 In cases where there was unconscious guilt associated with the relationship , however , the wish for reunion may be subverted by anxiety . This may lead to repression , which Sigmund Freud had linked with the development of morbid dread . Jones surmised in this case the original wish of a ( sexual ) reunion may be drastically changed : desire is replaced by fear ; love is replaced by sadism , and the object or loved one is replaced by an unknown entity . The sexual aspect may or may not be present . Some modern critics have proposed a simpler theory : People identify with immortal vampires because , by so doing , they overcome , or at least temporarily escape from , their fear of dying . 
