Richard Crouse

Cast members of the bitingly-hot vampire flick “Twilight” say it isn’t all
about the horror – but rather the intensely personal relationship between
fans and the story that has teens rushing to the box office to snatch up
advance tickets for the film, which debuts Friday.

The silver screen romance between a young vampire Edward Cullen (played by
Robert Pattinson) and human Bella Sawn (played by Kristen Stewart) is based
on Stephanie Meyer’s wildly popular tween novel series, which has sold more
than 8-million copies.

Hysteria surrounding the film has reached a fever pitch and the buzz
generated is even being compared to what surrounded Harry Potter. The film’s
young and attractive stars, Stewart, 18, and Pattinson, 22, recently told
CTV movie critic Richard Crouse they’re not surprised fans are fixated on
the characters.

“For most girls reading the book, you feel like you are Bella. You get to
live her,” Stewart said.

Fans can still identity with the story of forbidden love despite its whimsy
elements because all the action takes place in every-day Washington State,
Pattinson suggested.

“It’s very personal because it’s set in such as small town…nothing much
happens. It’s not like it’s jumping time frames or changing locations too
much,” Pattinson said.

“People really feel like they know the characters. You can really obsess
over them,” the hunky shaggy-haired actor with an English accent said.

But no one could have prepared the couple for the thousands of screaming
fans that wait for them at public appearances or the roughly 2,000 sold-out
midnight advanced screenings across the U.S.

“Twilight” is already on course for a blockbuster opening weekend in North
America. After Friday, both Stewart and Pattinson will undoubtedly be
superstars among teenagers.

“I wasn’t aware of it while we were shooting the film which was probably
good,” Stewart said.

“No one really knew the extent of the hype that would come,” Pattinson said.

Pattison recalls how in six of seven cities, fans had a similar response
when asked why they like Edward’s character so much: “Because he is so
sexy.”

But in the last city, Pattinson recalls how one girl answered: “It’s because
of the way he loves Bella.”

Hordes of teenage fans lined up in downtown Toronto last Saturday for a
chance to see the stars of the forthcoming movie adaptation.

Fanatical youngsters started lining up late Friday and camped outside the
MuchMusic studios overnight in the rain and cold just to catch a glimpse of
the cast.

Most professional movie-watchers think it has a very good chance of being a
big hit for the following reasons:

The “Twilight” novels by Meyer (who will have a cameo in the flick) have
been extremely popular with teens.

The soundtrack is already topping the U.S. charts

The online trailer has enjoyed huge success

The film comes with a built-in audience

“I think the movie is going to be an enormous hit — especially with teenage
girls. I think you’re looking at lineups around the block,” Richard Crouse
recently told CTV Toronto. Some of those young teens went wild when he
simply told them he met the actors.

Some older teens described the “Twilight” stories as good, escapist fun.