Generations of people have been fascinated by the supernatural. Why? What are the lures, what's the appeal? What does the supernatural genre offer that Real Life does not? People are conceived in a moment, and born into this world without any will of their own. Our childhood is filled with make believe and fantasy like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but it�s over in a flash. Suddenly, real life takes over our lives, dictating us into an every-day-life full of responsibilities. Adolescence is full of peer pressure such as needs to fit in and be popular. Many teens look for an escape, so for some the interest in unusual and paranormal comes early. In contrast, for others who quickly get caught up in their adult world, of marriage, children, jobs, paying bills, and taking care of elderly parents, the bombardment of responsibilities drives us for the desire to escape from all of this. Therefore, people today are entangled in escapism. The attraction to vampires and the supernatural is merely a manifestation of an underlying desire to escape the mundane.

In modern times, for many people all this world has to offer is pain and violence, and it is an escape for them to explore the supernatural. It allows for a breaking away from rules, not just in the legal sense, but from the laws of physics as well. To escape into the world of the supernatural is like riding a big roller coast at an amusement park. When the ride is over, the ground is firm beneath your feet and the excitement is over. To the realist they welcome the temporary escape, but the danger and lure of the darkness can pull others away from responsibility, or real life into another lifestyle that forsakes responsibility and family. Both types of people are part of a large segment of our population that has always been drawn to the supernatural, to the unknown, and to fantasy worlds.

In the last few decades, avoiding reality, even for a short period of time this seems to have been a growing trend. The proof being the increase sales of books with supernatural themes, including paranormal romance books, and the invention of the Sci-Fi channel and more sci-fi and fantasy movies. Vampires can fly and stalk the night sucking the blood from unsuspecting victims. Ghosts can come back from the dead and walk through walls. Witches can, through their powers, manipulate the world around them. A knight really can fight a dragon for the damsel in distress, and ghosts haunt ancient Scottish castles in search of revenge. All the Star Trek, voodoo, ghostly, magical elements of the world can happen. If you think about many myths and legends, such as vampires, they often pertain to creatures that are more powerful than humans and that are engaged in a struggle that far surpasses anything we will ever face.

I love being able to step into that darkness through movies or literature, to explore a world that doesn't exist, without having to experience the horror and the gore first hand. I can be in a dark, unsure world, but still remain safe within my own home. The supernatural allows you to escape from the usual day-to-day routine and provides the excitement that is lacking in their real life. It fills the emptiness.

The supernatural is also like an instrument that evokes thought. Life is boring. It offers few opportunities to explore the bigger questions in life - Good vs Evil. The supernatural covers this through so many different myths, mainly mortals against immortals (vampires, witches, werewolves, etc). Every day life can be very boring, so to be able to escape into a world of fantasy is refreshing and desirable.

In centuries past, life was harsh. The days of old life, like during the medieval era, were harsh. Storytellers, even then, would tell the stories to entertain and to take the peoples minds off of their hardships. The fables have been around since almost the beginning of mankind. Many legends were of part truth, such as Vlad the Impaler, which was how the old legend of Dracula emerged. Vampires and ghosts, as legends, exist because they are proof that there is something beyond death, but we don't know what that something is, which is why, for example, all the ancient vampire legends were so nasty and gruesome. Ghosts are portrayed in legend as either malevolent or helpful. As to the nice ones, there is something irresistibly attractive about a spirit that hangs around to help the living. Also, vampires and witches are often seen as engaging in something mysterious (ie, drinking blood, doing magic, drinking blood while doing magic, etc) and taboo, which makes them all the more intriguing.

Many of the modern representations portray the vampire as dark, sensual creatures. In the mid 90's, a TV series, "Forever Knight" was a supreme example of the new vision vampire, as opposed to the grotesque, Nosferatu of the old legends and horror movies. This TV show portrayed how the vampire has evolved into a more sensuous and complex creature. Forever Knight brought the concept of Good vs Evil into play once more. The main character was a good vampire and his conflicts were more internal - fighting the evil within his soul.

I find myself attracted to the idea of there being other beings besides humans on the planet. Even though there may be creatures that man has not discovered, the idea that they could be there is fascinating. I don't believe in true life vampires or aliens, but the supernatural is certainly something to think about. I think there are a lot of things in this world that we don't know about or can't understand, or haven't discovered. I'm very curious about these things, and enjoy reading and watching documentaries on them. They make you think and allow your imagination to soar.

The attraction of the supernatural is the same attraction that some people have for the "ghetto" lifestyle - danger, adventure, the chance to become heroes. It's a desire for knowledge of the unknown. Real life doesn't allow enough time for most of us to physically explore the unknown, but the supernatural genre does by allowing us to escape through media and our dreams.

Horror and the supernatural are things often considered outside normal human experience, and tend to evoke an emotional reaction, whether that reaction is one of fear, fascination, etc. However, the supernatural genre has a different appeal at different stages of life. Children are drawn to it partly for the gore and the "super powers". Adults, hopefully, are past the thrill of the gore, but they can use this genre to vicariously experience situations they wouldn't have an opportunity to experience in Real Life. The supernatural can represent our most hidden desires (love, hate, revenge, etc), only heightened to the extreme and without restriction. These creatures have the ability to do these things without the consequences of society.

With Vampire lore in part, it is considered permissible to examine our dark sensual inner selves, but as a kid I was more fascinated by the teeth and blood red eyes; that thrill has stayed with me since. The 'sensuality' aspect came later when I saw the amazing TV series, "Forever Knight." This show mesmerizes me, because it portrays vampires like no other show or movie ever made. The main character's struggles were so intense, because his vampirism and blood lust revolted him, although he often doesn't have the will to deny his indulgences. The killing is the horror of what he is, but the pleasure of the lust and sensuality are the sheer ecstasy of it all, seduced by immortality. Vampires live with such terrible secrets of being discovered by mortals, and such overpowering drives of the hunt, the bloodlust. Their battle is far more intense than ours.

In "Forever Knight" the vampires are so captivating that they lead us to believe that they are more human than we are. This TV series can evoke all kinds of emotional reactions throughout different episodes. For example, one episode called "For I Have Sinned" addresses faith and redemption, and flashes back to the time of Joan of Arc who meets Nicholas, the main vampire, and tells him her thoughts on faith and her strong belief in an afterlife. She explains that even he can be forgiven for his past. This makes Nicholas question his vampire nature and wonder if he can indeed be redeemed for his sins. "For I Have Sinned" left me feeling hopeful and in awe. It gave me even more faith in life after death. Faith, addiction, love, revenge, guilt, pain, friendship, and humanity are just a few issues "Forever Knight" addresses. All these different themes evoke different emotions in people, as well as give them the opportunity to explore their own thoughts on these issues.

So why are so many attracted to the supernatural? Could it be the escape, the expansion of the imagination, or the strong emotional reactions? Sometimes, I think people are into whatever does not conform to the standards of polite society. It goes against everything we've been taught as kids. We are taught that so many things that are evil really aren't. It's the fascination of the abomination. Things of supernatural status, like vampires, lure you in and you want to be them, have their powers. Being able to live forever is something that most people want. The supernatural provides an outlet for those desires. I think, putting this into a darker perspective, the supernatural represents what we want to do but cannot do. Who wouldn't be attracted to a world where there are no limits? If I could move to the supernatural world, I'd be gone in an instant.

Copyright Kristin Harris, 2003. All Rights Reserved.