vampires

When did vampires start eating vegetables and driving fast cars? When Stephenie Meyer began writing about them in her hugely successful Twilight series. But as every Dubliner knows, Bram Stoker is much older than Bella Swan.

It's Bella's 18th birthday, and Edward, the vampire she loves, hosts a party for her. While opening a gift, she cuts her finger. Edward's brother reacts so powerfully to the smell of her blood that he tries to kill her. The symbolism is sexual.

The Celtic festival of Samhain was held on the day — 31 October — when spirits were believed to return to earth. Samhain also marked the beginning of winter and everything about it was dark, for that was the color of winter and the underworld. Samhain is now Halloween.

Roman Polanski, Werner Herzog and Francis Ford Coppola made films about Dracula. There are subgenres of Dracula films: comedy, pornography, anime. Every generation gets the vampire it deserves, and Dacre Stoker is bringing the old count back to life.

Stephenie Meyer and Stephen King write about horror. But Stephen does not like Stephenie and her handsome vegetarian vampire. "King [wouldn't] know what a real book was if it hit him in the face," Kiki Alice Cullen posted on one blog.