Twilight

Maybe Harry Potter fans have to wait until next year for the sixth installment of the boy wizard's movie series. But those more fond of bloodsuckers than the Bloody Baron can get their fix Nov. 21. That's when Twilight, a series of young adult books by Stephenie Meyer, makes its cinematic debut.

The book-cum-movie centers on 17-year-old Bella (Kristen Stewart), who meets and falls in love with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). But Edward's not your average boy—in fact, he's not a boy at all. An immortal vampire, Edward hasn't aged since 1918, though unlike his brethren the pale lad has no fangs and refuses to drink human blood.

A trio of less polite vamps soon migrates to the city and sets their sights on Bella's neck. But even that may not pose the biggest obstacle to the couple's happiness: Turns out, the closer Edward gets to Bella, the more his primal vampire instincts threaten to overwhelm him. Cue the teenage angst.

Thanks to the enormous success of the Twilight books—the newest installment, Breaking Dawn, sold more than 1 million copies in its first 24 hours alone—producers are hoping for a blockbuster opening weekend. No magic required. Just a little O positive.

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From Underworld to Anne Rice, our culture's fascination with blood-sucking nightwalkers hasn't diminished. Read this article breaking down the vampire history, then this one showing the vampire trend throughout entertainment.

A demon hunter on the prowl for Bella? The Cullens packing up and moving to Alaska? Read more Twilight -inspired fan fiction—and add your own musings—at this site.

Twilight not your taste? Slake your vampire thirsts with books like Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, Charlie Huston's Already Dead, and of course, the original Dracula by Bram Stoker.