The television, movies and books of today all seem to be full of strange, almost unreal characters, whether alive or not. Vampires have become an incredible craze, starting with the Twilight series of books which became a blockbuster T.V. show. Buffy the Vampire Slayer show is still going strong; lack of plot, characterization and acting skills notwithstanding.
Vampires as the new bad guys
Why this new emphasis on the occult and other worldly? Is it a move away from the traditional villains, the robbers, murderers, terrorists and rapists that are an all too real threat in today’s world? The exciting thrill of the good guys against the bad guys will always be a part of the entertainment world, but perhaps we find it easier to see these otherworldly characters in our dramas than look at the reality of the actual threats in our society. Just a few years ago, in many movies and dramas, the communists and terrorists were our worst enemies, out to destroy the good and pure. Perhaps these threats have now become too real, and it is easier for our psyches to deal with enemies we know we will never really have to face, such as vampires?
A new kind of heroine
One of the most recent blockbuster book series has been the series about Lisbeth Salandar, by Stieg Larsson. One book in the series has already been made into a movie, and the other two are scheduled. In the story, a dark, mysterious and unlikely character has the power to overcome an entire network of powerful and corrupt people. Lisbeth is herself murderous, duplicitous, antisocial and unfeeling as well as brilliant, but she only destroys those who would harm the vulnerable. How this dark (literally; she only wears black clothes and dark Goth makeup), who was raised as an orphan, controlled by the state, and treated brutally all her life and weighs in at less than 100 pounds came to be such a strong force against evil is a story that could only be produced in the modern world. The reason for this is that her tools of destruction are tools of our modern world: computers, the internet and the occasional mace or taser. We can expect to see more of these modern heroes: they don’t have to be men, strong or even have weapons outside of their cunning and computer skills.
You often see dark characters on TV, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean they aren’t in real life as well. This article can help you learn how to find the real bad guys in the real world!
Dark Characters In Today’s Entertainment
