Hunting the vampire

Twilight obsession leads to fan sites, podcasts, and travel

By Cynthia Pelayo
Published: November 17th, 2008 | 11:20am

I knew I had a problem when I found myself reading Twilight under my desk at work. After pouring through the first few pages of the book, Twilight became my obsession. Two weeks and more than 500 pages later, I had completed Stephenie Meyer’s four-book saga. Meyer’s story about vampire Edward Cullen and human Isabella “Bella” Swan, who fall Romeo-and-Juliet in love, has not only sold 17 million books worldwide, but created a legion of mega-fans, including tweens, teens, and female adults. For passionate fans of Twilight hungry for constant updates, a multitude of fan sites and podcasts have sprung up. Common discussions include anything from Bella’s simple tomboyish nature, to Edward’s beauty, and of course to the anticipation surrounding the movie adaptation’s November 21st release. My ticket has already been purchased.

Kallie Mathews, 30, along with her sister and friends, hosts a weekly podcast called Twilight Series Theories and has seen listenership increase from a handful each week to over 10,000. The podcast, which first revolved around a book club, spawned into a playful and literary weekly analysis dedicated to Meyer’s series. “It’s this modern day fairy tale,” Mathews said.

Mathews has also traveled to fuel her love of Twilight, with two visits to the movie filming location in Oregon. “The first time I was off set, the second time on set,” she said. She hopes to add a few more Twilight-related trips to her schedule and to continue on with the podcast for some time. “We are just a bunch of girls having a lot of fun,” she said.

So, what else can a Twilighter do when the books, fan sites, magazine articles, and podcasts can no longer satisfy their thirst? Well, they make a pilgrimage to the tiny town in the Pacific Northwest where the story was set: Forks, Washington. As an admitted Twilight addict, I had no choice but to go on the journey.

After a four-hour plane ride from Chicago, I was in Seattle. Then, it was on to the small town of Edmonds where I departed for a 30-minute ferry crossing Puget Sound. Arriving in Kingston, I drove for more than two hours with towering green trees on either side of me, puffed clouds before me, and heavy rain above me. Then, it appeared: the wooden welcoming sign to the city of Forks. Risking death on a two-lane road with heavy trucker traffic, I got out of my car in the pouring rain to take the customary “Twilighter” photo — proof to others that I had indeed arrived at the first leg of my “Twilight Trip.”

In driving through this one-stoplight town, I realized that this was the Forks from my imagination. As the rain raged, I stopped at sites that Meyer described with such care, but had not visited until after the first book was completed. At the Forks Information Center, pushpins on maps indicate the homes of fans from almost every state in the United States, and countries such as Spain, Ireland, and Australia.

“You know a Twilight fan when you see one,” Mike Gurgling, Visitor Service Manager at the Forks Chamber of Commerce, said.

According to Gurgling, members of the community have welcomed the foot traffic, photographs, and giggles as travelers come through looking for Bella and Edward. “Merchants have greeted the interest really well, and in many cases they are even now selling Twilight-related material,” he said.

Two Twilight fans entered the visitor center after making the trip up from Los Angeles. “I just became a fan last week,” said Ashley Jaramillio, 20, as she looked through a movie companion book.

Rexana Khan, 27, who introduced Jaramillo to the story, is an avid reader. “I come home and read — I am obsessed,” she said.

Nearing the end of my visit to Forks, I picked up a T-shirt at the local outfitters mentioned in the book. It reads “Road Trip: What Happens in Forks, Stays in Forks.”

Comments

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danielagarcia (over 3 years)
love it! i too, am ridiculously addicted to twilight. :)

Hi_Hater (over 3 years)
This movie has really become a phenomenon, kind of like the new Krave. I work with Motorola and the new Krave is really creating a lot of buzz around the office...motorola.com/krave R.