Compared to the Edward Cullens and Bill Comptons of the modern vampire media world, things haven’t always been so pretty. However, there are innate characteristics that have existed throughout the history of the story of the vampire that logically lead to the monsters’ being sexualized, despite how horrifying they are supposed to be.



According to the snippet from the History channel’s “Vampire Secrets” documentary embedded above, the aspect of vampires that was focused on in early Western culture in the 1600s was the human body, resurrection and soullessness. The earliest stories, dating even to early Eastern cultures depict humans who rise from the dead with sinister, blood-sucking intentions. The Chinese, for instance, have the “jiāngshī,” which are corpses that reanimate after an improper death or burial.

Corpse focus doesn’t put vampires off to a very sexy start…

However, the earliest vampires were also associated with demons, which could possibly provide a root to their sexual connotations. When placed in Western religious context, vampires become minions of the Devil, which brings us to naturally associate them with sin—lust, especially. The vampires lust for blood and are gluttonous in their consumption, manipulate or lie to their victims and steal life-force. Vampires are like beautiful and manipulative fallen angels, much like Satan himself. We are warned constantly to avoid the temptation of “evil” or “sin,” but that’s the thing— the unbearable temptation exists enough to make one squirm with curiousity.



Though the early film portrayals of vampires made them fear-inducing creatures (see Count Orlok from 1922’s Nosferatu [ABOVE]), they grew more sophisticated, handsome and human with time. And as the humanness advanced, the audience’s view of the monster became more charmed, or seduced. For instance, in the 1931 film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, handsome actor Bela Lugosi was chosen to play the vampire. Count Dracula is well-dressed, has piercing eyes and an alluring voice.

Check out the trailer for 1931’s Dracula. Though it is by no means blatantly sexual, there is a clear step away from horror to now show the more alluring and charming side of the vampire in film.



Vampires, though they have not always been portrayed as sexual beings, have sinful sexual common traits such as: manipulative and seductive power, cunning intelligence brought by their immortality and their tendency toward the most primal of human behaviors.