Vampires in Pop Culture: Why We Can't Let the Undead Go

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Episode 6 • Bonus Episode • 31st October 2025 • Beauty Unlocked the podcast • Carissa Vikis

00:00:00 00:23:43

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Welcome, my ghoulish loves!

In this final episode of Dark Thirst, I'm diving into pop culture's undying obsession with vampires. From the sensual chaos of True Blood to the glittering restraint of Twilight, and from Coppola's lavish Dracula to Eggers' haunting Nosferatu, I explore how every vampire revival mirrors what's happening in society. From our fears, desires, and shifting ideals of beauty. What do these immortal beings say about us and the times we live in?

After centuries of fascination, it's clear, we don't just crave the vampire. We crave what they promise.

*Listener Discretion is Strongly Advised*

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Sources & References:

Auerbach, Nina. Our Vampires, Ourselves. University of Chicago Press, 1995.

Gelder, Ken. Reading the Vampire. Routledge, 1994.

Skal, David J. Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen. Faber & Faber, 1990.

Anatol, Giselle Liza. Bringing Light to Twilight: Perspectives on a Pop Culture Phenomenon. Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew. The Vampire Film: Undead Cinema. Wallflower Press, 2012.

Additional references:

Include contemporary film criticism from The Guardian, Le Monde, IndieWire, and Rotten Tomatoes (2024–2025).

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