March 21 was a night marked on many teenage girls’ calendars. It was the date that the movie “Twilight” hit stores at the stroke of midnight. But just going to the store that day wasn’t enough for some fans. Many chose to attend midnight release parties at places like Borders and Hot Topic.
For those living under a rock, “Twilight” is the movie adaptation of the book by the same name written by Stephenie Meyer. It tells the story of mortal Bella and vampire Edward and their love for each other. “Twilight” has a large following consisting mostly of teenage girls and their mothers.
Jessica Watts, 13, and Kristen Watts, 18, saw “Twilight” four times in theaters and admitted that they came to the midnight party at Borders because they are “overly obsessed.”
“Edward is so in love with Bella, but at the same time, he wants to kill her,” Kristen said. “And that’s really hot.”
The “Twilight” phenomena has got many young people interested in reading, including Kristen, who said she never really enjoyed reading until “Twilight.” Kristen said that the party was a bit intense because of all the crazy fans. Torey Bangi, 17, believes these “crazy” fans give other “Twilight” fans a bad rap.
“It gets to the point where I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m a fan, because all the fans are pretty much insane,” Bangi said. “And I don’t want to be associated with that.”
Meaghan Lingo, 18, was in town for spring break from UC Santa Barbara and went to the Borders party even though she didn’t buy the movie. She saw the movie four times and admitted that “Twilight” is a bit of a guilty pleasure for her.
“Honestly, Edward Cullen is why I like ‘Twilight,'” she said. “It’s kind of like chick-lit and a guilty pleasure, but Edward is the perfect man.”
When asked about the stigma attached to being a “Twilight” fan, Lingo laughed and said it’s probably pretty accurate.
“We act like a bunch of little girls. Like ‘Oh my God, Edward!'” she said. “But I don’t care! I think it’s possible to be a sophisticated ‘Twilight’ fan, but I don’t think it’d be as much fun.”
Though most “Twilight” fans would agree on how much they love the series, they are a bit more divided when it comes to their favorite of Bella’s love interests.
Though the series is about Bella and Edward, Bella also gets a little involved with Jacob, a werewolf and enemy of vampires. Most of the Borders partygoers were Team Edward, a few were Team Jacob and some were Team Switzerland, or neutral.
“All the girls were pretty young and really intense,” said Lingo. “I have a friend who’s Team Jacob, and she was scared of all the Edward fans.”
Now that “Twilight” is out on DVD, fans of the series are preparing for the next movie, “New Moon,” out this November. “New Moon” is about Edward’s absence and Bella and Jacob’s developing friendship. It will have a new director and fans have high hopes for the sequel.
“I hope ‘New Moon’ has better special effects. I thought the sparkling [of Edward’s skin] was a little subtle . and kind of greasy-looking,” Kristen said. “I’m excited to see how the werewolves will transform.”