What exactly is the vampire metaphor, and why are vampire movies and TV shows so popular with under-25s (younger women in particular), gays, Anne Rice and people of that general ilk? Why hasn’t anyone tried to explain it in 250 words or less? I can’t find an explanation that I really like.

The rote explanation is that vampires can only find fulfillment after dark, so people who love vampire movies are a bit like that also. They see themselves as nocturnal adventurers — their spirits set free by the special aura of the night. For them daytime endeavor represents a kind of slavery — slumber for the dead. They don’t see themselves as dynamic go-getters who derive any kind of fulfillment from daytime productivity or anything tied to the Protestant work ethic. They’re looking for emotional salvation when and if they happen to meet the right someone at a club or party.

In short, the less you have going on in your life in the daytime, which is when most (but obviously not all) people do their best work, or the less satisfaction you get from getting up at a reasonably early hour and getting down to some kind of energetic daytime routine, and the more chronic a clubber you are, the more you’re into movies like Twilight. I could explain this more thoroughly (which I’ll get around to later this evening) but that’s the general thrust.