This paper examines how the
immortality of a vampire is just one of a number of key features appearing consistently throughout
example texts of this enduring sub-genre and how this eternal life seems to have translated itself into popular cinematic
immortality, as the vampire has been the focus of film-makers creative endeavours almost since the introduction of cinema. It attempts to shed light on this phenomenon and unearth the secret behind the eternal life of these undead movie stars who have gripped the imagination of generations of audiences and look no nearer to loosening their hold today. It
examines a number of texts and theories, offering a comparative analysis between both classical and post-classical versions, as well as identifying the variations within the periods themselves.