In 2008, the film Twilight, which is now a global phenomenon, was released. While the novels grew to become quite popular, the fandom quickly rose once the film hit theaters, leading more people to read the books. Merchandise was produced and sold out, the soundtrack was constantly played and the fandom got a name for themselves as a community known as ‘Twihards’. Even though the attention Twilight received wasn’t all positive, it still garnered a great deal of attention with parody videos, films, and sketches being made. This film was all anyone could talk about after its release. In fact, it can be argued that Twilight gave rise to the early 00’s vampire cinema such as The Vampire Diaries, True Blood and Vampire Academy. As someone who tends to rewatch Twilight every winter and loves the vampire narrative, I’m about to break down what makes Twilight so unique.
Humanised Vampires
Before Twilight, the vampire narrative wasn’t really mainstream. You had the haunting tales of Dracula told around Halloween and the iconic television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it wasn’t until Twilight that doors opened to conventional vampire stories. You know vampires as the blood sucking demons who only come out at night and are out to kill you. In Twilight, the vampires are attractive teenagers who sparkle in the sunlight! In fact, throughout the franchise, you find out the tragic backstories of each vampire and how they didn’t want to be vampires at all. The backstories allow us to sympathise with the characters and make them more human-like due to their misfortunes.
Unconventional Protagonist
As a protagonist, Bella Swan is a clumsy, unpopular girl who loves to read. Unlike usual protagonists in the early 00s, Bella is seen as relatable to most teenage girls who feel awkward and clumsy. Bellas character leaves a lot to interpretation. This leaves room for viewers to be able to put themselves in Bella’s place. Creating room for escapism. This unconventional protagonist also stands out because she doesn’t want to be saved. Being surrounded by vampires is objectively a dangerous situation to be in, yet Bella never seems terrified, nor does she act as if she wants to be saved. For instance, the iconic scene where Edward stops the car with his own hands from hitting Bella, leaves her lovestruck rather than scared. Most people would be scared by the immense power from a teenage boy, yet Bella looks around for him after while students crowd her to make sure she is safe.
Jacob black, the boy next door tries to steer Bella away from the Cullens, he states it’s to protect her, even though Jacob is supernatural as well. Jacob’s crush on Bella is no secret and plays a role in why he tries warning her off the Cullen family. At La Push, Jacob talks about the legend of their tribe and that the Cullens are descendants from an enemy clan. Which could explain Jacob’s dislike for the Cullens regardless of his crush on Bella. Jacob isn’t the only one to try and separate Bella from the Cullens. Her father also tries to protect her from the cullen–he brings out a shotgun when meeting Edward for the first time. With all of this happening, Bella never steered from Edward Cullen or his family, all in the name of love. Making her character stand out.
Nostalgia
While watching Twilight for the first time isn’t nostalgic in itself, it is certainly cozy. The films colouring and soundtrack create the perfect fall/winter atmosphere with blue-ish hues and filters onscreen make these films really stand out. For lovers of the franchise now, watching Twilight is nostalgic as it is able to bring audiences back to that first time watching it in when it debuted decades ago — and the film makes it abundantly clear what year it was set in. With the soundtrack and the fact that it is always raining in Forks, Washington, this allows the franchise to be cozy and hold a nostalgic feel as it stands out.
As Twilight continues to be a prominent part of pop culture, it allows a different view into the concept of vampires. What was once frightening and serious is now adoring and light-hearted. From horror to romantic fantasy, author Stefenie Meyer was able to create an outstanding supernatural series that reached multiple audiences and captured the hearts of millions. It opened the path to wider ranges of vampire media and is seen in such a different way due to its sympathetic portrayal of supernatural creatures. This has led to a great impact in vampire narratives and changed the trajectory of once frightening genre.
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