The Ethical Vampire: The Moral Dilemma of Vampirism

Programmed by: Libby Konjoyan

Seen as demons, evil spirits possessing corpses, or criminals out for undead revenge, vampires have captivated the imaginations of people around the world for millenia. Vampires bring terror to the mortal communities they live and hunt among, but these creatures have come to be more than just simple bloodsucking boogeymen of the night: they are manifestations of the darkest depths of humanity, in all of its senseless violence and cycles of abuse. Vampires are mirrors held up to our own fears and desires — their cinematic history as much a documentation of certain innate human anxieties as it is about the menacing Count Orlok. But what happens when a vampire tries to behave “ethically”? This series follows individuals as they confront the nature of vampirism and determine where their own moral lines in the sand lie. Can violence be an inherent part of one’s nature or is it always a choice? How do you justify your actions when you have to kill to survive? Do you try to do the least amount of harm possible or do you embrace the darkness? From vegetarians to guilty addicts to gleeful killers, these filmic vampires must grapple with their most monstrous parts, while facing the realization that perhaps their inner monsters are inescapable after all.