Where's the Vamp?

Vampires. We all know them and love them. But what is it about vampires that make their movies and games so interesting? Could it possibly be the simplicity of the themes? Vampire drinks blood = Society preying on the individual. Of course, the theme doesn’t have to be the one just stated; it’s just an example. In many movies themes of vampirism can be identified and traced throughout the entire movie. However, in vampire movies, the theme of vampirism is drastically reduced because you have a tangible focus for the vampirism. The same is true for many video games. For example, the Legacy of Kain series is about vampires, but there aren’t really any other themes. In the Final Fantasy series, many themes of vampirism can be traced: industry vs. nature, society vs. individual, plus many others.

Many movies that don’t seem to have a vampiric theme at first glance, actually have a very strong vampiric nature. For example, Mel Brooks’s The Producers. If you’...