big screen, vampires were viewed in an horror aspect. In my own
opinion, the writers who created characters like Bill Compton in HBOs True Blood, Stefan
Salvator in the CWs television series The Vampire Diaries, and most of all Edward Cullen in
Stephenie M eyers Twilight books wanted to revolt from the stereotypical vampire. By doing
this they created a huge market for a radical twist of vampires. From a business aspect, and
thinking as a business student, the market of the audience for the vampire themed culture need
something radical to happen in order to create new revenue. The market needed to be jumpstarted and reiterated.

There are countless of books that have been written about and around vampirism. In the most
recent years, however there has been a new reoccurring theme amongst the main characters or
vampires in these plots. Vampires are starting to be shown to have an inner struggle between
what nature tells them they are, which are predators who pray on human blood in order to
survive, and their humanity of keeping their morals and having emotions. In the CWs television
series The Vampire Diaries Stefan Salvatore has been living for over a hundred years in
secrecy living among humans. He has immortality, super strength, speed of a cheetah, mind
capabilities that humans do not possess, and not to mention extremely good looks. With all of
these attributes he has become the worlds greatest predator. It would seem like a creature with
all these capabilities would never fall in love with a human, which in comparison, is so fragile
and delicate almost like a flower. This is where his humanity comes in. Stefan starts to gain
feelings such as love and compassion and these conflict with what nature intends him to be. This
is a power struggle that Stefan Salvatore shares with Edward Cullen in Twilight and Bill
Compton in True Blood.

Commented [JP17]: You might want to introduce who

the characters are that you are talking about. I have
nev er seen the shows you mentioned, so I could have
the wrong picture entirely on who these characters are.
It doesnt have to be a full paragraph or anything, just a
quick summary.

The typical audience that Vampire movies have been directed towards have been labeled as
emo or gothic, dark and twisty. With the newer view of vampires, however, a broader and
different type and age group have been attracted to the culture. In my view, I feel as if this was a
marketing strategy in order for the box office to make more money and draw more and different
types of viewers. Once Twilight hit the big screen in 2008, producers and screenwriters saw how
well that concept of a dark and twisty vampire conflicted by his natural urges and his humanity
captured the attention of a younger audience, and many others started to follow in Stephenie
M eyers foot steps. Twilight brought the box office $192,769,854. I would say that a number like
that would make other people in the screenwriting profession open their eyes a little bit and use
Twilight as somewhat of a template. In 2009 The Vampire Diaries season one broke the CWs
record for the highest rankings with 4.91 viewers. I, myself, would say that the market in 2009
was a perfect stage for this show at this specific time. The show entered that market at the perfect
time where young girls yearned for more than just and hour and a half long movie are M r. Darkand-Twisty-Morals-Compromised Edward Cullen intrigues them. They now have Stefan
Salvatore who they can continue to watch his struggle every week.

Although this new version of the vampire has created an awesome market and made millions of
dollars for the movie and television industries, true vampire fans that idolize the classics are not
impressed with the shiny, new and, some might say, improved vampire. Count Dracula is the
true stereotypical vampire. The fact that he sleeps in a coffin, does not venture out of his castle
until night, and a wooden stake to the heart will indeed kill him makes him along the lines of a
classic vampire. Though The Vampire Diaries tries to stay some what true to the guidelines
of what constitutes a vampire, they still tend to stray away and add twist such as daylight rings
being able to let Stefan and Damon out in the sunlight. Some might say its better to stick to the

classics, but the classics are not fitting to the new generation that are clearly ready and accepting
of something different. The timing of this new innovative vampire was close to perfect. It
targeted an audience of not only tweens, and preteen with the innocent characteristics give to this
vampire but also targets teenagers, young adults and even people in their 40s and 50s by added a
dash of sexy to the vampires appearance and attitude.
The timing and presentation of the new vampire couldt have made its appearance at a better
time. With movies and TV shows becoming more scandalous, why not through in a sexy
vampire who is dark and enticing. The fact of the matter is that the creators of these new
vampires are banking on the emotions of young women and how they perceive M r. Dark-andDangerous. This market is based off womens attraction to these characters and because women
cannot seem to resist a very attractive man who has a view personal issues the box office and
television networks have accumulated millions, if not billions of dollars from these women. So,
from a business standpoint, vampires are great investments.

S o What?
So now that the obvious shift from the original vampire to the new and shiny vampire has
been pointed out, it is easy to see how this radical shift in culture has been an extremely
successful marketing strategy. The market that this product was placed into, was at its prime
and the consumers took to this new model of the vampire. It was accepted and repeated in
different shows by different networks.

In business, marketing is one of the biggest aspects to this subject. There are many different
strategies companies take to get their products out there. Adding a mysterious and sex appeal to

Commented [JP18]: Although your conclusion for

models for future research is a good idea I dont think it
has much to do with the idea of vampires and the
change in roles of vampires in the media. Your position
f or f uture research should go along with your
introduction to a new genre of vampires, instead you
hav e presented an idea that strays away from vampires
and talks about how other industries can remodel
themselves. I would re consider the topic you
presented for models of future research. Possibly you
could consider how the roles of vampires could further
change as time goes on, or even how in the future the
role of vampires in media may revert back into its old
ideals.

vampires has made the public only want more of them. At first it was the fact that vampires were
scary, but that has been over used time and time again. Now that vampires have been made in an
image of something a woman could fall in love with, it has switched lanes, radically. Vampires
were once projected to the horror movie market, now they have converged to more of a romantic
fantasy genre.

In retrospect, people tend to hear the word vampire and laugh at the idea of them. They may be
fictional characters but the fact of the matter is that Vampires Sell. Women of most ages are
attracted to them, and because of that they spend their money on books and movies which in turn
creates a market and makes the movie industry millions of dollars. M aybe if something as simple
as a vampire and reinvent itself and boost its popularity and worth, what else can do this? I
conclude by asking what else can we reinvent and create an entirely new market for which
turns to millions of dollars? Do we over think this question by taking a complex item and
radically change it to make it simple, or do we take something simple and make it complex?

Commented [JP19]: I really like the questions you

pose in your conclusion, as it relates directly to my
paper. The idea of a hero had the exact same 180 as
the idea of a vampire in recent years and it really
shows how the topics are related.

References

Accomando, B. (n.d.). S exting Up the PG-13 Vampire.But Not Too Much. Retrieved
November 18, 2009.

Adler, M. (n.d.). For the Love of Do-Good Vampires: A Bloody Book List. Retrieved
February 18, 2010.
Blair, E. (n.d.). Dark S hadows: The Birth of the Modern TV Vampire. Retrieved May 10,
2013
Buckwalter, I. (n.d.). Blood Will Tell: In Byzantium, A Gothic Vampire Diary. June 27,
2013.
Holmes, L. (n.d.). Twilight: Edward The Vampire S ulker And His Beloved: Does This
S tory Work? March 24, 2010.

Johnson, J. (2010). Women and Vampires: Nightmare or Utopia?. Vol. 15, No. 1. JS TOR.

Ray, S . (2014) The Vampire Diaries. Assignment One.

S chaub, M. (n.d.). Hide Me: Not Your Typical Teen Vampire Tale. March 22, 2012.