Vampires first appeared in literature in the 1800's and became more popular with The Vampyre by Polidori. In the late 1800's, Bram Stoker published Dracula, inspired by the real life Vlad the Impaler, who used to get a kick out of killing people by impaling them on stakes. Dracula then became a basis for many vampire novels over the last hundred years, such as Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Recently Twilight, By Stephenie Meyer, True Blood, By Charlaine Harris, Vampire Diaries, by L. J. Smith and Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead, has reignited interest in vampire fiction. Here are the key differences between these vampires.

Twilight, By Stephenie Meyer, explores Edward Cullen, a vampire falling in love with Bella, a human, in Washington. The Cullen Family are central to the novel and they follow the vampire laws of The Volturi, who reign in Italy. The difference between the Cullen's and The Volturi is that they feed off animal blood instead of human blood; they do this to fit into society and do not have to face the guilt of killing innocent people for their blood. The Volturi are the typical savage vampires they drink human blood and do anything to keep vampires hidden from the world. To remain a secret they live and work with humans, like most other vampires they do not need to breathe but do for appearances, they have both reflections and shadows and they can go outside in the day time however, their skin becomes like diamonds all glittery when it hits the sun. The vampires are immortal and do possess strength, unnatural speed, strong senses with some having special powers, for example Edward has the ability to read minds with one exception and his sister has the ability to see visions of the future. The vampires are pale with The Volturi having red eyes and the Cullen's having topaz unless they both require blood this is when their eyes turn black and dark circles form underneath them, they also do not have fangs. The way to kill them is by fire or decapitation, which the pieces are later burnt. Twilight also includes werewolves, who are in fact shape shifters. Male vampires can only reproduce by a human female, which creates a dhamphir, this is part human and part vampire, or vampires can be created by being bitten and after a few days the transformation is complete all that is required is a heartbeat that will then eventually stop.

The True Blood TV series or The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris, takes place in Southern Louisiana, involves Vampires who made by being bitten and buried until the transformation is complete. These vampires normally feed on human blood however, due to a synthetic blood creation are able to live normal lives without feeding on humans. They have officially revealed themselves to the public. The Sunlight affects them in a number of ways if they are older they have lower tolerances to it and will burn very quickly, newer vampires will just burn but heal. To kill a vampire requires a stake, fire or decapitation. Silver burns them and leaves them immobilised but will not kill them. These vampires require an invitation to enter a human home which if rescinded they must leave immediately. The vampires are pale with retractable fangs; they too leave a shadow and have a reflection. Vampires have compulsion powers, they are immortal and move at unnatural speed, with strong senses and strength, some can fly. They cannot be outside and sleep all day; they are hunted for their blood, which has drug like effects for humans. They too are ruled by laws put in place locally by an area sheriff who then reports to the king or queen of a state. Other Creatures that exist with vampires are Maenads, Shape shifters, Werewolves, Witches Fairies. Dracula only makes a mention so far in the books.

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead, Based in Montana and Pennsylvania, vampires or Moroi, are born as a result of two pure blood vampire parents, they are protected by dhamphirs born as a result of a half human and a half Moroi. Two dhamphirs cannot reproduce. The vampires exist in the current world, where they too are ruled by a King or Queen, but remain a secret by having their own education institutions and areas that they live. It is here that they live on a nocturnal timetable; even though they can go out in the sun, it irritates them and makes them weak. Moroi need human blood, they are not that strong and need Dhamphir, who do not need blood and have human physiques, to protect them. They face the evil vampires who are Strigoi, with red eyes, they need blood and cannot go in the sun, to become a Strigoi, Moroi or dhamphir need to be bitten by a Strigoi or Moroi kill another Moroi. The characteristics of the vampires are that they are pale, have retractable fangs, they have reflections and shadows. They have the ability to use compulsion, though it is not allowed, Moroi specialise in an extra power with spirit users able to heal. Unlike other vampires, they are mortal and will grow old and die, unless killed by a silver stake, and they do possess special senses and strength.

