Melbourne, November 15 The Twilight saga continues to grip the imagination of people and has led to the emergence of vampire clubs, covens and lairs in Australia.

Vampire groups have flooded the Internet with renewed interest in the gothic, thanks to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight craze, hit TV show True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries.

Some individuals believed they were the real-life versions of the legendary blood-suckers and have formed groups to get together in the real world.

Newtown resident Marc, 40, a member of the self-professed Sanguinarian vampires that met once a month at Marrickville in Sydney, claimed to drink a 200 to 250ml-glass of blood on a regular basis.

"We're real, we're alive, we live and work in cities, we hold jobs, we're your next-door neighbour," News.com.au quoted Marc as telling The Sunday Telegraph.

"We have families, but we just have a different understanding," he added.

Bond University assistant film and television professor Scott Knight accorded the reason to cult media influence.

He said: "The myth of the vampire is a very strong, palpable and enduring figure that we've seen time and time again in film, going back to the silent time of cinema.

"The internet allows disparate groups to join together to create communities in a way that was difficult before the internet."

Social analyst Neer Korn added: "I wouldn't be concerned - the fad will pass and another fad will take its place. They're just looking for something that feels like they're breaking the rules. And this is an example of how they're doing it - by entering a realm of fantasy." (ANI)