Thanks ‘Twilight,’ Vampires are Stealing Our Children

By Kelly Turner on October 9th, 2009

I’ll admit it, I’m a Twilighter- but I only read the books after an adult client of mine raved about them. That’s my defense, and I’m sticking to it.

“Twilight” seemed to set the wheels in motion- and now the media machine is out for your kids’ blood. Here’s a quick guide so you can at least partially understand what your kids are squealing about.

“Twilight” – The Original

This empire is RIDIC. It started with the books, then the movies, then the typical posters/games/pins, but now they even have their own clothing line at Nordstrom, an iPhone app, or for those that actually think they are Bella, a life size silhouette of Edward to watch over them while they sleep (notice it’s sold out.) “Twilight” is a love story between super-hot vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and mere mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Toss in some werewolves, a love triangle, special abilities, lots of secrets and tons of teenage angst, and you aren’t even close to describing the phenomenon of “Twilight”.

“The Vampire Diaries” – The Weekly Vamp Fix

“The Vampire Diaries” is the hit TV show on the CW that brings vamps into our basic cable homes every week. The show’s opening was a smash success, many believe, due to Twi-hard fans needing some immortal action to hold them over between movies. It certainly worked- the series premiere was the most-watched series premier the CW has had – ever.

The show is also based on a book series, “Vampire Diaries,” and follows popular high school student Elena, who tragically loses both of her parents in an accident. In her grief, she starts to withdraw from the world she knew and become more drawn in by new student (and centuries-old vampire) Stefan. Stefan and his more violent and brutal brother, Damon, begin to wage war for the souls of Elena and her small town.

“Cirque du Freak- The Vampire’s Assistant” – For the kiddies

Again, this is another book turned movie (if you have trouble getting your kids to read, you know what books to buy them) about a boy named Darren who, bored with his predictable 16 year old life meets a vampire at the circus, and eventually joins, in more ways than one. The movie hits theaters October 23rd, just in time for Halloween and is bound to be a hit. The trailers are quite Tim Burton-ish, and may be a little scary for smaller kids, but probably fine for most.

“True Blood” - This one’s for the adults

The success of HBO’s “True Blood” shows the love of bloodsuckers is not just for the kids. “True Blood” is dark and funny, often disturbing and always sexy- just how vampires should be. Anna Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse a telepathic waitress from Louisiana who falls for vampire Bill Compton, played by Stephen Moyer. Oh, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s also based on a book series.

There, now you can join in when your tweens are gabbing away about how cute Edward is, or how much they hate Bella for stealing their man. Vamps are taking over your kids’ lives, but the good thing is, they definitely don’t suck.