Vampire Diaries, by L. J. Smith, explores vampires that are reproduced by transfusion if they are killed while there is vampire blood still in their system. They are immortal, have unnatural speed, senses, strength and can heal, some can fly, shape shift and have mind powers. They have ordinary skin colour, retractable fangs and cast a shadow and have a reflection. Some choose to not drink human blood but animal blood. To kill them requires a stake, fire; sunlight is fatal unless they have a special ring to protect them. They like the True Blood Vampires require an invitation to enter; they also exist in a world with werewolves and witches.

Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice, involves vampires that are pale, have fangs, reflections and shadows. They are immortal, with unnatural speed, senses and strength and can heal, only the gifted can fly and only the gifted had mind powers and other powers. They reproduce by transfusion or being bitten or drinking vampire blood. They are hidden though some tried to change that. Cannot be staked, Sunlight is fatal unless they are older vampires who have higher tolerances, fatal to decapitation and fire. Prefer human blood but can drink animal. Similarly, to Twilight vampires as they age they become more statuesque, very smooth and white skin.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker, hailed as the original vampire that all other vampires are based on. Dracula was pale, had fangs, though he had no reflection and no shadow. Stake was fatal, and was affected by garlic, holy symbols, running water and could die by decapitation, drowning or fire. He required an invitation to enter and was immortal with unnatural speed, senses, strength, and could heal. He also can fly and can shape shift to wolf bat dust or fog, he also had powers of telepathy. He was only weakened by the sun but still able to go outside and could only reproduce by transfusion. Existed in a world with werewolves but remained in closed off society.

Comparing different texts, we can see that the vampires are similar, they are often pale, strong, fast, with acute senses, and they die by fire, stakes, or decapitation. They are often reproduced by being bitten or a transfusion occurring and the sun affects them. They exist hidden in society but often share the world with other creatures. Which book or TV series is best, it comes down to personal opinion. Often young adults prefer Twilight, Vampire Academy, and Vampire Diaries. Adult may prefer True Blood, Dracula and the Anne Rice series. People enjoy reading about vampires and there will always be vampire novels to keep their interests.

Twilight The Movie

Twilight movie is one of the latest movies which have its theme based on the book that was written by Stephanie Meyer who is also featured in the same movie. It was actually released in the Philippines way back in November of 2009 and it stars such movie stars as Robert Pattison as Edward and Kristen steward who is featured as Bella. Since its production it has been doing quite well as its casting is cool enough that one can easily derive the theme and meaning of the movie.

Different from the Edward(main vampire character) presented in the book who appears to be confident, perfect and cool at all the times, Edward in the movie is quite anxious and appears uncomfortable at all times. But as the movie continues, he seems to be moved closer to Bella simply because of her behavior through the film. Based on the fact that Edward is handsome, this gives him the advantage of moving even closer to meeting the woman he has always been dreaming of.

Despite the point that Edward is a vampire, this did not actually stop Bella from falling in love with him, something that most people will be intrigued with when watching the movie. In a normal situation, you will realize that once an individual come to learn about the evil deeds practiced by the person you love, their relationship will come to an abrupt end, but the producer of this film/ tackles this differently. Bella still dreams of Edward every night despite having learned about his impureness and so many other evil deeds.

The producer of the twilight movie also uses the music throughout the movie very well. The provision of lullaby songs for Bella is absolutely amazing as it adds to the uniqueness in the film production from other common movie making. The producer of this great movie uses two very important aspect of styles; suspense and romance which eventually bring out the quality production which makes one great movie that you will never want to miss. Therefore in case you really want to enhance all that you have been reading in the twilight book, then you should actually watch this great movie produced by a renowned producer from the Philippine movie style. Watching the Twilight movie will always make you want to watch more from this great producer as it pushes you to the edge of your seat. New Moon(Twilight 2) has also released and promises to continue where this original film leaves off.

For centuries, people have wondered about female vampires. Countless stories have circulated about them around the world, but no one knows for sure if they are true or just figments of our imagination. These stories often depict the female vampires in much the same way, but are they really like that? How did these stories come into being? In this article, we try to lift the curtains up on one of the oldest mysteries of our times. Here, we will compare stories about female vampires and their portrayal in different cultures to draw an inference, if we can.

