Take your typical romantic teenage story, mix it with a taste of vampire, and add a dash of the supernatural. The result is "Twilight" ? - an instant worldwide craze that has even given "Harry Potter" a run for its galleon.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "full-blown pop culture phenomenon," thousands of bloodthirsty fans flocked to the theatres to see their heroine and her conflicted vampire on the big screen.

A movie three years in the making, www.imdb.com reported that it grossed an estimated $70.5 million in its opening weekend, results that usually go to big-budget, big-name action films. As of Monday, it has brought in more than $120 million, according to www.boxoffice.com.

The film was adapted from the "Twilight Saga," a series of four novels by Stephenie Meyer, which chronicle the adventures of teenager Isabella "Bella" Swan. Bella's life takes a dramatic turn when she meets and falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. Unlike the average vampire, Cullen does not drink the blood of humans, which causes quite the predicament when romance and seduction are added to the equation.

The series has reached young teenagers and mature audiences as well. Many university students have been sucked into the recent "Twilight" obsession.

Sophomore Melanie Ruhe is in the middle of reading the third book in the series and saw the movie opening weekend.

"'Twilight' is a great love story and it is very imaginative," she said. "It is about a hopeful and innocent, yet passionate love that everyone hopes for someday. If you've read the book, you feel connected to others who have read it."

Not everyone is on the bandwagon though. Professor James Farrelly, Ph.D., who teaches a course on vampires in film, said he does not intend to see the movie.

"The romanticizing of vampires may appeal to teeny-boppers looking for a new kind of bad-boy thrill, but these fantasy bloodsuckers are mean dudes who want to bite necks and sleep in coffins," he said.

Farrelly said the hormonally-challenged Cullen in the books and movie shames the reputation of vampires.

"They are not day-walking Goths who live and go to school in one's neighborhood looking for impressionable girls to make out with," he said. "I assure you that evil lurks in the heart of all vampires."

Sophomores Jason Roland and Kevin Pitstick went to see the movie opening night with friends. Decked out in the most emo wardrobes that they could put together, they waited in line at midnight for the movie.

"I'd go see any vampire or werewolf movie," Pitstick said, who has not read any of the books.

Junior Meghan McDevitt,

president of UD's literary magazine "Orpheus," read all four books and saw the movie to see what all of the hype was about. She was disappointed.

"I haven't the faintest idea of why 'Twilight' is so popular. Whoever says 'Twilight' is the next 'Harry Potter' is seriously out of his or her mind."

She liked the movie a little more.

"The movie was enjoyable, and the director did a good job of bringing the fictional characters to life," she said. "However, don't expect much from the script. It was written from the book, so the scriptwriters didn't have much to work with."

Although it has received mixed reviews, there is no denying the fact that readers and moviegoers alike have become entranced by this mystifying story. Several stores, such as Hot Topic and Borders, are adding to the craze by selling merchandise, posters, clothing and even tote bags.

With the announcement that the second movie will soon be in the works, it is sure to be a long time before audiences forget about Bella Swan and the vampire she loves.