In less than three months’ time — on Nov. 20 to be precise — swarms of young female moviegoers will wait anxiously outside theaters for the “Twilight” sequel, “New Moon.” Some might be there as early as sunrise. That’s good news for the studio, but it sucks if you’re a vampire. However, one thing that’s certain is that it doesn’t suck to be a vampire nowadays. Unless if you’ve been locked in a coffin the past year, you might have noticed that vampires have taken over the world of pop culture.

The fervor won’t die down anytime soon either, but why are young girls and even grown women inviting vampires into their lives? It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the vampires portrayed in movies and television shows today are young and attractive males.

Take Brad Pitt, for example, who was memorable as the emotionally troubled Louis in 1994’s “Interview with the Vampire.” Then there’s David Boreanaz, who played Angel, the vampire with a soul, in both “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and his own spin-off, “Angel.” Let’s also not forget about Robert Pattinson, who portrays Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” phenomenon.

Claudia Chau, a 12-year-old who likes to identify herself as “Team Edward,” points out why she and millions of girls out there love vampires like Edward Cullen. “He’s very hot,” she said. “But he’s also sweet. You can tell by the way he treats and protects Bella. What girl doesn’t want a guy like that?”

Vampires today also play a new role. Instead of just the usual blood-thirsty vampires, they have also assumed the role of love interests to the female protagonists. The vampires in pop culture have given the public a view of what women want — deep passion and romance.

The most appropriate way to get a better sense of this is to get it from the female perspective. From Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” to Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels (the basis for the HBO series “True Blood”) to Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series, these books that have been turned into movies and television shows have mostly been written by women and geared toward women.

But vampires today also speak to us metaphorically about important issues affecting our everyday lives. Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series is rich in Mormon values and its way of life since Meyer herself was a Mormon housewife before she wrote “Twilight.” Meyer even confessed to a Mormon-themed Web site that she unconsciously placed her basic beliefs into the story.

In “True Blood,” the vampires in the series are fighting for social acceptance and equal rights — a fight that has become a metaphor for our society’s gay rights debate. There are also the constant themes, such as the worshiping of youth and addiction, as seen in the 2008 Swedish film “Let the Right One In” and the 2009 Korean film “Thirst,” respectively.

Aside from the deeper meanings and philosophical views, vampires are still showing up everywhere. Since “Twilight” grossed over $263 million worldwide, studios have been greenlighting films with vampires. Besides “New Moon,” audiences can look forward to “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,” “Transylmania,” an English language remake of “Let the Right One In” and Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” starring Johnny Depp.

Vampires are also appearing on your television screens. HBO has hit pay dirt with “True Blood.” Then there’s the BBC series “Being Human” and The CW’s upcoming new series “The Vampire Diaries.” Even the Disney Channel jumped on the bandwagon by doing four episodes dealing with vampires on “Wizards of Waverly Place.” To that end, vampires have become so mainstream and versatile that there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight in pop culture. Or is there?

In an online interview on Entertainment Weekly’s Web site, author Neil Gaiman says that he feels as though the vampire phenomenon might soon be coming to a close. “Vampires go in waves and it kind of feels like now we’re finishing a vampire wave,” he said. “It’s probably time to go back underground for another 20 or 25 years.”

Regardless, things might start to get a little hairy for vampires in the near future. They could soon meet their match, and it’s not vampire slayers or sunlight: it’s werewolves.

Although the “Twilight” sequel still has everyone’s favorite vampire, Edward Cullen, it’s the werewolf Jacob’s time to shine. In addition, audiences can see the anticipated remake of “The Wolfman” starring Benicio Del Toro in 2010. There have also been talks of a fourth film in the “Underworld” series and a remake of “An American Werewolf in London.” So vampires better be careful because the sun may be setting on them. Prepare for a New Moon rising because another undead creature is on the loose.