In the past vampires have been damned soulless creatures doomed to walk the eart

Question

In the past vampires have been damned soulless creatures doomed to walk the earth preying on the living, forced to pay the ultimate price for their immortality. Modern day vampires seem to live consequence free, enjoying their vampire life with abandon. According to Guillermo del Toro modern day vampires have been “Mormonized.” Discuss what you think has changed in our society to create this change in the vampire? What if anything are the modern consequences for being a vampire? Provide specific examples.

Explanation / Answer

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the response based on your personal views if necessary.

(Answer) Before indulging in a profound discussion, it is necessary to mention that vampires are a myth. There might be individuals who consume human blood, this is known as Sanguinarianism. However, the belief that is held by such individuals that consumption of human blood increases the “life-force” in them is scientifically inaccurate and against the laws of most nations of the world.

In folk tales that has propagated the mythology of vampires, it is mostly an individual who feasts on human blood and as a result looks younger and lives for as long as they consume blood regularly. In modern culture, it is common for an older individual to be attracted to a younger individual. This attraction can be regardless of gender or orientation. Because of this attitude, “youth” has turned into a romanticised concept.

If one were to analyse a modern day film with vampires, they are very different from the old “Dracula” films. The vampires are visibly younger and even the plotline usually follows the pursuit of the “fountain of youth.”

In order to pander to the audience, these vampire protagonists are portrayed in an affirmative light. This makes the film more relatable to the naive audience who are most likely to romanticise the idea of eternal youth. To enjoy a guilt-free affection with such characters, writers usually tend to “Mormonize” the character.

On the other hand, a film like “Dracula” would have a villainous-looking actor like Christopher Lee. This is because when one puts the fascination of “eternal youth” out of the equation; one is able to see vampirism for what is really is...a mere folk tale meant to entertain.

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