To perfect the art of creating the prime sexual icon that is the /vampire/ is to dance in between the lines of rigid meaning. It is not a problem of categorization as much as it is a problem of refusing to be categorized.
Take, for instance, “this is the skin of a killer, Bella,” Edward Cullen’s classic line after he unbuttons his shirt to show off a smooth, pale expanse of glistening skin. One would think such a line ought to warrant rough and calloused hands, but as Bella puts it, “you’re beautiful.” It is this contradiction of being pristine yet rotten that is somehow alluring to us. A vampire is supposed to be dangerous, we know that very well, but their visual appearance does not make us want to run away.
It is not only aesthetic beauty that a vampire keeps up alongside their wickedness—what with their sharp fangs, nonchalance, and a brooding energy that fills the room—but also the balance between intimacy and violence. In order for a vampire to continue living their long and dreary life, they must feed. This is done by direct teeth-to-neck contact. The slow piercing of fangs through flesh, the blood they consume after… all show vulnerability, desire, total devotion, not unlike actual human sex (boring!).
When talking about honing the art of vampire sexuality, it is also imperative to look at the fluidity of their sexual appeal. Look at Lestat de Lioncourt, for example, a more recent addition to the sexy vampire icon list. His beautiful blond curls and extravagant costumes certainly do not fit in the sober lines of traditional masculinity. Or Astarion Ancunín, whose tender yet tense bite scenes with the player can occur regardless of the player’s gender, showing that vampiric desire can make anyone swoon.
Perhaps, then, the answer to the question “why do we find vampires so goddamn hot?” is not their beauty, toughness, sexual ambiguity, or even their devotion, but rather the raging refusal to ever exist in just one of these categories and stay there. Nay, the vampire insists on taking up all these spaces at once. That is why every attempt to define why we want vampires falls short. They should be dead, yet they live. They should be experienced, but /how long have you been 17/? They should be out to kill you, but they do so in a way where their teeth penetrate your skin as they suck out your bodily fluid (blood, I mean). They should be on the outskirts of society, yet we want them closer. Closer to the neck, preferably.