The Twilight franchise is in the midst of a revival.
Over the summer, every movie in the series hit the Netflix top 10, the musician Olivia Rodrigo regularly posts about her Twilight fandom, and the hashtag #TwilightRenaissance has more than 400m views on TikTok.
But one place Twilight never went away is the tiny town of Forks, Washington, where the franchise is set.
Lissy Andros in one of her home’s two Twilight-themed rooms.
Stephenie Meyer had never visited Forks before deciding to set her books there. She picked the town after a Google search for the rainiest places in the US (because vampires hate sunshine).
Her decision transformed the town. The number of annual visitors to Forks reportedly leapt from 10,000 to 70,000 in the year after the first movie was released, and Twilight-themed businesses sprang up to cater to them. There were several Twilight stores, a Twilight restaurant, and Twilight tour buses. The town’s existing businesses jumped on the trend, too, with the local supermarket setting up an area called the Twilight Zone that sold vampire merch, and the town’s pizza restaurant introducing a Twilight menu that includes “Bellasagna” and “Ed bread”.
Top: A Twilight-themed motel room near the museum. Bottom: A fan-made Twilight quilt in the collection.
In the years since the franchise was at its most popular, some of the town’s Twilight-themed businesses have permanently closed. Forks still has a Twilight museum, though – the Forever Twilight in Forks Collection, on the town’s main strip.
In the second of an occasional series celebrating offbeat museums, I spoke with Lissy Andros, the museum’s curator and a Twilight superfan who moved to the area from Texas after reading the books, about the museum and her love for the series.
Do you remember what it was that you first liked about Twilight?
I think that what I connected to in Twilight was that I felt really unfulfilled, and I was stuck in a job that wasn’t a career for me. I wanted to start over. So when I read Twilight, which my friend had begged me for months to read, it woke something up and gave me a new outlook on life. And it was really weird because when I read the saga it was like those people really did exist in this faraway place called Forks, Washington, and I projected myself into that story and [thought]: “What would life be like up there in Forks?”
Top left: Outside a hospital near the museum. Top right: Outside a hotel nearby. Middle: A local convenience store. Bottom: A nearby restaurant.
How would you say Forks compares with how it was written in the books?
She did an amazing job. She nailed a lot of the aspects. On her website, she said that when she finally made it up here, she was prepared to be disappointed. And she said when she got to Forks, it was like Forks had been created for her story, and I totally agree. Even if I go driving today, you can just feel the wolves running through the woods, or some of those things that she talks about in the book.
What was the town like before Twilight?
From what I was told, around 2007, 2008, stores were starting to be boarded up. It was pretty bleak. And then when the Twilight Saga started happening, and businesses started opening, people started being employed, places started being open year round. It had such a positive impact on our community economically from the start. It’s brought the nicest people here. With vampires it could’ve been like, Anne Rice vampires, which are kind of goth or whatever. But it’s brought mothers and daughters and grandmothers and fathers and families.
A collection of newspapers and magazines with Twilight covers at the museum.
When did the museum open?
May of 2017.
How’s it been doing?
It’s very popular. We’re still getting steady numbers and we average about 200 people a day when we’re open. It’s pretty amazing because we’re only open four hours a day. We have people come from all over the world – we have people come from China, the UK, South America, Japan, Russia. They love this area. There’ve been Twilight fans who’ve come here and met locals and they’ve gotten married.
A display case shows editions of the Twilight books from around the world.
Are there other people that moved here because of Twilight?
I know of probably at least 10 people that have moved here.
Has Twilight-related tourism seen a dip in recent years?
Very early on in 2009, 2010, we reached an unsustainable peak [of 73,000 visitors]. Since then it’s been about a steady 40,000. We think that is probably going to remain for many years. I’m thrilled with that. I don’t know that our town and our visitor center could handle 73,000 people every year.
Left: A signed photo of Christopher Heyerdahl, who played Marcus in the Twilight saga. Right: Clockwise from top left: a prop from the Edward Cullen bedroom set, a wardrobe tag from an outfit worn by Robert Pattinson, a prop helmet, and another prop from the Edward Cullen bedroom set.
A lot of the content I saw on the first film’s recent 10th anniversary seemed to be focused on things that now seem troubling. Do you think there are elements that have aged poorly?
I don’t think so. I think if you’re looking for that, you’re going to find that in anything you look at. Yeah, there’s things that people pick out of the book. Like Edward is controlling or whatever and it’s like, it’s fiction. And he’s a vampire. You don’t know what a vampire’s going to act like. This is a supernatural thing. I think you can’t look at it through the eyes of realism when it’s a fictional story.
Do people get quite emotional when they come up here?
Oh yeah. My office is upstairs at the [Forks] visitor center, and I’ve heard people cry; I’ve heard lots of high-pitched screaming.
Top: Costumes worn on screen by Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Bottom: A piece of framed fan art at the museum.
Do you have a favorite object in the museum’s collection?
Probably Edward’s T-shirt that he wears when he kisses Bella for the first time. It’s got the little [wardrobe] tag that says Robert Pattinson on it. I mean, I’m never going to get closer to Robert Pattinson than that. I don’t think I’ll ever be on the red carpet and see him or anything so that makes me feel really close to him in that way.
Chuckesmee.
Is there an object that’s especially popular with visitors?
Most of the visitors really love the quilts, and the Edward and Bella costumes. But probably the most popular thing in the collection at this moment is Chuckesmee.
Could you explain what Chuckesmee is?
Chuckesmee is an animatronic doll that was intended to be used as Bella and Edward’s baby. The most beautiful baby that ever lived.
That’s how it’s described in the book?
Yeah. They were gonna use this animatronic baby and she was so terrifying that the actors and the crew nicknamed her Chuckesmee after the Chucky doll. When we got her she arrived in a crypt of sorts, strapped in, and she came with a third arm.
Do you have any long-term plans for the collection?
My dream would be to have [the museum], a gift shop, a little movie theater that plays Twilight, and maybe like a little pie shop that served “Jacob blackberry pie” or something.
Do you ever think about where you might be today had you never taken the recommendation to read Twilight?
You know, it makes me so sad to think I would just be probably in the exact same situation I was in back in Texas. I would probably be living more of an existence type of life. So I’m really glad that I had an opportunity to move up here. I have the most fun job ever. I couldn’t be happier.
From left to right: two crew wrap gifts, a prop apple, sunglasses worn on screen by Robert Pattinson, and an advance copy of the first Twilight book.