The oldest mention of lady vampires can be traced back to the stories that originated in the Far East. In countries such as China, India, and Tibet, people talked about female vampires, but each of the three versions were different from each other. No one actually knows how the concept of a vampiress came into being, or how the image of blood-sucking women was conjured up by the masses. Over the years, these stories travelled along the famous Silk Route and reached Eastern Europe, where they gained firm ground. The people of Eastern Europe not only completely believed these stories about girl vampires and their powers and their ability to suck a human being's blood, but they soon started their own stories. Most of these stories were rooted in local myths and mysteries, but no one can vouch for their veracity. These are the stories that we hear even today.

In what the West refers to as The Far East, countries such as China, India, and Tibet had their own version of a female vampire. While not much is known about the Chinese and the Tibetan version, in India, the concept of female vampires mainly revolved around Indian mythology and around Goddess Kali in particular. Goddess Kali is a much revered deity in Hinduism. She is the slayer of demons. In Indian mythology, Goddess Kali is portrayed as having fangs, four arms, and a garland of skulls around her neck. According to Hindu scriptures, Goddess Kali along with Goddess Durga killed a demon called Raktabija. Raktabija possessed magical powers that allowed him to resurrect himself from the dead from his own split blood. In order to end the terror reign of Raktabija, it is said that Goddess Kali drank all of his blood so that he could not resurrect himself.

The portrayal of women vampires in Eastern Europe is not intermeshed with religion, as in India. Most of the stories about female vampires have originated from local myths and beliefs. A majority of these stories about girl vampires were circulated by the gypsies who travelled from one place to another. According to one of these stories, vampires originated from Mullo. It is said that when Mullo died, he returned back from his grave to suck the blood of all his relatives who had either caused his death or disrespected his funeral rites. The stories told by the gypsies also often mentioned female vampires. These female vampires had the power to rise from the dead and go back to leading their normal lives as if nothing had happened. The vampire, and especially the female vampire has a held the imagination of readers and movie goers for quite some time. Currently, movies such as Twilight and UnderWorld are continuing the never ceasing curiosity for creatures that stalk the night.

Vampires stalk our collective imaginations. The stars of books, movies, and even role playing games, they are at once both dangerous and alluring. No Halloween celebration would be complete without wax teeth, fake blood and a black cape.

But were there ever any real Vampires? Probably not, although there are any number of historical figures whose bloodthirstiness may have provided a basis for the legend.

Countess Elizabeth Bathory certainly stands as a prime example.

Born in Hungary in 1560, Bathory was married at age 15 to a warlord who apparently spent much of his time away fighting the Turks. Left at home, Bathory satisfied her own bloodlust by torturing and killing young girls.

Her victims at first were peasants, but as her sadistic urges grew, Bathory expanded her prey to include the daughters of minor gentry.

It was this that proved to be her undoing. Missing peasant girls is one thing, but the gentry were wealthy and educated. Local priests brought their suspicions to Emperor Matthias II, and an investigation was launched.

George Thurzo, the Palatine of Hungary, led the inquest, and on December 29, 1610, caught Bathory in the act. The Countess and four suspected accomplices were arrested.

Over the next three years, more than 300 people were interviewed and a chilling story emerged. Always a harsh mistress, Bathory apparently came to truly enjoy the pain she inflicted on her servants. Her cruelty was regrettable, but certainly not unheard of.

One day, a servant pulled Bathory's hair while brushing it. The Countess raked the girl's cheeks with her long nails, spilling blood on her wrinkled hand. Bathory imagined that the drops of blood smoothed away her wrinkes, and concluded that the blood of young girls could restore the beauty of her youth.

That's when the horror really began. Bathory began to kill young girls to bathe in, and drink their blood. Evidence at the trial put the body count at more than 600.

Following the trial, Bathory's accomplices were burned alive. Because she was nobility, Bathory escaped execution, and was instead walled up in a room in her own castle, where she died three years later.

But horrible as it is, Bathory's story is usually overshadowed by that of another Eastern European noble.

Vlad III was a Romanian nobleman who lived from 1431 to 1476. Held hostage by the Turks as a child, Vlad later came to rule his father's kingdom, which has variously been identified as Transylvania and Wallachia. He was also known as the Son of the Dragon (Dracula) in reference to his father's position as a Knight of the Order of the Dragon.

