Guest Editorial:

Thanks in large part to the types of expanded television packages available from companies like Direct TV (just visit http://www.direct.tv), people are becoming less and less content with basic television. This is also why an increasing number of people seem to be investing in HBO programming. These types of investments always seem to lead people to the shows that they truly get interested in. For example, it is hard to find a show with a more fanatical following than HBO;s “True Blood.” In fact, while it initially had something of a cult following, True Blood is becoming something of a sensation on a fairly broad scale these days.

Interestingly enough, as most of its fans probably already realize, True Blood is actually something of a continuation of a surprisingly popular trend of vampire-related entertainment. With this in mind, this article will briefly discuss a few alternatives to True Blood, for vampire fans who simply can’t get enough from one show. After all, we have all had the experience of falling in love with a movie or television show to the extent that we’ll always want more.

While it is more geared toward a younger audience, the “Twilight” saga can arguably be said to have kicked off the recent trend in vampire stories. The story follows a group of teenage humans, vampires and werewolves as they grapple with all of the issues normal American teens deal with (such as love and identity), but with life-and-death circumstances. Interestingly enough, some have even said that the core romance of the series is loosely modeled on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Still, while it is again a bit less mature and less sexy than something like True Blood, Twilight can quench the thirst of vampire fans.

The vampire genre has also begun to spread into the film industry, not only from the movie adaptations of the Twilight books, but also in films such as “Fright Night” which will debut in theaters this fall. This movie looks to be approaching vampirism from a horror genre standpoint, as Colin Farrell will portray “the vampire next door” who makes the new kid on the block’s life a living hell.

The point of these brief illustrations of other vampire projects is simply to allude to the number and diversity of vampire stories there are out there for fans of True Blood who want more of their genre. It is clear that the vampire genre is here to stay, meaning that as time goes on there will likely only be more shows, movies and books to satisfy its fans.