By Andrew Sanford | News | January 24, 2025 |
The original Nosferatu emerged from the shadows over 100 years ago. It was the first of its kind, bringing vampires to the silver screen for all to marvel at. In case you haven’t noticed, there have been a s***load of vampire movies since then—just an absurd amount. It is a subgenre that is as successful as ever, with its fangs planted deeply in film and television. So why in the world would people think that Twilight ruined the vampire genre? And why are they telling Robert Pattinson that?
I was heading into “college” when the Twilight movies started coming out, so I missed them entirely. My closest relationship to them is listening to the final films being covered on How Did This Get Made. The trailer may have been the last one I watched on Apple.com/trailers, and I did not find it appealing. Regardless, I would never say something as goofy as “Twilight ruined the vampire genre,” and not just because I just had my socks rocked by the newest iteration of Nosferatu.
Pattinson lamented people complaining about the Twilight films in a recent interview with GQ Spain. “I love that people keep telling me, ‘Man, Twilight ruined the vampire genre,’” Pattinson explained. “Are you still stuck on that s***? How can you be sad about something that happened almost 20 years ago? It’s crazy.” He’s right! Not just about being hung up on something from (almost) twenty years ago, but also, Twilight didn’t ruin anything. Also, you can’t talk about Twilight without acknowledging that it gave us Pattinson’s weird and wild career.
The actor spent most of his post-Twilight time helping indie films get made. He has led his name and star power to small, interesting projects. Like Daniel Radcliffe, he emerged from his very mainstream franchise with a penchant for artistry over popularity. Yes, Pattinson is now Batman (but for how long?) but that came long after he shored up his indie credits. His is the kind of career that I wish more mainstream actors would aspire to.
So, if you get a chance to meet Robert Pattinson in one of his many oversized coats, don’t tell him that Twilight ruined the vampire genre. That’s an insane thing to say. Instead, thank him for adding a new wrinkle to vampire fiction, whether you like it or not. Ask him what indie project he wants to get into next. Insist that he tell you why he prefers to swim in his clothes. These are all more interesting (and less s***ty) things to say to the man who once sparkled.