"As in dreams, the dread precedes the deed; we know in our guts long before the devourer emerges from the darkness that he is on the way, that somebody's flesh -- perhaps our own -- will be forfeit tonight. Mingled with the dread, if we're honest, is a kind of exhilaration, for we're raised out of our trivial selves by the danger we're in. The creature that will soon unfold its story and embrace us is of course sickeningly perverse, but also, in its way, pure; and who can fail to be moved when touched by such paradox?" (Clive Barker, introduction to Stephen King's Salem's Lot, collector's edition, 1991, p ix)

In the rogue's gallery of Halloween, the vampire holds pride of place. Countless books and films have honored and reinterpreted the creature, classically an aristocrat but in other versions a mindless savage. Beast and nobleman, lord and fiend, it charms and repulses in a way the zombie or ghost can't match. Horror fans keep craving the vampire, secretly glad that it's never defeated for good -- that it will soon reappear in another story, another manifestation, to drink blood when the sun goes down.

But where to begin reading? The fiction genre is constantly being tackled by writers who want to put a new spin on the vampire, and it's hard to keep up with the literature. Here are some essential classics:

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker. The library has plenty of copies of the classic, both in hardcover and paperback. The special DVD Dracula: The Legacy Collection includes the Bela Lugosi version, but even better in my view is Nosferatu (the 70s remake of the 1922 silent version) -- which interprets Dracula devoid of charm and seductiveness (a bald spider-rat), taking more liberties with Stoker's text but working surprising wonders on screen.

2. Salem's Lot by Stephen King. I'm not a King fan but have to admit his early vampire novel is hard to beat, and probably my favorite on this list. The writing is disciplined, the horror subtle and aggressive exactly where needed. When I think of vampires, Barlow usually comes to mind before Dracula: that's how well King took control of his character.

3. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. The first novel of the popular Vampire Chronicles offers a sympathetic and erotic portrait of the vampire, set against a suitable backdrop of 18th-century New Orleans. Also check out the film adaptation.

4. I am Legend by Richard Matheson. This 50s novel (set in the futuristic 70s) is found on many "top horror" lists and has been made into a film slated for December release . One man is the lone survivor of a bacterial apocalypse which has transformed everyone else into bloodsuckers. Matheson's influence on the vampire genre shouldn't be underestimated.

5. Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin. Imagine Mark Twain writing a vampire novel, and you'd get something like this. A steamboat captain in 1857 partners unknowingly with a vampire, and his adventures up and down the Mississippi River are never the same again.

Those are the "vampire essentials", but the library has plenty more to sink your teeth into. Some new arrivals should be singled out: Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Michael Mignola, Dark Possession by Christine Feehan, and Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (large print only). In the teen area look for Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz, and Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.

Note especially that David Slade's 30 Days of Night is currently in the theaters. This exceptionally terrifying vampire film is based on a series of graphic novels which have been ordered for the library's Music-Art-Media section. Be sure to see the movie for a Halloween treat (unless you have a heart condition; my own took a beating watching this), and then come to the library and borrow the graphic novels.

Finally, see our non-fiction collection to learn about vampire history and folklore. And watch out for those bloodsuckers tomorrow night.

"... As from dreams, we wake knowing that another sleep is inevitable, but also empowered, at least a little, by what we have experienced: more alert to what we hide from others and more eager to discover what we hide from ourselves. In essence, more awake; more aware that the acts of courage and imagination we perform are the only fires we have to ward off the devourers and to brighten the darkness which attends the lord they serve, whose approach begins the moment we first draw breath." (Clive Barker, ibid, p xii)