Hmm I can't say for sure, but there has probably been a vampire (sub)culture for decades, at least, as far as we know it today. I'm sure that once vamps came into the collective consciousness -- I'm not talking the original, mythological/fictional bloodsuckers...they were nasty. I'm talking the more humanized vamps of films and TV -- many probably found them to be a strong attraction.

As for the HIV scare, and really, it's as much of a scare today as it was back then..well, I'm not a blood drinker, as I think it's way too dangerous a thing to even attempt. It's not only HIV that may be flowing through one's veins.

V.