When discussing vampire genre we must first try to define what a genre is. A genre is a particular type of media commodity. It has certain features and characteristics that are recognised by audiences because is repeatedly used. However, they can never clearly be defined as there is never a set definition to one genre. There is what the audience expects which is quite often for filled but in addition to that there is sometimes new innovations introduced in a genre which the audience are willing to accept.

Although Bram Stoker did not invent the notion of the vampire, his book Dracula

is probably the model on which the vampire genre is based. The myth of the vampire being an un-dead creature that roamed the night drinking the blood of the living goes back to ancient Greek times. However Stoker introduced a number of more particular conventions that are usually followed in the vampire genre even today.

First published in 1897, the story is told through the diaries of a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, his fiancee Mina, her friend Lucy Westenra and Dr John Seward, t

In the 1970's vampire film, Salem's Lot ,adapted from the book by Stephen King people only have to be killed by a vampire to in turn become vampires themselves. Christian symbols feature heavily in this film and a vampire can be killed easily with a cross and holy water. It has become apparent that vampires being in a hierarchy of importance is a popular convention of modern films. In Salem's Lot there is a head vampire as there is in Blade, The Lost Boys and Interview with the Vampire. In all of these films comes the convention that as well as being leaders, the head vampires are stronger and have special powers. In Salem's Lot the head vampire is a demon looking creature who has tremendous strength and magic powers such as opening locked cells just buy waving his hand. These powers come with age and the oldest vampires, who have been roaming the earth for thousands of years, have almost god like powers.

In this novel, the main character Dracula is the basis of all vampire conventions in modern day vampire fiction. These popular conventions are as follows: Vampires are living dead as they have no heart beat and do not breathe, yet they think, walk and speak as humans can. They are immortal but they must however sustain themselves with the blood of the living. To become a vampire your body must first be drained of blood and then fed some of the attacking vampires blood. This is when the mystical transformation from human to un-dead takes place. Vampires are nocturnal, their powers are weak during the day. During this time they sleep in coffins. Vampires are repulsed by Christian symbols such as crosses. Vampires have magical powers. They can command creatures of the night such as bats and wolves and they can hypnotise the living. Vampires are shape shifters and appear in many forms such as wolves, bats and even fog. They have pale white skin, long finger nails and fangs to bite their victims with but a vampire has no reflection. Also they have the strength of ten humans and finally they die from a stake through the heart followed by decapitation.

As well as coming under the horror genre vampire fiction usually contains a sub plot and a genre within a genre. In almost all vampire films and novels romance is present. Dracula follows the theme of love and the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula even has the motto on the front of the poster advertisement 'love never dies'. The popular 1987 film The Lost Boys is a comedy as much as it is a vampire film and cleverly mixes humour, horror and action to keep the audience enthralled. Within this film there is an adult romance between the mother of the two main characters and the evil leader of the vampires (we don't know he's the leader until the end of the film) and there is a teenage romance between one of the main characters and a young girl who is an intended vampire. The 1998 film Blade, about a modern day vampire hunter who is himself a vampire, is more of an action film than it is a horror and even has the action hero himself, Wesley Snipes as the main character, and this film also as a small love affair going on as a subplot. The Interview with the Vampire (1994) adapted from the novel by Anne Rice is different from other vampire films as it is from a vampires point of view and is about the inner turmoil of being a vampire. This film is about love, belonging and morality as well as the basic vampire horror.

In The Lost Boys enters the new generic convention that once you have actually invited a vampire into your house it is impossible to harm him. Also in this film the vampires do not sleep in

Some common words found in the essay are:
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