May 24, 2012

Twilight vampire films 'take the place of religion' for teenagers

  • Teenagers use films to answer 'big questions' of good, evil, life and death
  • Teens shun church - and turn to films instead
  • Fans 'fascinated' by idea that evil vampires are actually good
  • Film showings have atmosphere of religious rituals, says researcher


  • By Rob Waugh

    Twilight: Breaking Dawn - The films, with their supernatural themes and 'immortal' characters, are used by teens as a way to think about the 'big' questions of life and death, good and evil

    Many teenagers no longer seek the answers to life's 'big questions' from religion - and find them instead in films such as the Twilight series.

    The films, with their supernatural themes and 'immortal' characters, are used by teens as a way to think about the 'big' questions of life and death, good and evil.

    Increasingly, young teenagers reject established religion - and the popularity of shows such as Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries shows that they are seeking 'the spiritual' elsewhere.

    For teenage fans, the questions of life and death, good and evil are to be found in vampire films.

    'A film series like Twilight offers young people a playground for exploring life's big questions, moral judgment and to imagine the possibility of the supernatural in a pleasurable and informal fashion.

    The fictional worlds challenge their presuppositions about themselves and their surroundings,’ explains Nybro Petersen from the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen.

    ‘A number of the teenagers I interviewed did, for example, express their fascination with the fact that vampires that are traditionally portrayed as evil often come across as heroic characters in current TV shows.


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2149299/Twilight-vampire-films-place-religion-teenagers.html#ixzz1vpMJhJ00