RIVERTON — The screams of mortals could be heard from produce to sporting goods.
Yet, vampires weren't feeding off the masses. They had only excited the imaginations of millions of "Twilight" readers.
At Wal-Mart more than 1,000 excited teens, chaperones and young adults formed a line that wrapped around the periphery of the store, waiting to be among the first to own "Twilight" on DVD. Store manager Scott Trudo said there were 45,000 copies of the DVD in stock, and he didn't expect many to be left once sales began.
"The movie stayed so true to the book and the characters were perfect down to the smallest detail," said Lindsey Frahm, an eighth-grader at Pleasant Grove Junior High. "I want a boy to respect me like Edward respected Bella. That's why I fell in love with 'Twilight.' "
"Twilight" is now the most heavily preordered movie in Wal-Mart history, outpacing "Harry Potter" and "Spider-Man," according to a release from the store. More than 2,400 midnight parties have been planned at stores across the nation, with face-painting, costume competitions and treats.
"We want to drum off the merchandise and movie here in Utah because there is such a large fan base here," Trudo said. "We've had to have several meetings with staff planning this event because we were expecting a large turnout."
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office had five officers on scene in case an incident should arise, and Wal-Mart had extra employees to help manage the increased customer flow.
Rachelle Lefevre, a star from the cast of "Twilight," made a special appearance at Wal-Mart to meet fans and promote sales. As she entered the store, screams could be heard outside in the parking lot for more than 15 minutes.
Penny Taylor, St. George, brought her daughter, Kadee, and friend Kanryn Watt to Salt Lake City for spring break so the pair could be a part of the release party.
" 'Twilight' isn't the traditional vampire movie, but it's more real because she (author Stephenie Meyer) reinvented the myth for herself," Penny said. "She used what she felt was right and created a great story."
As the love story between Bella and Edward has blossomed into a pop-culture phenomenon it began to influence the lens through which teens and young adults are viewing love.
Brittany Johnson, an eighth-grader at Pleasant Grove Junior High, described Edward as a sensitive, nice, responsible young man and wished that more boys in her school were the "ultimate gentleman."
"I like that the movie isn't dark and that you don't have to be afraid," Johnson said. "The story shows that you can make choices between good and evil, and I appreciate that."
She said that Bella had become a sort of role model after her reading and that she had learned more about her own personal responsibility from reading the series.
While some shoppers at Wal-Mart weren't expecting a "Twilight" frenzy when they went to the store for grocery shopping, they'd heard of the story.
Lesli Markhe, a resident of Idaho who was visiting family in the city, said she started the first book but didn't get very far. Her granddaughters and children had read the series and loved the movie, but it wasn't the type of story she enjoyed.
"They hype young women to think that love is something out of this world, and that's not true," Markhe said. "I'm not excited for the movie and I can't help but laugh at all this."
E-mail: cnorlen@desnews.com