How the Vampire Image has Changed

It may seem weird, but the Vampires in Dracula weren't afraid of light, they just disliked it. The older, traditional vampires were thought of as high class people who would indiscriminately kill people. They didn't give a damm about morals and were sometimes depicted as grotesque supernatural ugly beings.

Todays vampires are portrayed as handsome, beautiful people who just want to fit into society. They try to suppress their demonic nature and live a semi-normal lifestyle. They are also presented with backstories and their characters are given a lot more depth.

Now they have swapped sides and changed from demonic beings to protagonists.

Their weaknesses have also taken a lesser role. The old vampires had countless weaknesses tagged onto their names as if in an effort to justify their immorality. Like how they would die from getting their hearts destroyed... or decapitated... or fire. That's pretty much how you would kill a normal human but made to seem special. And then they dislike garlic, feel the urge to suck blood, die from any direct sun contact, are scared of holy water and crucifixes. It's almost like their lives are super fragile and depressing.