Vampires: Sexy or not sexy?

By Jevon Phillips, Stephanie Lysaght, Denise Martin and Patrick Kevin Day, Times Staff Writers

The debate over vampires as heartthrob vs. heart-devourer is old but still valid. For every studly Dracula, rising out of his coffin like Hugh Hefner (back in the 1960s), there's another bloodsucker with giant fangs and creepy eyes and gore-encrusted claws. Just last year we had the horrific "30 Days of Night" and this year we have smoldering Bill from HBO's "True Blood" and, of course, the doe-eyed Edward of "Twilight."

But are they really hot, or horrific? And where do they stack up against the many other bloodsuckers who have slunk across the screen? Our crack team of experts ponders the sex-appeal (or lack thereof) of creatures of the night.