Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicle series cemented the sexy, sympathetic image of a vampire. The vampires in Rice’s books were attractive, wealthy, ruthless killers who nonetheless clung to humanity. They had human emotions and were very dark, seductive, and enticing. Ann Rice’s books, and the film adaptations of her books Interview with the Vampire and The Queen of the Damned made vampires romantic figures that were attractive both because of their power and because of their pain.  Around the turn of the last century the vampire mythos changed again as vampires went mainstream in movies like Underworld.  Vampires were portrayed as strong, savvy, killers who were not to be messed with but had a distinctly seductive edge to them.  When Stephanie Myers Twilight books came out, and the movies based on the books were released, the image of vampires in popular culture became softer, and the view of vampires once again became a sympathetic one.

The lead vampire in Twilight, Edward Cullen, is non threatening to Bella, and is not sexual with her which is a distinct change in the vampire characterization that has always existed in pop culture. Vampires have always been closely tied to sexuality in pop culture. The other massive pop culture phenomenon that features Vampires, True Blood, turned the vampire mythos on its ear by creating a world in which vampires live and interact with humans in the open, instead of having to hide in the shadows. Vampires in True Blood rarely feed on humans, instead they feed with a synthetic blood substitute. Taking away the most central role of a vampire as a predator who needs to feed on human blood has renewed public fascination with vampires because they are no longer as threatening.  Even people who never cared for vampire stories before became avid fans of True Blood because of the unique interactions between humans and vampires portrayed in the show.

At the core of the vampire mystique is a glorification of the darker side of human nature. The desires for sex, power, and the ability to live forever outside of society and not being bound to society’s rules are desires that most people keep hidden and only express through things like dressing up for Halloween or at other times during the year.  Vampires are much like humans, only they are not ashamed of their darker drives and live as they please. That is why vampires are always appealing to humans.

The show is based on a series of books called the The Southern Vampire Mysteries.  The show is built around a young telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse, who works in a bar called Merlotte’s in the small town of Bon Temps Louisiana. In the True Blood world vampires and humans live side by side because of the creation of a synthetic blood substitute that the vampires use to survive instead of human blood.  Some humans aren’t exactly comfortable with this arrangement but they tolerate it as long as the vampires and other creatures of the night don’t cause a lot of trouble.  Sookie’s boss at the bar is Sam Merlotte, a shape shifter. Sam is protective of Sookie and often changes form into that of a big black dog and watches over her. Jason Stackhouse, Sookie’s brother, eventually joins an anti-vampire church and begins flirting with religious zealotry and starts to develop a deep hatred of vampires. Bill Compton is Sookie’s love interest, a vampire who has remarkable compassion for humans.  Bill was turned into a vampire during the Civil War Era but has never lost his love and empathy for humans. Originally Sookie is drawn to him because she cannot read his thoughts the way that she can read other people’s thoughts. Eric Northman, another vampire, is interested in Sookie. Eric is the sheriff of one of the five local vampire precincts and is known for his vehement punishment of any crimes against vampires.

Other important human and vampire characters in Bon Temps include Jessica Hamby who is a teenager that was turned into a vampire by Bill Compton at the end of season 1 of the show. Bill was forced to turn Jessica after he killed a vampire who threatened Sookie. Sheriff Bud Dearborne, a human, is prejudiced against vampires and was very good friends with Sookie’s parents so he takes a special interest in her and her brother Jason and is not happy about Sookie’s relationship with Bill Compton. Another human, Tara Thornton, is Sookie’s best friend and an important part of the story.

Like Six Feet Under True Blood has gathered viewers from many different social groups. The quirky, edgy characters and Southern Gothic roots of the stories appeal to old and young alike.

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