Humanizing Monsters

With New Moon in theaters, Twilight is once again the topic of massive internet wars. Given what I've read I definitely don't want to be seen as defending the series, but there's one argument from the anti camp that I have to contest. Time and again I've seen people complaining about the vampires not acting like vampires. That's not in the physical sense of being sparkling, invulnerable, perfect superhumans, nor in the personal sense that Edward comes off more as a dangerously obsessed stalker than any sort of romantic ideal (which in a way is quite the traditional vampire). No, this criticism is essentially limiting all possible vampires to the Bela Lugosi typecast. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there's any problem with the truly monstrous interpretation or his iconic performance. What I'm saying is that authors needn't be limited to just that.

I suppose my main objection is to the concept of "always chaotic evil" races. They can be alright as random mooks, but it's hard to have any vested interest in someone whose motive is simply evil. This is particularly nonsensical when it comes to vampires. One of the relatively constant features of the mythos is that the creature was once human. Sometimes that's wholly suppressed by some demonic* force, but it's far more interesting if at least something is retained from the vampire's former life. Whether this manifests simply in mannerisms or becomes a full blown quest for salvation, it gives something to build upon. Just because a lot of people feel that Twilight executed this poorly doesn't mean we should avoid the attempt.

On the flip side, that doesn't mean that all vampires should suddenly be good. Far from it. The lure of power at such a bloody price should more often than not draw in the morally ambiguous, the Randian egoist, and the full blown insane. Just keep in mind that even an insane man has motives. They may not be understandable outside his own head, but they're there. Find out what makes them tick, and then you'll have interesting vamps.

* Side note on demons, I don't even give them an "always chaotic evil" pass. Primal forces of darkness are fine as far as they go, but the underworlds of the Disgaea series or Gaiman's interpretation of Lucifer are far more interesting as people.