Vampires are sexy. Not only have they managed to tap into the secret of eternal life, but they live adventurous and decadent lives in fine style and generally look good doing it. A good vampire movie, like a good vampire, can also live forever. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dracula, Nosferatu, Blade, and the vastly underrated Blood and Donuts are my favorites of all time, but Interview With The Vampire takes the cake.
Interview is the only one that has had the privilege of multiple viewings in my living room. I think I watched Blade three times. The others, not-so-much. For a movie to have that timeless resonance that compels me to want to watch it over and over again it has to transcend the everyday stylistic conventions common to the cinematic art form, transforming ideas into poetry, and images into eye candy for the heart and soul. These are the sorts of films that make me crave a second, third, or even a fourth taste of their artful style and inspiring content; the sort of movie that I will buy on DVD and casually pull it out to watch with a friend one rainy Sunday evening, when a little thunder and lightning are cracking to set the mood. I may also slip it into my suitcase in case there is no internet in the exotic hotel hideaway where I find myself in need of a little blood-lusty inspiration.
Unfortunately, Twilight–from the morsels I have seen–does not rise up to join the ranks of these movies which have so firmly made an impression deep into my psyche, their ideas and small moments reverberating endlessly in my skull. I rented the movie once, intending to watch it with a friend, but, like the skeptical media-savvy art snob that I am, after the first 20 minutes had passed when I wasn’t really feeling the pacing and style of the film,Twilight got the axe. My general rule is to give 20 minutes to a film before deciding whether to proceed or terminate. In the case of Twilight, there was something just a little too commercial, a tad too cliche to pique my interest and enthusiasm. Call it a lack of classicism in the style, something too clearly North American about the characters to suit my tastes, too transparently commercial-driven to suit my taste. When I am watching a film I cringe when I see moments of overt product placement or overemphasized cultural style cliches.
That said, I have many friends who enjoy the series; who have read the books, seen the films and are eagerly awaiting the release of Twilight: Eclipse. Placing focus on the sexiness of the vampires and the depth of the emotions that they feel may be a useful psychological marketing strategy. The vampire aesthetic is extremely seductive, so play it up! Don’t be afraid to show a little skin and a whole lot of blood.
Blood excites people because it’s dangerous. I don’t feel the need to elaborate as to the specific allures of the flesh. Have fun with this; play on people’s fantasies and their fears. Show close-ups of vampire orgy massacres, revealing the sensuality of the vampire’s bite. Show the victims’ pleasure mingling with their pain. Show the magic in their eyes. Talk about eternal life, eternal youth, and endless seduction… Twilight: Eclipse has the potential to become the highest-grossing vampire movie of all time. Based upon the trailer, I would say focus less on love and more on blood. Less on romance and more on violence. Less on nature and more on the supernatural.
One fun marketing tactic you may want to employ is to hire young alluring vampire-lookalike staff to hand out paraphernalia at concerts and festivals leading up to the release date and for another four weeks after : fake fangs and gum packaged in a grave-shaped gum box with the movie’s title and the website url and a secret code that can be used to enter a contest, which can be plugged into the website for a chance to win a trip or a number of other smaller prizes. Secrets codes, after all, are almost as good as blood, lust and magic.