Because his kingdom served as a buffer zone between Moslem Turkey and Christian Europe, Vlad's life was one of constant warfare. Leading frequent raids into Turkish territory, he burned crops, pillaged, and poisoned wells. Legend has it that one of these excursions resulted in the deaths of 20,000 Turks.

Both home and abroad, Vlad gained a reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness. His father was murdered in a political intrigue, and Vlad apparently was determined not to suffer the same fate.

In one story, he is said to have invited his political enemies to a meeting at his castle. Vlad then locked the doors and burned it to the ground.

Another story tells of the visit of an Ottoman ambassador. When the ambassador refused to remove his turban as a sign of respect, Vlad had it nailed to the poor man's head. That surely did not do anything to improve relations between his Kingdom and the Turks.

But the cruelty for which Vlad is best known also gave him his nickname: Tepes, which means "impaler."

To serve as a warning to his enemies, Vlad would impale his prisoners on long poles, leaving them to twitch and rot in the sun. It is said that the roads to his kingdom were lined with these poor unfortunates.

So much of Vlad's history is mixed with legend that it is imposible to know how many of these stories are true. But contemporary reports seem to verify many of them.

Accounts vary as to the circumstances of Vlad's death. Tradition holds that he died in battle with the Turks and that his head was sent as a gift to the Sultan of Turkey. Another version claims that he was killed by the Hungarians. It's also possible that he was killed accidentally by his own troops.

Strange as it may seem, Vlad Tepes is seen as a folk hero to many in that part of the world.

Vlad may have been lost to history, except for the research of a writer named Bram Stoker. Planning a novel on vampires, Stoker rediscovered Vlad and made him the central figure in the novel that bears his name: Dracula.

In more modern times, several serial killers have been dubbed "vampires" by the press.

Fritz Haarmann committed at least 24 murders in Germany between 1919 and 1924. He killed his victims by biting their necks. During his trial, which became a media circus, Haarmann was variously called a werewolf and a vampire. He was beheaded in 1925.

Haarman wasn't the only "vampire" in Germany at that time. Peter Kurten, a serial killer who was beheaded in 1932, was known as the "Vampire of Dusseldorf." He was charged with nine murders and a variety of other offenses, including sexual assaults.

It is said that Fritz Lang's movie "M" was based on the Haarmann and Kurten stories.

In England, John George Haigh, the infamous "Acid Bath Murderer," also was known as the "Vampire of London." Haigh, who was hanged in 1949, claimed to have drunk the blood of his victims before destroying their bodies in a vat of sulfuric acid.

Are there real vampires?

Again, probably not. But there are those whose monstrous crimes make us wonder about the terrible creatures of night and legend.

A horror novel laced with suspense and seduction, Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is indeed the original classic vampire story. It primarily begins with one of the heroes leaving England and his fiancé, Mina, to travel to Transylvania to conduct business with Count Dracula. His journey is less than pleasant and when he finally meets the Count at his castle, things go from bad to worse. Harker ends up a prisoner at Castle Dracula, while back home in England, Mina's best friend, Lucy, is mysteriously losing blood every night and becoming very ill and a patient in a mental institution is behaving extremely disturbingly. We then meet Van Helsing, a vampire hunter, who realises what is happening to Harker in Transylvania and the chase is on to stop Dracula from coming to England and to save Jonathan and Lucy.

On the surface, 'Dracula' is a horror story with all the trimmings. We encounter Dracula crawling down the wall of his castle, the terrifying events that lead Lucy to having a stake driven through her heart, the horrific description of Dracula resting in his coffin during the day and how he forces Mina to drink his blood from a wound in his chest.

The account of the mental patient, Renfield is particularly chilling, as he believes he is serving the Count and begins to ingest living creatures, such as flies, spiders and birds, as he is led to believe 'the blood is the life' and he will be made immortal on completion of his 'duties'.

