The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Most vampires (although not neccessarily all, depending on whom you ask) require blood to survive. Fangs, it is commonly thought in the animal kingdom, make it easier for mammals to tear open the flesh of their prey. In terms of the vampire, it would make feeding far easier. Yet not all folkloric or even fictional vampires are fanged. Historic accounts of vampires rarely mention fangs, and even Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula in 1931 was done sans fang.

As cinematic prowess increased and the movie industry was able to do more with special effects, a new vampiric ability evolved. In movies today it is common to see the vampire with retractable canine fangs. This allows him to circulate with humans more easily; with the fangs retracted, he is more easily perceived as human. In the Canadian television series Forever Knight, the main vampire character, Nick, has fangs that only protrude when his dark, vampiric nature is unleashed.