Just in time for the new Twilight movie, BU Today interviewed Joseph Laycock:

For millions of Twilight fans, the saga of young Bella and handsome vampire Edward is nothing more than a love story — a romantic escape from reality. But according to religious studies scholar Joseph Laycock (GRS’13), vampires are more than pop culture icons. They believe they’re as real as Twilight author Stephenie Meyer — and Laycock has written a book exploring the phenomenon.

Vampires Today: The Truth About Modern Vampirism (2009) takes a look at teenagers, stay-at-home moms, grandmothers, and professionals, all unremarkable subjects save for one little thing: they claim to feed off of other people’s energy, and, every so often, they drink human blood.

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