10 Less Common Vampire Traits

Photo credit: sodahead.com

Updated: Nov. 6th, 2016

Ever since Stoker created his Dracula-probably, the greatest anti-hero of all time and definitely, the most adapted villain in film and literature-vampire writers as well as film makers have added several improvisations to the vampire genre. 

Just like the more commonplace, the less-known traits exist as well. And thing is, each of these gains a better foothold with the release of every new film and lit. 


1. Sympathy Towards Humans
It's not every day you hear a vamp sympathize with humans. Why should they? Humans are food to vampires. Blade is a fine example of a vampire with heart. Edward Dalton, head hematologist (blood doctor) in Daybreakers felt sympathy towards humans, as well.

2. Invitation into Private Residence
In Salem's Lot a vampire had to be invited by the occupant of a house or they were powerless to enter. A scene in Ninjas vs. Vampires has a female vampire asking to be invited in by a guy before she could go in. Most modern vampires don't need IVs. They know their way in.

3. War Between Vampires
In Blade II a vampire hybrid feeds on other vampires giving the idea of dissension within the bloodsucking world. In Twilight the Cullen family battle James and his team for the life of Bella Swan. In The Saga of Darren Shan, the vampires are at war with the vampaneze (a bloodthirsty variant of the vampire). Usually, vamps co-exist in mutual confidence and reciprocal virtues *clears throat*.

4. Telepathy
Markus from Underworld gains access to other people's memory bank by drinking the victim's blood. Throughout the movie, there is a bonding of minds through drinking of blood. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mina's mind bonds with the Count when he traps her under his power. An event like this one is scarce in the vampire genre.

5. Holy Symbols
Science easily becomes the new magic. Recently, somebody shared a link on Reddit about a group of scientists creating a zombie virus. Back in the day, zombies were strictly tied to voodoo. Back to vampires, in Underworld, Daybreakers, The Vampire Chronicles, Blade, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and many others, holy relics do not harm, scare, or kill vampire. You could scratch a few with 'em if you got close enough besides that holy symbols are just objects.

6. Flight
Most powerful vamps glide effortlessly. However, besides the bloodsuckers in Stephen King's Salem's Lot, Markus in  Underworld and, the 'subsiders' (who grew wings) in Daybreakers most vampires have no business off the ground. If they really feel like flying they might catch a plane.

7. Blood Substitute
Blade used a special serum to fight off his thirst for blood. In Daybreakers where a plague turned the entire world into vampires reducing humans to a mere 5% of the population, blood was in scarce supply and research for a blood substitute was inevitable. You don't see this kind of stuff in every vampire movie.

8. Human Lovers
Dracula had Mina (Bram Stoker's Dracula); Edward Cullen had Bella (Twilight Saga); Selene had Michael, who later became a hybrid vampire/werewolf (Underworld); Darren Shan had Monkey girl (The Saga of Darren Shan), the list goes on. This trait is almost fit to be part of the common vampire traits.

9. Associate with Werewolves
The werewolf is a sworn enemy of the vampire but modern writers have added a new twist to the age-old feud between the two species. In Twilight, a pack of werewolves fought side by side with vampires against bloodthirsty vampires from another coven; Underworld has a hybrid of werewolves called Lycans protecting and serving vampires. Remember, Dracula can only be killed by a bite from a werewolf. This is a fine twist to the old vampire legend.

10. Resents Being Vamps
Now ain't that a bitch. Edward Dalton (Daybreakers) resents his brother for turning him into a vamp and fights relentlessly to find a cure. He also refuses to drink human blood. Darren Shan (The Saga of Darren Shan) was coerced to turn a vampire to save his friends life. For turning his mother while she was pregnant with him thereby, making him a half-vampire, Blade (Blade) hunted and killed vampires all his life.


The mentioned traits, with exception of one or two, are rare and unusual additions to vampire lit. and film. All of these are without argument, great plot devices which never cease to thrill vampire movie and book geeks the world over.

Keep your pen bleeding.



