Nasty… or nice?

No I don't mean John and Edward from X Factor, but as it's Halloween eve, something even more scary. Vampires.

Yesterday Harriet and Hannah were talking about Robert Pattinson, aka Edward from Twilight. 'He's so buff,' they sighed dreamily. Yes, as most mums of pre-teens and teens know, vampire books, films and DVDs are HUGE. (And it does seem to be a girl thing – my son rolls his eyes every time Pattinson and his co-stars appear on TV).

I'm not really sure where this vampire obsession came from. What happened to horses, and books about boarding school scrapes? It was only a few years ago that Harriet and her friends were holding 'weddings' for their Build-A-Bears. Now her bedroom has a distinctly gothic feel and she and her friends dress in black. Alot.

Like many of my mum friends, I enjoy watching the post-post-watershed True Blood. And when I was at school The Lost Boys were big news (yes, showing my age) but those vampires were definitely nasty, not these gorgeous heroic types. No doubt there will be lots of fangs out in force tomorrow night. Who are your favourite TV or movie bloodsuckers, and is it right that vampires – who, after all, are a bit unsavoury, even if they're veggie like Edward – should be pin-ups? Let me know what you think.

Have a spooktacular Halloween – and watch out for… well, you know.

written by Liz Jarvis