By: Kelly Schremph and Kelsea Stahler

Once depicted as grotesque and repellent monsters, vampires in pop culture are now thought of as anything but terrifying. They're alluring, irresistible, excruciatingly beautiful and almost always sexual in nature. This trend -- which can be traced all the way back to Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula -- has become omnipresent in the last few years with the breakout success of television shows True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, along with the entire Twilight Saga franchise. But this isn’t the first time vampires have glided across our screens. Their presence has been around for years and although vampires were always seen of as sexual beings, it was rarely ever talked about, let alone acted upon in a blatant manner…until now.

Since we have a potentially unhealthy interest in all things vampire, we thought it would be intriguing to break up this progression into four different stages, showing how the sexual repression of vampires has gradually evolved into full-fledged promiscuity. These creatures of the night have now developed their own sexual awakening that can reach borderline pornographic heights, which makes us wonder what they’ll hold in store for years to come. Check out the infographic below and see how the sexual implications of a vampire have gone from fatal biting to full-on sex.

Click on the infographic for a larger version.