Akpan

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10 Most Common Vampire Traits

CHRISTOPHER LEE AS COUNT DRACULA

Updated on June.16.2015

Vampires are forever.

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person. -— Wikipedia

The horror world's favorite undead species seem to have it all. Favored above zombies and werewolves, these bloodsuckers almost take it all in their stride. I didn't want to wander too far out from the facts so, I made myself sit and watch/re-watch several fine vampire movies and series. And of course, I sourced for online info to boot.

Some traits, fans believe, make vampires what they are. These traits are regarded as prerequisites  for identifying bloodsuckers. And although, there have been drastic modifications in the field these characteristics remain seemingly untouched and well-preserved.

1. Thirst For Blood

What else is new? Thirst for blood is the definitive vampire characteristic. The idea is really pronounced in the movie Daybreaker. I'm yet to see a movie which refutes this fact. After all, it's the reason vampires are called bloodsuckers which is a synonym of the word vampire. But I might be wrong, you know. I'm judging from the point of view of someone who's watched only over 30 vampire movies/series. They feed both on human and animal blood.

2. Immortality

These guys are not called undead for nothing, are they? They've been dead and back, not back as humans but in a twisted form and this realm permits the abomination they became. In movies like Underworld vampires develop a technique which allows them to travel through time something called HIBERNATION. They stay frozen in a grave for a couple 100 years until the Elders activate or awaken them.

3. Hypersensitive to Sunlight

Generally, vampires avoid contact with direct sunlight. Those who risk it bust into flames or turn to ash. In Salem's Lot however, sunlight only hurts the night crawlers, it isn't fatal. The character Selene  in Underworld is no longer irritated by sunlight when she gains special powers after drinking blood of the vampire forefather, Alexander Corvinus. Dracula is only weakened by sunlight.

4. Extraordinary Healing Ability

Vampires heal fast. In Blade Wesley Snipes acting as the eponymous character slices off a vampires arm and in the next scene, regeneration of the lost arm occurs. In other movies, the regeneration occurs faster, almost instantly to a  point the vampire appears immune to weapons. These night crawlers also seem to heal faster in moonlight or to regenerate quicker after drinking blood.

5. Reproduction by Biting

Vampires bite to gain access to the human veins because they feed on blood. When a vampire bites, the venom is transmitted into the victim's blood stream and s/he turns. Even though, there are instances of vampire bites killing the victim outright, the fastest method of reproducing vampires is via biting. And most films and books seem to follow this idea.

6. Superhuman Ability

All works of film and literature seem to agree that vampires acquire enhanced strength when they turn. From Blade to Underworld to the more recent film Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, people do extraordinary stuff when they become vampires. And sometimes, they learn combat skills pretty fast.

7. Speed

Since Bram Stoker said, The dead ride fast, it seems every vampire book and movie has been trying too hard to live up to the very last letter of those words. Watch The Saga of Darren Shan and get a taste of what I'm getting at. But then, any vampire flick features fast bloodsuckers. Why not, no rational human is gonna wait around for one slow vermin to have a go at them. The adrenaline in a vamp's blood is always rushing to overflowing like a shot of morphine straight to the head.

8. Stakes

Every vampire is susceptible to stakes. The stake might be of oak or some other exotic tree, it might be ash stake or it might be a metal of any kind, silver, steel, whatever. Thing is once the stake goes through the heart of a bloodsucker, it dies. Another thing is if the stake is pulled out before the monster either busts into flames or turns to ashes, the wound heals and the vamp lives to fight another day.

9. Fangs

All the vampires I have read about or watched on TV have fangs. In certain situations, the canine teeth are retractable. They need these to pierce the flesh so they can suck out the juice.

10. Fire

All the guys with twisted lust for blood have an intense aversion for fire. Generally, flame destroys vampires of all power levels and many of their opponents wield it as a weapon when combating them. Even in the age of mass cleansing in European folklore, fire was considered a potent weapon of annihilation for vampires.

The traits listed here are true at least, eight out of ten times for all vampires in film and literature.

Keep your pen bleeding.

Akpan