Kevin Williamson Says Damon Not Quite Worthy of Elena on "The Vampire Diaries"

Though he established his horror credentials with the 1996 thriller " Scream ," Kevin Williamson, developer of " The Vampire Diaries ," did not want to be known as the guy who ripped off "Twilight."

While reading the novel of the same name by L.J. Smith, Williamson realized, however, that the show would be more about the town than a love triangle between two vampires and a human.

"There was this one section in the first or second book, volume one or volume 2, where all the dogs went crazy and then you realize Alaric had been hired by the town to come in," Williamson said, discussing "The Vampire Diaries" at the New York Comic-Con.

"And I went 'Oh, the town. They know about the vampires. This is a show about a town.' I didn't want to make a high school story about teenagers in high school, because I've done it. I had to find a way in and that was my way in," he said.

Williamson also drew upon fond childhood memories to turn "The Vampire Diaries" into an episodic television series.

"'Dark Shadows' was the show that would come on when I came home from kindergarten, like 11:30 in the morning. I'd get home and it would be on," he said.

"It was in black-and-white and I remember when it went to color. That's how old I am. It was the first time I saw Kate Jackson and I fell in love with Kate Jackson," Williamson said

"Dark Shadows" truly became a cult classic with the introduction of Barnabas Collins , a 175-year-old vampire played by Jonathan Frid.

"Barnabas Collins was so cool. It was my daily soap opera. I thought it was this gothic, sexy soap opera with family relationships and sort of that supernatural element," Williamson said.

Despite his efforts not to do another high school drama like "Dawson's Creek," fans still ask about the relationship between the vampire Damon and Elena, the teenager who looks like a woman from his distant past.

"Damon is on this really weird journey, of being torn between being good and being bad. He does these good things and then he turns around and does these bad things. He so in flux all the time and so volatile and impulsive," Williamson said.

Offering a harsh evaluation of the character, Williamson said that Damon is going to have to decide if he's going to be a friend, to learn what it takes to be a girl's friend to earn her love. "Everybody loves Damon, but he's not worthy of her yet, in my opinion," he said.