One of the most horrifying things of all though, is that the vampire is a natural seducer. He makes himself irresistible to the women in the novel and it is here that we can make the link to the underlying sexual connotations. When the novel was published in 1897, sex was a taboo subject, so Stoker cleverly entwined it into his novel disguised by the attack of the vampire. There are several seduction scenes, such as Jonathan Harker's encounter with the three brides, the description of Lucy's execution and when Mina is forced to drink Dracula's blood from a thin, self-inflicted orifice in his chest.

The thick language and symbolism make the novel an intense read. It is written in diary entry form, but don't be put off by this. You just need to concentrate on whose entry it is you are reading.

One more thing, if you've seen the film and think there's no point in reading the book, think again. As with all Hollywood epics, they have taken Stoker's story and twisted it into more of a love story. In the film, you end up feeling kind of sorry for Dracula at the end. Not so in the book. He is a monster from start to finish and Mina is not his long lost bride. Yes, we love Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves (minus the dreadful accent), but do have a read at the book.

If you're a horror fan who loves the classic vampire story - garlic, blood, stakes through the heart, decapitation, death by sunlight, sleeping in coffins, then this is the book for you.

I have been employed by FlamingTeeth.com to spread the word that horror, science fiction and fantasy are not dead and should be promoted as much as thriller, crime and mystery.

Vampires are as old as time...

They are everywhere, in books, movies, art, and the real world. Vampire stories and vampire history has always been collectively branched with the vampire myth and folklore.

Pale white skin, blood smelling breath, and red eyes are the most recognized image of a vampire worldwide but do vampires really exist? Nowadays, we often hear of the words "real life vampires" and "modern day vampires". Most characterize these people as "lifestylers", "goth", and "punk" but what they don't realize is most of these folks are indeed real vampires!

Most vampires drink blood but they aren't out on a drinking spree and more often than not, vampires require very few ounces of blood to satisfy that hunger. The uninformed, ridicule this practice and often misconceive it as works of evil or think of the person as a freak or psychopath.

Over the years, you may have seen news reports of blood triggered killings, these crimes were mostly committed by vampires who didn't really understand their true nature and unstable people who thought they were vampires, claiming that the killing was mandated by the devil or a voice. Such killings can never be blamed to real vampires or the vampire community as most of the time they were triggered by factors other than vampirism.

Not all vampires drink blood. The purpose of drinking blood is to acquire "chi" or life force from the blood. Vampires who drink blood do not drink blood to show people that it's cool or something, blood drinking is very different to smoking. It is an innate desire, hunger if you must call it! Vampires who drink blood are called blood feeders or Sanguinarians in the vampire world.

Please be aware that by vampires, I do not refer to Blood Dracula or some "Joe" who claims he's a 400 year old undead. As far as I'm concerned, the undead never existed but oddly it has been feared for centuries.

Another type of vampires is what they call "Psi" or Psychic vampires. They do not drink blood but they do acquire chi in various psychic forms. Have you had an experience of feeling really, really drained after talking or standing in front of a person for quite a while? Hmm... such an irresponsible vampire!

Vampires exist and they are much more like you, only with very special needs and with very special abilities.

Fangs aren't much of a requisite, there are people who are born with a pair of fangs but you can't really say who's who just by the looks. True, vampires grow old slower than the average person, especially if they are well nourished and if they are aware of their being a vampire that helps them address their special needs.

Vampires are people who either lack the ability to produce or maintain chi or what we call life energy and blood is the ultimate source of chi as it powers life. Again, responsible drinking practices are observed, at least most of the time. Most blood feeders have their own donors which range from close friends to life partners, and drinking your own blood doesn't make any sense. There are some misinformed young people who think blood drinking is cool and so they go drinking each other's blood. Sanitary practices are always observed by responsible vampires, blood drinking is a very sensitive matter and the risks of infections are everywhere. If you don't feel the need to, please don't drink blood just so other people will think you're cool or something. Just leave it to real life vampires who really needs to.

Again, vampires exist but they are far from what the media or fiction have inculcated in your mind. Vampires are people who, in most of the ways, are just like you. They study and earn a living, some of them are popular, others are not and if they're really into you, no garlic or crucifix will ever put them away!

But don't worry, vampires are just as dangerous and gentle as an average person.