Will the real vampire please stand up...or at least turn into a bat?

Alright, I want you to close your eyes for just a second and envision a vampire, like what you think one looks like.

Got it?

You probably didn't even close your eyes, how can I trust you?

What'd you see? I saw a tall, thin man in a red suit with a big red hat. He's fairly pale with a tan tint. He has big round orange sunglasses. On his hands he has white gloves and in his hands he has two silver pistols, locked and loaded with silver bullets.

The name of that vampire is Alucard, the star of the hit animes Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate. He's something of the vampire king and when someone mentions vampires, I think of him. Not only because he has the coolest voice for any vampire (thank you, Crispin Freeman!), but because of the way that he knows he is the greatest vampire ever. I won't spoil who he really is (though, looking at his name a certain way, you can figure it out), but just whenever you see him, you know that there is no taking him down. He's confident, sly, dark, the perfect anti-hero. He is the closest thing to a hero a vampire could ever get, since they kind of survive off of the blood of humans.

Sadly, I can't say that the general public thinks too kindly of vampires anymore. In fact, they've become the butt of a joke thanks to what was done through the "Twilight" saga. Sure, they had their super strength and super speed, but, they weren't so much of vampires as much as they were blood-suckers, a difference.

Vampires are unable to stand out in the sun, or else they'll be fried. Vampries can't come into contact with anything holy, such as Holy Water. Silver and garlic repels them. They have the ability to transform into bats and possess abilities to warp people's minds, almost as if seducing them. They're also kinda ugly. They hardly possess something of a human soul and are dead. Yes, vampires are technically considered dead.

They turn once they are bitten in a lethal situation, they do not turn at random. They aren't like zombies where their bite is one way. They can bite and turn someone into a vampire or they can bite to kill. There is not bite to turn while someone is living.

Part of the reason I think vampires get such a bad rep is that, yes, they've been downplayed in cinema recently, but even when people are parodying them it's awful. I know that vampires are somewhat of an original idea by Bram Stoker, but, I mean, you've still gotta research them to write about them. Imagine someone writing a monster movie with no prior knowledge of creatures like Godzilla or King Kong. Stupid, right?

And it's obvious when someone does or doesn't. How can you tell?

WHEN VAMPIRES ARE OUT IN DAYLIGHT.

The classic vampire is Gothic, is scary. Count Dracula was an imposing and menacing figure of Transylvania. So much so that people begin to hunt him, and they do battle. He wants to take over the world with his black magic, he is evil.

Sure, loose interpretations nowadays depict him as a little less, as most stories nowadays don't focus on the villain (even if they do they eventually become somewhat good).

What I like about Hellsing is that while Alucard is not necessarily evil he is good. Why? Because he was beaten by Hellsing, by the one man who would defeat him. Only man can defeat monster, and Alucard came to respect the Hellsing family as such and would serve under their imposing organization. He is not, however, good. He kills regular people for fun as well as vampires, he is menacing. He strikes fear into all who he comes in contact with (excluding Integra and Walter, of course). Sure he is way more overpowered than he could be, but that's because he's in an anime and everyone has super strength.

Sadly, I think Alucard may be the closest thing we get over here in North America for a while that is something remniscient of a real vampire. Fangs. Transformative abilities. Lack of caring for humanity.

I don't want to see a vampire villain, because they are usually dumb and easy to beat. I don't want teenage vampires that try to act deep but are just stupid. I want a cunning, cape-wearing mastermind who knows dark magic that seeks to cover the world and everywhere he goes in fear. I want him to come from the little area known as Transylvania.

It's 2014 people. Why don't we have a legit, scary, threatening, imposing, Count Dracula right now? Enough of the "make him relatable" crap. How am I supposed to relate to a being that wants to destroy humanity and drink all of our blood? He doesn't need to be an anti-hero, because we already have a perfect interpretation of that.

Gothic settings. Intelligent people. Cunning hunters. A solid premise. This is what makes a real vampire story. Abraham van Helsing versus Count Dracula of Transylvania. Hellsing does it closest, Alucard versus the Major. But sadly, that's not what the world thinks of. Instead, we have the argument that shaped a decade: Team Edward or Team Jacob?

And frankly, until we finally get over that and just put it out of our heads, I'm afraid that vampires won't be turning into bats anytime soon.