Reading the story about the latest vampire franchise coming to the screen, and reading Devin’s review of Twilight: Eclipse, I’ve come to a sinister realization: we need new monsters.  Why?  Because vampires have been co-opted, for the foreseeable future at least, by humans who weren’t even alive when Interview With The Vampire was on screens.  ComingSoon reports that Vampire Academy, based on Richelle Mead’s book series, is headed to film screens.  To wit, the following excerpt from the article:

The Vampire Academy book series is a coming-of-age, action driven, “paranormal romance” fantasy. It is set in the present day against a hidden universe of vampires, half-humans, alchemy, and magic. The series centers on a strong, yet flawed, 17-year-old female who confronts her world with grit, determination, and lots of moxie. Rose Hathaway is a dhampir, half human/half vampire and guardian of the Moroi, a race of peaceful and magical mortal vampires who can walk in the daylight, survive by feeding off willing blood donors, grow old and die…. 

Rose must master her inherited abilities as a dhampir and earn the approval of the Royal Council, as guardian to Princess Lissa, her best friend and sole heir of one of the twelve Royal families of Moroi. Rose and Lissa share a mysterious psychic bond and sense of destiny, but first they must survive an intense social scene, politics and the physical challenges of Moroi life at the Academy. Outside the sanctuary of St. Vladimir’s waits their greatest threat of all, the Strigoi, a race of bloodthirsty immortal vampires and predators of the Moroi.

Jeez, not only have the youngsters hijacked vampires, now they’re muscling in on Harry Potter territory.  Undoubtedly, this likely franchise of movies has the potential for success.  Perhaps not as big as Twilight, but if they get it out within the next year, they can build on Twilight’s appeal to the Clearasil set, even as The Vampire Diaries has done on TV. 

So what do we, the slightly older generation have left?  Blade?  Petered out pathetically.  Underworld?  I like that series better than most, but if Kate chooses not to be in it, what’s the point?  We don’t even have Rhona to take over the series.  So we end up with occasional flashes of brilliance like Daybreakers, but no sustained vamp goodness (I’m not exactly in on True Blood, so I can’t speak to that).  No, just a litany of pale, emo bloodsucking twerps and coming-of-age magical dhampirs and shit.  Swell.

So be on the lookout for the next big thing monster-wise.  And make sure the tweens don’t beat us to it.