Wikipedia has a List of Horror Film Killers, and looking through it, there are not as many different horror protagonists as you might think. (In horror film, anyways.)

They tend to fall into the following genre categories
-Aliens
-Monsters
-Deranged Humans (Jason, Michael Meyers, etc...)
-Serial Killers (Hannibal, Zodiac, etc...)
-Undead/Zombies
-Inanimate Articles (Cars, Houses, Videotapes, Dolls...)
-Clowns
-Vampires

I was wondering why the Least frightening item on the list is the most popular.

Vampires are not that scary. I think they are scarcely worthy of Horror genre. They are Gothic for sure, and that's why I still enjoy the movies like Underworld or Blade.I try to understand the interest (more like Craze) that found it's Rennaisance with Anne Rice's novels (sorry, never read them), and Buffy The Vampire Slayer (never seen them, but I'm not sorry about it).
I will say it again, so there is no misunderstanding.

Vampires are Pussies. Lame-O. Horror-Lite.

...and I mean that in the derogatory sense. Which would you rather meet in a dark alley, a vampire, or one of the creatures from the movie Alien?

Horror genre should be horrifying! Terrifying! It literally should make your skin crawl! It doesn't have to be a gore-fest, because gross is not the same thing as horror, and it doesn't have to be a shock-fest because shock is not the same thing as horror, but it also not Anita Blake. My only explanation is that people want to have that little thrill rush which only being scared provides,but they can't handle the real thing, so they settle for Diet-Horror, or Horror-Lite.

Scare on,
-CZ

Labels: Cultural Observation, Philosophy