There is a long history of the vampire being seen as a male figure, particuarly historicaly speaking as most beleived “Vampire” cases have envolved men, though there are a few women such as the infamous Countess of Bathory, in most folk lore and ealier vampire stories the role was comonly played by a male.
In part this can be attributed to the fact that in many ways the vampire had evolved to come to reperesent a fear of sex and seduction of women particuarly in an age where a woman purity was thought so highgly vaulable and to be protected. For one thing it would have been near scandoulous to portay a woman with such feral destires and urges, and for another is the smple act of feeding itself which is much more accomodating to a male. The fact that the fangs penetrate the skin.
But even today in many movies the female vampire though starts to appear more and more as times, views, ideas change, she still takes something of a back seat, and is usally cast in a role more akin to a sidekick if you will while the male vampire sitll has center stage.
Though even as the female vampire is starting to enter more into the conception and view of fampires, and more mondernized versions of vampire lore she is still burdoned with varrious sterotypes, and is not given full equeal footing with the male vampire, and not only becasue it has not often (if ever) happend that a female vampire has taken a main and staring role, but the female vampire is usually confined in the role of playing ever goth boys wet dream. Bound in tight leather, hight black boots, and ebony hair, sashaing her hips around in tight and scant clothing. She is really given very little genuine intelligence and suave that the male vampire is graced with. And she is rarely altogehter indpendent.
The female vampire is usually portrayed as being rather called and ruthless and filled with selfish lusts and beyond physchial desire and attraction she is rarely made to be as endereaing or genueinely likeable as many a mondern male vampires are. Indeed it is not difficult to draw lines beyond the similarties between the imagery of the female vampire and the role of the dominantrix.
Though I have found that stories often do a better job and dealing the female vampire a more fair hand, perhaps someday, we will see on the big screen a sophisticated and sensually, yet still classy, dressed, confidaunt, witty and charasmatic female vampire, on the big screen playing the lead.
