Since when do vampires sparkle?

Remember when vampires were actually scary? Probably not. Vampires and other mythical monsters have always been a staple in the horror genre since the release of Dracula in the 1930s, but Stephanie Meyer has totally revolutionized the way we perceive these once terrifying villains. Over several decades (assisted by Blade in 1998) the idea of Vampires has changed. With Meyer's portrayal of vampires in Twilight, the focus of the pale predators began to shift to love and fascination, rather than terror and disgust. As Twilight and similar representations of sexy vampires (as in the television series True Blood) have become more popular, they have horizontally integrated into other mediums: now we can carry backpacks with Bella's face on them and wear t-shirts endorsing Team Edward.

Behold: the Lisa Frank vampire. Thanks, Twilight.