My feelings for the Twilight series are about as warm as Edward’s cold, undead skin. Now I am not saying that I’m not a vampire story fan — quite the contrary, actually — but a love story written by a Mormon just doesn’t even seem worth reading. You already know what’s going to happen: No sex until Bella is sealed to Edward in some fashion that will likely parallel the beliefs of the Mormon faith. Series author Stephanie Meyer has said that her faith influences the story arcs, and that she avoids sex and darkness because of who she is. The plot would only be a guess by me since I’ve never read a page of the books or a minute of the movies, but knowing a bit about Mormonism, it doesn’t seem that far off that Edward would want to turn Bella into a vampire so that they can be undead forever — kind of like how once you’re sealed in the LDS church you’re forever connected and get your own planet. But I digress.The author’s religious beliefs aside, I’m simply not that interested in the Twilight series because there are much better — and much more adult — vampire stories currently out there. Particularly True Blood. And it’s much more modern while still staying true to hallmarks of the vampire mythology, particularly, that vampires can’t be exposed to sunlight.

I don’t regularly go to see movies multiple times in the theaters, but I did see The Dark Knight twice. Though I think I saw that twice in the theater mostly because it was filmed in and around Chicago and I spent my second screening paying particular attention to how the city I lived in played such a large a role in the film that it almost became a character itself.

Heath Ledger as The Joker on a street corner in downtown Chicago/Gotham City

I think one thing Twilight’s marketers did a great job with for “New Moon” that generated a lot of interest in people my age was with the soundtrack. In the months and weeks leading up to the release of the film, I read on multiple blogs that were comparing “New Moon’s” soundtrack to those of some classic films that had killer soundtracks in the past. They all admitted they thought the franchise sucked, but were stunned at some of the artists that agreed to be a part of it. Using a plethora of bands with legitimate indie cred was a great move. I never thought I would see a collaboration between Bon Iver and St. Vincent on a major studio franchise picture. I think continuing a tradition of putting great music into the soundtrack would be a great way to excited and keep the interest in your more snobbish moviegoers. It will definitely spark conversation in the blogosphere.

I think “Twilight: Eclipse” needs to tap into Facebook for its promotions. Just do a quick search of Fan Pages and you’ll see a boat-load of Twilight fan groups. Having something official from the movie where there are contests and/or giveaways will provide Summit with endless amounts of data on the makeup of Twilight fans and how voraciously they follow all things Edward Cullen. Promotions that are exclusive to Facebook/Twitter and regular updates will keep eyes glued to their screens and the Twilight brand in the minds of its fans on a daily basis. Videoblogs posted to these sites from the stars of the film (either as themselves or in character) will be played over and over by fangirls. Plus it will give users the feeling that they are part of something special and have access to materials that others are missing out on.

While I don’t any number of lesbian vampire trysts complete with gratuitous nudity could capture the attention of a 25-year-old male like myself and bring me into the franchise, I think social media is a great way to cement the loyalty of Twilight fans for life and likely capture the attention of a few new ones who will feel like their entertainment dollars are going toward something worthwhile.